Can Sport and Wellness Technology be My Personal Trainer? – Teenagers and Digital Coaching

The attention towards digital coaching solutions has increased among users of sport and wellness technologies, the related industry, the healthcare and wellness sector, and among scholars. However, as the commercial digital coaching solutions are rather novel, the number of studies about their influence or the usage experiences is still rather limited. Another topic that is lacking research is the relationship of teenagers and sport and wellness technology. Since using the internet and technological devices on a daily basis has become the norm for teenagers, it is worth paying attention to how technology could be developed in order to better motivate them towards a healthier lifestyle. The purpose of this study was to find out the perceptions of teenagers regarding sport and wellness technology and especially of digital coaching. According to the findings, teenagers perceive digital coaching positively. They prefer instructional guidance and advice especially related to physical activity and nutrition

Varhain epilepsiaan sairastuneiden lasten käyttäytymisen ongelmat kouluiässä

Epilepsia on yleinen lastenneurologinen sairaus, jolle on tyypillistä ennustamattomat, toistuvat epileptiset kohtaukset. Epilepsia ei kuitenkaan ole pelkästään kohtauksia, vaan sitä sairastavilla lapsilla todetaan usein käyttäytymisen ja tunne-elämän ongelmia. Erityisesti tarkkaavuuteen liittyvien ongelmien esiintyvyys on suurta. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää, kuinka paljon ja millaisia käyttäytymisen ongelmia varhain epilepsiaan sairastuneilla lapsilla esiintyy kouluiässä vanhempien ja opettajien arvioimana. Tämän lisäksi tutkittiin epilepsiaan liittyvien tekijöiden yhteyttä kyseisiin ongelmiin. Lopuksi tarkasteltiin, ovatko alle kouluiän kehitystaso tai kouluiässä esiintyneet oppimisvaikeudet yhteydessä havaittuihin käyttäytymisen ongelmiin. Tutkimus oli osa vuonna 2004 alkanutta tutkimusprojektia, jossa selvitetään varhain epilepsiaan sairastuneiden lasten neurokognitiivista suoriutumista ja sosiaalista toimintakykyä. Tutkimuksen kohteena ovat Tampereen yliopistollisen sairaalan lastenneurologisen yksikön seurannassa olleet epilepsiaa sairastaneet 3–6-vuotiaat lapset (N = 64). Seurantatutkimus toteutettiin vuonna 2011 lasten ollessa 9–14-vuotiaita. Siihen osallistui alkuperäisestä kohortista 43 epilepsiaa keskimäärin yhdeksän vuotta sairastanutta lasta. Epilepsiaan liittyvät lääketieteelliset taustatiedot kerättiin lasten sairauskertomuksista. Lisäksi lasten vanhemmat ja opettajat arvioivat lapsen käyttäytymistä ja tarkkaavuutta kyselylomakkeiden (Child Behavior Checklist ja Conners’ Rating Scales – Revised) avulla. Tulokset osoittivat, ettei suurimmalla osalla varhain epilepsiaan sairastuneista lapsista ollut vanhempien ja opettajien arvioimana käyttäytymisen ongelmia. Kliinisesti merkittäviä käyttäytymisen ongelmia arvioitiin olevan noin kolmasosalla tutkimukseen osallistuneista lapsista. Opettajat arvioivat ongelmia olevan hieman enemmän kuin vanhemmat. Varhain epilepsiaan sairastuneiden lasten käyttäytymisen ongelmat ilmenivät kouluiässä tarkkaamattomuutena, sisään- ja ulospäin suuntautuneena ongelmakäyttäytymisenä sekä hyperaktiivisuutena. Sekä vanhempien että opettajien arvioimiin käyttäytymisen ja tarkkaavuuden ongelmiin oli epilepsiaan liittyvänä tekijänä yhteydessä etiologia. Opettajien arvioimana myös epilepsian alkamisikä, kesto, kohtauskontrolli, lääkitys ja muut neurologiset diagnoosit olivat yhteydessä hyperaktiivisuuteen. Vanhempien arvioimana muut epilepsiaan liittyvät tekijät tai neurologiset diagnoosit eivät olleet yhteydessä käyttäytymisen ongelmiin. Epilepsiaan liittyvien tekijöiden lisäksi lapsen kehitystaso ennen kouluikää sekä oppimisvaikeudet kouluiässä olivat yhteydessä käyttäytymisen ja tarkkaavuuden vaikeuksiin sekä vanhempien että opettajien arvioimana. Tutkimus osoitti aikaisempien tutkimusten mukaisesti varhain epilepsiaan sairastuneilla lapsilla olevan kouluiässä keskimääräistä enemmän käyttäytymisen ongelmia. Mahdolliset käyttäytymisen ongelmat on hyvä huomioida kliinisessä työssä. Koska käyttäytymisen ongelmia esiintyy myös kohtauksettomilla lapsilla, tulee epilepsiaan sairastuneiden lasten käyttäytymistä ja tarkkaavuutta sekä niissä mahdollisesti esiintyviä ongelmia seurata riittävän pitkään myös kohtausten loppumisen jälkeen

Digital Coaching and Athlete\u27s Self-efficacy – A Quantitative Study on Sport and Wellness Technology

The use and demand for sport and wellness technology devices among athletes are increasing. The technology is used to improve the quality of training but also to improve quality of life by, for example, reducing risk of injury. Together with the increased interest towards sport and wellness technology, the demand for clear and easy to understand personalized information is growing. Digital coaching offers solutions for this demand by not only providing valuable training data but also offering instruc-tions and guidance on how to improve the training. By doing this, the sport and wellness technology can act as a personal coach and therefore can also affect athletes’ confidence and perception of their own abilities through, for example, evaluative feedback, expectations and verbal persuasion. This ex-ploratory study investigates subjectively perceived effects of digital coach among cross-country skiers. The focus was on the changes in the level of athletes’ self-efficacy during a one-month period when preparing for a ski marathon race. The results indicate that a digital coach can increase the athletes’ knowledge regarding their technique as well as provide improvement on perceived level of skiing technique. These results give more insight to sport technology companies as well as athletes and coaches about the effects and possibilities of digital coaching among athletes

Psychometric properties and factor structure of the Finnish version of the Health Care Providers' Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale

Background: Health care providers' beliefs influence the outcomes of low back pain patients care. Objectives: The aim of this study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the Health Care Providers' Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale into Finnish (HC-PAIRS-FI) and to evaluate its psychometric properties and factor structure in a sample of Finnish physiotherapists and physiotherapy students. Methods: The translation was performed using established guidelines. Participants answered an online survey consisting of HC-PAIRS-FI and the Finnish Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia adapted for health care providers (TSK-HC-FI). Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to determine test-retest reliability. A second round of analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed as the fit indices of the initial CFA were not satisfactory. Results: A sample of 202 physiotherapists and 97 physiotherapy students completed the survey. The second round of analysis EFA and CFA, conducted on a randomly split subsample, revealed and confirmed a three-factor, 11item HC-PAIRS-FI scale with satisfactory model fit indices. Cronbach's alpha 0.79 and ICC = 0.82 (p < 0.001) indicate good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The standard error of measurement was 2.12. HCPAIRS-FI scores correlated moderately with TSK-HC-FI (r = 0.69, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The 11 items HC-PAIRS-FI appears to be a valid and reliable questionnaire to evaluate Finnish physiotherapists' and physiotherapy students' attitudes and beliefs about the relationship between chronic low back pain and impairment. Future studies are required to validate this scale for other health care providers.Peer reviewe

CDKN2A copy number and p16 expression in malignant pleural mesothelioma in relation to asbestos exposure

BackgroundDeletion of the CDKN2A locus is centrally involved in the development of several malignancies. In malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), it is one of the most frequently reported genomic alteration. MPM is strongly associated with a patients' asbestos exposure. However, the status of CDKN2A and the expression of the corresponding protein, p16, in relation to MPM patient's asbestos exposure is poorly known. Copy number alterations in 2p16, 9q33.1 and 19p13 have earlier been shown to accumulate in lung cancer in relation to asbestos exposure but their status in MPM is unclear.MethodsWe studied DNA copy numbers for CDKN2A using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and p16 expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 92 MPM patients, 75 of which with known asbestos exposure status. We also studied, in MPM, copy number alterations in 2p16, 9q33.1 and 19p13 by FISH.ResultsWe were unable to detect an association between p16 expression and pulmonary asbestos fiber count in MPM tumor cells. However, significantly more MPM patients with high pulmonary asbestos fiber count (>1 million fibers per gram [f/g]) had stromal p16 immunoreactivity than MPM of patients with low exposure ( 0.5 million f/g) (51.4% vs 16.7%; p=0.035, Chi-Square). We found that an abnormal copy number of CDKN2A in MPM tumor cells associated with a high pulmonary asbestos fiber count (p=0.044, Fisher's Exact test, two-tailed). In contrast to our earlier findings in asbestos associated lung cancer, DNA copy number changes in 2p16, 9q33 and 19p13 were not frequent in MPM although single cases with variable copy numbers on those regions were seen.ConclusionsWe found two instances where the gene locus CDKN2A or its corresponding protein expression, is associated with high asbestos exposure levels. This suggests that there may be biological differences between the mesotheliomas with high pulmonary asbestos fiber count and those with low fiber count.Peer reviewe

CDKN2A copy number and p16 expression in malignant pleural mesothelioma in relation to asbestos exposure

BackgroundDeletion of the CDKN2A locus is centrally involved in the development of several malignancies. In malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), it is one of the most frequently reported genomic alteration. MPM is strongly associated with a patients' asbestos exposure. However, the status of CDKN2A and the expression of the corresponding protein, p16, in relation to MPM patient's asbestos exposure is poorly known. Copy number alterations in 2p16, 9q33.1 and 19p13 have earlier been shown to accumulate in lung cancer in relation to asbestos exposure but their status in MPM is unclear.MethodsWe studied DNA copy numbers for CDKN2A using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and p16 expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 92 MPM patients, 75 of which with known asbestos exposure status. We also studied, in MPM, copy number alterations in 2p16, 9q33.1 and 19p13 by FISH.ResultsWe were unable to detect an association between p16 expression and pulmonary asbestos fiber count in MPM tumor cells. However, significantly more MPM patients with high pulmonary asbestos fiber count (>1 million fibers per gram [f/g]) had stromal p16 immunoreactivity than MPM of patients with low exposure ( 0.5 million f/g) (51.4% vs 16.7%; p=0.035, Chi-Square). We found that an abnormal copy number of CDKN2A in MPM tumor cells associated with a high pulmonary asbestos fiber count (p=0.044, Fisher's Exact test, two-tailed). In contrast to our earlier findings in asbestos associated lung cancer, DNA copy number changes in 2p16, 9q33 and 19p13 were not frequent in MPM although single cases with variable copy numbers on those regions were seen.ConclusionsWe found two instances where the gene locus CDKN2A or its corresponding protein expression, is associated with high asbestos exposure levels. This suggests that there may be biological differences between the mesotheliomas with high pulmonary asbestos fiber count and those with low fiber count.Peer reviewe

Is postpartum depression a homogenous disorder: time of onset, severity, symptoms and hopelessness in relation to the course of depression

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common illness, but due to the underlying processes and the diversity of symptoms, some variability is exhibited. The risk of postpartum depression is great if the mother has previously suffered from depression, but there is some evidence that a certain subgroup of women only experience depression during the postpartum period. Methods The study group consisted of 104 mothers with postpartum major depression and a control group of 104 postpartum mothers without depression. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) was used for data collection. The severity of depression and other mental symptoms were assessed using several validated rating scales. Results A history of past depression (82%), including depression during pregnancy (42%) and during the postpartum period (53%), was very common in those with current PPD. Eighteen per cent of mothers with current PPD had previously not had any depressive episodes and four per cent had experienced depression only during the postpartum period. Therefore, pure PPD was rare. The onset of PPD was usually (84%) within six weeks of childbirth. Obsessive-compulsive symptoms, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, depressed mood, diminished pleasure/interest, decreased energy, and psychomotor agitation/retardation were common with all kinds of depression histories. Pure PPD was the most similar to the first depressive episode. Nevertheless, the severity of depression, the level of hopelessness, somatisation, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, hostility, psychoticism, sleep disturbance, and suicidal ideation were lower, appetite changed less, and concentration was better than in other recurrent depressions. Conclusions According to this study, PPD is not a homogenous disorder. The time of onset, severity, symptoms, level of hopelessness, and the course of depression vary. Recurrent depression is common. All mothers must be screened during the sixth week postpartum at the latest. Screening alone is not effective; it is also important to give mothers information about PPD and to discuss the symptoms with them in order for them to recognise this disorder and possible new episodes in the future.BioMed Central open acces

Ideal Types of Online Shoppers – A Qualitative Analysis of Online Shopping Behavior

Due to the growing popularity of online shopping, there is a growing demand for understanding the motives and behaviour of online shoppers. This study aims to increase this understanding by examining online shopping behaviour from the perspective of UTAUT2 theory integrated with self-efficacy and risk avoidance components. The thematically analysed data from 31 participants highlights the unique aspects of online shoppers by grouping them into ideal types, presenting the data as extensively as possible. An ideal type is an analytical construct used to ascertain similarities and deviations to concrete cases in an individual phenomenon. This study discovered five ideal types of online shoppers: Conservative Shoppers, Rational Shoppers, Hedonistic Shoppers, Spontaneous Shoppers and Van-guard Shoppers. The main theoretical contribution of this study are the formed ideal shopper types enriched with practical implications for online shop providers on how to best meet the needs of each ideal type. The purpose of the ideal types is not to categorize online shoppers under one category but rather help to understand regularities of different types of online shopping behaviour. This under-standing is beneficial for online shop providers as well as for academics interested in studying online shopping behaviour from the information systems point of view

Critical experiences with sport and wellness technology digital coach – differences between young adults and young elderly

Both young adults and young elderly people have been found to be at a high risk of disengagement with physical activity. This makes both groups important targets for health and exercise promotion. Since sport and wellness technology has become popular among regular exercisers, it is worth studying how personal wellness devices could help both target groups in becoming more physically active. This study explores critical experiences during the implementation phase of a sport and wellness technology digital coach among young adults and young elderly. This qualitative study is based on a thematic analysis of 60 participants’ interviews conducted with the critical incident technique. The study reveals the experiences the users consider crucial during the initial phases of usage of sport and wellness technology digital coaching devices. The results show that positive critical incidents among young adults and young elderly are similar when learning about personal health and exercising. However, the role of supportive communication seems to be more important with the young elderly people. Functionality and usability issues play a big role in negative critical incidents. The findings highlight the importance of these critical experiences to the overall usage experience and their influence on users’ motivation to improve their fitness