Screen Time Increases Risk of Overweight and Obesity

Background: Independent associations between screen time (ST)/physical activity (PA) and overweight (OW)/obesity have been demonstrated but little research exists on the role of ST among sufficiently active children. Purpose: To examine the combined influence of ST and PA on risk of OW/obesity in a nationally representative sample of 9-year-old Irish children. Methods: The sample in this cross sectional analysis contained 8568 children. Self-report parent data were used to group children into ST and PA categories and related to OW/obesity using forced entry logistic regression. Results: High ST (> 3 hours/day), bedroom TV and mobile phone ownership increased risk of OW/obesity in high and low active children (P < .05). Low PA (<9 bouts fortnightly) was also associated with OW/obesity. In combined analyses, OW/obesity was lowest in the reference low ST/high PA group with ORs of 1.38, 1.63, and 2.07, respectively, in the low ST/low PA, high ST/high PA, and high ST/low PA groups. Access to electronic media, low socioeconomic status, parental obesity, and not engaging in sports were all related to high ST (P < .05). Conclusion: This study supports findings that ST is associated with OW/Obesity demonstrating this separately in high and low active children

Nebulous intentioning – Acute hospital nurses’ struggle to deliver core nursing care

Aim: To explore the influences on nursing practice in acute hospital care. Design: A Classic Grounded Theory study. Methods: Data collection (2013–2015) was through interviews and non‐participant observations. Analysis was undertaken using constant comparative data analysis and theoretical sampling. Memo writing was used as an aid to understanding and conceptualizing data during analysis. Theoretical coding served to integrate emerging concepts. Results: This theory explains core nursing as a nebulous intention, an idea which acute care nurses retain throughout each shift, that they will nurse their patients fully when they have the opportunity. It reveals this as the resolution of their main problem which is the constant deferral of core nursing care. This study explains its two sub‐core categories, accommodating and integrity eroding. Conclusion: The theory highlights nurses’ attitudes towards their role, demonstrated by deferring it to accommodate the work of others, but offers a new perspective on the significant contribution nurses make to the safe and cohesive transition of patients through the acute healthcare system. Impact: The theory adds a new understanding of the unique contribution nurses make to patient health and safety in acute care environments. It also provides insight into nurses’ attitudes towards their own professional work. It explains the consequences of attitudes which undermine core nursing when it competes for priority with accommodating. Accommodating indicates a greater workload for nurses than has been previously understood in explaining the activities, additional to core nursing care, which nurses undertake to contribute safety and cohesion to the patient's acute care journey. These new insights suggest a role for managers in recognizing accommodating in decisions about staffing and resources and for educators in improving the profession's regard for its theoretical underpinnings and for its self‐image

Linear Sprint Testing Methods in Gaelic Games: A Systematic Review

Background: The most common method used to monitor acceleration and maximum sprinting speed performance is via a linear sprint test. When conducting linear sprint monitoring it is important to ensure the relevant methodologies are all considered and standardised to ensure valid and reliable results. Objectives: The aims of this review are 1) to systematically search the Gaelic games literature and identify studies that have assessed linear sprint performance, 2) to report the methodological variables employed in each study, and 3) to report normative values for linear sprint performance. Methods: This systematic review searched for literature in five databases. Key details (i.e., playing standard, timing technology, split times over various distances), were extracted. A methodological reporting rating tool was created to grade each study. Results: Twenty-two studies; one in camogie, twelve in hurling and ten in men’s Gaelic football were included. No study monitoring ladies Gaelic football was identified. Sprint times over 10 m ranged from 1.71 ± 0.08 to 2.11 ± 0.77 s between hurlers and men’s Gaelic footballers. The mean rating for methodological reporting was 42%. All included studies failed to report some key methodological variables. Conclusions: This review highlights the importance of utilising and reporting the methods used to conduct accurate sprint performance monitoring across time and allow comparison between studies. The methodological rating tool can be used by practitioners as a ‘checklist’ to ensure sprint monitoring is conducted in a valid and reliable manner. Future research should seek to examine linear sprint performance in ladies Gaelic football

Peak Speed in Gaelic Games: A Systematic Review of GPS Methods

Background: Peak speed is an essential physical quality in Gaelic games due to the offensive, defensive, and transitional nature of the sports. Objectives: The aims of the study were to systematically search the literature for studies examining peak speed during Gaelic games match-play using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, to assess the GPS methodologies implemented and report normative values for peak speed by sport. Methods: Keywords were combined to search and identify studies reporting peak speed values recorded using GPS technology during Gaelic games match-play. Key details such as GPS brand/model, number of satellites connected, and firmware version were extracted. A risk of bias tool was designed to rate the level of detection bias within each study. Results: Twenty-one (N=21) studies met the inclusion criteria. Eight studies examined peak speed in hurling and men’s Gaelic football, respectively, while four camogie and one ladies Gaelic football study were identified. Twenty-nine percent (29%) of included studies were graded as having a high risk of bias in at least one category. Peak speeds between 7.81 to 9.97 m·s-1 were reported in hurling and men’s Gaelic football and between 5.88 to 7.45 m·s-1 in camogie and ladies’ Gaelic football. Conclusions: The dearth of literature examining peak speed in both female sports requires additional investigation, particularly in relation to the sprint profile of ladies Gaelic football. It is recommended that practitioners are cognisant of the methodological considerations which can be used as a ‘checklist’ to ensure accurate and reliable data are collected when using GPS technology to monitor peak speed

Exploring the flow state in professional jump jockeys: Content and connecting analyses.

Research on flow in elite sport has largely focussed on traditional sports and has yet to consider the possibility of unique performance experiences in the case of horse-rider sports. This study sought to explore; (a) the conditions influencing the occurrence of flow; (b) the characteristics of flow; and (c) the connections between the conditions and characteristics of flow in horse racing jockeys. Ten full-time professional National Hunt (jump) jockeys (Mean age = 28.1; SD = 5.21) participated in semi-structured interviews exploring the flow state in horse racing. Data was analysed through an alternating process between content analysis (Colaizzi, 1978) and connecting analysis (Maxwell, 2012). The content analysis revealed that ten characteristics described the state of flow in jump jockeys, of which the optimal interaction with the horse has not emerged previously. Synchronisation of horse and jockey during flow experiences was characterised by communication, physiological and locomotive features. The optimal horse-jockey partnership involved the fusion of conditions pertaining independently to both the horse and jockey and was subsequently expressed through altered kinaesthetic sensations in the horse-rider relationship. Twelve facilitators, ten inhibitors and seven disruptors were identified as being influential to the state of flow in jockeys, with all three circumstances including a novel theme; the demeanour, performance and characteristics of the horse. The connecting analysis extracted 35 links between the conditions and characteristics of flow, through which confidence, concentration and the optimal interaction with the horse were highly influential. This study made two important contributions by characterising the experience of flow in the interspecies equine sport of horse racing and identifying the manner in which the facilitative factors influenced flow in jump jockeys. Additionally, results also alluded to elements of the autotelic personality in jockeys. Results are discussed in relation to previous research and recommendations for theoretical and research developments outlined

An evaluation of the health-behaviours of farmers in the South-East of Ireland

An evaluation of the health-behaviours of farmers in the South-East of Ireland A. Storey1, A. Lane1, C. Cunningham2 and J. McNamara3. 1Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Science, Waterford Institute of Technology, 2School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Population Science, University College Dublin, 3Health and Safety Officer, Teagasc, Kildalton College. Introduction Farming has traditionally been considered to be an active outdoor profession with largely positive health outcomes (Blair et al., 2005). Yet a recent evaluation of Irish population and mortality data over the period from 2000 to 2006 has indicated that of all occupational groupings, farmers and agricultural workers have the highest all-cause mortality rate and should therefore in themselves be considered a high risk group (Smyth et al., 2013). Within this study the highest standardised mortality ratios were reported for the behaviour-related chronic diseases: cardiovascular disease and cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the health behaviours that distinguish farmers from the general population as reported in the Survey of Lifestyles, Attitudes, and Nutrition (SLAN) in Ireland (Morgan et al., 2008), which may contribute to the differential in mortality statistics. Methods A self-administered paper-based questionnaire was used to obtain cross sectional data on the health and health behaviours of farmers in the South-East of Ireland. A total of 366 farmers attending either Teagasc organised training courses or Irish Farmers’ Association meetings between March and August 2013 completed the questionnaire. Non-probability quota sampling was the selection method employed in the study. The questionnaire was a modified version of the SLAN. It contained sections evaluating general health, physical activity (PA), smoking and alcohol consumption. Chi-squared comparisons were made between health behaviours of farmers the general population as reported in SLAN. Questionnaire results are presented together with general population data (Pop.), chi-squared and two-tailed significance (in parentheses). The study was approved by the Research Ethics Board of Waterford Institute of Technology. Results and Discussion The sample included 316 male and 50 female respondents with a combined mean age of 42 ± 14.1 (SD) years. Of the total sample, 64% of farmers (Pop.=58%; χ2=5.1; p=0.02) reported their health as being ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ and only 0.5% (Pop.=3%; χ2=7.5; p30kg.m-2). Despite 60% being classified as overweight or obese, just 27% believed that they were too heavy. Fifty-four percent of farmers (Pop.=24%; χ2=170.7; p<0.01) achieved high levels of PA, 24% (Pop.=47%; χ2=75.0; p<0.01) moderate and 22% (Pop.=29%; χ2=8.1; p<0.01) low PA. Thirty-nine percent (Pop.=48%; χ2=11.3; p<0.01) reported that they had smoked at some point in their lives, while 18% (Pop.=29%; χ2=20.8; p<0.01) were current smokers. Of those who previously smoked, 26% had stopped smoking within the past year. Eighty-five percent (Pop.=80%; χ2=5.5; p=0.02) of farmers reported drinking alcohol on some occasions. 19% (Pop.=28%; χ2=13.9; p<0.01) of farmers reported binge drinking (having 6 or more standard drinks on one occasion) at least once per week. Conclusions Farmers’ self-perception of their health is good, although they perhaps do not fully acknowledge or address ill-health. Prevalence of LBP is significantly greater than in the general population. While PA, smoking and alcohol behaviours are healthier than the general population, there is a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity. In addition to being an independent risk factor for chronic disease, overweight is also a risk factor for LBP. As LBP-associated disability can precipitate other comorbidities (Schneider et al., 2007), farmers should pay attention to their risk factors for LBP including body weight and manual handling techniques, particularly in the context that lifting and carrying are integral components of farming activity. Acknowledgements We gratefully acknowledge the significant contributions of Teagasc, the Irish Farmers’ Association, Irish Rural Link in Midlands, the participating farmers and Bríd McNamara. References Blair, A., Sandler, D.P., Tarone, R., Lubin, J., Thomas, K., Hoppin, J.A., Zahm, S.H., Lynch, C.F., Rothman, N., Alavanja, M.C.R. (2005). Mortality among participants in the agricultural health study. Annals of Epidemiology, 15(4): 279–85. Morgan K., McGee H., Watson D., Perry I., Barry M., Shelley E., Harrington J., Molcho M., Layte R., Tully N., van Lente E., Ward M., Lutomski J. , Conroy R., Brugha R. (2008) SLÁN 2007: Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes & Nutrition in Ireland. Main Report. Dublin: Department of Health and Children. Schneider S., Mohnen S.M., Schiltenwolf M., Rau C. (2007) Eur J Pain. 11(4):387-97 Smyth, B., Evans, D.S., Kelly, A., Cullen, L. & O'Donovan, D. (2013) Eur J Public Health. 23(1):50-5

Do mass participation sporting events have a role in making populations more active?

Mass sporting events are becoming increasingly popular worldwide and may have health benefits as they foster low intensity participation in a non competitive, fun environment. We know little, however, about their long term effect, if any, on physical activity levels. This report describes the initial impact of three women only mass events in Ireland as well as the effectiveness of a series of initiatives designed to boost activity among the least active participants. It also presents key lessons and recommendations for all those charged with promoting physical activity in Ireland