Shifting policy in school sport coaching - an evaluation and implications for schools and coaches

This paper examines the impact of the School Sport Coaching Programme during the past two years and the implications for schools and coaches in light of the recent changes in funding by the current coalition government. The School Sport Coaching Programme is a strand within the PE and Sport Strategy for Young People and aims to improve the quantity and quality of coaching offered to young people. The research methods included two surveys which asked respondents to report and reflect on the first year of the programme (2008-2009). One survey went to the Partnership Development Managers (PDMs) and another to the coaches coaching in the partnership schools. There were case study visits to four partnerships with differing characteristics and staff were asked to report on the second year of the programme (2009-2010). The case study visits included interviews with National Governing Body (NGB) representatives, PDMs, coach managers, teachers and other partnership staff and focus groups with young people. In the first year of the programme there was a 70% increase in the number of hours of paid coaching reported for each partnership from 588 to 1,001 hours. The main issues for consideration for the future of coaching in schools were that the most successful partnerships were: employing a coach manager to manage the team of salaried and volunteer coaches across the partnership; employing full-time or substantial hours part-time coaches by seeking joint funding with NGBs and other agencies; setting-up satellite clubs on school sites to assist the development of effective school club links; enabling coaches to organise festivals and competitions for the young people. The paper concludes by considering the implications of this evidence on the future of coaching in schools

Effect of exercise on postprandial endothelial function in adolescent boys

The ingestion of high-fat meals induces a state of endothelial dysfunction in adults. This dysfunction is attenuated by prior exercise. The response of young people to these nutritional and physiological stressors has not been established. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to investigate if a bout of moderate-intensity exercise influenced endothelial function (as indicated by flow-mediated dilation (FMD)) following the ingestion of a high-fat breakfast and lunch in adolescent boys (aged 12·6–14·3 years). Two, 2 d main trials (control and exercise) were completed by thirteen adolescent boys in a counter-balanced, cross-over design. Participants were inactive on day 1 of the control trial, but completed 60 min of walking at 60% peak oxygen uptake in the exercise trial. On day 2, endothelial function was assessed via FMD prior to, and following, ingestion of a high-fat breakfast and lunch. There was no difference in fasting FMD between the control and exercise trial (P¼0·449). In the control trial, FMD was reduced by 32% following consumption of the high-fat breakfast and by 24% following lunch. In the exercise trial, the corresponding reductions were 6 and 10 %, respectively (main effect trial, P¼0·002). These results demonstrate that moderate-intensity exercise can attenuate the decline in FMD seen following the consumption of high-fat meals in adolescent boys

Effects of intermittent games activity on postprandial lipemia in young adults

Purpose: To investigate whether a single session of intermittent games activity would reduce postprandial lipemia. Methods: Twelve male volunteers completed three 2-d trials: rest, continuous exercise, and intermittent games activity. Trials were performed a minimum of 6 d apart in a balanced crossover design. In the rest trial, subjects took no exercise on day 1. On day 1 of the continuous and intermittent games trials, subjects completed four blocks (approximately 15 min per block) of uphill treadmill walking or intermittent games activity with 3 min of rest between each block. On day 2, subjects came to the laboratory for an oral fat tolerance test (blood taken fasted and for 6 h following a high-fat test meal (1.25 g of fat and 1.07 g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body mass)). Results: The intermittent games protocol elicited a higher exercise intensity than the continuous trial (lactate: 4.3 ± 0.6 vs 2.4 ± 0.3 mmol·L−1; % V̇O2max: 72 ± 2 vs 62 ± 1, respectively; mean ± SE). The total area under the plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) concentration versus time curve was lower in both the intermittent games (25%, P = 0.001) and the continuous (19%, P = 0.028) trials than in the rest trial. Conclusion: These findings show for the first time that intermittent games activity can reduce postprandial lipemia, and confirm that continuous exercise reduces postprandial lipemia in young adults

The accumulation of exercise and postprandial endothelial function in boys

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of accumulating 60min of exercise on endothelial function and triacylglycerol concentrations following the ingestion of a high-fat breakfast and lunch in 14 adolescent boys (aged 12 to 14 years). Two, 2-day main trials (control and exercise) were completed in a counter-balanced, cross-over design. Participants were inactive on day 1 of the control trial but on day 1 of the exercise trial completed 6×10min runs at 70% of peak oxygen uptake, spread over the day. On day 2, triacylglycerol concentrations and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) were measured prior to, and following, ingestion of the high-fat meals. In the control trial, FMD was reduced by 30% and 33% (P0.05). These results support the concept of accumulating physical activity for health in adolescents as the accumulated exercise attenuated the decline in FMD seen following the consumption of high-fat meals. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S

Sprint-based exercise and cognitive function in adolescents

Moderate intensity exercise has been shown to enhance cognition in an adolescent population, yet the effect of high-intensity sprint-based exercise remains unknown and was therefore examined in the present study. Following ethical approval and familiarisation, 44 adolescents (12.6 ± 0.6 y) completed an exercise (E) and resting (R) trial in a counter-balanced, randomised crossover design. The exercise trial comprised of 10 × 10 s running sprints, interspersed by 50 s active recovery (walking). A battery of cognitive function tests (Stroop, Digit Symbol Substitution (DSST) and Corsi blocks tests) were completed 30 min pre-exercise, immediately post-exercise and 45 min post-exercise. Data were analysed using mixed effect models with repeated measures. Response times on the simple level of the Stroop test were significantly quicker 45 min following sprint-based exercise (R: 818 ± 33 ms, E: 772 ± 26 ms; p = 0.027) and response times on the complex level of the Stroop test were quicker immediately following the sprint-based exercise (R: 1095 ± 36 ms, E: 1043 ± 37 ms; p = 0.038), while accuracy was maintained. Sprint-based exercise had no immediate or delayed effects on the number of items recalled on the Corsi blocks test (p = 0.289) or substitutions made during the DSST (p = 0.689). The effect of high intensity sprint-based exercise on adolescents' cognitive function was dependant on the component of cognitive function examined. Executive function was enhanced following exercise, demonstrated by improved response times on the Stroop test, whilst visuo-spatial memory and general psycho-motor speed were unaffected. These data support the inclusion of high-intensity sprint-based exercise for adolescents during the school day to enhance cognition

Breakfast glycaemic index and exercise: combined effects on adolescents' cognition

The aim of the present study was to examine the combined effects of breakfast glycaemic index (GI) and a mid-morning bout of exercise on adolescents’ cognitive function. Participants were randomly allocated to a high or low GI breakfast group in a mixed research design, where each participant completed two experimental trials (exercise and resting). Forty-two adolescents (12.4±0.5 years old), undertook a bout of exercise (ten repeats of level one of the multi-stage fitness test; exercise trial) or continued to rest (resting trial) following consumption of either a high or low GI breakfast. A battery of cognitive function tests (visual search test, Stroop test and Sternberg paradigm) was completed 30 min before and 45 min following the exercise. Average heart rate during exercise was 170±15 beats.min-1. On the complex level of the Stroop test, response times improved across the morning following the low GI breakfast on both the exercise and resting trials, though the improvement was greatest on the exercise trial. However, response times only improved on the resting trial following the high GI breakfast (p = 0.012). On the 5 letter level of the Sternberg paradigm, response times improved across the morning following the low GI breakfast (regardless of exercise) and only on the exercise trial following the high GI breakfast (p = 0.019). The findings of the present study suggest that the combined effects of breakfast GI and exercise in adolescents depend upon the component of cognitive function examined. A low GI breakfast and mid-morning bout of exercise were individually beneficial for response times on the Sternberg paradigm, whereas they conferred additional benefits for response times on the Stroop test

Embedding Physical Activity into Community-Based Peer Support Groups for those Severely Affected by Mental Illness

Despite a growing evidence base on the effectiveness of community-based physical activity interventions for mental health, there is a lack of studies that focus on those affected by severe mental illness (SMI), who often experience poorer physical health, and are less physically active than the wider population. The use of peer support groups in this context is also understudied, despite benefits being documented in other contexts. This study examined the impact and process of a nationwide project to embed physical activity into peer support groups for those affected by SMI. Following the embedding of physical activity within peer support groups, interviews and focus groups were conducted to explore the experiences of those involved with the project and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The key findings related to: 1) the social aspects of embedding physical activity in the groups; 2) the focus on peer support and informal physical activity (rather than organised sport) being beneficial; 3) doing things differently and lessons to learn; and 4) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, we found that peer support is an important feature to include in projects encouraging those severely affected by mental illness to become more physically active

High intensity intermittent games-based activity and adolescents’ cognition: moderating effect of physical fitness

Background: An acute bout of exercise elicits a beneficial effect on subsequent cognitive function in adolescents. The effect of games-based activity, an ecologically valid and attractive exercise model for young people, remains unknown; as does the moderating effect of fitness on the acute exercise-cognition relationship. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the effect of games-based activity on subsequent cognition in adolescents, and the moderating effect of fitness on this relationship. Methods: Following ethical approval, 39 adolescents (12.3 ± 0.7 year) completed an exercise and resting trial in a counterbalanced, randomised crossover design. During familiarisation, participants completed a multi-stage fitness test to predict VO2 peak. The exercise trial consisted of 60-min games-based activity (basketball), during which heart rate was 158 ± 11 beats∙min−1. A battery of cognitive function tests (Stroop test, Sternberg paradigm, trail making and d2 tests) were completed 30-min before, immediately following and 45-min following the basketball. Results: Response times on the complex level of the Stroop test were enhanced both immediately (p = 0.021) and 45-min (p = 0.035) post-exercise, and response times on the five item level of the Sternberg paradigm were enhanced immediately post-exercise (p = 0.023). There were no effects on the time taken to complete the trail making test or any outcome of the d2 test. In particular, response times were enhanced in the fitter adolescents 45-min post-exercise on both levels of the Stroop test (simple, p = 0.005; complex, p = 0.040) and on the three item level of the Sternberg paradigm immediately (p = 0.017) and 45-min (p = 0.008) post-exercise. Conclusions: Games-based activity enhanced executive function and working memory scanning speed in adolescents, an effect particularly evident in fitter adolescents, whilst the high intensity intermittent nature of games-based activity may be too demanding for less fit children