220 research outputs found
Maturational and social factors contributing to relative age effects in school sports: Data from the London Youth Games
Few studies have investigated whether relative age effects (RAEs) exist in school sport. None have sought to test the competing maturational and socialāagent hypotheses proposed to explain the RAE. We aimed to determine the presence of RAEs in multiple school sports and examine the contribution of maturational and social factors in commonplace school sports. We analyzed birth dates of n=10645 competitors (11ā18 years) in the 2013 London Youth Games annual interāschool multisport competition and calculated odds ratio (OR) for students competing based on their yearly birth quarter (Q1āQ4). Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the relative contribution of constituent year (Grade) and relative age in netball and football which used multiyear age groupings. In girls, RAEs were present in the team sports including hockey, netball, rugby union, cricket and volleyball but not football. In boys, RAEs were stronger in common team sports (football, basketball cricket) as well as athletics and rowing. In netball and football teams with players from two constituent years, birth quarter betterāpredicted selection than did constituent year. Relatively older players (Q1) from lower constituent years were overrepresented compared with players from Q3 and Q4 of the upper constituent years. RAEs are present in the many sports commonplace in English schools. Selection of relatively older players ahead of chronologically older students born later in the selection year suggests social agents contribute to RAEs in school sports
Temporal trends in muscular fitness of English 10-year-olds 1998-2014: an allometric approach
Objectives
To identify temporal trends in muscular fitness of English children using allometric scaling for height and weight to adjust for the influence of body size.
Design
Repeated cross-sectional study.
Methods
We measured; height, weight, standing broad-jump, handgrip, sit-ups and bent-arm hang in 10-year-old boys and girls from Chelmsford, England in: 2014 (n = 306), 2008 (n = 304) and 1998 (n = 310). Physical activity was (PAQ-C) was assessed in 2008 and 2014. Muscular fitness was allometrically scaled for height and weight. We assessed temporal trends using General Linear Models (fixed factors: wave and sex) and reported effect sizes using partial eta squared (Ī·PĀ²). We compared percentage change per year 1998-2008 with 2008-2014.
Results
Ten-year-olds in 2014 were taller and heavier than in 2008 and 1998 but there were no differences in BMI. Compared with 2008, physical activity was lower in boys (Ī·PĀ² = 0.012) and girls (Ī·PĀ² = 0.27) assessed in 2014. There were significant main effects of wave for handgrip (Ī·PĀ² = 0.060), sit-ups (Ī·PĀ² = 0.120) and bent-arm hang (Ī·PĀ² = 0.204). Pairwise comparisons showed muscular fitness of both sexes was significantly lower in 2014 than in 1998. From 2008 to 2014 percent change per year in handgrip (1.6%) and sit-ups (3.9%) were greater than for the preceding decade (handgrip 0.6%, sit-ups 2.6%).
Conclusions
Downward temporal trends in muscular fitness appear independent of secular changes in body size. We found a decrease in self-reported physical activity concurrent with the accelerated declines in fitness from 2008 to 2014. These findings suggest the declines in children are not engaging in physical activities which support development of muscular fitness
Who is meeting the strengthening physical activity guidelines by definition: A cross-sectional study of 253 423 English adults?
The current UK physical activity guidelines recommend that adults aged 19 to 65 years perform activity to strengthen muscle and bone a minimum of twice weekly. The number of adults meeting strengthening activity guidelines is lower than for aerobic activity, but estimates vary between studies partly due to differences in how muscle-strengthening activity is defined. We aimed to provide estimates for strengthening activity prevalence in English adults based on a nationally representative sample of n = 253,423 18-65-year-olds. We attempted to quantify the variation in estimates attributable to differences in the way strengthening activity is defined. Finally, we aim to provide a brief descriptive epidemiology of the factors associated with strengthening activity. Adults met guidelines for aerobic activity if they reported the activity equivalent to >150 min/week moderate-intensity exercise. Respondents met strengthening guidelines if they reported at least two bouts per week of strengthening activity. We defined strengthening activity, first, according to criteria used in the Health Survey for England (HSE). Second, we counted bouts of strengthening activities for which we could find evidence of health-related benefits (Evidence). Third, we included bouts of strengthening activity as defined in current UK physical activity guidelines (Guideline). Two-thirds (67%) of adults met guidelines for aerobic activity (69% of men, 65% of women). Less than one-third (29% of men and 24% of women) met guidelines for the HSE definition of strengthening activity. Under the Evidence definition, 16% of men and 9% of women met strengthening guidelines. Using the most-stringent definition (Guideline) just 7.3% of men and 4.1% of women achieved the recommendations for strengthening activity. We found females and older adults (50ā65 years) were less likely to meet guidelines for aerobic, strengthening, and combined aerobic plus strengthening activity. The prevalence of meeting activity guidelines was lower in adults from more deprived areas (compared with the least deprived); Adults with lower academic qualifications (Level 1) were less likely to meet activity guidelines than those educated to Level 4 (Degree Level) or higher. Having a limiting disability was associated with a lower prevalence of meeting activity guidelines. Associations between socio-demographic measures and the prevalence of adults meeting activity guidelines were stronger for strengthening activity than for aerobic 51(or combined aerobic plus strengthening) activity Compared with aerobic activity, fewer adults engage in strengthening activity regardless of how it is defined. The range in estimates for how many adults meet strengthening activity guidelines can be explained by variations in the definition of āstrengtheningā that are used and the specific sports or activities identified as strengthening exercise. When strengthening activity is included, the proportion of English adults meeting current physical activity guidelines could be as high as 1 in 3 but possibly as low as just 1 in 20. A harmonized definition of strengthening activity, that is aligned with physical activity guidelines, is required to provide realistic and comparable prevalence estimates
The Relationship between Socioeconomic Status, Family Income, and Measures of Muscular and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Colombian Schoolchildren
Objective
To determine the associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and physical fitness in a sample of Colombian youth.
Study design
Prueba SER is cross-sectional survey of schoolchildren in Bogota, Colombia. Mass, stature, muscular fitness (standing long-jump, handgrip), and cardiorespiratory fitness (20-m shuttle run) were measured in 52ā187 schoolchildren 14-16 years of age. Area-level SES was categorized from 1 (very low) to 4 (high) and parent-reported family income was categorized as low, middle, or high.
Results
Converting measures into z scores showed stature, muscular, and cardiorespiratory fitness were significantly (zā=ā0.3-0.7) below European values. Children in the mid- and high SES groups jumped significantly further than groups with very low SES. Differences were independent of sex but became nonsignificant when adjusted for anthropometric differences. Participants in the mid-SES and high-SES groups had better handgrip scores when adjusted for body dimension. There were, however, no significant between-group differences in cardiorespiratory fitness, which was strongly clustered by school and significantly greater in students from private schools.
Conclusions
Area-level SES is associated with measures of muscular fitness in Colombian schoolchildren. These associations were largely explained by the large differences in body dimensions observed between SES groups. When area-level SES is considered, there was no evidence that family income influenced fitness. The clustering of outcomes reaffirms the potential importance of schools and area-level factors in promoting fitness through opportunities for physical activity. Interventions implemented in schools, can improve academic attainment; a factor likely to be important in promoting the social mobility of children from poorer families
Obese individuals do not underreport dietary intake to a greater extent than nonobese individuals when data are allometrically-scaled
Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the extent of misreporting in obese and non-obese adults on an absolute, ratio-scaled, and allometrically-scaled basis.
Method: Self-reported daily energy intake (EI) was compared with total energy expenditure (TEE) in 221 adults (106 male,115 female; age 53Ā±17 years, stature 1.68Ā±0.09 m, mass 79.8Ā±17.2 kg) who participated in a doubly-labelled water (DLW) subsection of 2013-2015 National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Data were log-transformed and expressed as absolute values, according to simple ratio-standards (per kg body mass) and adjusted for body mass allometrically. Absolute and ratio-scaled misreporting were examined using full-factorial General Linear Models with repeated measures of the natural logarithms of TEE or EI as the within-subjects factor. The natural logarithm of body mass was included as a covariate in the allometric method. The categorical variables of gender, age, obesity, and Physical Activity Level (PAL) were the between-factor variables.
Results: On an absolute-basis, self-reported EI (2759Ā±590 kcalĀ·d-1) was significantly lower than TEE measured by DLW (2759Ā±590 kcalĀ·d-1: F1,205=598.81,p1.75; F1,205=34.15, p<0.001, Ī·p2=0.14) and in younger individuals (<55 years; F1,205=14.82,p<0.001,Ī·p2=0.07), which are all categories with higher energy needs. Ratio-scaling data reduced the effect sizes. Allometric-scaling removed the effect of body mass (F1,205=0.02,p=0.887,Ī·p2=0.00).
Conclusion: In weight-stable adults, obese individuals do not underreport dietary intake to a greater extent than non-obese individuals. These results contradict previous research demonstrating that obesity is associated with a greater degree of underreporting
Cardiovascular autonomic control in patients undergoing left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support and pharmacologic therapy
Objectives The objective of the study is to determine cardiac autonomic control in patients undergoing assessment for and/or LVAD therapy. Methods Heart rate variability (HRV) was measured in 17 explanted LVAD, 17 implanted LVAD and 23 NYHA III-IV classified chronic heart failure (CHF) patients and ten healthy matched controls under three conditions: supine free breathing, standing and supine controlled breathing. Five measures of HRV were assessed: mean R-R interval (mR-R), high frequency (HF) and low frequency (LF) spectral power, LF in normalised units (LFnu), and LF to HF (LF:HF) ratio. Results Repeat measures ANOVA showed significant (p < 0.05) differences in HRV between all three conditions within groups. Lower values were observed in CHF for LF(in log natural units) compared with explanted patients (- 1.4 [95% CI - 2.6 to - 0.7], p = 0.04) and controls (- 2.1 [- 3.5 to - 0.7], p = 0.001) and for LF:HF compared with implanted patients under paced breathing conditions (z = - 2.7, p = 0.007) and controls in standing (z = - 2.9, p = 0.004) and paced breathing conditions (z = - 2.3, p = 0.02). However, no significant differences were seen between explanted, implanted and control groups under any condition. Conclusions Patients implanted with an LVAD and explanted from a LVAD following myocardial recovery demonstrate a more normal dynamic response to autonomic stimuli and have a lower HRV risk profile compared to CHF patients. Ā© 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd
Maturation-related differences in adaptations to resistance training in young male swimmers
This study examined the effects of resistance training on muscular strength and jump performances in young male swimmers. It was hypothesized that adaptations would be of a lower magnitude in less mature (prepeak height velocity [PHV]) than in more mature (post-PHV) subjects. Fourteen pre-PHV (ā1.8 Ā± 1.0 years) and 8 post-PHV (1.6 Ā± 0.5 years) swimmers undertook a 30 minutes, twice-weekly resistance training program for 8 weeks. They were compared with matched control groups (pre-PHV: ā2.0 Ā± 1.1, n = 15; post-PHV: 1.2 Ā± 1.0, n = 7). The effects on lower-body isometric strength (LBS), measured with midthigh pull, and vertical jump (VJ) height in the post-PHV group were large (effect size: 1.3 [0.4 to 2.2]) and small (0.4 [ā0.4 to 1.2]), respectively. Effects on LBS and VJ height in the pre-PHV group were moderate (0.8 [0.1 to 1.4]) and trivial (0.2 [ā0.5 to 0.8]), respectively. Estimates in the post-PHV control group (LBS: 0.7 [ā0.2 to 1.6]; VJ: 0.2 [ā0.7 to 1.0]) and the pre-PHV control group (LBS: 0.1 [ā0.5 to 0.7]; VJ: ā0.3 [ā0.9 to 0.3]) may indicate the extent to which maturation could contribute to the performance changes seen in the respective training groups. Lower-body isometric strength and VJ are trainable, but to different magnitudes, in pre- and post-PHV swimmers. After appropriate foundational training to establish technical competency, twice-weekly resistance training sessions of 30 minutes duration, comprising 3 sets of 4 exercises can be effective in pre- and post-PHV youth
A System-Wide Investigation of the Dynamics of Wnt Signaling Reveals Novel Phases of Transcriptional Regulation
Aberrant Wnt signaling has been implicated in a wide variety of cancers and many components of the Wnt signaling network have now been identified. Much less is known, however, about how these proteins are coordinately regulated. Here, a broad, quantitative, and dynamic study of Wnt3a-mediated stimulation of HEK 293 cells revealed two phases of transcriptional regulation: an early phase in which signaling antagonists were downregulated, providing positive feedback, and a later phase in which many of these same antagonists were upregulated, attenuating signaling. The dynamic expression profiles of several response genes, including MYC and CTBP1, correlated significantly with proliferation and migration (P<0.05). Additionally, their levels tracked with the tumorigenicity of colon cancer cell lines and they were significantly overexpressed in colorectal adenocarcinomas (P<0.05). Our data highlight CtBP1 as a transcription factor that contributes to positive feedback during the early phases of Wnt signaling and serves as a novel marker for colorectal cancer progression
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