Validity and intra-rater reliability of MyJump app on iPhone 6s in jump performance

OBJECTIVES: Smartphone applications are increasingly used by researchers, coaches, athletes and clinicians. The aim of this study was to examine the concurrent validity and intra-rater reliability of the smartphone-based application, MyJump, against laboratory-based force plate measurements. DESIGN: Cross sectional study. METHODS: Participants completed counter-movement jumps (CMJ) (n=29) and 30cm drop jumps (DJ) (n=27) on a force plate which were simultaneously recorded using MyJump. To assess concurrent validity, jump height, derived from flight time acquired from each device, was compared for each jump type. Intra-rater reliability was determined by replicating data analysis of MyJump recordings on two occasions separated by seven days. RESULTS: CMJ and DJ heights derived from MyJump showed excellent agreement with the force plate (ICC values range from 0.991 for CMJ to 0.993) However mean DJ height from the force plate was significantly higher than MyJump (mean difference: 0.87cm, 95% CI: 0.69-1.04cm). Intra-rater reliability of MyJump for both CMJ and DJ was almost perfect (ICC values range from 0.997 for CMJ to 0.998 for DJ); however, mean CMJ and DJ jump height for Day 1 was significantly higher than Day 2 (CMJ: 0.43cm, 95% CI: 0.23-0.62cm); (DJ: 0.38cm, 95% CI: 0.23-0.53cm). CONCLUSION: The present study finds MyJump to be a valid and highly reliable tool for researchers, coaches, athletes and clinicians; however, systematic bias should be considered when comparing MyJump outputs to other testing devices

Do exercise trials for adults with depression account for comorbid anxiety? A systematic review

Rebar, A ORCiD: 0000-0003-3164-993X; Stanton, R ORCiD: 0000-0002-6684-5087; Wintour, S ORCiD: 0000-0001-8697-4380Background: Depression and anxiety are more likely to co-occur than to occur in isolation. Research supports the use of exercise in the treatment of depression or anxiety, but comorbidity may complicate how people are impacted by treatment. Methods: A systematic review (PROSPERO # 42018111114) was conducted to investigate whether and how the evidence of effects of exercise on depression accounts for (1) the prevalence of comorbidity of depression and anxiety within trial samples, and (2) the effects of comorbidity in analyses of intervention effects. This review will utilize and extend the findings of Cooney et al. (2013) applying the same search terms and inclusion criteria (i.e. depression diagnosis). For the review update, five databases were searched including Cochrane Register of Control Trials, Embase, PubMed, Medline and PsycINFO. Results: The search resulted in 63 eligible studies with a total of 4,816 participants. Sixteen (25%) studies reported prevalence of anxiety, two (3%) considered comorbidity descriptively, but none accounted for comorbidity in their trial analyses. Conclusions: Depression and anxiety are known to co-exist but trials testing the effects of exercise on depression are generally neither reporting the prevalence of comorbidity of anxiety within their samples nor testing whether the presence of comorbidity impacts trial effectiveness and efficacy. Comorbidity of depression and anxiety should be considered in exercise trials to ensure that the effects will apply to the manifestation of these disorders in the real world. © 2020 Elsevier Lt

Do exercise trials for adults with depression account for comorbid anxiety? A systematic review

Background: Depression and anxiety are more likely to co-occur than to occur in isolation. Research supports the use of exercise in the treatment of depression or anxiety, but comorbidity may complicate how people are impacted by treatment. Methods: A systematic review (PROSPERO # 42018111114) was conducted to investigate whether and how the evidence of effects of exercise on depression accounts for (1) the prevalence of comorbidity of depression and anxiety within trial samples, and (2) the effects of comorbidity in analyses of intervention effects. This review will utilize and extend the findings of Cooney et al. (2013) applying the same search terms and inclusion criteria (i.e. depression diagnosis). For the review update, five databases were searched including Cochrane Register of Control Trials, Embase, PubMed, Medline and PsycINFO. Results: The search resulted in 63 eligible studies with a total of 4,816 participants. Sixteen (25%) studies reported prevalence of anxiety, two (3%) considered comorbidity descriptively, but none accounted for comorbidity in their trial analyses. Conclusions: Depression and anxiety are known to co-exist but trials testing the effects of exercise on depression are generally neither reporting the prevalence of comorbidity of anxiety within their samples nor testing whether the presence of comorbidity impacts trial effectiveness and efficacy. Comorbidity of depression and anxiety should be considered in exercise trials to ensure that the effects will apply to the manifestation of these disorders in the real world. © 2020 Elsevier Lt

The association between training load and performance in team sports: A systematic review

Background: Adequate training loads promote favorable physical and physiological adaptations, reduce the likelihood of illness and injury, and, therefore, increase the possibility of success during competition. Objectives: Our objective was to systematically examine the association between training load and performance outcomes in team sports. Methods: We systematically searched the PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and PsycINFO databases for original research published before July 2018. The search included terms relevant to training load, performance, and team sports. Articles were screened using pre-defined selection criteria, and methodological quality was assessed independently by two authors before data were extracted by the lead author. Results: The electronic search yielded 5848 articles, 2373 of which were duplicates. A further 17 articles were retrieved from additional sources. In total, 26 articles met the inclusion criteria for this review, with quality scores ranging from 6 to 10 out of 11. Training exposure was more strongly associated with aerobic performance than other external training load measures. High-intensity activity (≥ 90% of maximum heart rate) was strongly associated with aerobic performance. The individualized training impulse model was strongly associated with aerobic performance, whereas various other training impulse models and perceptual training load measures showed weak associations with aerobic performance. There were no clear associations between training load and neuromuscular variables or game-related statistics. Conclusion: We found no consistent associations between external training load measures and performance. High-intensity internal training load appears to be the most prominent indicator of aerobic performance. © 2018, Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Erratum regarding previously published articles in volume 16, 17, 18 and 19

Erratum referring to : Gabrielle Bond, Robert Stanton, Sally-Anne Wintour, Simon Rosenbaum, Amanda L. Rebar: Do exercise trials for adults with depression account for comorbid anxiety? A systematic review Mental Health and Physical Activity, Volume 18, March 2020, Article no. 100320 DOI: 10.1016/j.mhpa.2020.10032

Sticking to the facts: A systematic review of the effects of therapeutic tape in lateral epicondylalgia

Objective: To systematically identify, appraise, and examine evidence regarding the effects of therapeutic tape on pain and function in individuals with lateral epicondylalgia (LE). Methods: Five electronic databases were systematically searched up to March 2018. Full-text, peer-reviewed, English-language studies were included if they had an LE population, a standalone tape condition, and an outcome related to pain or function. Results: Eight out of 2022 screened studies were included. Three studies demonstrated immediate (i.e. within 1 h) improvements in pain and pain-free grip strength following diamond deloading rigid tape. One study reported immediate improvements in proprioception following transverse rigid tape. The immediate effects of longitudinal kinesiotape were inconsistent. One study reported improvements in pain and pain-free grip strength, while another study reported no effect on pain, strength, or muscle activity. Two studies examined short-term (i.e. within six weeks) kinesiotape application. One study reported two weeks of longitudinal kinesiotape improved pain and maximum grip strength. The other study reported one week of diamond kinesiotape improved patient-reported pain and function, but not maximum grip strength. Conclusions: In individuals with LE, diamond deloading rigid tape may immediately improve pain and strength. There is conflicting evidence regarding kinesiotape effects in both immediate and short-term timeframes

Sticking to the facts: A systematic review of the effects of therapeutic tape in lateral epicondylalgia

Objective: To systematically identify, appraise, and examine evidence regarding the effects of therapeutic tape on pain and function in individuals with lateral epicondylalgia (LE). Methods: Five electronic databases were systematically searched up to March 2018. Full-text, peer-reviewed, English-language studies were included if they had an LE population, a standalone tape condition, and an outcome related to pain or function. Results: Eight out of 2022 screened studies were included. Three studies demonstrated immediate (i.e. within 1 h) improvements in pain and pain-free grip strength following diamond deloading rigid tape. One study reported immediate improvements in proprioception following transverse rigid tape. The immediate effects of longitudinal kinesiotape were inconsistent. One study reported improvements in pain and pain-free grip strength, while another study reported no effect on pain, strength, or muscle activity. Two studies examined short-term (i.e. within six weeks) kinesiotape application. One study reported two weeks of longitudinal kinesiotape improved pain and maximum grip strength. The other study reported one week of diamond kinesiotape improved patient-reported pain and function, but not maximum grip strength. Conclusions: In individuals with LE, diamond deloading rigid tape may immediately improve pain and strength. There is conflicting evidence regarding kinesiotape effects in both immediate and short-term timeframes. © 2019 Elsevier Lt

The immediate effects of therapeutic tape on pain and function in lateral epicondylalgia: A systematic review

Introduction: Lateral epicondylalgia (LE) is a common musculoskeletal condition with a complex, multifactorial pathophysiology. There is currently limited consensus guiding optimal treatment; however, it is widely accepted that conservative interventions such as exercise, manual therapy, electrotherapy, or therapeutic taping, are preferred to surgical management. Although therapeutic taping is used by many therapists, synthesised evidence from a systematic review regarding the effectiveness of therapeutic taping in LE is lacking. Our review aims to identify and analyse the existing evidence regarding the effects of therapeutic taping on immediate measures of pain and function in individuals with LE

Global Corporate Social Responsibility, Human Rights, and the Law: An Interactive Regulatory Perspective on the Voluntary-Mandatory Dichotomy

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been customarily seen as an inherently voluntary corporate endeavour that inhabits the area stretching ‘beyond compliance’ with law. However a growing number of writers and practitioners deem this understanding of CSR inaccurate and unproductive. In this article CSR as ‘beyond compliance’ is questioned from logical, descriptive and normative points of view; once freed from its conceptual straitjacket, CSR research is encouraged to look deeply into the mutual interaction between corporate voluntarism, or CSR, and law. The argument here is that the keyword in regulating CSR is not voluntarism that is naturally pitted against hard law, but discretion; regulating CSR is not about replacing voluntarism with hard law, but about guiding discretion through law which neither overrides it nor leaves it untouched. Leading companies, through their early failures, persistence and learning from mistakes adopt now more participatory approaches to implementing CSR and as a result may generate systemic effects on governance. The milestone in the development of CSR is stakeholders’ participation. A more careful analysis of the mandatory-voluntary controversy does justice to a complex phenomenon (CSR) that is not only a commendable managerial practice but also a significant protection mechanism relevant from a public policy perspective. The focus of the analysis herein is on ‘international’ or ‘global’ CSR, more specifically on that part of CSR that concerns the role of MNEs regarding human rights in developing countries