Do paralympic track and field athletes have low energy availability?

<div><p>Abstract One of the greatest challenges when working with athletes is to achieve the energy demands for physiological processes and exercise expenditure. The aim of this study was to assess the energy availability (EA) of Paralympic track and field athletes (sprinters). Seventeen athletes (9 male and 8 female) with visual impairment (VI, n=10), cerebral palsy (CP, n=4) and limb deficiency (LD, n=3) were assessed for energy intake (EI) (4-day food photographic record), energy expenditure with exercise (EEex) (motion sensor), and body composition (skinfolds method). Energy availability was estimated using the equation: EA = (EIkcal - EEexkcal) / fat-free mass (FFM) / day, and values ≤ 30kcal/kgFFM/day were considered as low energy availability (LEA). EEex varied from 130 to 477kcal/h and athletes trained in average for 3.2 hours per day. Mean EA for VI, LD and CP were 36 (2.19), 37 (1.90) and 38 (3.38) kcal/kgFFM/day, respectively. Most (82.3%) participants presented EA below ≥ 45kcal/kgFFM/day, throughout the days, which are the recommended values for athletes without disability. Athletes should be encouraged to consume adequate EA to avoid consequences related to low energy availability. There is need of further research to identify cut-off values adequate for this population.</p></div

The profile of athletes with a vision impairment: Exploring demographics and ocular pathologies of athletes in three Paralympic sports

Objective This study aimed to explore the profile of athletes with a vision impairment (VI) who compete in three Paralympic sports (goalball, VI judo and blind football). Design Descriptive and association analyses of the VI athletes’ profile were conducted. Results The typical athlete profile was a male (65.1%), aged 26-34 years (39.7%), from Europe (38.8%), representing a country with a high-income (46.1%) and was diagnosed with a retinal-related ocular pathology (38.9%). In all three sports, the ages of the athletes were similar. In goalball, most athletes were from Europe, represented countries with a high-income and were diagnosed with retinal-, globe-, or neurological-related pathologies. In VI judo, the majority of athletes were from Asia, represented countries with an upper-middle-income and were diagnosed with retinal-, global-, or neurological-related pathologies. In blind football, most athletes were from Europe, represented countries with an upper-middle-income, and were diagnosed with retinal-, neurological-related ocular pathologies, or glaucoma. Conclusions The homogeneity of the athletes’ profile suggests that an effort is needed to target other parts of the VI population to take part in VI sports. Differences in the athletes’ profiles across the sports provides information that may be useful for sport-specific talent identification

Shared variance (R²) of the relationships among the sprint velocities and the vertical jumps and the maximum mean propulsive power (MPP) in the different exercises in top-level sprinters and jumpers.

<p>Shared variance (R²) of the relationships among the sprint velocities and the vertical jumps and the maximum mean propulsive power (MPP) in the different exercises in top-level sprinters and jumpers.</p

An Olympic sprinter performing a loaded hip-thrust at the optimum power zone.

<p>An Olympic sprinter performing a loaded hip-thrust at the optimum power zone.</p

Mean ± standard deviation (SD) of the vertical jumps, maximum mean propulsive power (MPP) in the different exercises, and sprinting velocities for the different distances tested in top-level sprinters and jumpers.

<p>Mean ± standard deviation (SD) of the vertical jumps, maximum mean propulsive power (MPP) in the different exercises, and sprinting velocities for the different distances tested in top-level sprinters and jumpers.</p

A Pan-American champion (sprinter) performing a loaded jump squat at the optimum power zone.

<p>A Pan-American champion (sprinter) performing a loaded jump squat at the optimum power zone.</p

Mean differences (± 95% confidence limits; CL) and effect sizes (ES) for the comparisons between significant correlations.

<p>Mean differences (± 95% confidence limits; CL) and effect sizes (ES) for the comparisons between significant correlations.</p

PERCEPTION OF SLEEP AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PARALYMPIC ATHLETES: COMPARISON BETWEEN ATHLETES WITH PHYSICAL AND VISUAL DISABILITIES

<p></p><p>ABSTRACT Paralympic sport has grown significantly in recent years, andtherefore, is important to evaluate the sleep and the quality of life of these athletes, which can influence their performance. The objective of the study was to verify if there is a difference in perceptions of sleep and quality of life among Paralympic athletes, two months before the London Paralympic Games. A total of30 athletes with physical disability (18 athletes) and visual impairment (12 athletes) were evaluated. The Pittsburgh questionnaire, the Epworth scale and the WHOQOL-bref, respectively, were used to assess subjective sleep quality, somnolence and quality of life (QOL). For comparison between disability groups were used the Mann-Whitney test. To verify differences between the domains of QOL, the Friedman test was used, followed by the Wilcoxon test. The association between nominal variables was analyzed by the Chi-square test. There was a predominance of athletes with sleep efficiency >85%. There was no difference between the groups in the comparison of perception of the quality of sleep. The domain "environment" showed lower scores compared to the other domains, while the domain "social relations" showed lower score compared to the "psychological". There was no difference in the sleep and life between disabilities.</p><p></p