Development and psychometric evaluation of a post exercise exhaustion scale utilising the Rasch measurement model

Objectives: The objective of this study to report on the development and psychometric analysis of a scale to measure post exercise exhaustion. Method: An extensive literature review, feedback from athletes and an expert panel from educators in psychology, sports science and exercise physiology provided feedback on the scale, providing evidence of content validity. A final survey, consisting of the 25 items and completed by three hundred and seventy-nine athletes (Sport:187 tri-athletes and 192 cyclists; gender: 211 males, and 168 females; age: 18-25 [31], 26-35 [114], 36-45 [120], and 46+ [114]), was submitted to Rasch analysis. Results: After amendments a final 14 item scale provided internally consistent and reliable measures of exhaustion for participants. The items of the final scale have good fit, and the scale has high PSI providing statistical evidence of reliability. The scale could benefit from items dealing with mid-range levels of exhaustion. The correlational association between the new scale and a similar scale was positive and significant correlation adding to the evidence of the validity of the new scale. Conclusions: The scale appears to be a valuable tool for the assessment of exercise-induced acute onset exhaustion and may be an attractive option for researchers, clinicians, and coaches seeking to measure the levels of exhaustion in individuals. In addition to its valid theoretical structure and sound psychometric properties, the scale has advantages over other exhaustion or fatigue scales as it is not disease-specific

Development and psychometric evaluation of scales to measure professional confidence in manual medicine: A Rasch measurement approach

Background: Health professionals in athletic training, chiropractic, osteopathy, and physiotherapy fields, require high-level knowledge and skills in their assessment and management of patients. This is important when communicating with patients and applying a range of manual procedures. Prior to embarking on professional practice, it is imperative to acquire optimal situation-specific levels of self-confidence for a beginner practitioner in these areas. In order to foster this professional self-confidence within the higher education context, it is necessary to have valid and reliable scales that can measure and track levels and how they change. This study reports on the development and psychometric analysis of two new scales, Patient Communication Confidence Scale (PCCS) and the Clinical Skills Confidence Scale (CSCS), to measure confidence in these two areas for students in manual medicine programs. The Rasch measurement model was used to guide the development of the scales and establish their psychometric properties. Methods: The responses to 269 returned questionnaires over two occasions were submitted to psychometric analysis, with various aspects of the scales examined including: item thresholds; item fit; Differential Item Functioning; targeting; item locations; item dependencies; and reliability. To provide further evidence of validity, scores were correlated with two existing valid scales. Results: Analyses showed that the scales provided valid and reliable measures of confidence for this sample of persons. High Person Separation Indices (0.96 for PCCS; 0.93 for SCSC) provided statistical evidence of reliability, meaning the scales are able to discriminate amongst persons with different levels of confidence. For the PCCS, item categories were operating as required, and for the CSCS only two items’ thresholds were slightly disordered. Three tests of fit revealed good fit to the model (indicating the internal consistency of both scales) and results of the correlations with two existing valid scales were consistent with expectations. Conclusions: The importance of confidence cannot be overlooked in health education because students learning new information and skills, and dealing with challenging situations can be negatively impacted by a lack of confidence which can result in students disengaging from placements or leaving a program. Valid and reliable instruments are essential in tracking change in levels of confidence in specific skills over time and the examination of the degree of congruence between confidence and competence. Analysis of responses to the two confidence scales established that they are valid and reliable instruments

Prevalence of head injury and medically diagnosed concussion in junior-level community-based Australian Rules Football

Aim: For junior-level Australian Rules Football there is a paucity of head injury and concussion surveillance data; thus, the primary aim was to document head injury and concussion incidence in participants aged 9–17 years with a secondary aim to identify the mechanism-of-injury. Methods: A prospective cohort study in which a designated representative for each of the 41 teams recorded on a weekly basis the number of head injuries suspected of being a concussion, diagnosed concussions and the mechanism-of-injury during competition games over the course of a 12-game season. For analysis three groups were formed – number of Player-Seasons, Athlete-Exposures, head injury and concussion incidence per 1000 Athlete-Exposures – and were calculated. Narrative data was categorised. Results: There was 13 reported head injuries resulting in seven concussions in the sample population (n = 976). The incidence rates for head injury and concussion were 1.1 (95% confidence interval: 0.5–1.7) and 0.59 (95% confidence interval: 0.2–1.0) per 1000 Athlete-Exposures. There were four head injuries resulting in two concussions in the 12–13-year-old group and nine head injuries and five concussions in the 14–17-year-old group. Two categories emerged for mechanism-of-injury: player-to-surface and player-to-player, with 9 of the 13 head injuries resulting from player-to-player contact. Conclusions: The incidence rates were similar in the two older groups and lower in comparison with American football and rugby. The data collected have advanced our knowledge of head injury incidence and established baseline data which to compare in future years and may assist in development of preventative measures

Lumbar sagittal plane spinal curvature and Junior-Level cricket players

Lumbar lordosis may be a risk factor for injury in junior-level athletes involved in sport which requires excessive amounts of extension. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between lumbar lordosis in junior-level cricket players with and without previous low back injury. Results demonstrated a statistically significant difference in lumbar lordosis between the two groups (LBI = 42.53 ± 9.10°; no LBI = 30.33 ± 8.36°; p < .01), with previous lower back injury accounting for 32% variation in lumbar lordosis (p < .01). The results indicate lumbar lordosis may be an issue worth examining in those athletes who partake in sports which have high levels of extension; but, as there is no accepted definition to lumbar postures, it is difficult to accurately interpret measurement result