Search

The main aim of the Swedish physical activity and fitness cohort study ( SPAF-1958) was to describe physical fitness, physical activity, health, and lifestyle across part of the lifespan, and to assess the influences on these factors from the environment, personal factors, and genetics. There is inevitable dropout from longitudinal studies, and it may be systematic. The aim of this first paper of the second follow-up of SPAF-1958 was to provide a dropout analysis to consider to what extent the participants, at 52 years of age, remain a representative sample of the original adolescent study population. Additional aims were to provide an overview of the study protocol and the ongoing study population. Ongoing study participants in SPAF born in 1958 were, at the second follow-up at the age of 52, still representative of the study cohort in terms of sex, adolescent geographical area, upper secondary school program, adolescent body composition, muscular strength, and muscular endurance. However, a higher physical activity and, among women, a higher aerobic capacity in adolescence decreased the risk for dropout. It is important when interpreting results from longitudinal studies to adjust for the systematic dropout that could bias the conclusions drawn from the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to investigate the prevalence of hip and groin pain in sub-elite male adult football in Denmark and (b) to explore the association between prevalence and duration of hip and groin pain in the previous season with the Copenhagen Hip and Groin Outcome Score ( HAGOS) in the beginning of the new season. In total 695 respondents from 40 teams (Division 1-4) were included. Players completed in the beginning of the new season (July-Sept 2011) a self-reported paper questionnaire on hip and/or groin pain during the previous season and HAGOS. In total 49% (95% CI: 45-52%) reported hip and/or groin pain during the previous season. Of these, 31% (95% CI: 26-36%) reported pain for >6 weeks. Players with the longest duration of pain during the previous season had the lowest HAGOS scores, when assessed at the beginning of the new season, P < 0.001. This study documents that half of sub-elite male adult football players report pain in the hip and/or groin during a football season. The football players with the longest duration of pain in previous season displayed the lowest HAGOS scores in the beginning of the new season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beneficial acute effects of resistance exercise on cognitive functions may be modified by exercise intensity or by habitual physical activity. Twenty‐six participants (9 female and 17 male; 25.5 ± 3.4 years) completed four resistance exercise interventions in a randomized order on separate days (≥48 h washout). The intensities were set at 60%, 75%, and 90% of the one repetition maximum (1RM). Three interventions had matched workloads (equal resistance*nrepetitions). One intervention applied 75% of the 1RM and a 50% reduced workload (resistance*nrepetitions = 50%). Cognitive attention (Trail Making Test A—TMTA), task switching (Trail Making Test B—TMTB), and working memory (Digit Reading Spans Backward) were assessed before and immediately after exercise. Habitual activity was assessed as MET hours per week using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. TMTB time to completion was significantly shorter after exercise with an intensity of 60% 1RM and 75% 1RM and 100% workload. Friedman test indicated a significant effect of exercise intensity in favor of 60% 1RM. TMTA performance was significantly shorter after exercise with an intensity of 60% 1RM, 90% 1RM, and 75% 1RM (50% workload). Habitual activity with vigorous intensity correlated positively with the baseline TMTB and Digit Span Forward performance but not with pre‐ to post‐intervention changes. Task switching, based on working memory, mental flexibility, and inhibition, was beneficially influenced by acute exercise with moderate intensity whereas attention performance was increased after exercise with moderate and vigorous intensity. The effect of regular activity had no impact on acute exercise effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the incidence and characteristics of all‐complaint injuries, including acute and overuse injuries, in female and male youth basketball players. A total of 518 players (16 ± 1.4 years; 38.6% females), from 63 teams, participated in this prospective cohort study. Players were observed through one competitive high school or club basketball season to record exposure and all‐complaint injuries, defined as any complaint resulting from participating in basketball‐related activities, including but irrespective of the need for medical attention or time loss. Injury incidence rates and rate ratios were derived from Poisson's regression with 99.4% CI (Bonferroni's correction for multiple comparisons). The overall injury incidence rate was 14.4 (99.4% CI: 12.2‐17.0) injuries/1000 h; 13.8 (99.4% CI: 11.2‐16.8) in females and 14.8 (99.4% CI: 11.7‐18.8) in males. While the incidence of injury was similar across injury classifications for female and male players, a potential lower overuse knee injury rate was noted for females vs males [IRR = 0.61 (99.4% CI: 0.34‐1.07)]. The most commonly injured body location was the ankle (45%) in females and the knee (51%) in males. Overuse (vs acute) injuries were about 2x more common in the knee while acute (vs overuse) injuries were about 3x more common in the ankle, overall, and for female and male players. Based on an all‐complaint injury definition, injury rates in competitive female and male youth basketball players are much higher than previously reported. This study provides an evidence base to inform more tailored interventions to reduce injuries in youth basketball. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of vitamin C and E supplementation on changes in muscle mass (lean mass and muscle thickness) and strength during 12 weeks of strength training in elderly men. Thirty-four elderly males (60-81 years) were randomized to either an antioxidant group (500 mg of vitamin C and 117.5 mg vitamin E before and after training) or a placebo group following the same strength training program (three sessions per week). Body composition was assessed with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and muscle thickness by ultrasound imaging. Muscle strength was measured as one-repetition maximum (1 RM). Total lean mass increased by 3.9% (95% confidence intervals: 3.0, 5.2) and 1.4% (0, 5.4) in the placebo and antioxidant groups, respectively, revealing larger gains in the placebo group ( P = 0.04). Similarly, the thickness of m. rectus femoris increased more in the placebo group [16.2% (12.8, 24.1)] than in the antioxidant group [10.9% (9.8, 13.5); P = 0.01]. Increases of lean mass in trunk and arms, and muscle thickness of elbow flexors, did not differ significantly between groups. With no group differences, 1RM improved in the range of 15-21% ( P < 0.001). In conclusion, high-dosage vitamin C and E supplementation blunted certain muscular adaptations to strength training in elderly men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine risk factors for running injuries during the Lage Landen Marathon Eindhoven 2012. Prospective cohort study. Population-based study. This study included 943 runners. Running injuries after the Lage Landen Marathon. Sociodemographic and training-related factors as well as lifestyle factors were considered as potential risk factors and assessed in a questionnaire 1 month before the running event. The association between potential risk factors and injuries was determined, per running distance separately, using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. In total, 154 respondents sustained a running injury. Among the marathon runners, in the univariate model, body mass index ≥ 26 kg/m2, ≤ 5 years of running experience, and often performing interval training, were significantly associated with running injuries, whereas in the multivariate model only ≤ 5 years of running experience and not performing interval training on a regular basis were significantly associated with running injuries. Among marathon runners, no multivariate model could be created because of the low number of injuries and participants. This study indicates that interval training on a regular basis may be recommended to marathon runners to reduce the risk of injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine whether participating in a cross-country skiing stage race ( Tour de Ski; TDS) affects subsequent illness incidence, training, and race performance. Self-reported training and illness data from 44 male and female elite cross-country skiers were included. In total, 127 years of data were collected (2-3 seasons per athlete). Illness incidence, training load, and performance in international competitions were calculated for athletes who did and did not participate in TDS. Forty-eight percent of athletes reported becoming ill during or in the days immediately after taking part in TDS vs 16% of athletes who did not participate. In both groups, illness incidence was somewhat lower for female athletes. For male athletes, race performance was significantly worse for 6 weeks following TDS vs 6 weeks before TDS. Furthermore, while female athletes who participated in TDS performed relatively better than controls in Olympics/ World Championships, male athletes who participated in TDS typically performed worse in subsequent major championships. Participating in TDS appears to result in ∼ 3-fold increase in risk of illness in this period. Male athletes appear more prone to illness and also see a drop in race performance following TDS, possibly linked to differences in training load before and after the event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The VISA- P is a questionnaire for assessing the severity of patellar tendinopathy ( PT). Our study aim was to evaluate the equivalence of self-administration of the VISA- P online with the addition of risk factor questions to develop a tool suitable for high-volume remote use. A crossover study design with 107 subjects was used to determine equivalence between online and clinician administration. Three population groups were used to ensure construct validity. Online vs clinician administration revealed an intraclass correlation ( ICC) of 0.79 [confidence interval ( CI): 0.68-0.86] for the VISA- P with a systematic significant difference of 4.99, which is not clinically meaningful. Poor ICCs were seen for questions 7 and 8 of the VISA- P (0.37 and 0.47, respectively) in comparison with earlier questions. There were statistically significant differences between population groups for the VISA- P. The ICC for risk factor questions was excellent at 0.89 ( CI: 0.84-0.93) with no mean difference ( P = 1.00). The online questionnaire enables equivalent collection of VISA- P data and risk factor information and may well improve further with the suggested modifications to the instructions for questions 7 and 8. There is potential to use this questionnaire electronically to generate large databases in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term consequences on knee muscle strength some decades after rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament ( ACL) are not established. The aims of our study were to examine peak torque more than 20 years after ACL injury and to compare their knee muscle strength to that of healthy controls. We tested 70 individuals with unilateral ACL injury 23 ± 2 years after injury, whereof 33 (21 men) were treated with physiotherapy in combination with ACL reconstruction ( ACLR) and 37 (23 men) with physiotherapy alone ( ACLPT). These were compared with 33 age- and gender-matched controls (21 men). A Kin- Com® dynamometer (90°/s) was used to measure peak torque in knee flexion and extension in both concentric and eccentric contractions. Knee extension peak torque, concentric and eccentric, was ∼10% lower for the injured leg compared with the non-injured leg for both ACLR ( P < 0.001; P < 0.001) and ACLPT ( P = 0.007; P = 0.002). The ACLPT group also showed reduced eccentric knee flexion torque of the injured leg ( P = 0.008). The strength of the non-injured leg in both ACL groups was equal to that of controls. No difference was seen for those with no-or-low degree of knee osteoarthritis compared to those with moderate-to-high degree of osteoarthritis. ACL injury may lead to a persistent reduction of peak torque in the injured leg, which needs to be considered across the lifespan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]