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Limited research exists on the health and injuries of South African senior netball players. Senior netball players may be at greater risk of injuries and chronic disease due to their age. To treat these conditions, they may use prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications and, therefore, may be more vulnerable to unintentional doping. The primary aim of this study was to determine the health status, medication use and attitudes towards doping of South African senior netball players. A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed to collect data by means of an online survey. The validated 8-item Performance Enhancement Attitudes Scale (PEAS) was used to gather information on the netball player's attitudes towards doping. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the data using proportions (categorical), means (normally distributed, continuous) and medians (non-normal distributed, continuous). Doping prevalence and accompanying 95% confidence interval were calculated. Sixty senior netball players consented and completed the self-report questionnaire. The prevalence of chronic disease was 11.67%. Asthma and other conditions such as depression and attentiondeficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) had the highest prevalence of 3.33%. The prevalence of chronic prescription medication use was 8.33% and 66.67% of the netball players reported receiving prescription injections, medications or utilizing OTC medications for treating injury or illness suffered 1-6 weeks before or during competition. The netball players do not have a lenient attitude towards doping. The prescription and OTC medication use could put this cohort of netball players at risk of unintentional doping. Anti-doping education aimed at senior athletes may be beneficial to reduce the risk of unintentional doping due to prescription and OTC medication use for injury or illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The personal health behaviours, including physical activity, of healthcare professionals influence their counselling practices as they relate to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). However, despite the importance of producing healthy, physically active graduates, there are limited data on the physical fitness of future healthcare professionals. This cross-sectional observational study determined the prevalence of below-average fitness in the four components of fitness in first-year university medical students. 152 participants (46 male, 106 female, 20.16 ± 2.69 years) completed cardiorespiratory fitness tests (submaximal step test), flexibility (sit-and-reach test), muscle strength (handgrip), and muscle endurance tests (sit-ups, push-ups). Sex differences were reported using one-way ANOVA or Chi square test and significance was set at p < 0.05. The prevalence (%) of below-average fitness was 69.54% for cardiorespiratory, 25.66% for handgrip strength, 65.79% for sit-ups, 23.03% for push-ups and 7.24% for flexibility. Physical fitness parameters (mean±standard deviation (SD)) were compared between sexes, where it was found that females were more flexible than males (40.61 ± 8.40 cm vs 36.70 ± 9.31 cm, p = 0.012). Males had better handgrip strength (88.96 ± 12.04 kg vs 59.34 ± 10.36 kg, p < 0.001), muscle endurance sit-ups (33.46 ± 9.04 vs 24.48 ± 12.18, p < 0.001) and push-ups (30.28 ± 13.95 vs 24.27 ± 12.35, p = 0.009). First-year medical students have poor physical fitness, notably cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength, which are important markers for NCD risk assessment. Tertiary institutions training healthcare professionals should consider developing interventions to improve students' physical fitness thereby influencing their health, wellbeing, academic performance and future counselling practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, there are five international screening tools that are recommended to identify individuals who require pre-exercise medical clearance to reduce the risk of medical encounters during exercise. Therefore, the aim was to determine the percentage of race entrants who are advised to obtain pre-exercise medical clearance and the observed agreement between these five different international pre-exercise medical screening tools. In all, 76,654 race entrants from the Two Oceans Marathon (2012–2015) that completed an online pre-race screening questionnaire. Five pre-exercise medical screening tools (American Heart Association (AHA), pre-2015 American College of Sport Medicine (ACSM), post-2015 ACSM, Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q), and the European Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (EACPR)) were retrospectively applied to all participants. The % (95%CI) race entrants requiring medical clearance identified by each tool and the observed agreement between tools (%) was determined. The % entrants requiring medical clearance varied from 6.7% to 33.9% between the five tools: EACPR (33.9%; 33.5–34.3); pre-2015 ACSM (33.9%; 33.5–34.3); PAR-Q (23.2%; 22.9–23.6); AHA (10.0%; 9.7–10.2); post-2015 ACSM (6.7%; 6.5–6.9). The observed agreement was highest between the pre-2015 ACSM and EACPR (35.4%), for pre-2015 ACSM and PAR-Q (24.8%), PAR-Q and EACPR (24.8%), and lowest between the post-2015 ACSM and AHA (4.1%). The percentage of race entrants identified to seek medical clearance (and observed agreement) varied considerably between pre-exercise medical screening tools. Further research should determine which tool has the best predictive ability in identifying those at higher risk of medical encounters during exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tobacco smoking is one of the most important risk factors of coronary heart disease (CHD). Hence, smoking cessation is considered pivotal in the prevention of CHD. The current study aimed to evaluate smoking cessation patterns and determine factors associated with smoking cessation in patients with established CHD.Methods: The fourth European Survey of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Diabetes investigated quality of CHD care in 24 countries across Europe in 2012/13. In the German subset, smoking cessation patterns and clinical characteristics were repetitively assessed a) during index event due to CHD by medical record abstraction, b) as part of a face-to-face interview 6 to 36 months after the index event (i.e. baseline visit), and c) by telephone-based follow-up interview two years after the baseline visit. Logistic regression analysis was performed to search for factors determining smoking status at the time of the telephone interview.Results: Out of 469 participants available for follow-up, 104 (22.2%) had been classified as current smokers at the index event. Of those, 65 patients (62.5%) had quit smoking at the time of the telephone interview, i.e., after a median observation period of 3.5 years (quartiles 3.0, 4.1). Depressed mood at baseline visit and higher education level were less prevalent amongst quitters vs non-quitters (17.2% vs 35.9%, p = 0.03 and 15.4% vs 33.3%, p = 0.03), cardiac rehabilitation programs were more frequently attended by quitters (83.1% vs 48.7%, p < 0.001), and there was a trend for a higher prevalence of diabetes at baseline visit in quitters (37.5% vs 20.5%, p = 0.07). In the final multivariable model, cardiac rehabilitation was associated with smoking cessation (OR 5.19; 95%CI 1.87 to 14.46; p = 0.002).Discussion: Attending a cardiac rehabilitation program after a cardiovascular event was associated with smoking cessation supporting its use as a platform for smoking cessation counseling and relapse prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing in South Africa and can be linked to decreased physical activity (PA). It is important to be able to accurately measure children's PA levels as part of a holistic strategy for maintaining healthy body weight. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether children in grades two and three can self-report PA by means of a questionnaire. Fifty-eight participants (girls=28; boys=30) from a primary school in Gauteng were recruited for the study. The participants had to wear a pedometer (Omron HJ-720) for seven days after which they completed the Physical Activity Questionnaire for older Children (PAQ-C). The average steps per day were 9289, with weekday steps (10,219) being more than weekend steps (6,795). The mean score for the PAQ-C was 3.14±0.47. There was a significant moderate correlation (r=0.49; p<0.01) between the overall PAQ-C score and average steps per day. The PAQ-C can be an effective way to gain insight into the PA levels in children but should not replace objective measures of PA. The participants in this study appear to be accumulating insufficient PA over the course of the week. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary aim of this research was to determine how mindfulness and psychological well-being relate to the propensity to use Performance-Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) in a sample of talented young athletes. A secondary aim was to determine how mindfulness and psychological well-being are related. This was a survey study with a quantitative research approach. South African Academy athletes at a high performance centre and competitive high school athletes from four private high schools participated in the survey. In the survey, two validated questionnaires (Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire [FFMQ] and Ryff's Psychological Wellbeing Scale), and a self-constructed questionnaire to establish the propensity of athletes to use PEDs were employed. 346 athletes (208 boys, 138 girls) aged M=16.0, SD=1.4 years participated. There was a significant correlation (r=0.32, p=0.00) between overall mindfulness and psychological well-being as measured by the FFMQ and Ryff's Psychological Well-being Scale respectively. Two possible predictors of propensity to use PEDs were identified by means of logistic regression and cross tabulation. It is concluded that mindfulness and psychological well-being were inversely related to the propensity to use PEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

objective. To compare the effects of a 3-month land- and waterbased exercise programme among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) sufferers. Methods. Patients with RA Functional Class I and II (N=10) were randomly assigned to a land-based exercise group (Group L) (N=4), water-based exercise group (Group W) (N=4) or a control group (Group C) (N=2). Testing parameters included swollen joint count (SJC), tender joint count (TJC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), haemoglobin (Hb), 50-ft (15.2-m) walk test, grip strength, isokinetic strength of knee extensors and flexors, knee range of motion (ROM) and aerobic capacity. Results. There were individual improvements in most of the physical status parameters tested for the experimental groups (land-based exercise group and water-based exercise group) while the general trend for the control group was that of deterioration. Appropriate land-based exercises did not appear to aggravate disease activity. However, the water-based exercise programme was superior in controlling the disease activity with regards to the tender and swollen joint counts. Conclusion. Both exercise interventions appeared to be benefi- cial in the treatment of RA. Further research is required comparing various modes of exercises for the treatment of RA, using larger samples and evaluating the long-term effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents some of the most salient qualitative results from a larger program evaluation of pregnant and parenting adolescents who participated in a community-based doula program. Using grounded theory analysis, seven problem-solving strategies emerged that doulas apply in helping pregnant and parenting adolescents navigate multiple social and health settings that often serve as barriers to positive maternal- and child-health outcomes. The ethnographic findings of this study suggest that i the doulas provide valuable assistance to pregnant and parenting adolescents by addressing social- psychological issues and socio-economic disparities. "Diverse role-taking" results in doulas helping pregnant adolescents navigate more successfully through fragmented social and health service systems that are less supportive of low-income adolescents, who are often perceived to be draining scarce resources. The findings have implications for the roles of community-based doulas assigned to low- income adolescents of color seeking to overcome obstacles and attain better educational and economic opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is no cure for ankylosing spondylitis (AS). In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the long-term course of the disease can be altered, but despite this, most patients can be adequately managed, The treatment of AS has changed dramatically over the last few years. The cornerstone of medical management is therapeutic exercise, with the primary objective of maintaining normal posture and activity. Many kinds of physical therapy can be considered for patients with AS: supervised individual therapy, unsupervised self-administered individual exercise, and supervised group therapy, A highly motivated physician and biokineticist or exercise therapist are essential for adherence to an exercise program, In the end, however, the responsibility for exercising regularly must rest with the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The primary aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of a range of sports bras in reducing multi-planar breast displacement during incremental treadmill running and a two-step star jump. A secondary aim was to assess the relationship between perceptual bra comfort, bra fit and breast pain and measured breast displacement. Methods: Seventeen females (mean age 22 years, range 18 - 31 years) with bra cup sizes B to C volunteered to take part in the study. Participants were assessed in the biomechanics laboratory of Ergonomics Technologies on 20 - 24 August 2012). Three dimensional breast movements were determined for six randomly assigned breast support levels during incremental treadmill running and two-step star jumping. Participants completed a perceptual questionnaire rating bra comfort, bra fit and breast pain. Results: Not all the bras significantly reduced resultant breast movement compared to a control condition. Perceptual ratings of bra fit and bra comfort were stronger and more reliable predictors of breast pain in our group of relatively small breasted participants. Conclusion: Therefore it is apparent that resultant breast movement and the reduction of such movement is a multifaceted function of breast size, bra design and movement/activity type. The variance in bra performance at different treadmill running speeds highlights this fact and indicates that sports bras should be carefully selected to best suit the activity and breast size of the user. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The primary aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of a range of sports bras in reducing multi-planar breast displacement during treadmill running and a two-step star jump. A secondary aim was to assess the relationship between perceptual bra comfort, bra fit and breast pain and measured breast displacement., Methods: Seventeen females (mean age 22 years, range 18-31 years) with bra cup sizes B to C volunteered to take part in the study. Three dimensional breast movements were determined for six randomly assigned breast support levels during treadmill running and two-step star jumping. Participants completed a perceptual questionnaire rating bra comfort, bra fit and breast pain., Results: Not all the bras significantly reduced resultant breast movement compared to a control condition. Not all the bras reduced resultant breast movement significantly at all speeds during the treadmill test. A different bra performed best during each of the treadmill running speeds. Perceptual ratings of bra fit and bra comfort were stronger and more reliable predictors of breast pain than breast displacement in our group of relatively small-breasted participants., Conclusions: Therefore it is apparent that resultant breast movement and the reduction of such movement is a multifaceted function of breast size, bra design and movement/activity type. The variance in bra performance at different treadmill running speeds highlights this fact and indicates that sports bras should be carefully selected to best suit the activity and breast size of the user.