Can HRV Biofeedback Improve Short-Term Effort Recovery? Implications for Intermittent Load Sports

Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback - As intensity and physical demands continue to rise in sport competition, faster and better recovery becomes essential. The aim of this study was to assess...     

Correlates of Regular Participation in Sports Groups among Japanese Older Adults: JAGES Cross–Sectional Study

Background

Participation in a sports group is key for the prevention of incident functional disability. Little is known about the correlates of older adults’ participation in sports groups, although this could assist with the development of effective health strategies. The purpose of this study was to identify the demographic and biological, psychosocial, behavioral, social and cultural, and environmental correlates of sports group participation among Japanese older adults.

Methods

Data were obtained from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation study, which was a population–based cohort of people aged ≥65 years without disability enrolled from 31 municipalities across Japan (n = 78,002). Poisson regression analysis was used to determine the associations between the factors and participation in sports groups.

Results

Non-regular participation in sports groups was associated with lower educational level, being employed, and working the longest in the agricultural/forestry/fishery industry among the demographic and biological factors and poor self-rated health and depression among the psychosocial factors. Of the behavioral factors, current smoking was negatively associated and current drinking was positively associated with regular participation in sports groups. Among the social and cultural factors, having emotional social support and participating in hobby clubs, senior citizen clubs, or volunteer groups were associated with a high prevalence of participation in sports groups. Perceptions of the presence of parks or sidewalks, good access to shops, and good accessibility to facilities were positively associated with participation in sports groups among the environmental factors.

Conclusions

Our study suggests that the promotion of activities that could increase older adults’ participation in sports groups should consider a broad range of demographic and biological, psychosocial, behavioral, social and cultural, and environmental factors. Although future longitudinal studies to elucidate the causal associations are needed, encouraging participation in community groups through social networks might be effective for participation in sports groups.     

Evaluation of Functional Limitations in Female Soccer Players and Their Relationship with Sports Level – A Cross Sectional Study

The main objective(s) of the study

The aim of this study was to analyze: a) abnormalities in the length of lower limb muscles, b) the correctness of movement patterns, and c) the impact of functional limitations of muscles on the correctness of fundamental movement patterns in a group of female soccer players, in relation to their skill level.

Materials and Methods

21 female soccer players from Polish Ekstraklasa and 22 players from the 1^st Division were tested for lower limb muscle length restrictions and level of fundamental movement skills (with the Fundamental Movement Screen™ test concept by Gray Cook). Chi-square test was used for categorical unrelated variables. Differences between groups in absolute point values were analyzed using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05.

Results

Statistically significant higher number of measurements indicating an abnormal length of rectus femoris was observed in the 1st Division group (p = 0.0433). In the group of Ekstraklasa the authors obtained a significantly higher number of abnormal hamstring test results (p = 0.0006). Ekstraklasa players scored higher in the rotational stability test of the trunk (p = 0.0008), whereas the 1st Division players scored higher in the following tests: deep squat (p = 0.0220), in-line lunge (p = 0.0042) and active straight leg raise (p = 0.0125). The results suggest that there are different functional reasons affecting point values obtained in the FMS™ tests in both analyzed groups.

Conclusions

The differences in the flexibility of rectus femoris and hamstring muscle observed between female soccer players with different levels of training, may result from a long-term impact of soccer training on the muscle-tendon system and articular structures. Different causes of abnormalities in fundamental movement patterns in both analyzed groups suggest the need for tailoring prevention programs to the level of sport skills represented by the players.     

Sports genetics: the PPARA gene and athletes’ high ability in endurance sports. A systematic review and meta-analysis

A meta-analysis was performed with the aim of re-evaluating the role of the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPARA) gene intron 7 G/C polymorphism (rs4253778) in athletes’ high ability in endurance sports. Design: A meta-analysis of case control studies assessing the association between the G/C polymorphisms of the PPARA gene and endurance sports was conducted. The Cochrane Review Manager software was used to compare the genotype and allele frequencies between endurance athletes and controls to determine whether a genetic variant is more common in athletes than in the general population. Five studies, encompassing 760 endurance athletes and 1792 controls, fulfilled our inclusion criteria. The pooled odds ratio (and confidence intervals, CIs) for the G allele compared to the C allele was 1.65 (95% CI 1.39-1.96). The pooled OR for the GG genotype compared to the GC genotype was 1.79 (95% CI 1.44-2.22), and for the GG genotype compared to the CC genotype 2.37 (95% CI 1.40-3.99). There was no evidence of heterogeneity (I² =0%) or of publication bias. Athletes with high ability in endurance sports had a higher frequency of the GG genotype and G allele.     

The Hot (Invisible?) Hand: Can Time Sequence Patterns of Success/Failure in Sports Be Modeled as Repeated Random Independent Trials?

The long lasting debate initiated by Gilovich, Vallone and Tversky in is revisited: does a “hot hand” phenomenon exist in sports? Hereby we come back to one of the cases analyzed by the original study, but with a much larger data set: all free throws taken during five regular seasons () of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Evidence supporting the existence of the “hot hand” phenomenon is provided. However, while statistical traces of this phenomenon are observed in the data, an open question still remains: are these non random patterns a result of “success breeds success” and “failure breeds failure” mechanisms or simply “better” and “worse” periods? Although free throws data is not adequate to answer this question in a definite way, we speculate based on it, that the latter is the dominant cause behind the appearance of the “hot hand” phenomenon in the data.