Sport and physical activity
Recent Submissions
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The frail-LESS (LEss sitting and sarcopenia in frail older adults) remote intervention to improve sarcopenia and maintain independent living via reductions in sedentary behaviour: findings from a randomised controlled feasibility trialBackground: Sarcopenia leads to functional disability, dependence in activities of daily living (ADL), and is a key contributor to frailty. Reducing and breaking up sedentary time is associated with improved sarcopenia and frailty-related outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of delivering and evaluating a remote sedentary behaviour intervention to improve sarcopenia and independent living in older adults with frailty. Methods: A two-arm randomised controlled feasibility trial was conducted with a target of 60 older adults (mean age 74 ± 6 years) with very mild or mild frailty. Participants were randomised to the Frail-LESS (LEss Sitting and Sarcopenia in Frail older adults) intervention or usual care control group for six months. The intervention included tailored feedback on sitting, standing and stepping; an education workbook that included goal setting and action planning; one-to-one health coaching; peer support; and a wearable device to self-monitor sedentary behaviour. Partic
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Energetic activity for depression in young people aged 13-17 years: the READY feasibility RCTBackground: Prevalence of depression is increasing in young people (YP). Behaviour change interventions providing benefits equal to or greater than talking therapies or pharmacological alternatives are needed. Exercise could be beneficial for YP with depression, but we lack robust, trials of effectiveness. Objective(s): Test whether an exercise intervention targeting YP with depression is feasible, including recruitment and retention of YP, recruitment and training of exercise professionals and intervention delivery. Design: Three-arm cluster feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) with embedded process evaluation and health economic data collection. Setting: Local community venues in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Norfolk. Participants: Young people aged 13-17 years experiencing mild to moderate low mood or depression (indicated by scoring 17-36 on the Child Depression Inventory version 2 (CDI 2)) identified by mental health services, schools or by self-referral. Interventions: Participants were rand
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Validity of a wrist-worn consumer-grade wearable for estimating energy expenditure, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity in manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury.To evaluate the validity of a consumer-grade wearable for estimating energy expenditure, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity in manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI). Fifteen manual wheelchair users with SCI (C5-L1, four female) completed activities of daily living and wheelchair propulsion (2-8 km·h-1). Wrist-worn accelerometry data were collected using consumer-grade (z-Track) and research-grade (ActiGraph GT9X) devices. Energy expenditure was measured via indirect calorimetry. Linear regression was used to evaluate the prediction of criterion metabolic equivalent of task (MET) by each accelerometer's vector magnitude (VM). Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC) evaluated the accuracy of VM for discriminating between physical activity intensities and for identifying accelerometer cut-points. Standardised β-coefficients for the association between z-Track and ActiGraph VM for criterion MET were 0.791 (p < 0.001) and 0.774 (p < 0.001), respectively. The z-Track had excellent accuracy for classifying time in sedentary behaviour (ROC-AUC = 0.95) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (ROC-AUC = 0.93); similar values to the ActiGraph (ROC-AUC = 0.96 and 0.88, respectively). Cut-points for the z-Track were ≤37 g·min-1 for sedentary behaviour and ≥222 g·min-1 for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. This study supports the validity of a consumer-grade wearable to measure sedentary time and physical activity in manual wheelchair users with SCI.
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Women trail runners' encounters with vulnerability to male harassment in rural off-road spacesThe #metoo movement and high-profile coverage of murders of women in public spaces have reignited investigation of public harassment and women’s actions as they make decisions where and how to engage in outdoor physical activity. This paper draws from the ideas of Lefebvre (1991) and Massey (1994) to understand women trail runners’ spatial experiences in England. Sixteen women who trail run by themselves participated in go-along interviews in their usual running trails. This method allowed participants to recall moments in specific spaces or address spaces that generate particular feelings, and encouraged the researcher to gain a sensory understanding of the spaces which were important to participants. We analyse the production of the trail through runners’ interactions with people and environment inside and outside the trail, and discuss enjoyment as well as perceptions of vulnerability to male harassment and ‘risky’ moments. Ultimately, despite runners regularly feeling vulnerable when running, they refused to stop. At a time when physical activity and natural environments are being promoted as key contributors to personal wellbeing and public health, this research provides evidence of how the production of spaces and safety negotiations affect women’s running experiences.
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Identifying the number of steps required for familiarisation to athletic footwear in healthy older adultsIntroduction: Research on athletic footwear familiarisation within an older population is sparse. This is problematic because unfamiliar footwear may act as a new perturbation and modify older adults’ walking gait and stability. In addition, while athletic footwear has been suggested to enhance older adults’ comfort and support during activities of daily living, the necessary period for familiarisation with athletic footwear is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the number of steps required for older adults to be familiarised with athletic footwear of different midsole thicknesses. Methods: Twenty-six healthy and physically active community-dwelling older adults, 21 females (71.1 ± 4.5 years; 164.5 ± 5.3 cm; 68.4 ± 11.4 kg) and five males (70.6 ± 2.3 years; 175.2 ± 7.8 cm; 72.8 ± 9.7 kg) completed a walking-based protocol. Participants walked two trials of 200 steps at their habitual speed on a 10 m track of an optical measurement system in three footwear conditions: 1) New Balance® REVlite 890v6 (thick midsole); 2) New Balance® REVlite 1400v5 (moderate midsole); and 3) New Balance® Minimus 20v7 (thin midsole). Gait speed (m.s-1) and walking time (min) were analysed for each participant over the 400 steps. Number of required familiarisation steps were established over three analysis phases, consisting of steady state gait assessment, averaging and analysis of blocks of 40 steps, and sequentially comparing these steps with a pre-determined threshold. Footwear familiarisation was assumed when the mean gait speed fell within an acceptable level (± 2 SD from 320 to 360 step values) and subsequently maintained. Results: Most participants were familiarised with all three footwear conditions (thick n= 18; moderate and thin n= 20) after walking 80 steps. For all participants, the moderate midsole had the shortest familiarisation period (160 steps). The highest number of familiarisation steps were found in the thick (320 steps) and thin midsoles (240 steps) for some participants. Conclusion: A minimum of 320 familiarisation steps is recommended to account for both individual differences and midsole thicknesses. Implementing this walking-based footwear familiarisation protocol would improve validity of future studies, ensuring they analyse footwear effects rather than familiarisation with the footwear.
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Stress and work performance responses to a multicomponent intervention for reducing and breaking up sitting in office workers: a cluster randomized controlled trialObjective: The aim of the study is to explore the potential of a sitting reduction workplace intervention for improving stress and work performance. Methods: A cluster randomized controlled trial evaluated an intervention to reduce and break up occupational sitting in 12 clusters ( n = 89 office workers) over 8 weeks. Outcomes were physiological stress (cortisol concentrations), perceived stress, and work performance. Results: Linear mixed model group × time interaction effects were nonsignificant. Exploratory analyses showed a trend, with a large effect, for lower cortisol concentrations over the day in the intervention group relative to controls at 8 weeks (-0.85; 95% confidence interval, -1.70 to 0.03 nmol·L -1 ; P = 0.06, d = 0.79). The intervention group had higher vigor and cognitive liveliness at 8 weeks relative to controls ( P ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: This exploratory study suggests that there could be meaningful changes in physiological stress and work-related outcomes that should be investigated in future studies.
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Metabolic responses to exerciseExercise is associated with a complex interplay of distinct metabolic responses among children and adolescents. Using a variety of techniques and study designs, considerable progress to characterise these metabolic responses has been made over the last 90 years. Yet, measures in the paediatric literature are often bound to more stringent ethical and technical constraints than the adult literature. As such, minimally invasive respiratory gas and blood indicators of substrate and energy use have provided a platform for much of the evidence among children and adolescents, whereas insight into the underlying mechanisms at the muscle cell level remains profoundly limited and reliant on studies conducted ~40– 50 years ago. This chapter provides a critical discussion and synthesis of the available paediatric- specific literature on the metabolic responses to exercise, highlighting relevant methodological issues, gaps in knowledge, and current views. The initial focus centres on energy provision during exercise in relation to key influencing factors, particularly chronological age and puberty. Carbohydrate and fat metabolism are central to these discussions, as the contribution of protein to energy expenditure during exercise is often deemed negligible. With the acute metabolic responses to exercise having implications for cardiometabolic disease risk, the chapter culminates in a discussion of this growing evidence base in relation to postprandial glycaemia, insulinaemia, and lipaemia. Distinguishing between chronological age (referred to as ‘age’ for simplicity) and pubertal stage is a key theme throughout; where this is not essential to the interpretation of findings or findings are based on mixed samples of children and adolescents, the collective term ‘young people’ is used. Where relevant, findings from adult samples are used to provide insight into underlying mechanisms and highlight gaps in knowledge among young people.
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The grief cycle: investigating the influence of cycling on grief outcomes in individuals who have experienced a bereavementBackground: There is a lack of research that investigates the influence of physical activity on grief outcomes. This research aimed to examine the influence of cycling on grief outcomes in individuals who have experienced a bereavement. Method: Semi-structured interviews with 14 participants (n = 8 males; age M = 47.5 years) who engaged in cycling behaviour and had experienced a bereavement. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to guide analysis. Results: Four key themes were generated, providing: an 1) Embodied experience of cycling, within the 2) Cycling community, helping to provide support, alongside the 3) Nature connectedness, which led to 4) Post traumatic growth, following bereavement. Conclusion: Evidence suggest that cycling can provide an opportunity for a physical challenge, an immense connection to nature and a community of support from likeminded individuals. These therapeutic qualities of cycling should be considered for future interventions and adds novel findings to the area of cycling, bereavement and grief.
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Sport, leisure, and social justice at the neoliberal moment: challenges for integrity and activist scholarshipThe introductory chapter of this handbook serves as a contextual framework for the subsequent sections, highlighting notable recent events that demonstrate the growing influence of sport and leisure in advancing social justice causes. The chapter aims to situate social justice as a political concept typically associated with state intervention in promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion. It documents the dominant leftist perspective that has shaped conventional discourses on social justice, which in turn has strongly influenced political debates within the field of sport and leisure studies. However, the chapter also acknowledges the appropriation of social justice by groups and organisations on the political right, particularly neoliberals, suggesting the need for alternative approaches and a comprehensive understanding of social justice in the specific contexts of sport and leisure studies. It argues for the development and refinement of a more nuanced definition of social justice within these fields as well as developing methodologies that contribute to greater human emancipation.
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Routledge handbook of sport, leisure, and social justiceThis is the first book to explore in breadth and in depth the complex intersections between sport, leisure, and social justice. This book examines the relations of power that produce social inequalities and considers how sport and leisure spaces can perpetuate those relations, or act as sites of resistance, and makes a powerful call for an activist scholarship in sport and leisure studies. Presenting original theoretical and empirical work by leading international researchers and practitioners in sport and leisure, this book addresses the central social issues that lie at the heart of critical social science - including racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, religious persecution, socio-economic deprivation, and the climate crisis - and asks how these issues are expressed or mediated in the context of sport and leisure practices. Covering an incredibly diverse range of topics and cases - including sex testing in sport; sport for refugees; pedagogical practices in physical education; community sport development; events and human rights; and athlete activism - this book also surveys the history of sport and social justice research, as well as outlining theoretical and methodological foundations for this field of enquiry. The Routledge Handbook of Sport, Leisure and Social Justice is an indispensable resource for any advanced student, researcher, policymaker, practitioner, or activist with an interest in the sociology, culture, politics, history, development, governance, media and marketing, and business and management of sport and leisure.
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Doing and undoing gender in physical education and youth sport: the potential for practiceThis chapter provides an academic review of the literature on gendered practices in physical education (PE) and explores the concept of doing and undoing gender within this educational setting. The concept of doing gender refers to the process of maintaining, reproducing, and legitimising institutional arrangements and practices based on sex categories. The production and reproduction of gender in PE have been extensively studied, revealing the significant role of pedagogical and organisational practices in conveying and reinforcing dominant gender norms and discourses. The chapter concludes by discussing implications for future PE practices, such as reconfiguring activities traditionally attributed to specific genders, incorporating student voice in curriculum choices, and exploring the potential benefits of coeducational classes. These recommendations aim to foster a more inclusive and equitable PE environment that allows young people to explore and express their gender identities freely.
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Creating space for meaningful physical activity at home: women’s stories of social interaction, micro-adventure, and the joy of feeling strongDuring COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and social distancing, the home, garden and local spaces became focal points for physical activity (PA). These restrictions may have influenced the meaningfulness of PA. This paper draws on feminist perspectives on space and the body alongside the concept of meaningful PA to examine women’s PA at home towards the end of pandemic restrictions. In this visual ethnographic project, 11 women who were physically active at home each engaged in photo diaries and two online interviews for a retrospective and in-the-moment exploration of their PA at home during and after social distancing. Analysis considered the changing and subjective nature of meaningfulness in these contexts. Three composite vignettes are presented, titled ‘Everything is on your own terms’, ‘Expanding the four walls’, and ‘A micro-adventure all by myself’. These written and visual stories illuminate meaningful PA at a time shaped by reactions to stay-at-home orders and changing (gendered) relations to the home as a leisure, domestic, and work space. At-home PA was variously a compromise and a personally relevant choice. Participants found meaning in adapting PA to create the right challenge for them and expressed joy in developing physical strength. Digital and home PA spaces helped women to challenge normative PA practices while fostering different forms of social interaction. Constructions of meaningful PA are dynamic and socially situated in resistance to lockdown and loss of access of nature. The personal relevance of PA is affected by personal values and histories, and broader discourses of space and the body.
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The reliability and suitability of strength assessments in frail and pre-frail older adults: recommendations for strength testing in older populationsLifelong strength is fundamental to physical function, health, and quality of life. Reliable appropriate strength assessment measures for older adults play an important role in effective evaluation of baseline ability and exercise prescription to counter disease and disuse. This study aimed to investigate the within-session reliability of maximal isometric knee extension and flexion, hip abduction and adduction, and handgrip strength measures in frail and pre-frail older adults. The study was conducted at a residential care home in Birmingham, UK. All care home residents aged ≥ 65 years; pre-frail or frail according to the Fried Frailty phenotype criteria; able to speak and read English; not currently involved in any other clinical trial; without severe sensory impairments; and with a predicted life expectancy greater than the trial length were eligible. Maximal isometric lower limb testing was performed using specialised resistance training equipment and a portable measurement device, and grip strength was assessed using a portable dynamometer. All eligible participants attended a single testing session and performed three trials per measure. Peak force measures were obtained for analysis. Within-session reliability for each measure was calculated from repeated-measures analysis of variance, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), and coefficients of variation (CV) with 95% confidence intervals. Eleven frail and eleven pre-frail older adults participated in the study. Within-session absolute and relative measures were found to be reliable with the highest overall repeatability indicated between trial 2 and trial 3 for knee extension, hip abduction, and handgrip (CV ≤ 4.65%, ICC ≥ 0.96) with variation evident across all measures, except knee extension, from trial 1 to 2. Overall, maximal isometric strength in frail and pre-frail older adults with no previous testing experience can be measured with good to high reliability within their first testing session. An initial two familiarisation trials followed by two measurement trials is recommended to achieve the highest level of overall repeatability. The trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03141879 on 05/05/2017.
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Interrupting sitting acutely attenuates cardiometabolic risk markers in South Asian adults living with overweight and obesityPurpose: This study examined the acute effects of interrupting sitting with light-intensity walking on postprandial cardiometabolic risk markers in South Asian adults. Methods: South Asians with overweight/obesity (n=19; body mass index [BMI] >23 kg·m-2) and normal-weight (n=8; BMI 18.0-22.9 kg·m-2) aged 48.8 ± 5.6 years completed two, 5-h conditions: (1) prolonged sitting (SIT), and (2) interrupted sitting with 5-min bouts of light-intensity walking every 30-min (INT-SIT). Blood samples and resting expired air samples were collected throughout each condition. Statistical analyses were completed using linear mixed models. Results: In participants with overweight/obesity, postprandial glucose, triglycerides (TAG) and metabolic load index (MLI) over time were lower, whereas resting substrate utilisation and resting energy expenditure (REE) were higher, in INT-SIT than SIT (all p≤0.05). Compared with SIT (0.18 [95% CI 0.13, 0.22] kcal.min-1), INT-SIT (0.23 [95% CI 0.18, 0.27] kcal.min-1) increased postprandial REE iAUC in participants with overweight/obesity (p=0.04, d=0.51). Postprandial TAG concentrations over time were lower in INT-SIT versus SIT (p=0.01, d=30) in normal-weight participants, with no differences in any other outcomes for this sample group. Conclusion: These findings suggest that interrupting sitting with 5-min bouts of light walking every 30-min acutely attenuates cardiometabolic risk markers among South Asians living with overweight/obesity, whereas limited effects may be seen in individuals with normal-weight.
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The effectiveness of structured sport and exercise interventions in enhancing the mental health of adolescents with mild to moderate mental health problems: a systematic reviewBetween 10% and 20% of adolescents globally have a diagnosed mental health disorder and a big proportion of individuals experience their first mental health problem during adolescence. However, limited research has investigated how an adult-led structured sport and exercise intervention can be used to support adolescents with mild to moderate mental health problems. A systematic review of the literature (five databases) was performed. Included studies (qualitative and quantitative) explored structured sport and exercise interventions aiming to help adolescents (aged 10–19 years) experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems. From 3506 studies screened, nine met the inclusion criteria (RCT = 6 and non-RCT = 3) following the PICOS, TIDieR frameworks and assessing quality of studies using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Activities included a group-based circuit training, high-intensity interval training, dance, group-based aerobic exercise, mindfulness-based Tai Chi Chuan and rugby. All included studies showed clinical improvements in adolescents’ anxiety or depression (anxiety, n = 5 and depression, n = 7). There is evidence that structured sport and exercise interventions can support adolescents with mild to moderate mental health problems. However, more research is needed to understand the mechanisms of how these outcomes are achieved, specifically using well-designed interventions tailored to specific exercises/sports, populations, and mental health outcomes.
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The prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components in firefighters: a systematic review and meta-analysisPrevious studies consistently report a high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among firefighters. However, the clustering of CVD risk factors, defined as metabolic syndrome (MetSyn), has received little attention by comparison. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the pooled prevalence of MetSyn among firefighters. Using combinations of free text for ‘firefighter’ and ‘metabolic syndrome’, databases were searched for eligible studies. Meta-analyses calculated weighted pooled prevalence estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for MetSyn, its components and overweight/obesity. Univariate meta-regression was performed to explore sources of heterogeneity. Of 1440 articles screened, 25 studies were included in the final analysis. The pooled prevalence of MetSyn in 31,309 firefighters was 22.3% (95% CI: 17.7–27.0%). The prevalences of MetSyn components were hypertension: 39.1%; abdominal obesity: 37.9%; hypertriglyceridemia: 30.2%; dyslipidemia: 30.1%; and hyperglycemia: 21.1%. Overweight and obesity prevalence rates in firefighters were 44.1% and 35.6%, respectively. Meta-regression revealed that decreased risk of bias (RoB) score and increased body mass index (BMI) were positively associated with an increase in MetSyn prevalence. Since one in five firefighters may meet the criteria for MetSyn, novel interventions should be explored to both prevent MetSyn and reduce the onset of CVD risk factors.
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Playing by white rules of racial equality: student athlete experiences of racism in British university sportInequalities related to racial identity are consistently reported across social institutions, not least education, and sport. These inequalities consistently challenge ‘post-race’ narratives that rationalise racism down to individual prejudices and poor decision-making. This paper presents part of the findings from a wider a twelve-month research project commissioned by British University and Colleges Sport (BUCS) to explore race equality. This wider research privileged the voices of non-White students and staff in an exploration of race and equality in British UK university sport. ‘Non-white’ was chosen as a race identifier to focus on Whiteness, the normalised, raceless power that reproduces itself both knowingly and unknowingly, to ensure racial ‘others’ remain subordinate. This paper presents the findings of the student voices. In this study a research team of academic and student researchers explored the experiences of 38 students across five universities. Generating case studies from each university, the data was analysed from an Intersectional and Critical Race Theory perspective. Two core themes relating to negotiating Whiteness were developed from the data analysis which reflected experiences of university sport as predominantly White spaces; ‘Play by the Rules’ and ‘Keep You Guessing’. Racial abuse was subtle, camouflaged in comments and actions that happened momentarily and hence were implausible to capture and evidence. For incidents to be addressed, evidence had to meet a ‘beyond doubt’ standard. Students were required to consciously negotiate racial bias and abuse to ensure they did not provide a justification for abuse. Navigating racialisation and stereotypes, plus White denial, was additional emotional labour for students. This mechanism of silencing the victim served to normalise racism for both the abused and perpetrator. The conclusion explores potential ways of disrupting these mechanisms of Whiteness in placing students’ welfare at the heart of university sport.
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Role-model, reoffer, reward: a thematic analysis and TDF mapping of influences on families’ use of evidence-based vegetable feeding practicesChildren’s vegetable intake is low, despite benefits for immediate and long-term health. Repeatedly reoffering vegetables, role-modelling consumption, and offering non-food rewards effectively increase children’s vegetable acceptance and intake. However, a number of barriers prevent families from reoffering previously-rejected vegetables. This study used the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and the COM-B model of behaviour to explore barriers and enablers to reoffering, role-modelling and offering non-food rewards among parents of 2-4-year-old children. Twenty-five semi-structured interviews were conducted, from which eleven core inductive themes were generated: ‘Child factors’, ‘Eating beliefs’, ‘Effectiveness beliefs’, ‘Past experience’, ‘Current family behaviours’, ‘Harms’, ‘Knowledge’, ‘Need for change’, ‘Parent effort’, ‘Parent values’ and ‘Practical issues’. The codes underpinning these themes were inductively mapped to 11 of the 14 TDF domains, and five of the six COM-B components. Previously-reported influences on families’ vegetable feeding practices were confirmed, including concerns about child rejection of foods/meals, cost of vegetables, and food waste. Novel findings included some parents’ perceptions that these practices are pressurising, and that certain beliefs/knowledge about children’s eating behaviour can provide a “protective mindset” that supports families’ perseverance with reoffering over time. Future interventions should be tailored to better reflect the diversity of needs and previous experiences of feeding that families have, with some families likely to find that troubleshooting and further signposting is appropriate for their needs while others might benefit from more persuasive and educational approaches. The mapping of codes to the TDF and COM-B will facilitate the identification of appropriate intervention functions and behaviour change techniques when designing new interventions to support families with increasing their children’s vegetable intake.
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Acute cardiometabolic and exercise responses to breakfast omission versus breakfast consumption in adolescent girls: a randomised crossover trialGirls often begin to skip breakfast during adolescence. This study compared the acute effect of breakfast omission versus consumption on cardiometabolic risk markers and perceived appetite and mood during rest and/or exercise in adolescent girls classified as habitual breakfast consumers. Girls (aged 13.2 ± 0.7 years) completed two 5.5 h conditions in a randomised crossover design: breakfast omission (BO) and standardised breakfast consumption (BC). A standardised lunch was provided at 3 h. Incremental cycling exercise was performed at 5 h. Blood and expired gas samples were taken at regular intervals. Whilst pre-lunch plasma glucose, insulin, and Metabolic Load Index incremental area under the curve (IAUC) were significantly lower in BO versus BC, post-lunch differences were reversed and larger in magnitude. Peak plasma glucose and insulin were significantly higher in BO versus BC. Pre-lunch perceived fullness and hunger were significantly lower and higher, respectively, in BO versus BC. Perceived energy and concentration were lower, and tiredness was higher, in BO versus BC. Exercise peak fat oxidation and Fatmax were unaffected. The lower physical activity enjoyment in BO versus BC approached significance. To conclude, acutely omitting breakfast adversely affects cardiometabolic risk markers and exercise enjoyment among adolescent girls who habitually consume breakfast.
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Multiple biological mechanisms for the potential influence of phytochemicals on physical activity performance: a narrative reviewCohort studies have linked higher intake to a reduced risk of chronic degenerative diseases and premature ageing. The ability of foods rich in PCs, such as phytanthocyanins, apigenin, flavonols, flavonoids, bioflavonoids, gallic acid, ellagic acid, quercetin, and ellagitannins, to support physical activity has also been highlighted in a number of published pre-clinical and prospective clinical studies. This literature mostly emphasises the ability of PCs to enhance the adaptive upregulation of antioxidant enzymes (AEs), which reduces exercise-associated oxidative stress, but there are several other mechanisms of benefit that this narrative review addresses. These mechanisms include; protecting joints and tendons from physical trauma during exercise; mitigating delayed-onset muscle symptoms (DOMS) and muscle damage; improving muscle and tissue oxygenation during training; cultivating a healthy gut microbiome hence lowering excess inflammation; cutting the incidence of upper respiratory tract viral infections which disrupt training programmes; and helping to restore circadian rhythm which improves sleep recovery and reduces daytime fatigue, which in turn elevates mood and motivation to train.