InsPIRE Network for Environment

BackgroundThe number of overweight people (BMI 25–29.9kg.m-2) in the world is increasing, which increases the risk of health problems and psychological difficulties. To reduce these risks, it is imperative to address unhealthy habits including food and exercise. This qualitative study aimed to explore the needs, perceptions, and preferences of overweight individuals on tailored exercise programs that incorporate educational videos.MethodologyForty Individuals between the age of 18-30 years with a BMI of 25-29.9kg.m-2 were included in the study using Purposive sampling from October 2023 to November 2023. Semi-structured in-depth interview was conducted for 45-60 minutes approximately among both active and inactive overweight individuals by a researcher trained in qualitative research. These interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was performed using inductive and deductive approaches to identify the recurrent patterns, themes, and insights in the transcribed interviews.Results8 themes, such as lifestyle factors, exercise explorations, holistic wellbeing and 44 subthemes emerged from the analysis, helping to shed light on the needs, perceptions, and preferences that overweight individuals experience when it comes to their preference for a customized exercise program provided through educational video. The participants wanted personalized regimens that catered to their requirements and levels of fitness.ConclusionIn summary, the findings emphasize the value of educational videos that are easy to use, visually appealing, and supported by science. These videos should emphasize technique, varying levels of difficulty, and brief sessions.

The influence of playing formations and team ranking on the physical performance of professional soccer players is an open question that needs to be explored. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of these factors on the physical exertion of Serie A soccer players. We analyzed match data from 375 players, categorizing teams based on their final ranking and comparing performance across different playing formations. Krustal-Wallies test, and Dunn test with Bonferroni adjustment, revealed that high-ranking (HR) teams exhibited a higher percentage of high-intensity (HI) accelerations compared to mid-ranking teams, suggesting the critical role of HI efforts in achieving favorable match outcomes. Moreover, the 4-3-3 playing formation was associated with greater acceleration demands than other formations, particularly in HR teams. Our study also established benchmarks for various performance metrics, enabling coaches to assess player performance and identify potential signs of overtraining. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the physical demands in soccer and offer practical implications for coaches and players in optimizing training and performance strategies.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the anthropometric characteristics of the Malaysian University level athletes and to explore potential relationships between the anthropometric measures and 20-m linear sprint performance. Method: Forty male Malaysian University level athletes associated with Malaysian Universities and regularly competing in state level competitions took part in the study. Anthropometric measurements were performed for body mass, stature, 8 skinfold sites, 3 girths, and 2 breadths. Somatotype, body fat % and sum of skinfolds were calculated. A 20-m linear sprint test was performed to assess acceleration and running speed. Results: The pairwise comparison analysis revealed that throwers had significant differences in endomorphy with athletes competing in sprinting, karate, and middle distance (p ˂ 0.05), in mesomorphy with athletes competing in long distance, middle distance, sprinters, footballers and karate (p ˂ 0.05), and in ectomorphy with athletes competing in middle distance and karate. The Pearson correlation coefficient between Body Fat Percent and Sprint Time was found to be 0.374 (p = 0.025, two-tailed), indicating a statistically significant positive correlation between the two variables. Conclusion: Physique is highly correlated with the physical characteristics and the development of the athletic functions required in each sport and is a determinant of success. Body fat percentage influences the ability of an individual to accelerate and run maximally.

ObjectivesTo determine the influence of severity and direction (craniocaudal length vs cross-sectional area) of intramuscular tendon tears in the lower limb on return-to-play times, compared to muscle injuries without intramuscular tendon involvement. DesignSystematic review with meta-analysis. MethodsAMED, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, ScienceDirect, PubMed (MEDLINE) and Web-of-Science were searched from inception to 31st July 2023, retrieving 666 records, of which nine were deemed eligible. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed on time to return-to-play for British Athletics Muscle Injury Classification ‘b’ vs ‘c’. ResultsOn the Quality in Prognosis Studies tool, one study had low risk of bias and eight had high risk. Using a best-evidence synthesis, no strong evidence emerged for a difference in time to return-to-play between injuries with or without intramuscular tendon involvement. Moderate evidence was found for an association between increased return-to-play time and the presence of “waviness” on magnetic resonance imaging and loss of tendon tension, but no association with longitudinal extent of tendon involvement. Pooled analysis revealed a medium effect-size difference between British Athletics Muscle Injury Classification ‘b’ and ‘c’ injuries, favouring classification ‘b’ (Hedges g = 0.67; 95% confidence interval 0.20 to 1.15; P = 0.002). ConclusionsIt remains difficult to provide an accurate prognosis for muscle injuries involving the intramuscular tendon due to high risk of bias and moderate heterogeneity across studies. Moderate evidence favoured the prognosis for injuries at the musculotendinous junction (British Athletics Muscle Injury Classification ‘b’) over intratendinous injuries (British Athletics Muscle Injury Classification ‘c’).

ABSTRACT We have investigated the effects that partial-sleep-restriction (PSR0, 4-h sleep retiring at 02:30 and waking at 06:30 h for two consecutive nights) have on 07:30 and 17:00 h cognitive and submaximal weightlifting; and whether this performance improves at 17:00 h following a 13:00 h powernap (0, 30 or 60-min). Fifteen resistance-trained males participated in this study. Prior to the experimental protocol, one repetition max (1RM) bench press and back squat, normative habitual sleep and food intake were recorded. Participants were familiarised with the testing protocol, then completed three experimental conditions: (i) PSR with no nap (PSR0); (ii) PSR with a 30-min nap (PSR30) and (iii) PSR with a 60-min nap (PSR60). Conditions were separated by 7 days with trial order counterbalanced. Intra-aural temperature, Profile of Mood Scores, word-colour interference, alertness and tiredness values were measured at 07:30, 11:00, 14:00, 17:00 h on the day of exercise protocol. Following final temperature measurements at 07:30 h and 17:00 h, participants completed a 5-min active warm-up before performing three repetitions of left and right-hand grip strength, followed by three repetitions at each incremental load (40, 60 and 80% of 1RM) for bench press and back squat, with a 5-min recovery between each repetition. A linear encoder was attached perpendicular to the bar used for the exercises. Average power (AP), average velocity (AV), peak velocity (PV), displacement (D) and time-to-peak velocity (tPV) were measured (MuscleLab software) during the concentric phase of the movements. Data were analysed using general linear models with repeated measures. The main findings were that implementing a nap at 13:00 h had no effect on measures of strength (grip, bench press or back squat). There was a main effect for time of day with greatest performance at 17:00 h for measures of strength. In addition to a significant effect for “load” on the bar for bench press and back squat where AP, AV, PV, D values were greatest at 40% (P < 0.05) and decreased with increased load, whereas tPV and RPE values increased with load; despite this no interaction of “load and condition” were present. A post lunch nap of 30- and 60-minute durations improved mood state, with feelings of alertness, vigour and happiness highest at 17:00 h, in contrast to confusion, tiredness and fatigue (P < 0.05), which were greater in the morning (07:30 h). The word-colour interference test, used as an indicator of cognitive function, reported significant main effect for condition, with the highest total test score in PSR60 condition (P = 0.015). In summary, unlike strength measures the implementation of a 30 or 60-minute nap improved cognitive function when in a partially sleep restricted state, compared to no nap.

Limited evidence exists demonstrating reliability of using direct measures to quantify punching velocity. The aim of this study was to establish the intra- and inter-day reliability of a linear positional transducer (GymAware) and accelerometer (PUSH Band 2.0) for the quantification of peak punching velocity in trained junior boxing athletes. Eighteen males aged 16.7 years (±1.2) with at least two years of boxing experience participated in the study. On two separate days, participants performed five dominant-hand crosses with maximal effort. Ordinary least-products regression analysis was used to compare mean and maximum peak velocity scores between devices within each day of testing. Two-way mixed intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC3,1) and Pearson’s r with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were also used to compare mean and maximum peak velocity within devices across days. Maximum peak (∼7.5 ms vs. ∼6.2 ms) and mean peak (∼7.0 ms vs. 5.4 ms) velocity was higher when measured via GymAware compared to PUSH Band 2.0 on both days (all P ≤ 0.012). The within-device mean (ICC3,1 = 0.871, 95%CI = 0.689, 0.950) and maximum (ICC3,1 = 0.853 95%CI = 0.650, 0.942) peak velocity scores for the GymAware across Days 1 and 2 demonstrated very high reliabilities. Mean (ICC3,1 = 0.309, 95%CI = –0.170, 0.670) and maximum (ICC3,1 = 0.227, 95%CI = –0.173, 0.637) peak velocity for PUSH Band 2.0 demonstrated weak reliabilities. Proportional bias was found for Day 2 mean and maximum peak velocity and when both days were pooled. Fixed bias was observed for mean (Day 1) and maximum peak velocity when both days were pooled. These results may provide useful information for professionals working with boxing or combat-sport athletes.

There is an increasing interest in community-based forest management as a potential approach for improving forest governance. India is among the few countries in the world where such an approach-called Joint Forest Management (JFM)-has not only been successfully introduced but also achieved large-scale implementation, covering 18% of all state forests. Forests cover 23% of India's geographical area and almost all are under state ownership. However, over half the forests are in a degraded condition. Forests also provide livelihood support to a large proportion of the population, especially the poor. Around 147 million people live in and around forests. But until the 1980s, the focus was on commercial forestry and people were excluded from forest management. This led to forest degradation on the one hand, and conflicts between the Forest Department and local communities on the other. A new policy in 1988 stressed forest management for ecosystem services and meeting local communities’ needs. Under this policy, Joint Forest Management promoted agreements between the Forest Department and village communities to jointly protect and manage adjacent forest land and to share responsibilities and benefits. JFM has had several positive impacts on forest governance in the form of improved forest condition, increased income and livelihood opportunities for participating communities and, most importantly, a dramatic change in the attitude of communities and the Forest Department towards each other and toward forests. Although challenges still remain, if implemented in its true spirit, JFM can be a viable long-term strategy for contributing towards the goals of sustainable livelihoods and forest management.