Springfield College

Abstract Background: Access to rehabilitation services is a critical component of equitable health care delivery, yet disparities in service availability and geographic accessibility remain understudied. This study examined spatial accessibility to outpatient physical and occupational therapy services across Texas, a large and demographically diverse state, to identify regional disparities and inform workforce and policy planning. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional geospatial analysis was conducted using outpatient clinic location data from the Texas Health and Human Services database (2022) and population data from the 2020 U.S. Census. Clinic addresses were verified and geocoded, and accessibility was analyzed in two ways: an origin–destination cost matrix to calculate travel time to the nearest clinic, and the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method to determine the accessibility index. Hot and cold spots were identified using the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic. Analyses were performed in ArcGIS Pro. Results: The study included 2,255 outpatient rehabilitation clinics across 6,896 census tracts. Travel times to the nearest clinic varied widely, with rural regions experiencing the longest travel times. The 2SFCA analysis revealed disparities, with low-accessibility clusters concentrated in rural and border regions, and high-accessibility clusters in urban metropolitan areas. Hot spot analysis confirmed statistically significant disparities across the state. Conclusions: There are substantial geographic disparities in outpatient rehabilitation access in Texas, particularly in rural and border regions. These findings underscore the need for targeted workforce placement, policy interventions, and improved transportation infrastructure to address inequities in rehabilitation access. Future research should incorporate longitudinal data and expand to additional rehabilitation professions to inform comprehensive health service planning.

Applying sport psychology evidence and expertise contributes to the effectiveness of clinical practice in the professions of athletic training and athletic therapy (ATAT). Experts and scholars from athletic training, athletic therapy, and sport psychology research and consulting contributed examples of evidence-based practice (EBP) applications around nine broad areas of clinical practice in ATAT: creating caring climates, demonstrating cultural competence, educating patients and professionals, collaborating with the healthcare team, motivating patients for rehabilitation adherence, integrating mental skills, assessing patient-reported outcomes, referring patients for mental health concerns, and making clinical management decisions like return-to-play (RTP). Applying these concepts strengthens clinical practice effectiveness and benefits the many and diverse patient populations served by athletic trainers and athletic therapists (ATs).

ABSTRACT The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is a professional organization that supports more than 60,000 professionals in our industry, with more than 600 volunteers who serve in various roles to grow the profession. Historically, women in the NSCA have been a minority group. The NSCA has 11 volunteer committees that serve the Board of Directors. The Women's Committee aims to encourage and promote the strength and conditioning profession for women. The role of the committee is to coordinate, monitor, and advocate action to increase the participation of women within the organization. After many years of discussion among the Women's Committee with the board liaison and the support staff, the Women's Committee created a subcommittee to organize the Women's Mentorship program. As a result, in 2023, the NSCA offered the inaugural Women's Mentorship program with 81 mentor/mentee participants. The purpose of this article was to provide (a) a review of the current literature on women working in athletics and (b) an overview of the inaugural Women's Mentorship program.

This study examined the accuracy of smartwatches in predicting running performance. A total of 154 amateur runners (123 males and 31 females) were recruited. After wearing the HUAWEI WATCH GT Runner for a minimum of six weeks, the runners' actual completion times for 5 km, 10 km, and half marathon distances were measured, resulting in 288 test instances. The predicted completion times for the same distances displayed on the watch on the test day were recorded simultaneously. The actual and predicted performances for the 5, 10, and 21.1 km distances were highly correlated, with r ≥ 0.95 (p < 0.001) and r 2 ≥ 0.9 for all three distances, an error rate between the measured and predicted values of less than 3%, and intraclass correlation coefficient ≥0.9. The bias ± 95% limits of agreement were -20.4 ± 44.2 s for 5 km, 4.1 ± 299.1 s for 10 km, and 143.8 ± 400.4 s for the half marathon. This study confirmed that the smartwatch exhibits high precision in predicting 5 km, 10 km, and half marathon performances, with an accuracy exceeding 97%. The performance prediction features of smartwatches can effectively guide amateur runners in setting reasonable competition goals and preparing for races.

ABSTRACT Background The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC) has established and updated the specific knowledge and skills necessary to become a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES). To prepare students, it is important that coursework addresses the Areas of Responsibility (AoR); however, research examining student preparation has been limited. Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess perceived knowledge, skills, and confidence to apply selected sub-competencies from AoR I, II, IV, and VII through a community health assessment (CHA) among undergraduate health majors in Community Health courses in spring of 2021. Methods A 20 question pre and post-survey was administered to measure and compare student confidence and perceived knowledge/skills of the Eight AoR. Results There was a statistically significant difference (p < .05) between the pre and post-test measuring confidence for 38 AoR and for 31 AoR assessing perception of knowledge and skills. Discussion The findings from this study help instructors identify gaps in the course and in the preparation program. Translation to Health Education Practice This assessment of the CHA project is a useful pedagogical tool to determine if students are gaining fundamental skills in competencies needed in health education and promotion.

Changes in athletic identity have been documented after injury and other sport transitions in nomothetic investigations. Patterns of change in athletic identity after injury have not been examined systematically at the individual level. In the current study, secondary analyses were performed on two data sets (N = 43 and N = 80) in which athletic identity values were available for before and at least six months after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. A stable pattern of athletic identity was most common (48-68% of participants), followed, respectively, by a decreasing pattern (19-45% of participants) and an increasing pattern (7-14% of participants) in both data sets, with a trend toward a decreasing pattern over time in the data set in which athletic identity values were available up to two years after surgery. Partial support was obtained for the claim that decreases in athletic identity after ACL surgery are related to postoperative perceptions of knee symptoms and function. The current intraindividual findings complement the results of nomothetic studies and suggest that although stability of athletic identity after sport injury seems to be the norm, changes in athletic identity are also common and should be considered in applied work with athletes who have sustained injuries.