Professor James McKenna

Sleep is crucial for our physical and mental health. However, 35% of the British population suffer with sleep problems lasting more than five years. This thrilling keynote will re-energise your workforce by improving sleeping habits.

Sport participation is widely believed to positively impact on the psychosocial development of children and young people. Due to the nature of existing research, a full understanding of this process is, however, lacking. The purpose of this thesis was thus two-fold: i) to establish the philosophical and structural foundations of the field to propose a way forward; and ii) to develop a comprehensive picture of the process of psychosocial development through regular organised sport participation.  A variety of novel methodologies established that positivistic and post-positivistic epistemologies dominated the field, while quantitative methods accounted for the majority of research designs. Findings also revealed the predominance of negative views, emphasising the risks of participation and a fragmented structure divided in thematic silos. Based on the findings of the philosophical and structural analysis, a comprehensive and integrative, two-staged, case study was conducted based on an English youth performance basketball club, informed by Realist Evaluation.  Findings confirmed that participation in a performance youth development sport setting can lead to a broad range of psychosocial developmental outcomes including self, moral, emotional, social and cognitive development. Significantly, the case study also reported the potential of sport to produce negative effects, such as low self-esteem, social isolation and decreased emotional wellbeing. Nevertheless, stakeholders were overwhelmingly in favour of the positive impact of the experience. Four principle concurrent mechanisms were identified: i) directing the attentional focus of the young person; ii) engaging in structured and unstructured skill building activities; iii) providing deliberate and incidental support; and iv) regularly experiencing personal growth. Findings point towards an understanding of sport-based personal development as the deliberate and/or incidental continuous acquisition and maintenance of positive attitudes and behaviours moderated by the young person’s internal disposition and the environment’s contextual features. While sport is not a ‘one-size fits-all’, many of the elements that contribute to positive development stem from when coaches and sport clubs become more ‘deliberately developmental’.

Objective This study explored gender differences in perceived barriers to physical activity across adolescence and their impact on sport participation. Methods A 3-year longitudinal survey followed Spanish secondary school students (n = 180) into their first year of university (2012–2014). Data were collected on sociodemographic variables, perceived barriers to physical activity, and sport participation. Gender differences and effect sizes were assessed using Odds Ratios (ORs) and Cohen's D. Results In high school, sport participation was 45 % for girls and 68 % for boys, decreasing to 12 % and 10 % respectively at university. Barriers to physical activity were reported by 59 % of students in high school and 63 % at university, more frequently by girls (OR = 3.66 in high school; OR = 3.15 at university). Among those who never perceived barriers, sport participation was close to 80 %. When barriers emerged only at university, participation dropped to 29 %. Sport participation was consistently lower in girls across all scenarios. The most common barriers were lack of time and too much homework, while cost-related barriers became more prominent at university. Conclusions Understanding how physical activity barriers change by gender during the transition to university is key to designing effective interventions. For girls, early prevention is essential. University-emerging barriers strongly reduce sport involvement regardless of gender.

Exercise referral schemes (ERS) have become a major routeway of promoting physical activity with older adults. However, there is lack of evidence regarding the views of older people and their experience from participating in ERS. The purpose of this study was to offer insights into how physical activity (PA) is situated in notions of successful ageing of people participating in ERS and to highlight points for achieving client-based targets through ERS. Thirteen community-living, retired, older adults (five females) with ages ranging from 63 to 79 who were at various stages in their referral programme were selected from three exercise referral schemes in south west England. The respondents chose to participate in either an individual or a group semi-structured interview. Findings stress that ERS clearly disrupt a lifestyle characterised by growing purposelessness and social isolation, offer older participants better physical and mental function and feelings of accomplishment and success. The participants in this study made a range of personally valued improvements through their involvement in ERS. The success of the programmes relies on the general practitioners’ recommendations, the professional help and support from enthusiastic and experienced personnel and the attractiveness of the exercise content which needs to satisfy the multiple needs of the well-being of older adults.

Collider searches for dark sectors, new particles interacting only feebly with ordinary matter, have largely focused on identifying signatures of new mediators, leaving much of dark sector structures unexplored. In particular, the existence of dark matter bound states (darkonia) remains to be investigated. This possibility could arise in a simple model in which a dark photon (A^{'}) is light enough to generate an attractive force between dark fermions. We report herein a search for a J^{PC}=1^{--} darkonium state, the ϒ_{D}, produced in the reaction e^{+}e^{-}→γϒ_{D}, ϒ_{D}→A^{'}A^{'}A^{'}, where the dark photons subsequently decay into pairs of leptons or pions, using 514  fb^{-1} of data collected with the BABAR detector. No significant signal is observed, and we set bounds on the γ-A^{'} kinetic mixing as a function of the dark sector coupling constant for 0.001

The benefits of regular physical activity for older adults are now well-established but this group remain the least active sector of the population. In this paper, the association between levels of neighbourhood deprivation and physical activity was assessed. A sample of 125 males with a mean age of 77.5 (±5.6) years, and 115 females with a mean age of age 78.6 (±8.6) underwent 7-day accelerometry, a physical performance battery, and completed a daily journeys log. Univariate associations between physical activity parameters and level of deprivation of neighbourhood were extinguished in regression models controlling for age, gender, and level of educational attainment. Age, gender, educational attainment, body mass index, physical function, and frequency of journeys from the home explained between 50% and 54% of variance in activity parameters. These results suggest the importance of strategies to help older adults maintain physical function, healthy weight, and remain active in their communities. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines for the management of hypertension recommend regular, moderate intensity aerobic exercise such as brisk walking as a means of blood pressure reduction. However, there is a lack of consistent evidence regarding the magnitude of blood pressure response to such a prescription. In particular, no well designed studies have investigated the efficacy of a programme of exercise meeting current guidelines. AIM: To investigate the effect of a six-week programme of moderate intensity exercise on daytime ambulatory blood pressure (10.00 am to 10.00 pm) among unmedicated, sedentary adults aged 25 years to 63 years with office blood pressure of 150 mmHg to 180 mmHg systolic and/or 91 mmHg to 110 mmHg diastolic. METHOD: Randomised controlled trial of participants carrying out 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise (brisk walking or equivalent) five days per week for six weeks compared with controls who maintained existing levels of physical activity. RESULTS: Compliance with the exercise programme was high. The reduction in mean daytime ambulatory blood pressure between baseline and six-week follow-up was greater in the intervention group than in the control group for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. However, this net hypotensive effect was not statistically significant (systolic = -3.4 mmHg, 95% CI = -7.4 to 0.6; diastolic = -2.8 mmHg, 95% CI = -5.8 to 0.2). Adjusting for baseline differences in mean ambulatory blood pressure in an analysis of covariance led to a reduction in the estimated magnitude of the effect (systolic = -1.9 mmHg, 95% CI = -5.4 to 1.7, P = 0.31; diastolic = -2.2 mmHg, 95% CI = -4.9 to 0.5, P = 0.11). CONCLUSION: Despite high compliance with the exercise programme, the magnitude of the hypotensive effect of moderate intensity exercise was not as great as that found in studies of higher intensity exercise among hypertensives. Expectations of general practitioners and patients that a programme of moderate intensity exercise will lead to a clinically important reduction in the individual's blood pressure are unlikely to be realised.

This study examined the effects of a coping effectiveness training for adolescent soccer players (CETASP) intervention on coping self-efficacy (CSE), coping effectiveness (CE), and subjective performance. The participants were five male soccer players aged between 13 and 14 years (M = 13.6, SD = 0.55), who played for an English Premier League Soccer Academy. A single-subject multiple-baseline, across individuals design was employed. Results suggested that participants' CSE, CE, and subjective performance improved as a result of the CETASP intervention. Additionally, the social validation findings indicated that the participants were satisfied with the development of their coping skills and enjoyed the CETASP. This study provides empirical support for a framework that applied practitioners can use in “real world” settings to develop effective coping among academy soccer players.

Subjective well-being (SWB) and its relationship with physical activity have not been systematically investigated in older Chinese people. This study explored these issues using qualitative interviews with a purposive sample of 23 community-dwelling Chinese older adults (age 55–78 y, 12 women); 16 were physically active and 7 physically inactive. Using cross-case analyses, 7 dimensions of SWB emerged: physical, psychological, developmental, material, spiritual, sociopolitical, and social. Although elements of SWB may be shared across cultures, specific distinctions were identified. Active respondents reported the unique contributions of physical activity to the physical, psychological, developmental, and social elements of SWB. The findings suggest that physical activity could enhance the quality of life in Chinese older adults.

Relative age effects (RAEs; R. H. Barnsley, A. H. Thompson, & P. E. Barnsley, 1985) convey school attainment (dis)advantages depending on whether one is relatively older or younger within annually age-grouped cohorts. In the present study, the authors examined the pervasiveness of RAEs by examining (a) attainment in 4 secondary school subjects, (b) attainment consistency across subjects, (c) pupils enrolled in gifted and talented programs, (d) pupils referred for learning support or identified as having special educational needs, and (e) whether RAEs were related to pupil attendance. For 2004-2005, attainment, program participation, and attendance data for 657 pupils (aged 11-14) at a secondary school in North England were analyzed. Relatively older pupils (i.e., September-November born) attained significantly higher in subjects (except for English), were more likely to attain consistently high scores across subject areas, and be enrolled in gifted and talented programs. In contrast, relatively younger pupils (i.e., January-August born) were overrepresented in learning support referrals and identified as having special educational needs, and were more likely to be among the lowest 20% of attainment and attendees, attending on average school 6 days less. RAEs are pervasive and systematic across the curriculum, implicating maturational and psychological mechanisms. © 2009 American Psychological Association.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the impact of 'sit less, move more' interventions on workplace performance. This study assessed the short and mid-term impacts of and patterns of change within, a 19-week workplace web-based intervention (Walk@WorkSpain; W@WS; 2010-11) on employees´ presenteeism, mental well-being and lost work performance. METHODS: A site randomised control trial recruited employees at six Spanish university campuses (n = 264; 42 ± 10 years; 171 female), assigned by worksite and campus to an Intervention (IG; used W@WS; n = 129; 87 female) or an active Comparison group (A-CG; pedometer, paper diary and self-reported sitting time; n = 135; 84 female). A linear mixed model assessed changes between the baseline, ramping (8 weeks), maintenance (11 weeks) and follow-up (two months) phases for the IG versus A-CG on (i) % of lost work productivity (Work Limitations Questionnaire; WLQ); (ii) three scales for presenteeism (WLQ) assessing difficulty meeting scheduling demands (Time), performing cognitive and inter-personal tasks (Mental-Interpersonal) and decrements in meeting the quantity, quality and timeliness of completed work (Output); and (iii) mental well-being (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale). T-tests assessed differences between groups for changes on the main outcomes. In the IG, a multivariate logistic regression model identified patterns of response according to baseline socio-demographic variables, physical activity and sitting time. RESULTS: There was a significant 2 (group) × 2 (program time points) interaction for the Time (F [3]=8.69, p = 0.005), Mental-Interpersonal (F [3]=10.01, p = 0.0185), Output scales for presenteeism (F [3]=8.56, p = 0.0357), and for % of lost work performance (F [3]=10.31, p = 0.0161). Presenteeism and lost performance rose significantly in both groups across all study time points; after baseline performance was consistently better in the IG than in the A-CG. Better performance was linked to employees being more active (Time, p = 0.041) and younger (Mental-interpersonal, p = 0.057; Output, p = 0.017). Higher total sitting time during nonworking days (Mental-interpersonal, p = 0.019) and lower sitting time during workdays (WLQ Index, p = 0.013) also improved performance. CONCLUSION: Versus an active comparison condition, a 'sit less, move more` workplace intervention effectively reduced an array of markers of lost workday productivity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02960750 ; Date of registration: 07/11/2016.

OBJECTIVE: This study validated the Walk@Work-Application (W@W-App) for measuring occupational sitting and stepping. METHODS: The W@W-App was installed on the smartphones of office-based employees (n=17; 10 women; 26±3 years). A prescribed 1-hour laboratory protocol plus two continuous hours of occupational free-living activities were performed. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) compared mean differences of sitting time and step count measurements between the W@W-App and criterion measures (ActivPAL3TM and SW200Yamax Digi-Walker). RESULTS: During the protocol, agreement between self-paced walking (ICC=0.85) and active working tasks step counts (ICC=0.80) was good. The smallest median difference was for sitting time (1.5seconds). During free-living conditions, sitting time (ICC=0.99) and stepping (ICC=0.92) showed excellent agreement, with a difference of 0.5minutes and 18 steps respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The W@W-App provided valid measures for monitoring occupational sedentary patterns in real life conditions; a key issue for increasing awareness and changing occupational sedentariness.

Background: The aim of the study was to assess the synergy between patient treatment pathways in two large primary care trusts (PCTs) and general practices for patients following myocardial infarction (MI) and after completing a 12-week cardiac rehabilitation (CR) hear t manual programme in Kingston-Upon-Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire. Methods: Of the 50 practice nurses randomly selected from local GP surgeries and invited to participate, 40 questionnaires were returned and two practice nurses volunteered to be inter viewed. Results: Four key themes were identified: knowledge of the ‘heart manual programme’ (HMP); information received or used post-HMP; post-MI follow-up routines of practice nurses; the practice nurse: assessment. Conclusions: It appears that current CR provision in Kingston-uponHull and the East Riding of Yorkshire may be fragmented and duplicative, leading to poor cost effectiveness as both primary and secondary care providers are working to conflicting government targets. The system fails to build on the strengths of the health professionals working within it. We recommend the development of an integrated, standardized care pathway that we hope will bring a ‘joined-up’ solution to a disjointed problem.

This study examined associations between changes in domain-specific sedentary behaviors and changes in health-related lifestyles of Spanish secondary school students (n = 113) to their first year of university. During the transitions from the end of high school to the beginning of university, engagement in sedentary behaviors have emerged as potential additional behavioral risk factors. Understanding how sedentary behaviors interconnect with other (un)healthy behaviors will inform interventions on multiple risk behaviors across this critical life period. A 3-year longitudinal survey assessed associations between domain-specific sedentary behaviors and leisure time physical activity (IPAQ), alcohol and tobacco consumption, and fruit and vegetable intake (24-h dietary recall), using Generalized Estimating Equations. Spending time on sedentary transportation was associated with a greater likelihood of smoking, whereas sedentary weekend homework was associated with a reduced likelihood of consuming alcohol. The lowest and highest tertiles for sedentary screen use and leisure-time PA were also less likely not to meet the recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption. For specific sedentary behaviors, associations were gender-based or affected by leisure time physical activity. From secondary school to university, specific sedentary behaviors are linked to lifestyle risk factors. Over this transitional period, public health interventions targeting reduced sedentary behaviors may bring multiple benefits by also preventing other harmful behaviors.

Background: A large majority of primary school pupils fail to achieve 30-minutes in-school moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The aim of this study was to investigate MVPA accumulation and subject frequency during academic lesson segments and the broader segmented school day. Methods: 122 children (42.6% boys; 9.9±0.3yrs) from six primary schools in North East England, wore uniaxial accelerometers for eight consecutive days. Subject frequency was assessed by teacher diaries. Multilevel models (children nested within schools) examined significant predictors of MVPA across each school-day segment (lesson one, break, lesson two, lunch, lesson three). Results: Pupils averaged 18.33±8.34 minutes of in-school MVPA and 90.2% failed to achieve the in-school 30-minute MVPA threshold. Across all school-day segments, MVPA accumulation was typically influenced at the individual level. Lesson one and two - dominated by Math and English - were less active than lesson three. Break and lunch were the most active segments. Conclusion: This study breaks new ground, revealing MVPA accumulation and subject frequency varies greatly during different academic lessons. Morning lessons were dominated by the inactive delivery of Math and English, whereas afternoon lessons involved a greater array of subject delivery that resulted in marginally higher levels of MVPA.

BACKGROUND: A large majority of primary school pupils fail to achieve 30-min of daily, in-school moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The aim of this study was to investigate MVPA accumulation and subject frequency during academic lesson segments and the broader segmented school day. METHODS: 122 children (42.6% boys; 9.9 ± 0.3 years) from six primary schools in North East England, wore uniaxial accelerometers for eight consecutive days. Subject frequency was assessed by teacher diaries. Multilevel models (children nested within schools) examined significant predictors of MVPA across each school-day segment (lesson one, break, lesson two, lunch, lesson three). RESULTS: Pupils averaged 18.33 ± 8.34 min of in-school MVPA, and 90.2% failed to achieve the in-school 30-min MVPA threshold. Across all school-day segments, MVPA accumulation was typically influenced at the individual level. Lessons one and two-dominated by maths and English-were less active than lesson three. Break and lunch were the most active segments. CONCLUSION: This study breaks new ground, revealing that MVPA accumulation and subject frequency varies greatly during different academic lessons. Morning lessons were dominated by the inactive delivery of maths and English, whereas afternoon lessons involved a greater array of subject delivery that resulted in marginally higher levels of MVPA.

© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved. We evaluated the impact of a workplace 'sit less, move more' programme (Walk@WorkSpain, W@WS, 19-week) on self-reported activity-related energy expenditure (AREE) in Spanish office employees (n = 264; 42 ± 10 years; 171 female) randomly assigned to Intervention (IG; used W@WS; n = 129) or comparison groups (CGs; n = 135). A linear mixed model assessed changes in METs-min/wk of total, vigorous, moderate and light physical activity (IPAQ short form) between baseline and 2 months follow-up. Over the CG, IG significantly increased light intensity AREE (P = 0.027). W@WS secured sustained increases on AREE - but not on achieving PA recommendations - providing translational evidence that active living in office employees can be increased.

Using a randomised controlled trial design, this feasibility study assessed the impact of two walking interventions on quality of life (QoL) and job performance of Catalan university employees. A convenience sample of 70 employees completed baseline and intervention measures of step counts (Yamax SW 200 pedometer), wellbeing (SF-12 questionnaire) and work performance (Work Limitations Questionnaire) over 9 weeks. Before intervention, baseline step counts (five working days) were used to randomly allocate participants to a control (n = 26), “walking routes” (n = 19) and “walking while working” (n = 25) groups. Intervention effects were evaluated by calculating differences between pre-intervention and intervention data. One-way ANOVA was used to examine differences between groups. No significant group differences were found for changes in work-day step counts, QoL or work performance. When data from the two intervention groups were pooled (n = 44) there was a significant increase in step counts (+659 steps/day; n = 12; p < 0.01) among participants classified as `Sedentary—Low active' (0—7499 steps/day) at baseline. In contrast there was a significant decrease (—637 steps/day; p < 0.05) in those initially categorised as `Active' (> 10,000 steps/day; n = 21) and no change in those categorised as `Moderately Active' (7500—9999, n = 11). The `Sedentary—Low activity' group showed consistently greater improvements in QoL and work performance scores than the Moderate and Active groups. Initially low active participants showed the greatest increase in step counts and improved QoL and work productivity profiles. These data indicate the potential for improving QoL and job productivity through workplace walking in inactive Catalan employees.

Purpose – Awareness of potential health impact and variations in key risk factors for chronic disease are important considerations in multi‐site, workplace physical activity interventions. This study seeks to examine associations and site variations between workday step counts, sitting times, waist circumference and blood pressure in three universities. Design/methodology/approach – Participants were white‐collar, university employees (172 women and 44 men; aged 41.0±10.3 years) from Barcelona, Spain (n=81), Brisbane, Australia (n=71) and Leeds, UK (n=64). Workday step counts and sitting times (five days) and waist circumference and blood pressure were assessed and compared against health‐related thresholds. Step counts were classified into tertiles and differences in sitting time, waist circumference and blood pressure were compared across tertiles using ANOVA, as were site variations in key variables. Findings – Daily step counts were inversely associated with sitting times (p<0.05), women's waist circumference (p<0.05) and systolic (p<0.01) and diastolic (p<0.05) blood pressure. Activity rates – relative to the public health criterion of 10,000 daily steps – were lower in Brisbane (16 per cent) and Leeds (15 per cent), compared with Barcelona (47 per cent). Barcelona employees also sat less (p<0.001), had lower men's and women's waist circumference (p<0.01) and lower women's diastolic blood pressure (p<0.001). Research limitations/implications – The small number of male participants precluded meaningful analyses for men. Originality/value – The findings evidence the health benefits of workplace walking in the samples and highlight the need to account for variations in multi‐site, multi‐national interventions.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate what factors may influence practice nurses to promote physical activity. METHODS: Postal questionnaires were sent to all practice nurses in the county of Avon, UK in 1994. Specifically, the questionnaire survey explored whether patient, provider, and practice factors influenced practice nurses promotion behaviour. In addition, the stages of change model was used to measure current levels of promoting behaviour. RESULTS: A response rate of 80.9% was achieved. Over 80% of the sample reported currently promoting physical activity to some degree. "Promoting" nurses more frequently followed up all (new, established or targeted) patients' activity progress when compared with "restricted promoting" nurses (P < 0.05). Nurses who engaged in regular exercise were more likely to encourage physical activity as a treatment than "irregularly active" nurses (P < 0.05) for five of six clinical groups with the single exception of people with diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the two stage measures (activity promotion and personal behaviour) of the health care professional are associated with important differences in patient and practice factors for physical activity promotion. Further investigations into the content and quality of delivery are required before planning strategies to develop physical activity in the general practice.

Recall of physical activity is a known problem affecting all forms of self-report. Participants age 8–16 years contributed to 16 focus groups and 24 interviews based on cognitive interviewing (n = 8) and think-aloud (n = 8) and general probing (n = 8) techniques. When unassisted, participants readily described physical activity mode but gave vague descriptions of daily activities. In contrast, the close detail of frequency, intensity, and duration of these activities was only more fully developed through prompting. Talk-based methods can provide considerable insight into developing more reliable and valid physical activity self-reports.

© 2016 Human Kinetics, Inc.Background: Little is known about lifestyle choices and preventive healthcare-seeking behaviors during the transition from medical school graduation to residency training, a period characterized by increased rates of stress and lack of free time due to demanding working conditions. All of these issues are likely to affect physical activity (PA) level. This study explored the evolution of PA and other lifestyle behaviors during this transition. Methods: A cross-sectional study and a cohort study were conducted with medical students (2010) and physicians before and after the first year of residency (2013 and 2014). A self-administered questionnaire assessed PA, health and lifestyle behaviors. Results: From a sample of 420 medical students and 478 residents, 74%comply with current PA guidelines. PA decreased by 16%during residency. Low levels of PA were found among (i) females and in respondents who reported (ii) poor self-perceived health and (iii) unhealthy body weight (P <.05). Low PA level was also significantly associated with poor mental health in first-year residents. Conclusions: The transition has a negative effect on physicians' PA level that may affect physicians' own health and patient care. Medical programs should encourage residents to engage in PA to assure physicians' personal and mental health.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) is a key behaviour for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, healthcare professionals' (HCP) recommendations (walking advice), which are short-term and individually focused, did not reduce the PA drop-out ratio in the long run. Using a socio-ecological model approach may contribute to reducing patient dropout and improving adherence to PA. The aim of this study is threefold: first, to evaluate the effectiveness of a theory-driven Nordic walking intervention using a socio-ecological approach with T2DM patients in Spain; second, to explore the feasibility on the PA adherence process in T2DM patients while participating in the SENWI programme; and third, to understand the HCPs' opinion regarding its applicability within the Spanish healthcare system. METHODS: A three-arm randomized control trial (n = 48 each group) will assess the efficacy of two primary care-based PA interventions (Nordic walking vs. Nordic walking plus socio-ecological approach; two sessions per week for twelve weeks) compared to a control group (usual HCPs' walking advice on PA). Inclusion criteria will include physically inactive patients with T2DM, older than 40 years and without health contraindications to do PA. PA levels and drop-out ratio, quality of life and metabolic and health outcomes will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention and at 9- and 21-month follow-ups. The effect of the different interventions will be assessed by a two-factor analysis of variance: treatment group vs time. Also, a two-factor ANOVA test will be performed with linear mixed models for repeated measures. A qualitative analysis using focus groups will explore the reasons for the (in)effectiveness of the new PA interventions. Qualitative outcomes will be assessed at post-intervention using thematic analysis. DISCUSSION: Compared with the general PA walking advice and Nordic walking prescriptions, integrating a socio-ecological approach into Spanish primary care visits could be an effective way to reduce the PA drop-out ratio and increase PA levels in patients with T2DM. Such interventions are necessary to understand the role that multiple socio-complex process in day-to-day PA behaviour has in patients with T2DM in the Spanish context. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05159089. Physical Activity Drop-out Ratio in Patients' Living with Type 2 Diabetes. Prospectively registered on 15 December 2021.

In recent years the overall climate for women in academia in Canada has improved. Efforts are being made to attract girls to science at a young age. The enrollment of women across undergraduate and graduate programs in the physical sciences has increased gradually in the past decade, with a sharp increase at the graduate level. In light of a large number of upcoming retirements in academic positions, the presence of women in academia will continue to grow, supported by efforts to ensure equity in academia made by government agencies, academic institutions, and faculty associations. © 2009 American Institute of Physics.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the promotion of physical activity by general practitioners (GPs) and practice nurses (PNs). METHODS: A questionnaire that examined the types of barriers and the levels of their influence as well as stage of change for activity promotion and for personal behaviour was mailed to 846 subjects. RESULTS: The return rate exceeded 70% in each group with a high proportion (69%) of GPs and PNs reporting that they regularly promote physical activity with their patients. GPs were less likely to regularly promote physical activity with their patients if they indicated lack of time as a barrier (odds ratio (OR) = 0.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.58 to 0.93) or lack of incentives (OR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.94), and more likely to promote exercise if they themselves were regular exercisers (OR = 3.19, 95% CI 1.96 to 5.18). However, for PNs longer consultation times (by 1.5 to 2 minutes) had a higher likelihood of producing regular promotion of activity (OR = 1.61, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.62). For PNs personal physical activity stage was the strongest significant predictor of promotion level, but with a stronger effect (OR = 4.77, 95% CI 1.48 to 15.35) than in the GPs. CONCLUSION: The main finding is that GPs in the action or maintenance stage of changing their own physical activity are three times more likely to regularly promote the same behaviour in their patients than those in the other stages; for PNs the same difference quadruples the likelihood of them promoting physical activity. Professional readiness to change is influenced by known system barriers in GPs, and not in PNs, but is more strongly predicted by personal physical activity behaviour in both groups.

PURPOSE: Encouraging office workers to 'sit less and move more' encompasses two public health priorities. However, there is little evidence on the effectiveness of workplace interventions for reducing sitting, even less about the longer term effects of such interventions and still less on dual-focused interventions. This study assessed the short and mid-term impacts of a workplace web-based intervention (Walk@WorkSpain, W@WS; 2010-11) on self-reported sitting time, step counts and physical risk factors (waist circumference, BMI, blood pressure) for chronic disease. METHODS: Employees at six Spanish university campuses (n=264; 42±10 years; 171 female) were randomly assigned by worksite and campus to an Intervention (used W@WS; n=129; 87 female) or a Comparison group (maintained normal behavior; n=135; 84 female). This phased, 19-week program aimed to decrease occupational sitting time through increased incidental movement and short walks. A linear mixed model assessed changes in outcome measures between the baseline, ramping (8 weeks), maintenance (11 weeks) and follow-up (two months) phases for Intervention versus Comparison groups. RESULTS: A significant 2 (group) × 2 (program phases) interaction was found for self-reported occupational sitting (F[3]=7.97, p=0.046), daily step counts (F[3]=15.68, p=0.0013) and waist circumference (F[3]=11.67, p=0.0086). The Intervention group decreased minutes of daily occupational sitting while also increasing step counts from baseline (446±126; 8,862±2,475) through ramping (+425±120; 9,345±2,435), maintenance (+422±123; 9,638±3,131) and follow-up (+414±129; 9,786±3,205). In the Comparison group, compared to baseline (404±106), sitting time remained unchanged through ramping and maintenance, but decreased at follow-up (-388±120), while step counts diminished across all phases. The Intervention group significantly reduced waist circumference by 2.1cms from baseline to follow-up while the Comparison group reduced waist circumference by 1.3cms over the same period. CONCLUSIONS: W@WS is a feasible and effective evidence-based intervention that can be successfully deployed with sedentary employees to elicit sustained changes on "sitting less and moving more".

Health professionals face two complicated but contradictory epidemics: obesity and osteoporosis (OP). While obesity is obvious, OP progresses silently affecting one in two UK women. Both South Asian and Caucasian women are at OP risk. This study compared experiences of osteoporotic Caucasian and South Asian women in a purposive sample of 21 volunteers from south east England, aged 43 to 82 years. The women had been diagnosed for eight months to 40 years. Long disease duration was marked by complacent OP dialogue, although OP was objectionable and marked a loss of quality of life. Inductive content analysis of transcripts showed that 'uncertainty'--about one another and about what constituted helpful self-care--affected both GPs and patients. Instead, support groups and the media supported learning about OP care. Beyond providing drug prescriptions, women reported desiring, but rarely feeling, that GPs fully supported their preferences for self-care. Self-care often included specialist exercise classes. Some younger women led their GPs to better understand the range of self-care options. GPs were seen as being unsure about how and when to discuss physical activity (PA). In conclusion, women with OP in this sample are sensitive to their GP's hesitance about offering detailed PA recommendations. Regardless of ethnicity, younger women undertook PA based on personal initiative. Positive PA experiences stimulated an interest in discussing PA with GPs, and these dialogues broke the silence surrounding OP care. By providing important information regarding the OP patient experience, the findings highlight the unmet desire of OP sufferers for better and closer attention from GPs.

This study investigated the processes associated with the engagement of adults aged 70 years and older in a 12-month long research-based structured exercise programme. A sample of 21 participants (Mean age (SD) 75.8 (3.9); 14 females) and six exercise class leaders or researchers involved in the programme participated in individual semi-structured interviews. Transcripts were analysed with the principles of interpretive qualitative analysis. Our findings suggest that a programme that runs locally, provides individual attention/tailoring, delivers meaningful benefits, offers a staged approach to efficacy building, creates a sense of ownership, and provides intergenerational support and opportunities for social interaction, facilitates exercise engagement in later life.

Background: Little is known about how sitting time, alone or in combination with markers of physical activity (PA), influences mental well-being and work productivity. Given the need to develop workplace PA interventions that target employees' health related efficiency outcomes; this study examined the associations between self-reported sitting time, PA, mental well-being and work productivity in office employees. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Spanish university office employees (n = 557) completed a survey measuring socio-demographics, total and domain specific (work and travel) self-reported sitting time, PA (International Physical Activity Questionnaire short version), mental well-being (Warwick-Edinburg Mental Well-Being Scale) and work productivity (Work Limitations Questionnaire). Multivariate linear regression analyses determined associations between the main variables adjusted for gender, age, body mass index and occupation. PA levels (low, moderate and high) were introduced into the model to examine interactive associations. Results: Higher volumes of PA were related to higher mental well-being, work productivity and spending less time sitting at work, throughout the working day and travelling during the week, including the weekends (p < 0.05). Greater levels of sitting during weekends was associated with lower mental well-being (p < 0.05). Similarly, more sitting while travelling at weekends was linked to lower work productivity (p < 0.05). In highly active employees, higher sitting times on work days and occupational sitting were associated with decreased mental well-being (p < 0.05). Higher sitting times while travelling on weekend days was also linked to lower work productivity in the highly active (p < 0.05). No significant associations were observed in low active employees. Conclusions: Employees' PA levels exerts different influences on the associations between sitting time, mental well-being and work productivity. The specific associations and the broad sweep of evidence in the current study suggest that workplace PA strategies to improve the mental well-being and productivity of all employees should focus on reducing sitting time alongside efforts to increase PA.

Physical inactivity is a major public health concern. Up to 40% of all premature deaths are attributable to inactivity-related conditions and 20 of the major reasons for attending medical services are directly associated with sedentary behaviour. Frustratingly, activity seems to be so easy to achieve by those who are already active, yet for those who want to become more active, it is often little more than an elusive aspiration. While this points to the motivational issues, it over-simplifies the difficulties associated with sustaining regular frequent involvement in exercise-based living and addresses the need for new avenues for more effective promotion by instructors, coaches, friends and health professionals. The presentation will focus on two main issues. The first will address and expand the current rationale for exercise-based living using evidence relating to disease prevention, to primary and secondary prevention in adults. In recent years physical activity promotion has undergone a paradigm shift away from concerns for fitness towards active living. Emphasis will be placed on distinguishing the health benefits of activity versus fitness and for understanding the relative contributions of physical activity, exercise and training in improving public health. Further, this paradigm shift has been accompanied by a surprising shift away from individual counselling-based interventions to environmental approaches, in the belief that individuals will respond better to appropriately encouraging spaces. This underlines the importance of socio-spatial geography and the role of pathogenic environments. The potential of this ‘environmental’ approach will be considered using examples from workplaces and general practice. Further, evidence from work-based interventions, from the growing literature regarding psycho-neuro-immunology and social connectedness, will be used to consider the substantial psychological and social advantages that can be gained from active living. The second focus will address the how to enact the paradigm shift, based on research that was not available as new understanding was emerging. Findings will be used to propose under-explored avenues for physical activity promotion and to stimulate further thinking about how to make exercise-based living more relevant and rewarding to a wider range of population groups and individuals.

BACKGROUND: A stepped-down program is one in which clients transition from the care of a health professional to self-managed care. Very little is known about the effectiveness of stepped-down physical activity (PA) programs for military service veterans. OBJECTIVE: This study will test Active Choices, a stepped-down behavioral support program designed to help Australian Defence Force veterans and their dependents who are clients of the Department of Veterans' Affairs, transition from treatment by an exercise physiologist or physiotherapist to self-managed PA. METHODS: The study is a parallel-group, randomized trial, with city-based exercise physiology or physiotherapy practices that recruit eligible Department of Veterans' Affairs clients assigned to Active Choices or a comparison program. The study aims to recruit 52 participants (26 in each group). The Active Choices program will consist of 2 face-to-face (Weeks 1, 12) and 2 telephone (Weeks 4 and 8) consultations. During these sessions, the participant and Active Choices consultant will utilize an evidence-based resource booklet to review the key benefits of an active lifestyle, build an action plan for PA preferences, set and review goals, self-monitor progress relative to set goals, and discuss strategies to overcome PA barriers. Linking participants to local PA communities to overcome social isolation will be a program priority. The comparison program will consist of 2 consultations (Weeks 1 and 12) and use fewer behavioral support strategies (education, self-monitoring, and action planning only) than Active Choices. Outcome measures will be administered at baseline, end-intervention (12 weeks), and follow-up (24 weeks) to assess changes in moderate intensity self-managed PA, psychological well-being, and social connectedness. We will also measure health service utilization and costs as well as PA choices across the intervention period. End-intervention interviews will capture participant experiences. RESULTS: Due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on human research activities in Australia, participant recruitment will commence when it is safe and feasible to do so. CONCLUSIONS: Findings will provide valuable pilot data to support up-scaling of the program and larger effectiveness trials with regional and rural as well as city-based Australian Defence Force veterans and their dependents. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12620000559910; https://www.anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12620000559910.aspx. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/21911.

Talent development in sport is well represented in scientific literature. Yet, the drive to protect ‘trade secrets’ often means that access to these high performing groups is rare, especially as these high level performances are being delivered. This leaves the details of high-end working practices absent from current academic commentary. As a result, clubs interested in developing excellent practice are left to build on personal initiative and insight and/or custom-and-practice, which is unlikely to yield successful outcomes. To address this shortfall the current study reports on prolonged engagement with a single high performing club, considering how their practice corresponds with existing sport talent development models. The paper ends by proposing an evidence-based, football-specific model for talent development, maintained high level performance and serial winning. This model emphasises four dominant features: culture, behavioral characteristics, practice engagement and the managing and guiding of performance ‘potential’. The study provides insights into the visceral reality of daily experiences across the life course of professional soccer, while advancing the evidence-base for understanding how Manchester United achieved their serial success.

Using a conceptual framework based on the work of Mitch McCrimmon, who has highlighted false dichotomies of leadership and management, the Ryder Cup captaincy of Paul McGinley is examined in terms of man management, strategy and tactics, and the Inner Game. For purposes of comparison on these matters, reference is made to American Football coach Pete Carroll. This is a stimulus article aimed at making links between sport and business through invited commentaries. It is intended to provoke critical reflection on nebulous use of the term ‘leadership’ and that much ‘leadership development’ is concerned with matters such as selfawareness that are associated with ‘personal growth’. Attention is drawn to how McGinley's captaincy is couched in terms of a discourse of ‘management’.

Explores what people contemplating exercise (exercise contemplators) described, using the five processes of change that are considered by those who adhere to the Transtheoretical Model of Change, as most important for changing exercise behaviour. Also examines four delay tactics. Analysis of structured interviews with eight exercise contemplators identified three main findings, which show that the existing conceptualisations of the processes of change lack relevance to everyday accounts of trying to become more active. Further, in practice the processes were not readily differentiated by people, although process questionnaires require people to make these differentiations. Individuals reflected their optimism for change using two dimensions. How often an individual process was used seemed less important than the personal significance of experiences or events, especially the negative actions of significant others. The findings may help to explain why “process of change” questionnaires fail to predict change for exercise. The complex mix of the ways that processes and delay tactics are used, and how they are described, illustrates how challenging it may be for these people to change without help. These issues also affect counsellors who wish to develop stage‐matched counselling based on these elements of change.

BACKGROUND: Convincing evidence has emerged in recent years for the role of physical activity (PA) in the prevention and treatment of many chronic diseases. These include both physical and mental health problems, which are likely to be encountered by practicing dietitians. This study aimed to identify whether NHS based Registered Dietitians (RDs) currently promote PA to their patients and if so, how they do it and with which patients. METHOD: An anonymous questionnaire sent to 516 RDs in NHS teaching hospitals achieved a 77% (n = 397) return rate. RESULTS: Ninety-three per cent of respondents reported regularly promoting PA particularly with new patients. Among active PA promoters, 87% reported encouraged daily accumulation of PA, 50% focused on sport and exercise and 52% referred patients to GPs or Physiotherapists for advice. Distinctive levels and styles of PA promotion were found to be related to levels of recent training in the field although fewer than one in four had actually received any formal training. CONCLUSIONS: A high interest in further PA-specific training (95% of all respondents), together with high variability in the type and quality of advice suggests the need to develop further in-service training specifically for RDs.

We aimed to explore the lived experiences of women who had a surgical menopause as a result of undergoing a hysterectomy with Bilateral Salpingo-Oopherectomy (BSO). We adopted a qualitative interview design using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), and recruited 7 women aged 47 to 59. We conducted synchronous online semistructured interviews using the MSN (Microsoft Network) Messenger program. In the findings, we examine the prominent and underresearched theme of body image change. We discuss the women's journey from a deep internal bodily change, the meaning of this changing body image, through to the thoughts and behaviors involved with self-presentation concerns and coping with body image changes. A woman's perceived attractiveness and appearance investment are important factors to consider regarding adaptation to change over this transition. The findings might have implications for interventions designed to enhance mental well-being and increase health behaviors in women experiencing gynecological illness and/or menopause.

Aims: Adopting effective injury prevention practices continues to be problematic within snowboarding and the participation of older individuals is associated with an appreciable injury burden. The Haddon Matrix provides an important framework for developing injury prevention interventions. Since prevention behaviour must `fit' within individual aspirations, our study investigated the meanings and behaviours associated with snowboarding and injury prevention and then applied the findings to the established Haddon Matrix approach. Methods: Nine, older adult recreational participants living in south-west England each contributed two interviews. These progressively focused on experiences and reflections. Verbatim transcripts were analysed and interpreted using the hermeneutic phenomenological themes of time, space, body and human relations. A further wave of analysis reinterpreted the findings in relation to the Haddon Matrix. Findings: Snowboarding was conducted within a holiday when participants were seeking happiness by positively re-evaluating their lives. In a frame of connection-and-disconnection , beginners (time) were concerned with being-on the slopes (body and space), while more experienced (body and time) participants blended this with being-in the mountains (space). Snowboarding is a bumps-and-bruises activity and this guided the limited prevention practices. Importantly, all prevention practices were time-limited, due to a concern for learning-by-doing within a holiday. At home, more experienced boarders paid careful attention to fitness, whereas in the resorts they actively selected the soft, off-piste areas and wore protective clothing to cushion their inevitable falls. Group experiences were associated with heightened injury risks. Being seen and judged by others helped to determine the quality of the snowboarding experience. Treatment was avoided for all but the most severe injuries. Conclusion: The findings confirm the exploratory value of mixing van Manen's four-dimensional approach with Haddon's well-established injury prevention framework. The diverse subjective meanings associated with snowboarding limit the potential for prevention approaches and suggest that resort-based `injury control' may be more appropriate for addressing the spectrum of prevention in older snowboarders.

Decision making in elite level sporting competition is often regarded as distinguishing success from failure. As an intricate brain-based process it is unlike other physical processes because it is invisible and is typically only evidenced after the event. This case study shows how an individual achieved great success in elite level professional football through consistent positive decision making on and off the field of play. Through prolonged interviewing, Gary Neville, a player from Manchester United Football Club, explored personal behaviours, the structure and activities of deliberate practice and his professional choices in match preparation. His career-long devotion to purposeful organised practice was focused on cognition, physical preparation, context-relative physical action and refined repetition to optimise his mental comfort while enhancing his match day performances. This approach was underpinned by diligent personal and collective organisation and by concerted action. Results provide an insight into the categorical nature of his deliberate practice, sport-specific information processing and match-based decision making. At the operational level, his process was mediated by a complex mental representation of ongoing and anticipated game situations; these representations were continuously updated during each match. Allowing for the limitations of the design, implications are provided for developmental and educational coaching, match preparation, deliberate practice activity and improved use of the performance analysis software packages in professional football.

Support for elite student-athletes was explored within a single English university using Stringer’s (1996) Look, Think, Act model of action research. Entry to the ongoing support programme is competitive and participation is voluntary, with sessions delivered every second week after lectures. Based on supporting documentation, interviews, focus groups and participation in a long-standing voluntary support programme, we developed a perspective on the daily life of university elite student-athletes. According to their achievements, these student-athlete participants were ‘elite’ in both academic and sporting terms. Tutors, heads of department, administrators and managers of sports services within the university contributed supplementary interviews. Based on a systematic thematic analysis of contributions, which was subsequently verified by student-athletes, three main areas of concern were identified: (1) establishing priorities of the ‘student’and ‘athlete’roles, (2) relationships with academia and (3) lack of support and understanding. The programme has been altered to reflect these issues. Further discussion focuses on unresolved issues and continuing development.

Increasing evidence suggests that physical activity can prevent some aspects of mental illness in older people such as depression, dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Additionally, limited research has shown that engagement in structured exercise can improve aspects of psychological well-being such as mood and self-perceptions in older adults. However, the relationship between incidental daily activity such as walking or time spent sedentary, with psychological well-being has not been investigated. The Better Ageing Project provided an opportunity to assess well-being and quality of life using standardised questionnaires with 176 adults aged 70 and over. Accelerometry was used to objectively assess daily energy expended in physical activity at different levels of intensity. In addition, an assessment of the impact of the 12-month Better Ageing structured group exercise programme was assessed through questionnaires and interviews. Total daily physical activity energy expenditure (joules/day) and amount of time spent in activity of at least moderate intensity were weakly related (r = 0.20-0.28) to quality of life, subjective well-being and physical self-perceptions. Time spent sedentary (min/day) was weakly and negatively related to several mental health indicators. The quantitative data showed only minor psychological benefits of the exercise intervention. In contrast, interviews with 27 research participants and 4 exercise leaders suggested that important improvements in perceived function and social benefits had been experienced.

Subjective well-being has increasingly been used as a key indicator of quality of life in older people. Existing evidence shows that it is likely that eastern cultures carry different life values and so the Chinese Aging Well Profile was devised for measuring subjective well-being in Chinese adults (50+). Data was collected from 1,906 community-dwelling Chinese (50+) in Taiwan in six sequential stages, involving qualitative interviews and psychometric testing. Seven key dimensions of subjective well-being identified in the interviews provided an item bank for instrument construction. The 31-item Chinese Aging Well Profile comprised seven subscales- 'physical' 'psychological', 'independence', 'learning & growth', 'material', 'environmental', and 'social' well-being. The study indicated that elements of subjective well-being are common across western and eastern cultures but are interpreted and weighted differently. This new instrument has demonstrated preliminary evidence for reliability and validity and that it is suitable for use in the Chinese speaking older population. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2007.

Garth Armstrong (pseudonym) agreed to participate based on a pre-existing ‘career-guidance-and-support’ relationship with the researcher, to explore the realities of career transition. An account-making approach was used over the last eight months of his professional rugby-playing career (termination) and for a further ten months into his next career (transition). For Garth, retirement was premature, contested and unjust—he felt the moral outrage of being kicked out and of becoming excluded from his own athletic past. Garth regarded himself as embodying the values of a (proper) ‘rugby man’, which were unmatched by those central to making him retire. Being central to the club and modelling idealized behaviours contrasted with still not being offered a replacement contract, meaning that his retirement represented a strong sense of betrayal. This was compounded by then being offered a contract extension, but only with reduced terms. Even after 18 months, support is continuing with retirement still being discussed.

The purpose of this study was to examine stressors and coping strategies among early (12-14 years) and middle adolescents (15-18 years). Forty male academy soccer players, aged between 12-18 years (M age = 14.22 years), participated in semi-structured interviews, which were inductively and deductively content analyzed. Findings revealed that middle adolescents reported more stressors than early adolescents and that these two groups experienced both common and different stressors. Early adolescents identified making errors, opponents, team performance, and family as salient stressors. Making errors, team performance, coaches, selection, contracts, social evaluation, and playing at a higher level were more prominent among middle adolescents. Middle adolescents reported a greater number and repertoire of coping strategies than early adolescents, and used more problem- and emotion-focused strategies, but fewer avoidance strategies than early adolescents. Based on these findings, it is recommended that applied practitioners working within soccer academies take into account the players' age when providing psychological support.

Purpose – Instruments that measure the effect of health on productivity help to inform intervention programmes aimed at improving employees' presenteeism. The Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ) has been used extensively to measure presenteeism but has not been validated for use in the Catalan‐speaking population. The aim of this study is to translate and preliminarily test the reliability and validity of a Catalan version of the WLQ (CWLQ). Design/methodology/approach – The WLQ was translated into Catalan using back‐translation. The final version of the instrument was administered to 19 volunteer university employees in Barcelona. Feasibility (employee debriefing) and psychometric evaluation included internal consistency (Cronbach's α), four‐day test‐retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient; ICC), and concurrent validity (ICC) in comparison with the original English WLQ. Findings – Item analyses showed a high degree of internal consistency for the total score (α=0.80) and for the four scales of the CWLQ (subscale 1, r=0.82; subscale 2, r=0.80; subscale 3, r=0.81; subscale 4, r=0.78). The test‐retest reliability was also acceptable for the total score (ICC=0.69) and subscale 1 (ICC=0.68), subscale 2 (ICC=0.68), subscale 3 (ICC=0.67) and subscale 4 (ICC=0.75). The total score of the CWLQ showed good concurrent validity (ICC=0.81). Originality/value – Preliminary results suggest that the CWLQ is a valid and reliable scale for the assessment of presenteeism in Catalan‐speaking employees. Use of the questionnaire will help to inform Catalan companies and business on how to effectively target presenteeism through health promotion interventions.

While work‐home conflict has well‐established negative outcomes, few studies explore how this might be resolved. This study explored the delivery and outcomes of a three‐session workplace intervention delivered by a non‐specialist counsellor to women with high work‐home conflict, using solution‐focused therapy (SFT). Transcripts from the counselling sessions provided the key data for the study. Participants had unique combinations of conflict, and unique levels of self‐assessed success in developing and sticking to their solutions. These perspectives are spillover (home or work affect each other), segmenting (demands are ring‐fenced in one domain) and compensation (demands in one domain are balanced with contributions to the other). Although the specific solutions generated may not be new to “outsiders”, they were to these women, and were unlikely to have been undertaken without the intervention.

Work‐home conflict of women in a multinational computer organisation was examined in two phases using quantitative and qualitative methods. In Phase 1 a questionnaire was sent to all directly employed females (n = 204), who were also invited to participate in Phase 2, a one‐hour on‐site focus group. A total of 31 women contributed to four focus groups. In line with previous research, Phase 1 identified the dominant construct to be work interfering with home. Almost one in ten women scored in the highest quartile of possible scores (24 to 30) for work‐to‐home conflict. In Phase 2, issues such as lack of time and lack of social support, family, careers and guilt were discussed in depth. Central to the development of conflict was commitment to both domains. The different meanings women attached to “work” and “home” added to the complexity of these issues. In contrast with past studies, part‐time working status was found to contribute to conflict and intensified the feelings of “juggling”, as did being single. Poor physical and psychological health was a common outcome. A minority of participants experienced positive work‐home “spill‐over”. Witnessing that other women accepted and acknowledged the negative effects of the stressors was thought to be a first step to resolving them. The dual approach adopted facilitated a greater understanding of the concept of work‐home conflict that health professionals may use both to develop and to deliver effective interventions.

We investigated how General Practitioners (GPs) promote lifestyle physical activity (PA) (‘accumulate 30 min of at least moderate PA on 5 or more days per week’: PA30×5) to patients in the different stages of change, using a range of counselling strategies. These strategies included six ‘A’ factors (Ask, Assess, Advise, Assure, Arrange a follow-up, and Applaud). In a postal questionnaire (68% return rate), 47% of GPs from a single UK health district reported regularly promoting PA30×5. A stepwise logistic regression identified three counselling strategies that predicted regularly promoting PA30×5: (1) arrange follow-ups for patient pre-contemplators (OR=4.93), (2) patient contemplators passed to GP exercise referral scheme (OR=2.34), and (3) asking relapsers about their PA30×5 (OR=2.61). GPs who regularly promote PA30×5 base their counselling on patients’ pre-existing PA behaviour, using ‘effortful’, ‘stage-matched’ approaches. Since these are acceptable to GPs, in-service training may build on using these three factors.

Public health groups use mass media communications to address the problem of sedentary behaviour . However , these campaigns are poorly evaluated and lack tailoring . Campaigns and questionnaires were developed based on existing theoreti cal , cross - sectional , and qualitative data regarding how to promote walking with people who are not regularly active . Subjects were volunteer white - collar employees (n = 181 ) randomly allocated by quota to the campaigns , or control , for one week . One - hundred - thirty - eight subjects ( 76 . 2 %) completed pre - and postcampaign ques tionnaires . T his study successfully ( 1 ) developed four new tailored campaigns to promote walking according to a formalized process that health promoters can adapt and refine , ( 2 ) developed a complimentary measure of outcomes , and ( 3 ) compared the new campaigns with the English Health Education Authority ( HEA ) '' Active for L ife '' campaign ( control ).

Background: Significant proportions of school children in the UK do not meet the minimum recommended daily requirements of 60-min moderate-intensity physical activity. Beyond taught classes, playtimes offer the opportunity for children to play and be physically active. Painted markings are one recent addition to school playgrounds that are inexpensive and have been shown to stimulate increased levels of physical activity among children during playtimes. Playground markings and supportive playground assistants can act as cues to increase physical activity.Purpose: While evidence exists to support the impact of playground markings on the levels of physical activity, no attempts have been made to assess the effects of playground markings on important indicators of psychological health such as self-esteem and physical self-concept. The way children view themselves from a physical perspective is likely to impact their future engagement in sport and physical activities. Given that the levels of physical activity have been found to be related to physical self-perceptions and self-esteem, and playground markings appear to facilitate increased physical activity, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of installing playground markings and training playground assistants on children's physical self-perceptions.Participants and setting: Participants were 218 primary school children (117 girls and 101 boys) aged 10 and 11 years. Informed consent was gained from all schools, and parents were given the choice to withdraw their child from the project before commencement of testing. Twelve schools received playground markings, while four further schools acted as controls. Playground assistants were trained to help facilitate use of markings by children. Playground markings consisted of painted lines and boxes.Data collection: The participants completed the Children and Youth Physical Self-Perception Profile under the supervision of trained research assistants. The behaviour of the children was also observed during the morning and lunch playtime periods prior to the installation of playground markings and again 8 months after installation. The System for Observing Children's Activity and Relationships during Play was used to assess playtime behaviour with 242 observations in total undertaken. Every sixth child to enter the playground was randomly observed for 10 min.Data analysis: Mixed-model ANOVAs were used to test for differences in physical self-perceptions of the children on the basis of intervention and over time. Percentage changes in observed physical activity and pro-social behaviours were calculated to determine differences between schools that received markings and those that did not.Findings: No significant differences were found in physical self-perceptions on the basis of intervention or over time. However, boys did report significantly higher perceptions of sport competence, physical conditioning, physical strength and physical self-worth than girls. Observed physical activity was found to increase by 7.5% in schools that received markings as opposed to a 7.7% decline in control schools. In addition, pro-social behaviours were found to increase by 6.7% following the installation of playground markings.Conclusion: These findings indicate that while playground markings can facilitate increased physical activity during playtimes, this does not translate into enhanced self-perceptions in children when evaluated 8 months after intervention. © 2012 Association for Physical Education.

Using a qualitative approach, the dimensions of subjective well-being of active older adults were outlined and ways identified through which they might be influenced by participation in physical activities. One-to-one and group interviews were used to collect the data. Using cross-case analysis, 17 main themes were identified. The following main dimensions emerged: developmental, material, physical, mental, and social well-being. The findings indicated that physical activity influences all dimensions of the subjective well-being of older adults, with the exception of material well-being. Physical activity appears to contribute to the mental health of older adults through maintenance of a busy and active life, mental alertness, positive attitude toward life and avoidance of stress, negative function, and isolation. The complexity of subjective well-being and the multiple roles of physical activity stress the need to extend qualitative research to sedentary older adults and the institutionalized elderly to explore the relationship between well-being and physical activity in later life.

Objectives A stepped-down program is one where clients transition from the care of a health professional to self-managed care. This study reviewed the effectiveness of stepped-down interventions to promote self-managed physical activity for health in military service veterans. Design Systematic review. Methods Literature searches of 11 electronic databases were performed (up to 28th April 2020) to identify randomised controlled trials that assessed self-managed physical activity interventions in military service veterans. Data were extracted on study characteristics, intervention programs (with strategies mapped against a taxonomy of behaviour change techniques), and physical activity outcomes; secondary outcomes were physical fitness/function, psychosocial health, and cost effectiveness. Study quality was assessed using a 15-item checklist adapted from the TESTEX scale. Results Searches identified 26 studies (all from the United States; N = 45 to 531 participants) representing 17 intervention programs. Studies were of good quality (M = 10.7; SD = 2.3). More than half (54%) reported positive between-group intervention effects for physical activity outcomes (mean increase of 80 min/week in self-reported physical activity at 10–12 months). Physical fitness/function outcomes improved in 38% of studies, but no studies found significant intervention effects for psychosocial health or cost effectiveness outcomes. Behaviour change techniques most frequently used to elicit physical activity changes were education, goal setting, goal review and self-monitoring. Conclusions Stepped-down programs that include specific behaviour change techniques have the potential to promote self-management of physical activity in military service veterans. Multi-national randomised controlled trials that use objective physical activity measures are needed to further build the evidence base.

Background: In Catalonia a high percentage of the population remains inactive. General practices are an ideal setting to advise on physical activity (PA). However, there is a lack of evidence regarding practices, barriers and predictors of such promotion in the Catalan primary health-care system. This study set out to establish descriptive baseline data for PA promotion in Catalan general practices, and to explore the experiences of doctors/nurses in promoting PA in their day-to-day professional lives. Methods: A mixed-method approach was adopted. A survey was conducted with 245 physicians/nurses (58% response rate). Subsequently, focus groups (n = 5) and semi-structured interviews (n = 7) were conducted with 18 physicians and 15 nurses. After coding for important themes, the final interpretation was confirmed by contributors. Results: Eighty-eight percent of physicians/nurses promoted PA at least infrequently. However, work conditions were perceived as unfavourable, with the main barriers being lack of (i) time, (ii) training and (iii) protocols. Qualitative data showed that PA promotion was opportunistic, focused on selected patients, used generalized messages and was highly dependent on personal interests. Regular promotion was encouraged by direct experiences of the benefits of regular exercising, knowing patients well, being supported by medical colleagues and creating links with other community institutions. PA promotion was especially hindered by seeing PA promotion as a secondary task, and patients ignoring recommendations. Conclusions: PA promotion in Catalonia remains to be integrated into practice consultations. Therefore, strategies should be developed within public health. Using a mixed-method approach provided a broader range of evidence than most studies, which rely on quantitative methods. © The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Objectives.: Literature on the prevalence of physical activity in Asian countries is limited, despite evidence of increasing rates of sedentary-related disease such as obesity and diabetes. It is important to establish nationally representative data in countries such as Taiwan to set up levels and patterns of activity and to inform health policy. Methods.: Unpublished data from four cross-sectional nationally representative surveys comprising 29,226 people aged 20 and older were analyzed. We explored the population prevalence of meeting national recommendations for health, examined temporal change across a 4-year period, and attempted comparisons with neighboring Asian and selected westernized countries. Logistic regression analysis provided adjusted odds ratios of physical activity engagement for several demographic variables. Results.: Around 14% of Taiwanese adults met national recommendations. Similar to other Asian countries, but in contrast to declines with age seen in western populations, people aged 45 and older were more likely to be active than younger people. High-risk groups for inactivity were those aged 20-44 with limited formal education and in paid employment. Conclusions.: Overall prevalence in leisure-time physical activity was low. There is scope to increase active leisure for improving health, particularly among younger adults. © 2006 The Institute For Center Prevention.

Objective: To examine if chronological age within Canadian youth ice hockey's 2-year age bands influences the proportion of injury. Design: Retrospective secondary data analyses. PARTICIPANTS: Information on 4736 injured youth ice hockey players (10-15 years old) reported by the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting Prevention Program (CHIRPP) and 4959 (12-15 years old) injured players reported by the Hockey Canada Insurance Database (HCID). Main outcome measures: Proportions of injuries according to constituent year (first vs second year of participation within 2-year youth ice hockey age bands). Independent variables: The influence of age band (Atom, 10/11; Peewee, 12/13; Bantam, 14/15) and level of competitive play on constituent year injury proportions were examined. Results: Injured Atom and Peewee players (CHIRPP) were more likely to be in constituent year 2 (Atom: odds ratio [OR], 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46-2.03; Peewee: OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.10-1.42). Injured players (HCID) at the highest tiers of competitive play were more likely to be in constituent year 2 (eg, Peewee: OR, 2.91; 95% CI, 1.92-4.41; Bantam: 1.89; 95% CI, 1.46-2.46). Conclusion: Constituent year may be a factor in determining injury risk and may be relevant to those managing the risk of injury for youth ice hockey players. © 2010 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Aim: To examine the 'lived experiences' of physiotherapists while treating elite athletes. Participants: Ten practising staff in south-west England, UK. Methods: After giving informed consent, in-depth interviews were conducted and member-checked. Adopting a hermeneutical approach, data reduction was undertaken by individuals, and then rebuilt by the research team in a consensus-building process. Findings: The essence of the lived experience of treating elite athletes was one of 'working-ness'. In describing experiences of how well rehabilitation was working, physiotherapists expressed a wide range of 'knowing' about rehabilitation and about elite athletes. However, the quality of the physiotherapists experience was often a product of local politics, short time frames and interpersonal relationships. Accounts resonated with Merleau-Ponty's concepts of 'in-the-body', and Husserl's 'Being in the world'. Elite athletes were seen in terms of their: (1) 100%-ness, (2) individualized injury experience, (3) ignorant knowing, and of how (4) soccer is different. To describe their own part in the rehabilitation process, physiotherapists spoke about 'I-who' and this involved: (5) trying to keep everyone happy, (6) getting into the sport, but staying outside the game, (7) offering 'real' and 'service' treatments, and (8) Using 'goaling' to retrieve athleticism. Physiotherapists were concerned with the 'working-ness' of their practices and relationships. They used many ways of 'knowing' about their effectiveness to do what they feel is an important, but often stressful, job. These issues provide an important addition to existing templates of professional preparation of, and support for, sports specialists. © 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.

BACKGROUND: Physicians' own Physical Activity (PA) and other health-related habits influence PA promotion. The current study identifies the PA level, according to the current PA recommendations and other health-related habits of physicians from the Catalan Medical Council. METHODS: 2400 physicians (30-55 years) were randomly selected; each received a self-administered mailed questionnaire identifying medical specialization, work setting, health self-perception, body mass index (BMI), PA, and smoking habits. RESULTS: 762 physicians responded (52% female). Almost 1 in 2 (49.3%) exercised sufficiently, nearly all self-perceived good health, while 80.5% were nonsmokers. Almost 6 in 10 males reported overweight or obesity (56.9%) versus 18.2% of females. Active physicians dominated specific groups: (1) aged 45-55 years, (2) specializing either in primary care or surgery, (3) working in the private sector, (4) BMI < 25 kg/m2, (5) perceiving themselves in good health, or (6) having free leisure time. CONCLUSIONS: Only half of Catalan physicians met current PA recommendations; male physicians were particularly at risk for overweight/obesity. Overweight and under-exercise were associated with private workplaces and positive health perceptions, meaning that it is it is now possible to target inactive and/or overweight Catalan physicians in future interventions.

Purpose ‐ The purpose of this paper is to explore the live experiences of urban commuter cycling (UCC). Design/methodology/approach ‐ In semi-structured interviews, participants described day-to-day experiences of UCC in a single English city. Verbatim transcripts were coded using the themes of time, space, body and human relations, and interpreted through the principles of hermeneutic phenomenology. Findings ‐ The nine participants (seven males, two females) were aged 27 to 54. Each regularly commuted by bicycle at least three times per week for "18 months" to "27 years". Strong influences on commuter cycling included the weather, daily tasks, cycling infrastructure, driver behaviour and the value of cycling for physical and mental well being. The contest for space was central to the UCC experience, with UCCs sensing they lacked respect despite feeling that they were "embodying citizenship" by enacting public policy. Due to their regular negative experiences, many UCCs were now willing to quit cycling and commute by car. Research limitations/implications ‐ Findings are limited to regular commuter cyclists and do little to describe the passage into regular cycling. Practical applications ‐ This paper highlights that cycle promoters and health educators may profit from focusing on road user interactions during the rush hour. Originality/value ‐ This paper addresses the untold day-to-day experiences of UCCs.

With less than a month now to go until the Grand Départ, we’re continuing our series of academic expert blog posts around this highly-anticipated event. This week, Professor Jim McKenna writes about the idea of sporting legacy and considers the likely impact that the Tour de France coming to Yorkshire will have on our cycling habits.

This case study aimed to generate explanations for the lack of integration of physical activity (PA) promotion in general practices of Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia. This explanatory study adopted a qualitative approach, based on three techniques; focus groups (n = 3), semi-structured (n = 25) and short individual interviews (n = 5). These approaches explored the wider environment surrounding primary care from a range of distinctive professional and personal perspectives. Participants were recruited as patients (n = 20), policy makers (n = 6), academics (n = 5), PA professionals (n = 3), medical doctors (n = 3), researchers (n = 2), media employees (n = 2) and one social worker. Phenomenological techniques were used for data coding and interpretation. Contributors confirmed the final interpretation. Three main factors underpinned the lack of integration of PA promotion approaches. PA promotion delivery rarely accounted for either patients' individual needs or the circumstances that influenced their interest in PA promotion. This was a missed opportunity in promotional consultations. There was also a lack of official support for general practitioner-based PA promotion. Finally, primary care staff intentionally isolated their practice from other professionals and/or services in the community. Community-based PA promotion could be better integrated by (i) introducing stage-based strategies, (ii) creating top-down approaches and (iii) connecting primary care with other professionals and institutions in the community.

This longitudinal study compared stressors, perceived stressor control, coping strategies, and coping effectiveness among early and middle adolescent soccer players, across a competitive season. Fifty academy soccer players completed at least one booklet, of eight daily diaries, across four phases of a season. Diaries included a stressor checklist, a Likert-type scale of perceived stressor control, an open-ended coping response section, and a Likert-type scale of coping effectiveness. The results revealed subtle age differences as stressors such as receiving criticism and injury were much more prominent among the middle adolescents, whereas observing an opponent cheat was more salient among early adolescents. The frequency of stressors also fluctuated across the distinct phases of the season differently for the early and middle adolescents. Middle adolescents reported using more emotion-focused and avoidance coping strategies than early adolescents. Middle adolescents also coped significantly more effective than early adolescents.

Objective: Although physical activity (PA) is a key behaviour for controlling Type 2 Diabetes, problematic adoption and/or adherence continues to impair disease management. This study aims to understand how patients with T2D live and experience nurses PA promotion during consultations in Spanish context. Method: The present study is a qualitative research. In 2019-2020, pre-COVID-19, 22 people living with T2D from Barcelona province contributed either to focus groups (n = 5) or to semi-structured interviews (n = 4). All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using conventional content analysis approach through constant comparative method. Results: Data analysis revealed two major themes with 16 subthemes. The two major themes include: «Intra-personal conscious PA adoption processes» and «Structural unconscious PA (non)adherence processes». Conclusion: Patients’ experiences reflect two concurrent and interconnected issues. First, most patients readily adopted new PA after encouragement from nurses, who were the main proponents of PA. Indeed, adoption seemed to be most nurses’ PA priority and it was effective for most patients. Second, few nurses discussed adherence, making it an almost universal problem and source of disappointment. For adherence, patients experience that nurses’ attention needs to focus on activating processes and skills that support continued involvement in already-adopted PA.

Background: Physical activity, is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but it is unclear what combination of feasible approaches, using existing resources in primary care, work best to initiate increased physical activity. Aim: To assess three approaches to initiate increased physical activity. Design of study: Randomised controlled (2 × 2 × 2)factorial trial. Setting: Four general practices. Method: One hundred and fifty-one sedentary patients with computer documented risk factors for cardiovascular disease were randomised to eight groups defined by three factors: prescription by general practitioners (GPs) for brisk exercise not requiring a leisure facility, (for example, walking) 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week; counselling by practice nurses, based on psychological theory to modify intentions and perceived control of behaviour, and using behavioural implementation techniques (for example, contracting, 'rehearsal'); use of the Health Education Authority booklet 'Getting active, feeling fit'. Results: Single interventions had modest effects. There was a trend from the least intensive interventions (control +/- booklet) to the more intensive interventions (prescription and counselling combined +/- booklet) for both increased physical activity and fitness (test for trend, P = 0.02 and P = 0.05, respectively). Only with the most intense intervention (prescription and counselling combined) were there significant increases in both physical activity and fitness from baseline (Godin score = 14.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.8 to 21, which was equivalent to three 15-minute sessions of brisk exercise and a 6-minute walking distance = 28.5 m, respectively, 95% CI = 11.1 to 45.8). Counselling only made a difference among those individuals with lower intention at baseline. Conclusion: Feasible interventions using available staff, which combine exercise prescription and counselling explicitly based on psychological theory, can probably initiate important increases in physical activity. © British Journal of General Practice.

Research investigating the relationship between sport participation and day-to-day antisocial and prosocial behaviours in adolescents has revealed mixed findings. However, research investigating whether social factors reflective of how sport is facilitated could moderate these relationships has received scant attention. This study examined whether perceived coach or Physical Education (PE) teacher character-building competency moderated relationships between sport participation and both day-to-day prosocial and antisocial behaviours in adolescents. In a sample of 456 adolescents, coach or PE teacher character-building competency moderated how sport participation was linked with prosocial behaviour and violence. Specifically, there was a significant positive relationship between sport participation and prosocial behaviour when coach or PE teacher character-building competency was perceived high, but this relationship was negated when coach or PE teacher character-building competency was lower. Moreover, when coach or PE teacher character-building competency was perceived low, sport participation was positively associated with violence, but this association was negated when such character-building competency was perceived higher. However, the moderating effect became non-significant after controlling for gender and sport club involvement. Perceived coach or PE teacher character-building competency was also positively associated with day-to-day prosocial behaviours and inversely associated with day-to-day antisocial behaviours in adolescents. These findings offer valuable insight into how sport participation may contribute to adolescents’ day-to-day prosocial and antisocial behaviours, alongside underscoring the importance of fostering sport environments that actively support moral character development.

The physical environment is considered a contributing factor to elevated body mass index (BMI) and odds of obesity in adulthood. However, associations within current literature are inconsistent in scale and direction. This thesis used individual-level data from The Yorkshire Health Study including self-reported BMI (wave one: 2010-12, n=27,806 and wave two: 2013-15, n=11,164). The physical environment was characterised using measures of the food (fast-food, large supermarkets, convenience and other food outlets) and physical activity (PA) environment (PA facilities, parks, green, and blue space) corresponding with the baseline individual-level data. Home addresses were geocoded to postcode zone centroids. A 2km radial buffer defined neighbourhood. Analyses used multi-level models, latent class analysis (LCA) and subgroup analyses by socioeconomic status. In most cross sectional (n=22,889, age 18-86 years), and especially longitudinal findings (n=8,864), the physical environment, BMI, and obesity were inconsistently related. While PA facilities were associated with reduced BMI in longitudinal and cross-sectional findings, effects were very small. An original measure of neighbourhood typologies, was associated with BMI and obesity in cross-sectional findings, yet was unrelated in longitudinal evidence. Acknowledging the risk of residual confounding, this thesis advances evidence by suggesting that the physical environment may be relevant for BMI and obesity, but only among certain population sub-groups, for instance, low socioeconomic status individuals. Compared to current evidence, this research provides an original and rigorous longitudinal perspective that utilises advanced analytical approaches in a large sample. An extensive measurement of the physical environment from several different data sources, allowed a unique synthesis of evidence. However, even given these strengths, associations between the physical environment, BMI, and obesity are convincingly shown to be small in scale, and inconsistent in direction across this thesis. This provides preliminary evidence for an opportunity to reconsider the current trajectory of both research and policy in this field.

This thesis examines the role and importance of football in the lives of players from a Sunday league football club representing a pub in the north-east of England. It considers the extent to which the club provides a context for social change and what influences this. The study employs a predominantly Bourdieusian analysis to consider how various forms of capital are accumulated and operationalised by different individuals within the club to gain status and influence. The thesis also evaluates the researcher’s role(s) within the club, particularly how leadership and social change can be understood as an interdependent dynamic.  Drawing on a three-year ethnographic study, influenced by the researcher’s role as founder and manager of the club, a deep insider status gave access to all aspects of club life. A research diary was maintained, supported by eight semi-structured interviews with two or three participants in each interview, culminating in 21 people in total. Interviews were conducted to explore players’ and supporters’ views, provided first-hand accounts of which forms of capital are valued within the club and directly informed the analysis of how successful the club was in achieving social change. Further, narratives based on the researcher’s experiences, provide insight into embedded and embodied relationships with football.  The thesis concludes that football continues to be a significant aspect of habitus for individuals and the community at the centre of this study. Football shapes and influences dispositions, values and lives. In a wider context, the thesis locates football as an opiate, distracting players and supporters from other, potentially counter-hegemonic, activity. Conceptually, bonding social capital is regarded as critical in the sense of belonging created within the club. Embodied cultural capital is critical in influencing behaviour, status and relationships within the club. The thesis introduces football capital as an emergent concept complementary to other forms of capital. Social change has occurred at the club, helped by adherence to a club Constitution and dialogue with influential members of the club. Data demonstrate that individuals with significant football capital who consciously adopt a sociology of leadership approach can be influential in instigating social change, including challenging dominant dispositions and learned values, with a resulting emphasis on inclusivity and equality and that can be adopted and embodied in a community based football club. It is concluded that the club here, understood as a cultural field, can be regarded as successful at resisting and challenging dominant hegemonies to an extent.

Annual age-grouping is a common organizational strategy in sport. However, such a strategy appears to promote relative age effects (RAEs). RAEs refer both to the immediate participation and long-term attainment constraints in sport, occurring as a result of chronological age and associated physical (e.g. height) differences as well as selection practices in annual age-grouped cohorts. This article represents the first meta-analytical review of RAEs, aimed to collectively determine (i) the overall prevalence and strength of RAEs across and within sports, and (ii) identify moderator variables. A total of 38 studies, spanning 1984-2007, containing 253 independent samples across 14 sports and 16 countries were re-examined and included in a single analysis using odds ratios and random effects procedures for combining study estimates. Overall results identified consistent prevalence of RAEs, but with small effect sizes. Effect size increased linearly with relative age differences. Follow-up analyses identified age category, skill level and sport context as moderators of RAE magnitude. Sports context involving adolescent (aged 15-18 years) males, at the representative (i.e. regional and national) level in highly popular sports appear most at risk to RAE inequalities. Researchers need to understand the mechanisms by which RAEs magnify and subside, as well as confirm whether RAEs exist in female and more culturally diverse contexts. To reduce and eliminate this social inequality from influencing athletes' experiences, especially within developmental periods, direct policy, organizational and practitioner intervention is required. © 2009 Adis Data Information BV. All rights reserved.

Background: Research suggests that personality is related to recovery from cardiac events, yet few conceptions of personality provide hope or possibility of improvement for patients with the least adaptive personality types. Psychobiological theory of personality has potential in this regard, but, to date, no research has investigated temperament and character in cardiac settings. Aim: To explore relationships between temperament, character and psychological well-being among cardiac patients. Method: Self-report questionnaires were distributed to a convenience sample of 81 cardiac patients to obtain data on personality (TCI [Cloninger CR, Przybeck T, Svrakic D, & Wetzel RD. The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI): A guide to its development and use. St Louis (MO), Center for Psychobiology of Personality, Washington University;1994]), anxiety and depression (HADS [Zigmond AS, Snaith RP. The hospital anxiety and depression scale. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1983;67(6): 361–70]) and satisfaction with life [Diener E, Emmons RA, Larsen RJ, Griffin S. The satisfaction with life scale. J Pers Assess 1985;49(1):71–5]. Results: The interaction of two personality dimensions (harm avoidance and self-directedness) was significantly related to measures of psychological well-being. Patients with low self-directedness combined with high harm avoidance reported significantly higher levels of anxiety, depression and lower levels of satisfaction with life. Conclusion: This exploratory study suggests that psychobiological theory of personality may be useful for practitioners in cardiac rehabilitation seeking to identify patients at risk of poor psychological well-being.

This study aimed to understand the role of the coach in the personal development of young athletes in a performance setting. Three major categories were identified: high expectations and demands; genuine care; and the transformational coach. The study corroborates that, in addition to the coach, the performance environment also contains features that may lead to organic or incidental positive and negative development. In this regard, it is suggested that the current debate around whether development must be explicitly or implicitly sought could be progressed by the inclusion of the overarching term ‘deliberate’. Personal development in sport may happen explicitly or implicitly, yet the evidence presented in this paper suggests that coaches should be deliberate in their attempts to foster it.

The romantic partner of a professional athlete can play a pivotal role in preserving performance and well-being (Brown et al., 2018). However, through their direct or indirect experiences partners have to cope with the stressors of professional sport that can impact relationship functioning, well-being and performance. Therefore, to help sport organizations better support romantic partners, the aim of this study was to explore partner’s stress experiences within professional sports by adopting an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach. Eight romantic partners (female partners n = 5; football (n = 2), paralympic rowing, boxing and long-distance running; male n = 3; middle-distance running, football, and tennis) participated in semi-structured interviews. Explained through the metaphor of ‘two on a tightrope’, partners balanced a dynamic range of stress-related themes; navigating the romantic space, sacrifices- some willing and some reluctant, feeling undervalued and unimportant, the sporting performance, receiving or dealing with abuse, and life after sport. To handle unfolding events, partners employed proactive coping, social support, avoidance coping, re-appraisal, supportive dyadic coping, protective buffering, acceptance, and problem-focused coping strategies.

This study aimed to understand the role of the coach in the personal development of young athletes in a performance setting. Three major categories were identified: high expectations and demands; genuine care; and the transformational coach. The study corroborates that, in addition to the coach, the performance environment also contains features that may lead to organic or incidental positive and negative development. In this regard, it is suggested that the current debate around whether development must be explicitly or implicitly sought could be progressed by the inclusion of the overarching term ‘deliberate’. Personal development in sport may happen explicitly or implicitly, yet the evidence presented in this paper suggests that coaches should be deliberate in their attempts to foster it.

Sport has the potential to support psychosocial development in young people. However, extant studies have tended to evaluate purpose-built interventions, leaving regular organised sport relatively overlooked. Moreover, previous work has tended to concentrated on a narrow range of outcomes. To address these gaps, we conducted a season-long ethnography of a youth performance sport club based on a novel Realist Evaluation approach [1]. We construed the club as a social intervention within a complex system of agents and structures. In this - Part 1 - account we detail the perceptions of former and current club parents, players and coaches, using them to build a set of programme theories. The resulting network of outcomes (i.e. self, emotional, social, moral and cognitive) and generative mechanisms (i.e., the attention factory, the greenhouse for growth, the personal boost, and the real-life simulator) spanning across multiple contextual layers provides a nuanced understanding of stakeholders’ views and experiences. This textured perspective of the multi-faceted process of development provides new insights for administrators, coaches and parents to maximise the developmental properties of youth sport, and signposts new avenues for research in this area.

Part 1 of this 2-paper series identified a wide and deep network of context, generative mechanisms and outcomes responsible for psychosocial development in a performance basketball club. In this – part 2 – study, the stakeholder’s programme theories were tested during a full-season ethnography of the same club. The findings confirm the highly individualised nature of each young person’s journey. Methodologically, immersion in the day-to-day environment generated a fine-grain analysis of the processes involved, including: i) sustained attentional focus; ii) structured and unstructured skill building activities; iii) deliberate and incidental support; and iv) feelings indicating personal growth. Personal development in and through sport is thus shown to be conditional, multi-faceted, time-sensitive and idiosyncratic. The findings of this two-part study are considered to propose a model of psychosocial development in and through sport. This heuristic tool is presented to support sport psychologists, coaches, club administrators and parents to deliberately create and optimise developmental environments.

Part 1 of this 2-paper series identified a wide and deep network of context, generative mecha-nisms and outcomes responsible for psychosocial development in a performance basketball club. In this – part 2 – study, the stakeholder’s programme theories were tested during a full-season ethnography of the same club. The findings confirm the highly individualised nature of each young person’s journey. Methodologically, immersion in the day-to-day environment generated a fine-grain analysis of the processes involved, including: i) sustained attentional focus; ii) struc-tured and unstructured skill building activities; iii) deliberate and incidental support; and iv) feelings indicating personal growth. Personal development in and through sport is thus shown to be conditional, multi-faceted, time-sensitive and idiosyncratic. The findings of this two-part study are considered to propose a model of psychosocial development in and through sport. This heuristic tool is presented to support sport psychologists, coaches, club administrators and par-ents to deliberately create and optimise developmental environments.

Sport has the potential to support psychosocial development in young people. However, extant studies have tended to evaluate purpose-built interventions, leaving regular organised sport relatively overlooked. Moreover, previous work has tended to concentrated on a narrow range of outcomes. To address these gaps, we conducted a season-long ethnography of a youth perfor-mance sport club based on a novel Realist Evaluation approach [1]. We construed the club as a social intervention within a complex system of agents and structures. In this - Part 1 - account we detail the perceptions of former and current club parents, players and coaches, using them to build a set of programme theories. The resulting network of outcomes (i.e. self, emotional, social, moral and cognitive) and generative mechanisms (i.e., the attention factory, the greenhouse for growth, the personal boost, and the real-life simulator) spanning across multiple contextual layers provides a nuanced understanding of stakeholders’ views and experiences. This textured per-spective of the multi-faceted process of development provides new insights for administrators, coaches and parents to maximise the developmental properties of youth sport, and signposts new avenues for research in this area

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors identified that the funding section was incomplete. The incorrect and correct funding section is shown below. The original article has been updated.

Background Engaging in regular physical activity requires continued complex decision-making in varied and dynamic individual, social and structural contexts. Widespread shortfalls of physical activity interventions suggests the complex underlying mechanisms of change are not yet fully understood. More insightful process evaluations are needed to design and implement more effective approaches. This paper describes the protocol for a process evaluation of the JU:MP programme, a whole systems approach to increasing physical activity in children and young people aged 5–14 years in North Bradford, UK. Methods This process evaluation, underpinned by realist philosophy, aims to understand the development and implementation of the JU:MP programme and the mechanisms by which JU:MP influences physical activity in children and young people. It also aims to explore behaviour change across wider policy, strategy and neighbourhood systems. A mixed method data collection approach will include semi-structured interview, observation, documentary analysis, surveys, and participatory evaluation methods including reflections and ripple effect mapping. Discussion This protocol offers an innovative approach on the use of process evaluation feeding into an iterative programme intended to generate evidence-based practice and deliver practice-based evidence. This paper advances knowledge regarding the development of process evaluations for evaluating systems interventions, and emphasises the importance of process evaluation.

Abstract

211 – 222 The aim of this study was to explore the perceived factors that contribute to stress and negative affective states during preseason among a sample of professional rugby union players. The participants were 12 male professional rugby union players between 18 and 21 years of age (M age = 19 years, SD = 0.85). Data were collected via semistructured interviews and analyzed using an inductive content analysis procedure. Players identified training (structure and volume), the number of matches played and the recovery period, diet, sleep, and travel as factors that they believed contributed to their experience of stress and negative affective states. The present findings suggest that players may require more time to recover between matches, alongside interventions to help players manage the symptoms of stress and negative affect during times in which players are overtraining.

Over two decades, the importance of coaches as potential agents in the prevention of drug use amongst athletes has been emphasised. This article examines the published evidence on coaches' knowledge, attitudes and beliefs towards doping in sport. A systematic search strategy was followed. Research questions and relevance criteria were developed a priori. Potentially relevant studies were located through electronic and hand searches limited to English language articles published between 1990 and Jan 2011. Articles were assessed for relevance by two independent assessors and the results of selected studies were abstracted and synthesised. Outcomes of interest were knowledge, attitudes and beliefs in relation to doping in sport. Four studies met the inclusion criteria and were examined in detail. Samples reflected a range of coaches (n = 566) drawn from Norway, Italy, France and Hong Kong. The investigations varied with respect to outcome focus and quality of evidence. Despite the influential role that coaches might play in an athlete's life, few studies have examined their doping-related knowledge, attitudes and beliefs. While the existing empirical research posits support for the anti-doping movement, it also exposes a limited knowledge of doping effects or governance. The current evidence-base makes it difficult to plan targeted education to span coaching contexts. Addressing this situation in a more systematic and thorough fashion appears warranted.

BACKGROUND: Central to the work of many medical practitioners is the provision of pharmaceutical support for patients. Patients can include athletes who are subject to anti-doping rules and regulations which prohibit the use of certain substances in and out of competition. This paper examines the evidence on medical practitioners' knowledge, attitudes and beliefs towards doping in sport. METHODS: A systematic search strategy was followed. Research questions and relevance criteria were developed a priori. Potentially relevant studies were located through electronic and hand searches limited to English language articles published between 1990 and 2010. Articles were assessed for relevance by two independent assessors and the results of selected studies were abstracted and synthesised. Outcomes of interest were knowledge, attitudes and beliefs in relation to doping in sport. RESULTS: Six studies met the inclusion criteria and were examined in detail. Samples reflected a range of medical practitioners drawn from the UK, France (2), Greece, Italy and Ireland. The investigations varied with respect to outcome focus and quality of evidence presented. CONCLUSION: Whilst the extant empirical research posits a negative attitude towards illegal performance enhancement combined with a positive inclination towards doping prevention, it also exposes a limited knowledge of anti-doping rules and regulations. Insufficient education, leading to a lack of awareness and understanding, could render this professional group at risk of doping offences considering Article 2.8 of the World Anti-Doping Agency Code (WADC). Moreover, in light of the incongruence between professional medical codes and WADC Article 2.8, medical professionals may face doping dilemmas and therefore further discourse is required. At present, the current evidence-base makes it difficult to plan developmentally appropriate education to span the exposure spectrum. Addressing this situation appears warranted.

The purpose of the present study was to examine (a) the sources of sport and non-sport stress and their associated symptoms on rest days, training days, and match days and (b) the temporal aspects of sources and symptoms of stress and affective states. Professional male rugby union players (n=16) completed the Daily Analysis of Life Demands in Athletes (DALDA) and the Activation Deactivation Adjective Check List (AD ACL) for 28 days. On match days players reported that few stressors were "worse than normal." Most stressors were "worse than normal" on training days followed by rest days and more stressors were "worse than normal" on the day after a match than on match days. Further, players reported an unpleasant, low activation state across the three analysis days, suggesting they were in an overtrained state. The findings of this study demonstrate that professional rugby players experience negative affect and a multitude of sport and non-sport stressors. Early detection of stressors and negative affective states could help prevent symptoms of overtraining and burnout and facilitate optimal training and sporting performance. Coaches and practitioners are encouraged to integrate the DALDA and AD ACL in their training and performance monitoring regimes.

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Background Internationally, the prevalence of adults with obesity is a major public health concern. Few studies investigate the explanatory pathways between fast-food outlets and body mass index (BMI). We use structural equation modelling to explore an alternative hypothesis to existing research using area-level deprivation as the predictor of BMI and fast-food outlets and diet quality as mediators. Methods Adults (n=7544) from wave II of the Yorkshire Health Study provided self-reported diet, height and weight (used to calculate BMI). Diet quality was based on sugary drinks, wholemeal (wholegrain) bread and portions of fruit and vegetables. Fast-food outlets were mapped using the Ordnance Survey Points of Interest within 2 km radial buffers around home postcode which were summed to indicate availability. Age (years), gender (female/male) and long-standing health conditions (yes/no) were included as covariates. Results There was little evidence linking fast-food outlets to diet or BMI. An independent association between fast-food outlet availability and BMI operated counterintuitively and was small in effect. There was also little evidence of mediation between fast-food outlet availability and BMI. However, there was more evidence that area-level deprivation was associated with increased BMI, both as an independent effect and through poorer diet quality. Conclusion This exploratory study offers a first step for considering complexity and pathways linking fast-food outlets, area-level deprivation, diet quality and BMI. Research should respond to and build on the hypothesised pathways and our simple framework presented within our study.

University inductees may be increasingly vulnerable to stressors during transition into higher education (HE), requiring psychological resilience to achieve academic success. This study aimed to profile inductees' resilience and to investigate links to prospective end of year academic outcomes. Scores for resilience were based on a validated Connor Davison Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) drawn from 1534 inductees in a single UK university. A four-stage analysis revealed that incremental resilience was more facilitative of females’ prospective academic attainment, but less functional and more convoluted for males. This large, distinctive study has implications for student support practices and highlights that the relationship between resilience and academic achievement requires further consideration in HE.

The inability of young adults to adapt to university life has been attributed to their declining resilience. Resilience refers to any individuals' capacity to change or modify behaviour in response to environmental hazards, so they thrive. Outdoor Adventure (OA) residential programmes have helped higher education inductees to acquire skills associated with resilience such as increased self-perception, better interpersonal relationships. However, this study addresses important gaps in existing literature by deploying a high-quality research design to examine the short-term impact of OA experiences on inductees' resilience and to identify the active components of those experiences that best cultivate inductees' adaptive capabilities. Multivariate analyses evaluated the efficacy of OA programming to build the resilience of over 2500 inductees. Significant positive gains were reported in the resilience of inductees attending 1-week residential OA programmes measured by an Effect size (ES) = 0.38 and 6.29% increase. Compared to students inducted at university, this represented an 8.35% greater increase in resilience (ES difference = -0.526). Camp-based experiences such as mastering new skills, developing new relationships and being female predicted heightened resilience. A defined blend of embodied, adventure-based meaningful challenges provides a template for helping university inductees to re-adjust, grow and persevere.

This paper explores why teachers adopt physically active learning (PAL). Data were collected through ‘go-alongs’ supplemented by individual interviews with 13 teachers in seven Norwegian lower secondary schools. Data were then analysed thematically. Results indicated that as well as to enhance their teaching and pupils’ learning, teachers adopt PAL to adhere to school policy (The Conforming Teacher), to be an innovative educator (The Innovating Teacher), and, because it matches past positive personal experiences (The Connecting Teacher). The findings can be used to shape PAL teacher training programs to increase the likelihood of adoption.

Background: For many years, Public Health in the UK has used weight management interventions and therefore weight loss as the key mechanism for reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. While traditional interventions have focussed on nutritional support and feminised commercial weight loss groups, many commissioners now look to more innovative sport-based alternatives to engage harder to reach groups in improving CVD risk. Despite this, little direct comparison has been made between the two types of programme as to their effectiveness. Purpose: To compare the effectiveness of Motivate, a 12-week weight management programme, delivered by a professional soccer club (MOT), with a commercial weight loss group (COM) in reducing the body weight of community dwelling men and women 35 years and older. Methods: One hundred and seventy three men and 98 women over 35 years of age (mean age= 52.28 ± 9.74 and 51.19 ± 9.04 years) attending the MOT and COM programmes during March 2012- February 2013 were included. Height (m) and weight (kg) were measured at weeks 1 and 12 as part of both interventions. Changes in body weight were compared over the 12 weeks and between the two interventions using a 2-way RM ANOVA, with significance set to p<0.05. Results: Body Weight significantly improved over time in both MOT (4.76kg, p<0.05) and COM programmes (4.55 kg, p<0.05). Men were significantly heavier than women (p<0.00) in both programmes, but there was no significantly different change in weight loss between genders. There was a significant difference in weight loss between programmes (p<0.05), but not when controlling for starting weight (p=0.903). Attendance was similar for both programmes and there was a significant relationship between the number of sessions attended and weight loss in men (r=0.513, p<0.00) and women (r=0.559, p<0.00). Conclusion: Despite larger numbers of men and women achieving 5% weight loss in the commercial weight loss group, innovative community weight management interventions aimed at reducing CVD risk via weight loss programmes using high intensity exercise as well as nutrition education are equally as successful at reducing body weight in men and women, when controlling for starting body weight. When comparing solely weight loss, the wider cardiovascular health benefits of such interventions may be masked.

Even before COVID-19, university inductees were vulnerable to transitional stressors, which impact upon their psychological well-being and ability to complete their studies. Resilience, as a psychological construct, may be analogous to holding the functioning that supports higher-level academic performance in twenty-first century higher education (HE). Given the significant investment HE requires, coupled with students’ capacity to develop their resilience, universities may be expected to promote psychological resilience in new students. Linking HE to resilience, outdoor adventure (OA) residential programmes have enabled inductees to build components of resilience (i.e., increased self-perception, feelings of control, and intrapersonal relationships) that may heighten their immediate and longer-term academic performance. Yet, few studies have examined the sustainability of these effects. Across five annual cohorts, the self-perceived resilience of 2500 inductees was profiled across three time-point trajectories: (i) pre-OA programme, (ii) post-OA programme, and (iii) three months post-OA programme. Further, the functionality of inductees’ enduring resilience was evaluated for predicting their prospective academic performance at the end of their first year of study. Students’ self-perceived resilience, well-being, and positive recollection of OA experiences reflected their bounce-back ability and a healthy trajectory of productive functioning. Students reporting higher levels of resilience after three months of following the programme were more likely to achieve better prospective academic outcomes. The large sample size ensured that a powerful detection of change was established across time. However, given the absence of a comparison condition across all time points, any lasting improvements in students’ resilience was unable to be attributed to the OA programme. Nonetheless, the results give significant grounds for further research in this direction, including the study of more distinct narrative enquiries at follow-up. In this way, pedagogical practices, supporting effective interventions, may be deployed with incoming students, with the aim of building and maintaining students’ on-going resilience across different learning contexts.

Few adventurous training courses have been formally designed to assist military personnel in their recovery and/or transition into civilian life by supporting psychological health and well-being. This study examines, for the first time, the longitudinal effects of a five-day Multi Activity Course (MAC) on the mental well-being of serving but wounded, injured, and/or sick (WIS) UK armed forces personnel. The MAC is delivered using a participant-centered approach to encourage engagement in adaptive sports, adventurous activities, and personal development coaching sessions. This work extends previous research showing powerful short-term well-being benefits. Measures of positive well-being and psychological need satisfaction were provided by participants before and after attending the course, as well as two weeks, three months, six months and 12 months later. Self-reported well-being measures of psychological need satisfaction and positive mental well-being improved significantly throughout the course. These remained significantly higher at six and 12 months after the course, respectively.

Concerns about gender inequalities in longevity, particularly premature male mortality, have prompted a range of innovative approaches to health promotion work dating back to the 1980s. In developing such work, sport, and football in particular, has emerged as a gendered cultural field that has utility for engaging men in community health initiatives. Evaluations of such work have shown that health initiatives using football settings, football interventions or even club branding can have positive impact on various health measures in the short and longer term. However, little work to date has looked at the underlying mechanisms that generate success in such projects. This paper presents secondary analysis of data collected during the evaluation of the Premier League Health (PLH) programme specifically focusing on these underlying mechanisms and how/where gender (masculinities) appears in these processes. We draw on interview data with 16 staff who had been involved in the delivery of the PLH initiative and 58 men who took part. Thematic analysis highlighted two overarching (and underpinning) themes: ‘Trust’, what processes it was key to and how it was developed and sustained; and ‘Change’, including what it was facilitated by and what impact it had. The paper adds to our understanding of how active listening, flexibility and sustained engagement are key to community-based sports projects’ success. Furthermore, it demonstrates how the physicality and sociability of involvement, rather than any direct focus on ‘health’, are important in acting as a springboard for facilitating reflection and aiding lifestyle changes for men.

Background: Even before COViD-19, university inductees were vulnerable to transitional stressors which impact upon their psychological well-being and ability to complete their studies. Resilience may be analogous to holding the functioning that supports higher-level academic performance in twenty-first century Higher Education (HE). Given the significant investment HE requires, universities may be expected to promote psychological resilience in new students to help them persevere across the academic lifecycle. Linking HE to resilience, Outdoor Adventure (OA) residential programmes have enabled inductees to build the trajectories of resilience development (i.e. increased self-perception, interpersonal relationships) that heighten academic performance. Nonetheless, few longitudinal studies have examined the sustainability of these effects. Method: Unique to this study, the resilience of 2,500 inductees was profiled across three time-point trajectories; (i) pre-OA programme, (ii) post-OA programme and (iii) three months post-OA programme. Further, the functionality of inductees’ longitudinal resilience was evaluated for predicting prospective academic performance at the end of Year 1. Results / Conclusion: Resilience derived from OA programming constituted a healthy, longitudinal trajectory of productive functioning. Over two thirds of students increased, retained or incurred only a small deficit in resilience at follow-up. Crucially, inductees who began OA programmes with the lowest resilience made a significant ‘moderate’ effect size gain (.40) after three months. Higher follow-up and sustained resilience were associated with better prospective academic outcomes. Findings suggest OA supports developing the adaptive skills which enable inductees to make successful lasting transitions. Keywords University inductees, psychological resilience, academic performance, outdoor adventure intervention programmes, robust longitudinal empirical design, adaptable productive functioning

The poor outcomes of young people with chronic health conditions indicate that current services and self-care programmes are not meeting the needs of young people. How young people self-manage their condition impacts on long-term health outcomes, but there is little published evidence that details the development of self-care programmes and their most effective components. This article reports on an innovative formative research study, the purpose of which was to develop a self-care intervention prototype. Participants were 87 young people, aged 12-17, and seven young adult facilitators, aged 18-25, with type 1 diabetes or asthma. Each contributed to talking groups exploring themes that young people wanted to be addressed within a self-care programme. Instead of being focused on 'illness', young people's main concerns were directed toward 'life as an adolescent', while at the same time building sustainable daily routines of self-care. Overall, this article illustrates the process of initiating and implementing a developmental approach focused on young people, while also demonstrating the tailored self-care intervention that the process developed. This approach can be used to involve young people in the design and development of other conditions that rely on self-care interventions.

Perceptions of seven elite development coaches (M age = 45.47 years) were examined in relation to the academy-to-first-team career transitions: 1) The nature of these transitions; 2) Sources of strain for the athletes; 3) Coping strategies athletes used and were influenced to use; and 4) Uniquely, athletes' use of meaning-focused coping (MFC) strategies. This transition, which was specifically studied within football, rugby union, rugby league and cricket, is comparable to Bloom's development-to-perfection/mastery transitions, and similar transitional models described by Wylleman and Lavallee, and Stambulova. Coaches reported that this transition was potentially extremely demanding, with athletic and social sources of strain being problematic. Evidence suggested that meaning-focused coping was an important technique for successful transitions. Further, coaches also believed coping strategies closely resembling planful problem solving, acceptance of responsibility, self-control and positive-reappraisal strategies, to be beneficial to transition success, whilst strategies similar to distancing and escape avoidance coping could be detrimental.

Background: This study explored the experiences of university employees recruited to a 10-week randomized controlled trial (n = 64). The trial compared “walking routes” with “walking-while-working” on daily step totals, showing that, compared with controls, interventions resulted in around 1000 extra steps per day. Methods: A subsample of 15 academic and administrative employees from intervention groups completed interviews at the end of intervention. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and subject to inductive coding within the major themes of benefits/positives and problems/barriers. Findings: Both interventions benefited employee health and work productivity but were difficult to implement in the workplace. Involvement in walking routes was challenged by the difficulties of managing time pressures, and individuals assigned to walking-while-working had to deal with local management subcultures favoring physical presence and inactivity. Conclusions: Findings highlight the need for further research, advocate the value of walking at work, and provide insights into the challenges that face staff in workplace interventions.

To uncover in-depth qualitative accounts of intervention impact from obese young people during a period of lifestyle change after attending a residential weight-loss camp.

BACKGROUND: Interventions designed to increase workplace physical activity may not automatically reduce high volumes of sitting, a behaviour independently linked to chronic diseases such as obesity and type II diabetes. This study compared the impact two different walking strategies had on step counts and reported sitting times. METHODS: Participants were white-collar university employees (n = 179; age 41.3 +/- 10.1 years; 141 women), who volunteered and undertook a standardised ten-week intervention at three sites. Pre-intervention step counts (Yamax SW-200) and self-reported sitting times were measured over five consecutive workdays. Using pre-intervention step counts, employees at each site were randomly allocated to a control group (n = 60; maintain normal behaviour), a route-based walking group (n = 60; at least 10 minutes sustained walking each workday) or an incidental walking group (n = 59; walking in workday tasks). Workday step counts and reported sitting times were re-assessed at the beginning, mid- and endpoint of intervention and group mean+/- SD steps/day and reported sitting times for pre-intervention and intervention measurement points compared using a mixed factorial ANOVA; paired sample-t-tests were used for follow-up, simple effect analyses. RESULTS: A significant interactive effect (F = 3.5; p < 0.003) was found between group and step counts. Daily steps for controls decreased over the intervention period (-391 steps/day) and increased for route (968 steps/day; t = 3.9, p < 0.000) and incidental (699 steps/day; t = 2.5, p < 0.014) groups. There were no significant changes for reported sitting times, but average values did decrease relative to the control (routes group = 7 minutes/day; incidental group = 15 minutes/day). Reductions were most evident for the incidental group in the first week of intervention, where reported sitting decreased by an average of 21 minutes/day (t = 1.9; p < 0.057). CONCLUSION: Compared to controls, both route and incidental walking increased physical activity in white-collar employees. Our data suggests that workplace walking, particularly through incidental movement, also has the potential to decrease employee sitting times, but there is a need for on-going research using concurrent and objective measures of sitting, standing and walking.

Meaningful, positive, emotional and challenging adventurous activities may generate personal growth or recovery from ill health or injury. In this study, we used a distinctive longitudinal and immersive research approach to explore the psychological impact of a high-altitude expedition to the Nepalese Himalaya on 10 (9 males) UK military veterans with longstanding well-being concerns. In the 12 months prior to the expedition, participants took part in three training weekends in the UK mountains. During the expedition, instructors—who were all experienced health coaches—facilitated reflective practices with the beneficiaries throughout, focusing on experiential transfer to day-to-day lives after the expedition. Follow-up interviews, conducted up to 18-months post-expedition, identified that the most desirable changes aligned with the three innate psychological needs of self-determination theory: autonomy, competence and relatedness. The routines established during the preparation stage and during the expedition itself activated a renewed energy for personal improvement. At 18 months post-expedition, the key changes reflected altered perspective, employment skills and work–life balance, increased physical activity and enhanced personal awareness and mindfulness. Importantly, supported by regular health coaching and focused on the transfer of learning, expeditions can activate meaningful long-term changes to the well-being and personal development of military veterans.

Objective Using a randomised control trial design, this study assessed the impact of two walking interventions, on the work day step counts and health of UK academic and administrative, university employees. Method A convenience sample of 58 women (age 42 ± 10 years) and 6 men (age 40 ± 11 years) completed baseline and intervention measures for step counts, % body fat, waist circumference and systolic/diastolic blood pressure, during a ten-week period (October to December, 2005). Before intervention, baseline step counts (five working days) were used to randomly allocate participants to a control (maintain normal behaviour, n = 22) and two treatment groups (“walking routes”, n = 21; “walking in tasks”, n = 21). Intervention effects were evaluated by calculating differences between pre-intervention and intervention data. A one-way ANOVA analysed significant differences between groups. Results A significant intervention effect (p < 0.002) was found for step counts, with mean differences indicating a decrease in steps for the control group (− 767 steps/day) and increases in the “walking routes” (+ 926 steps/day) and “walking in tasks” (+ 997 steps/day) groups. Small, non-significant changes were found in % body fat, waist circumference and blood pressure. Conclusions Findings have implications for work-based physical activity promotion and the development of walking interventions within the completion of work-based tasks.

Objective: To assess whether pedometers can be used to promote increased physical activity (PA) in the school day for pupils with different levels of initial PA. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted with students in Year 3 to 6 in a primary school in NW England. During the 5-week Pedometer Challenge, children wore a Yamax Digi-Walker 200 during school hours, recording their steps at the end of each day. Results: Following data cleaning, 47 males and 52 females were included in the analyses. To examine the difference in average weekly steps between activity groups, children were separated into the Highest 50th (>6116 steps) and Lowest 50th (≤6116 steps) percentile using mean daily pedometer scores from week one. Results of the gender (2) by activity group (2) by week (2) repeated measures ANCOVA (step length) revealed a significant main effect for week (F(1, 93)= 5.845, p=0.18, d=0.24), with children accumulating more steps in week five compared to week one. A significant interaction between week and activity group (F(1, 93)= 29.562, p=0.000, d=1.11) revealed that children in the Lowest 50th group significantly increased their steps from week one to week five (1074 steps; F(1, 47)= 20.847, p=0.000, d=0.93), while the Highest 50th did not (F(1, 47)= 0.000, p=0.990, d=0). In the Highest 50th group, but not the Lowest 50th group, a significant gender by activity group interaction (F(1, 93)= 9.293, p=0.003, d=0.63) demonstrated that males accumulated significantly more steps than the females ( 1101 steps; F(1, 46)= 14.701, p=0.000, d=0.81). Conclusions: Over five weeks, pedometers helped to prompt an increase in measured physical activity of the lowest active children within a primary school. Importantly, this was achieved while integrating these pupils within whole-school activities. Children who are the most active (predominantly high-active boys) may not have capacity to increase their step counts during the school day. Further study is needed to determine the sustainability and feasibility of such an approach on a larger scale.

Given that individuals who rebound from setbacks to improve functioning are considered psychologically resilient, this quality may also help to optimise students' functioning and heighten prospective, educational attainment. In this study we explored how individual resilience was linked to end of Year 1 degree classifications. Resilience was assessed at the start of the first year among 1485 (710 Females) undergraduate inductees (mean age 18.60 SD 1.48) to a single UK university. From a validated self-report scale (Connor & Davidson, 2003) we calculated total resilience (0-100) and five contributory subscale scores of (i) Competence (0-32), (ii) Trust (0-28), (iii) Change (0-20), (iv) Control (0-12), and (v) Spirit (0-8). A two-step cluster analysis was then undertaken to generate homogenous groups of resilience based on gender, total resilience and subscale scores. These clusters were then cross tabulated with end of first year grade classifications. Four clusters emerged based on high and low resilience scores; each cluster comprised at least 300 students. Academically, males reporting high resilience were consistently outperformed by both female clusters. High resilience females achieved twice as many 2i classifications and three times more Firsts than their male counterparts. Equally, high male resilience on entry to Higher Education was linked to great levels of withdrawal, failing or achieving a third class classification at the end of Year 1. These findings suggest a diversified relationship between resilience and prospective academic performance, while also questioning the pursuit of 'high' resilience in male students.

BACKGROUND: This paper aimed to use the Delphi technique to develop a consensus framework for a multinational, workplace walking intervention. METHODS: Ideas were gathered and ranked from eight recognized and emerging experts in the fields of physical activity and health, from universities in Australia, Canada, England, The Netherlands, Northern Ireland, and Spain. Members of the panel were asked to consider the key characteristics of a successful campus walking intervention. Consensus was reached by an inductive, content analytic approach, conducted through an anonymous, three-round, e-mail process. RESULTS: The resulting framework consisted of three interlinking themes defined as "design, implementation, and evaluation." Top-ranked subitems in these themes included the need to generate research capacity (design), to respond to group needs through different walking approaches (implementation), and to undertake physical activity assessment (evaluation). Themes were set within an underpinning domain, referred to as the "institution" and sites are currently engaging with subitems in this domain, to provide sustainable interventions that reflect the practicalities of local contexts and needs. CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide a unique framework for designing, implementing, and evaluating walking projects in universities and highlight the value of adopting the Delphi technique for planning international, multisite health initiatives.

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd Objectives The purpose of this paper was to use a storytelling approach to explore the role of a 5-day inclusive residential adapted sport and adventurous training (AS & AAT) programme in the recovery of military personnel diagnosed with PTSD. Design: Narrative storytelling approach. Method A first-person story was developed from the participant's own words taken verbatim from an in-depth semi-structured interview. A series of focus groups were conducted with members of the general public (n = 20) to reflect upon the story. Results The story provides a rich and holistic account of the participant's experiences and unique insight to the complex interaction between the social and psychological factors associated with illness and recovery. The story also highlights the value attributed to the AS & AAT in an individual's recovery journey. Conclusions This paper offers important insights into the personal meaning and value of participation in a bespoke 5-day AS & AAT programme. Feedback from the participant and focus groups with members of the general public who engaged with the story suggest judgement criteria appropriate for a creative non-fiction representation were achieved.

Despite literature highlighting numerous risks to the healthy psychosocial development of youth elite academy soccer players, little of this research is based on high-quality research designs. This study employed a prospective longitudinal cohort design to track psychosocial outcomes of academy involvement within male youth elite soccer players (n = 33, U12-U16 age groups) compared to age-matched soccer-active school pupils (n = 44) over 12 months. Participants completed questionnaires assessing the most commonly raised psychosocial concerns at four equally spaced data collection periods (T1–T4). Repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVAs) indicated that, over the year, both groups reported a healthy and improving stress and recovery balance, as well as positive and stable needs satisfaction and physical, psychological and social well-being. Academy players reported stable positive school-related quality of life, whereas school pupils reported increases from T3 to T4. Academy players reported consistent significantly higher total athletic identity and exclusivity of identity. Findings suggest that many concerns around negative psychosocial impacts of soccer academy involvement did not materialise in this context. However, heightened athletic identities remained a concern.

The professionalisation of soccer academies has intensified, with youth players exposed to demanding performance focused environments in pursuit of a career in the professional game. Yet, academies are also under increasing pressure to show that they develop players who can function in life beyond soccer. Therefore, this study explored the retrospective views of 13 ex-elite UK youth academy soccer players on whether their time within the academy provided developmental experiences that prepared them for life beyond soccer. We interviewed seven players who successfully progressed into professional contracts and six who did not. Players were recruited from two different academies to explore the developmental outcomes they associated with academy involvement and to unpick how those outcomes were achieved. Our findings showed that, promisingly, time in the academy provided both contracted and non-contracted players with transferable life skills as well as open educational and vocational doors – resulting in the majority of players leaving the environment being ‘(more) ready’ for life. However, these outcomes are not ‘automatic’ and were highly dependent on the interaction between three developmental contextual themes; i) what was demanded by the academy context, ii) what was encouraged within the academy context, and iii) the quality of interpersonal relationships. Beyond this, players’ attitudes, histories and wider socio-contextual influences were important in shaping (future) outcomes. With an eye on providing worthwhile experiences for all youth athletes involved, these findings provide insight into how academy contexts can simultaneously promote performance alongside positive developmental outcomes. Keywords: elite youth soccer, , Positive Youth Development, life skills, dual career, Talent identification and development system outcomes

Talent identification and development systems (TIDS) are commonly used in professional sport to convert youth athletes into sporting stars of the future. Acknowledging that only a few athletes can "make it," the necessity and healthiness of TIDS have recently been questioned based on their increased professionalism, high training, and competition volumes, but limited effectiveness. In this short communication, we suggest that the key issues associated with TIDS are not due to their overall concept, but with how they are designed and implemented. It is recommended that researchers and practitioners determine the worth and value of TIDS by also evaluating the positive health of the athlete rather than solely focusing on performance outcomes. To achieve this, TIDS staff should shape and develop their values, expectations, and day-to-day routines to achieve positive health outcomes focusing on personal development and an athlete-centered culture. In business, this has been termed the concept of "Deliberately Developmental Organisation." TIDS can deploy the factors (e.g., high-quality staff, expert support services, quality facilities, and learning routines) characteristic of such organizations, to concurrently ensure positive impacts and minimize predictable negative outcomes without losing focus on a drive for sporting performance.

Introduction: Elite soccer academies represent one of the most common forms of talent development programmes in the UK, yet they are increasingly being challenged regarding their ‘healthiness’ or ‘appropriateness’. The morality of engaging young players in intensive, pressurised, performance focused environments, given that only few can “make it”, has been questioned. Instead, proponents argue that academies offer powerful contexts for positive development, readying players for life. As with any system, it makes sense to see academies as offering a context of impact possibilities; performance and personal, positive and negative, short- and long-term. This study aims to address the shortfall of holistic approaches in evaluating the impact of academy involvement. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was utilised to comprehensively and holistically evaluate the impact of one elite English youth soccer academy. Over one-year, longitudinal quantitative data on physical and psycho-social wellbeing, school report cards and injury were collected from 58 U12-U16 players. In addition, focus groups and peer interviews explored players’ (n=57) perspectives regarding ‘in-time’ impact, whilst semi-structured interviews with both successful and unsuccessful ex-academy players (n=7) explored ‘over-time’ impact. Results & Discussion: Findings revealed a wide range of potential academy impacts and highlight how academy involvement is neither inherently good nor bad but has potential in both directions. Involvement with this specific academy resulted in predominantly positive developmental outcomes regarding enjoyment, perceptions of psycho-social health, wellbeing, personal and social development. Nonetheless, potential risks were identified, including injury, and compromised identity, social and educational development. Combining quantitative and qualitative data, as well as long- and short-term perspectives, produced a more nuanced picture of academy impact, highlighting impacts as interrelated, neither universally stable nor consistent over time. Conclusions: This is one of the first studies to employ a rigorous and integrated mixed-method evaluation, providing a nuanced understanding of the impacts that may emerge from soccer academy involvement. This specific context provided unique and promising insights suggesting that soccer academies can provide a positive developmental context.

THE PRIZE AND PRICE OF BEING TALENTED: THE EXPERT PERSPECTIVE. Fieke Rongen, Leeds Metropolitan University, United Kingdom Jim McKenna, Leeds Metropolitan University, United Kingdom Kevin Till, Leeds Metropolitan University, United Kingdom Stephen Cobley, University of Sydney, Australia Introduction Intensive Talent Development programmes (TDPs) are widely used to capture athletic potential early to accelerate progression into elite performance. However, little research has evaluated the (end-) outcomes associated with engagement within TDPs, either for the performance aspect (Vaeyens, Lenoir, Williams, & Philippaerts, 2008) or for the simultaneous impact on other life-domains, such as education, social, psychological and identity development. Methods To begin an examination of these outcomes in youth sport, this study attempted to generate an ‘in-depth’ understanding of the experiential knowledge and perspectives of coaching experts working within such programmes (Martindale, Collins, & Abraham, 2007). Fifteen interviews were conducted across a range of UK sports, then transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Results Experts indicated that TDPs aim not only to develop youngsters athletically, but also ‘holistically’. TDPs were perceived as having a strong positive impact on a youth’s athletic development, facilitating their progression towards and into elite sports. In addition, participating in a TDP was perceived as reaching into many other life domains, including social, psychological and academic/vocational development. This impact was not necessarily intended, yet was evaluated positively. Being involved in TDPs was perceived as offering something ‘bigger than sport’. Even the less successful athletes, including those who drop out, made considerable gains and achieved important ‘take-aways’ from their experience, e.g., life skills and experience that transfer to education and employment. Talent development experts acknowledged that participants’ time investment into talent development is huge and hinges on making substantial sacrifices. While the risks of injury, overtraining and developing an athletic identity are acknowledged, experts felt these risks were managed well within their programmes. Discussion & Conclusion In talking about the impact of TDPs experts focus on the positive worth of their programmes, which they articulated by emphasising the positives of the experience; these are the athletic and non-athletic prizes. With such valuable prizes, the sacrifices and hardships of being in a TDP are deemed ‘worth it’. Potentially this overlooks the price paid by athletes for being part of a TDP. On the one hand, the perception of risks being well-managed within these specific TDPs may reflect the actual expertise of these particular coaches. On the other hand, this ‘it’s-worth-it’ mind-set may reflect the dominance of the performance narrative in elite sport cultures (Douglas & Carless, 2009) which prescribes a single-minded pursuit of progress which risks disregarding the real-life impact of involvement. References Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. doi: 10.1191/1478088706qp063oa Douglas, K., & Carless, D. (2009). Abandoning The Performance Narrative: Two Women's Stories of Transition from Professional Sport. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 21(2), 213-230. Martindale, R. J. J., Collins, D., & Abraham, A. (2007). Effective Talent Development: The Elite Coach Perspective in UK Sport. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 19(2), 187-206. doi: 10.1080/10413200701188944 Vaeyens, R., Lenoir, M., Williams, A. M., & Philippaerts, R. M. (2008). Talent identification and development programmes in sport: Current models and future directions. Sports Medicine, 38(9), 703-714.

This chapter highlights ethnographic research on the Paralympic sport of track and field athletics in an attempt to unpack the relationships between the dualisms of health/illness and pain/injury and to get a more nuanced understanding of how the embodied practice of high-performance sport impacts upon on the lives of impaired individuals who are traditionally seen as inactive. Attention that the Paralympic Games receives in the national mainstream media is significant considering there is little, if any, attention paid to Paralympic sport in the two years between the summer and winter versions of the Games. In order to unpack this in the cultural environment surrounding the Paralympic sport, ethnographic data from the sport of track and field athletics that illuminate the tension between intense physical activities. The persistent cost of sport-related injury, both from a curative and preventative perspective, continues to grow. When pain and injury 'capture' an elite sporting performer with impairment, health becomes a distant memory.

Soccer academies are among the most common talent development programmes (TDP). While established research has explored the physical, skill and psychological differences associated with TDP involvement (e.g., Kannekens et al., 2009, Journal of Sport Sciences, 27, 807–812; Toering et al., 2009, Journal of Sport Sciences, 27, 1509–1517; Vaeyens et al., 2006, British Journal of Sport Medicine, 40, 928–934), little research has explored psychosocial health and well-being impacts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the psycho-social health and well-being of junior elite academy soccer players (i.e., TDP involved) in comparison with an age-matched soccer-active school sample (i.e., non-TDP involved). With institutional ethics approval, two all-male groups participated in the study: (i) youth academysoccer players (n=58, age=12.71±1.49 years) and (ii) age-matched soccer-active school pupils (n = 58, age = 12.97 ± 1.27 years). In early season, all the participants completed a comprehensive booklet of validated questionnaires assessing (i) demographics, (ii) stress and recovery (Recovery-Stress Question-naire for athletes: RESTQ; Kellman and Kallus, 2001, Recovery- Stress Questionnaire for Athletes. User Manual), (iii) health-related quality of life (KIDSCREEN-27), (iv) basic psychological need fulfilment (Balanced Measure of Psychological Needs; Sheldon and Hilpert, 2012, Motivation and Emotion, 36, 439–451) and (v) athletic identity development (Athletic Identity Measurement Scale; Brewer and Cornelius, 2001, The Academic Athletic Journal, 15, 103–113). Multivariate analysis of variance identified a significant overall group effect between academy players and school pupils (P < 0.001; ?2 = 0.94).Unsurprisingly, academy players trained for significantly more hours a week (+9.36 h, P < 0.001; ? = 5.42). Academy players also reportedmarginally lower RESTQ-Social stress (Macademy = 1.23 ± 0.78, Mschool = 1.59 ± 0.88; P = 0.052; ? = 0.43) and scored higher on RESTQInjury vulnerability (Macademy = 2.39 ± 1.15, Mschool = 1.90 ± 0.90; P = 0.023; ? = 0.48), RESTQSelf- regulation (Macademy = 4.02 ± 0.99, Mschool = 3.49 ± 1.10; P = 0.039; ? = 0.51) and total athletic identity (Macademy = 39.71 ± 5.10, Mschool = 36.59 ± 5.80; P = 0.022; ? = 0.57), especially on the subscales of negative affectivity (Macademy = 5.81 ± 1.06, Mschool = 5.30 ± 1.18; P = 0.001; ? = 0.45) and exclusivity (Macademy = 5.79 ± 1.00, Mschool = 4.75 ± 1.32; P = 0.025; ? = 0.89). School pupils reported a higher RESTQLack of energy (Macademy = 1.59 ± 0.92, Mschool = 1.87 ± 1.05; P = 0.035; ? = 0.28). No group differences were found for health-related quality of life or basic needs satisfaction. For psychosocial health and well-being, specific differences existed between youth academy soccer players and age-matched school pupils. Contrary to the suggestions that TDP involvement heightens health-related risks (e.g., social isolation, fatigue, burnout), academy players were rarely worse off compared to their counterparts. Indeed, academy players reported lower social stress, higher energy (e.g., “more focused and decisive” – RESTQ-Lack of energy) and performance-related self-regulation (e.g., “I psyched myself up for performance” – RESTQSelf- regulation). However, academy players did perceive themselves as having a stronger athletic identity, which has potential negative health implications (e.g., burnout, lower ability to cope with setbacks), as well as beingmore vulnerable to injuries. These results offer an insightful and valuable starting point in evaluating TDP impacts on athlete health and well-being.

To prevent the spread of infection during matches and training activities is a major challenge facing all sports returning from the enforced COVID-19 shutdown. During training and matches, rugby league players make contact with others which can result in SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission. While these interactions characterise the appeal of the game, a number of them can be avoided, including shaking hands and conversing after the match. This paper presents a framework underpinned by behavioural science (capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour model, COM-B) to support stakeholders in helping players adopt new social distance norms and behaviours. This framework helps to ensure the players have the capability, opportunity, and motivation to adopt new COVID-19 risk minimising behaviours, which they will need to commit to 100%.

Widespread allegations of doping in sport consistently make front page news. The findings of an independent commission for the WADA1 underscore the importance of moving beyond a focus on individual athletes to concurrently address individual, social and environmental factors in anti-doping policy and practice (socioecological perspective).

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd International research linking food outlets and body mass index (BMI) is largely cross-sectional, yielding inconsistent findings. However, addressing the exposure of food outlets is increasingly considered as an important adult obesity prevention strategy. Our study investigates associations between baseline food environment types and change in BMI over time. Survey data were used from the Yorkshire Health Study (n=8,864; wave one: 2010-2012, wave two: 2013-2015) for adults aged 18-86. BMI was calculated using self-reported height (cm) and weight (kg). Restaurants, cafés, fast-food, speciality, convenience and large supermarkets were identified from the Ordnance Survey Point of Interest database within 1600m radial buffer of home postcodes. K-means cluster analysis developed food environment typologies based on food outlets and population density. Large supermarkets, restaurants, cafés, fast-food, speciality and convenience food outlets all clustered together to some extent. Three neighbourhood typologies were identified. However, multilevel models revealed that relative to cluster one all were unrelated to change in BMI (cluster 2, b= -0.146 [-0.274, 0.566]; cluster 3, b= 0.065 [-0.224, 0.356]). There was also little evidence of gender-based differences in these associations when examined in a three-way interaction. Policymakers may need to begin to consider multiple types of food outlet clusters, while further research is needed to confirm how these relate to changed BMI.

This study investigated whether motivational climate was associated with prosocial and antisocial behavior in youth athletes directly and indirectly via social support (i.e., emotional and esteem support), perspective taking, and moral disengagement. Two-hundred and seventy-five youth team sport players (156 boys; 119 girls) aged 11 to 16 years completed questionnaires assessing the study variables. Structural equation modelling revealed that mastery climate was positively associated with prosocial teammate behavior both directly and indirectly via social support. Mastery climate was also indirectly associated with prosocial opponent behavior via social support and perspective taking. Mastery climate was negatively associated with antisocial behavior towards opponents and teammates indirectly via social support, perspective taking, and moral disengagement. Performance climate was positively associated with antisocial behavior towards teammates directly and indirectly via moral disengagement: It was also indirectly associated with antisocial behavior towards opponents via moral disengagement. Our findings extend understanding about the variables that might explain relationships between motivational climate and moral conduct in youth athletes. Implications for sport practitioners are considered, especially in relation to approaches that could help foster moral character in young people through sport.

Design: Ten competitive athletes (M = 5, F = 5) representing five different sports (field hockey, boxing, football, triathlon, rugby) were recruited through convenience sampling to undertake a semi-structured interview to enable a qualitative analysis of athletes' lifelong athletic careers. Method: Verbatim transcripts were analysed using an established three-stage coding process to identify the common themes within the narratives. Results: Personal and situational protective factors were identified in the accounts. Personal factors included: (i) a strong moral stance against cheating; (ii) an identity beyond sport; (iii) self-control; and (iv) resilience to social group pressures. Situational factors included secure attachments to people at all stages of the athlete's life. This facilitated both the promotion of moral decision making and assisted in the development of anti-doping attitudes. When situational factors – such as a pro-doping climate – arose, key attachments in the athletes' lives interplayed with personal factors to reduce the risk of doping. Conclusions: These findings offer insights into factors that protect competitive athletes against using PEDs in sport and further our understanding of the complex interaction between risk and protective factors at individual, psychosocial and societal levels among competitive athletes. As a complex behaviour, doping in sport cannot be prevented by solely focussing on the individual athlete; contextual factors beyond the athlete's control also impact on this behaviour. Thus, a paradigm shift is warranted to move beyond an athlete-centred approach to anti-doping.

In the 1960s, prohibitionist ‘anti-doping’ policy was introduced to curtail the use of illicit performance enhancing substances and methods in sport. Since then, anti-doping attention and funding has been directed towards detection-based deterrence activities. However, it is now acknowledged that investment in long-term, values-based education programmes may be more appropriate. Unfortunately, research into prevention and education is in its infancy, with very little indication of best practice. Therefore, in the interim, we must draw from more developed social science research fields. The following commentary highlights the findings of a recent systematic review of factors which, to-date, have been identified as the most successful preventive approaches across four established social domains; bullying, alcohol, tobacco and social drug use. Although the systematic review highlighted no ‘magical ingredients’ for ensuring effectiveness, there were common ‘recipes for success’, including (i) targeting young participants – when attitudes and values are forming; (ii) providing interactive material that develops social skills; (iii) monitoring and delivering programmes with high degrees of fidelity; (iv) basing delivery on well-trained staff; (v) incorporating long-term ‘booster sessions’ to reinforce key messages. Now, research should contribute to an evidence-base that allows the discovery, application and evaluation of key elements of effective anti-doping education.

Public health is increasingly engaging with multi-faceted obesity prevention efforts. Although parks represent key community assets for broader public health, they may not be distributed equitably and associations with obesity are equivocal. We investigated park access and quality relative to deprivation and obesity with individual-level data from the Yorkshire Health Study. Compared to the least deprived areas, the moderately and most deprived areas had a greater park access and park quality in terms of features and amenities. However, parks in the moderately and most deprived areas also had the most safety concerns and incivilities. Although deprivation was associated with obesity, contrary to current policy guidance, both park access and quality appear less important for understanding variations in obesity within this study. Although sub-group analyses by deprivation tertile revealed that low quality park amenities in highly and moderately deprived areas may be important for understanding obesity prevalence, all other associations were non-significant.

Little research has investigated associations between a combined measure of the food and physical activity (PA) environment, BMI (body-mass-index) and obesity. Cross-sectional data (n=22,889, age 18-86 years) from the Yorkshire Health Study were used [2010-2013]. BMI was calculated using self-reported height and weight; obesity=BMI≥30. Neighbourhood was defined as a 2km radial buffer. Food outlets and PA facilities were sourced from Ordnance Survey Points of Interest (PoI) and categorised into ‘fast-food’, ‘large supermarkets’, ‘convenience and other food retail outlets’ and ‘physical activity facilities’. Parks were sourced from Open Street Map. Latent class analysis was conducted on these five environmental variables and availability was defined by quartiles of exposure. Linear and logistic regression were then conducted for BMI and obesity respectively for different neighbourhood types. Models adjusted for age, gender, ethnicity, area-level deprivation, and rural/urban classification. A five-class solution demonstrated best fit and was interpretable. Neighbourhood typologies were defined as; ‘low availability’, ‘moderate availability’, ‘moderate PA, limited food’, ‘saturated’ and ‘moderate PA, ample food’. Compared to low availability, one typology demonstrated lower BMI (saturated, b= -0.50, [95% CI= -0.76,-0.23]), while three showed higher BMI (moderate availability, b= 0.49 [0.27,0.72]; moderate PA, limited food, b=0.30 [0.01,0.59]; moderate PA, ample food, b=0.32 [0.08,0.57]). Furthermore, compared to the low availability, saturated neighbourhoods showed lower odds of obesity (OR=0.86 [0.75,0.99]) while moderate availability showed greater odds of obesity (OR=1.18 [1.05,1.32]). This study supports population-level approaches to tackling obesity however neighbourhoods contained features that were health-promoting and -constraining.

© 2018 This study investigated if the relationship between residential fast-food outlet availability and obesity varied due to methodological diversity or by age. Cross-sectional data (n = 22,889) from the Yorkshire Health Study, England were used. Obesity was defined using self-reported height and weight (BMI ≥ 30). Food outlets (“fast-food” “large supermarkets” and “convenience or other food retail outlets”) were mapped using Ordnance Survey Points of Interest (PoI) database. Logistic regression was used for all analyses. Methodological diversity included adjustment for other food outlets as covariates and continuous count vs. quartile. The association between residential fast-food outlets and obesity was inconsistent and effects remained substantively the same when considering methodological diversity. This study contributes to evidence by proposing the use of a more comprehensive conceptual model adjusting for wider markers of the food environment. This study offers tentative evidence that the association between fast-food outlets and obesity varies by age.

Aims: This study investigates associations between the combined physical activity environment and obesity and explores any sub-group effects by individual-level socioeconomic status. Methods: In a large cross-sectional cohort (n = 22,889) from the Yorkshire Health Study, body mass index was calculated using self-reported height and weight and obesity was defined as a body mass index ≥ 30. The physical activity environment was split into ‘unfavourable physical activity’, ‘moderately favourable physical activity’ and ‘favourable physical activity’ environments. This was based on the count of parks and physical activity facilities within a 2 km radial buffer centred on home addresses. A favourable physical activity environment was defined as having ≥1 physical activity facility and ≥1 park, unfavourable as having no physical activity facility and park and any other combinations defined as moderately favourable. Logistic regression (odds ratios) identified associations with obesity. Results: Relative to ‘unfavourable physical activity environments’, individuals within favourable physical activity environments were less likely to be obese (odds ratio = 0.90; 95% confidence interval = 0.82–0.97), and there was no effect for moderately favourable environment. Furthermore, once stratified by education level, this relationship was only present for those of higher education. Conclusion: Our findings provide novel UK evidence and is one of the first papers internationally that highlights the importance of considering the interplay of individual-level socioeconomic factors when investigating associations between the physical activity environment and obesity.

The rise of mental health concerns in today’s Higher Education (HE) students is a growing concern. Integrating mental health principles into curricular design can enhance the student experience and improve outcomes such as continuation, completion, and success. This paper aims to integrate mental health guidance into the design of a revalidated curriculum in sport, exercise, and health sciences. A further aim is to provide recommendations for future mentally healthy curricular design. A case study design exploring how mental health does, and might, feature across curricula was undertaken, employing a qualitative methodology. A range of stakeholders, including students, participated in workshops, interviews, and revalidation events over a 4-month period. The analysis and interpretation of the resulting transcripts proposed two main lines of action; ‘building students’ (centring on helping them navigate the nuances of the academic process and developing confidence in their university self, for example, through systematic scaffolding) and ‘building connections’ (focusing on enhancing social connections and psychological safety, for example learning student names). Recommendations proposed by this research highlight that induction should be primarily social, progressing to more fundamental skills, behaviours, and knowledge. Systematic scaffolding and mapping of relevant skills, behaviours, and knowledge throughout the course are fundamental to building students’ confidence. This could reduce both academic staff and students’ frustrations about a lack of ‘know-how’. Staff–student interactions and a focus on micro-behaviours could further enhance a student’s sense of belonging and desire to engage.

Inconsistencies in methodologies continue to inhibit understanding of the impact of the environment on body mass index (BMI). To estimate the effect of these differences, we assessed the impact of using different definitions of neighbourhood and data sets on associations between food outlet availability within the environment and BMI. Previous research has not extended this to show any differences in the strength of associations between food outlet availability and BMI across both different definitions of neighbourhood and data sets. Descriptive statistics showed differences in the number of food outlets, particularly other food retail outlets between different data sets and definitions of neighbourhood. Despite these differences, our key finding was that across both different definitions of neighbourhood and data sets, there was very little difference in size of associations between food outlets and BMI. Researchers should consider and transparently report the impact of methodological choices such as the definition of neighbourhood and acknowledge any differences in associations between the food environment and BMI.

To investigate associations between the food and physical activity (PA) environments and obesity. Cross-sectional data (n = 22,889) from the Yorkshire Health Study were used. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using self-reported height and weight; obesity was defined as BMI ≥ 30. Waist circumference (WC) was also self-reported; ‘at risk’ was defined as ≥94 cm and ≥80 cm for males and females respectively. Food outlets (FO) and PA facility locations were mapped using the Ordnance Survey Points of Interest database. Park locations were obtained separately from Open Street Map. Home neighbourhoods were defined using 2 km buffers radiating from each participant’s home postcode. FO or PA opportunities within home neighbourhoods were then summed to indicate availability. FO were categorised as ‘takeaway’, ‘supermarket’ and ‘other food retail’. PA facilities and parks were considered as two separate categories. Multi-level logistic models were used to estimate associations between the food and PA environment and obesity in separate models for each environmental variable. To account for the skewed environment data we modelled availability in quartiles (Q1 least exposed, Q4 most exposed). Age, gender, ethnicity, deprivation and rural/urban classification were included as covariates in all models. For the food environment, 89.1% had immediate access to at least one takeaway and 69.9% to a supermarket. For the PA environment, 97.6% and 77.7% of individuals had one PA facility and park available within their home neighbourhood. Availability varied little by deprivation. Separate multi-level models showed no evidence of an association neither between (i) the number of FO, nor (ii) most PA factors and obesity in those most exposed (Q4) compared to those least exposed (Q1). However, there was evidence of a negative association between PA facilities and obesity in the most exposed quartile (Q4 OR = 0.88 [95% CI 0.78–0.98]) compared to those least exposed (Q1). Findings were substantively the same for BMI and WC. There is little evidence to suggest that availability within the food or PA environment is associated with obesity. The evidence presented here provides little support for policy interventions aiming to modify the local food or PA environment.

With contributions from leading scientists and educationalists from around the world, this book cuts through the myths to interrogate the relationship between physical activity and educational achievement in children, adolescents and young ...

Introduction: English targets aim for an annual 1% population-increase in moderately physically activity (MPA) by 2020. This study aimed to establish the effects of motivational-interviews (Ml) on moderate physical activity (MPA) status enrolled in the local exercise action pilots (LEAP), a national evaluation examining the effects of interventions on MPA. Methodology: Ml targeted inactive participants (less-than 30 [adults] or 60 [young people] min/day MPA, five(+) times per week). Participants (n = 297) (11–75 years) gender comprised, female 227: male 70. MPA was assessed pre- and post-intervention (24 months), using 7-day self-reports and for adults the short version International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results: Data were collected on engagement and pre- and post-MPA. Activity categories (sedentary, lightly, moderately and highly active), using guidelines for MPA MET-minutes/week, were assigned at pre- and post-intervention. Cross-tabulation established movement between three-change categories (reversal–stability–progression). Interviews with managers (n = 3) and completers (n = 3) provided insights into Ml designs effective in engaging completers. In completers overall increases in MPA of +360 MET-minutes/week (n = 77; IQR = 864 MET-minutes/week) were found. Cross-tabulation indicated 89.3% (n = 28) of lightly active completers became moderately or highly active post-intervention. Conclusion: Ml was effective in engaging participants and within an initial intervention period increasing MPA in lightly active completers. No evidence suggests Ml is effective in increasing MPA of sedentary completers. Compared with sample-size for engagement, data on MPA was a limitation. The design of Ml is important in facilitating engagement of completers. Further research with large completer (n) is required to identify the effectiveness Ml on MPA.

Physical inactivity is common in people with chronic airways disease (pwCAD) and associated with worse clinical outcomes and impaired quality of life. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to characterise and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions promoting step-based physical activity (PA) in pwCAD. We searched for studies that included a form of PA promotion and step-count outcome measure. A random-effects model was used to determine the overall effect size using post-intervention values. 38 studies (n=32 COPD; n=5 asthma; n=1 bronchiectasis; study population: n=3777) were included. Overall, implementing a form of PA promotion resulted in a significant increase in step-count: median (IQR) 705 (183-1210) when compared with usual standard care: -64 (-597-229), standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.24 (95% CI: 0.12-0.36), p<0.01. To explore the impact of specific interventions, studies were stratified into subgroups: PA promotion+wearable activity monitor-based interventions (n=17) (SMD 0.37, p<0.01); PA promotion+step-count as an outcome measure (n=9) (SMD 0.18, p=0.09); technology-based interventions (n=12) (SMD 0.16, p=0.01). Interventions promoting PA, particularly those that incorporate wearable activity monitors, result in a significant and clinically meaningful improvement in daily step-count in pwCAD.

ntroduction: English targets aim for an annual 1% population-increase in moderately physically activity (MPA) by 2020. This study aimed to establish the effects of motivational-interviews (Ml) on moderate physical activity (MPA) status enrolled in the local exercise action pilots (LEAP), a national evaluation examining the effects of interventions on MPA. Methodology: Ml targeted inactive participants (less-than 30 [adults] or 60 [young people] min/day MPA, five(+) times per week). Participants (n = 297) (11–75 years) gender comprised, female 227: male 70. MPA was assessed pre- and post-intervention (24 months), using 7-day self-reports and for adults the short version International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results: Data were collected on engagement and pre- and post-MPA. Activity categories (sedentary, lightly, moderately and highly active), using guidelines for MPA MET-minutes/week, were assigned at pre- and post-intervention. Cross-tabulation established movement between three-change categories (reversal–stability–progression). Interviews with managers (n = 3) and completers (n = 3) provided insights into Ml designs effective in engaging completers. In completers overall increases in MPA of +360 MET-minutes/week (n = 77; IQR = 864 MET-minutes/week) were found. Cross-tabulation indicated 89.3% (n = 28) of lightly active completers became moderately or highly active post-intervention. Conclusion: Ml was effective in engaging participants and within an initial intervention period increasing MPA in lightly active completers. No evidence suggests Ml is effective in increasing MPA of sedentary completers. Compared with sample-size for engagement, data on MPA was a limitation. The design of Ml is important in facilitating engagement of completers. Further research with large completer (n) is required to identify the effectiveness Ml on MPA.

Variation in the existing literature on the psychosocial benefits of weight loss in obese youth results, in part, from methodological limitations and modest weight loss. Accordingly, this research assessed perceived self-competence and low self-esteem during an intensive weight loss programme in a large sample of obese youth and related these to starting weight, gender and weight loss.Over 4 years, 303 obese male and female adolescents (body mass index [BMI] 34.3 kg m(-2) , BMI standard deviation score 2.99; 14.7 years) attended a residential weight loss camp for a mean duration of 31 d. Outcome variables included dimensional self-esteem (Harter) and weight change over the camp.At the start of camp, obese youth scored highest on social acceptance and lowest on physical appearance and athletic competence. Global self-worth and most domains of self-competence improved significantly over the intervention. The proportion with low global self-worth reduced from 35% to 16%, but there was little change in the proportion reporting high self-competence (23%). Mean weight loss was -5.5 kg (BMI standard deviation scores -0.25) with boys and those heaviest at the start losing most. Weight loss was significantly correlated with improved physical appearance (r = 0.13) and athletic competence (r = 0.19), but not global self-worth.This intensive weight loss intervention yielded significant psychological benefit, especially in self-competence and among individuals achieving most weight loss. The weak association with weight loss suggests the influence of other contributing environmental or social features that should be the focus of further research.

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...]

UK military personnel have faced increased demands over the last three decades; these have affected their wellbeing and caused multiple physical and mental health problems. Currently, bespoke rehabilitation systems may recommend participation in sports programmes. Although research attention has been drawn to the short-term positive effects of these programmes, their long-term impact on psychological wellbeing is unknown. To address this gap, the current study explored the long-term impact of a sports programme on UK military personnel’s ability to make changes in their day-to-day life through the lens of psychological wellbeing. For this purpose, UK military personnel (n = 97) completed an online survey aiming to provide a quantitative and qualitative picture of their experiences of an outdoor and adventure sports programme, underpinned by the basic psychological needs theory, six months following completion. Findings suggest that 75% of respondents found that the course was useful for facilitating adaptive changes. Content analysis suggests that elements of the course seem to satisfy their basic psychological needs of competence, relatedness and autonomy. Activities initiated six months after the course are mostly aligned with improved psychological wellbeing. Useful theoretical and applied implications are discussed.

Background Coronavirus (COVID-19) has severely impacted lifestyles worldwide. Responses to COVID-19 have intentionally restricted the factors that encourage regular and frequent PA; opportunity, capability and motivation. However, the effects of these restrictions are likely to have differed by gender and age and different intensities of PA. This rapid review builds on previous evidence by synthesising the global impact of COVID-19 on adult PA through specific intensities and types of PA and evaluating this by gender and age. Methods A rapid systematic search of seven electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Academic Search Complete, APA PsycInfo, and APA PsycArticles) was performed from December 2019 to January 2021. Studies investigating adult change in PA, exercise or sedentary behaviour due to COVID-19 were included. Results From an initial database search identifying 3,863 articles, 66 remained for synthesis after applying eligibility criteria. Results demonstrate decreases among all intensities and types of PA—walking (6 out of 7 papers), moderate-only (5 out of 6 papers), vigorous-only (5 out of 6 papers) and MVPA (4 out of 5 papers); as well as overall PA (14–72% participants reported a decrease). Reflecting that COVID-19 responses were designed to have universal effects, they also achieved whole-society decreases in PA behaviour, accented in older age groups. Conclusion There is a universal need to address the low levels of PA post-COVID-19. The consequences of decreased PA across all intensities has powerful, potentially recoverable, impacts. Universal declines have implications for public health officials and PA advocates for post-COVID-19 initiatives to promote PA.

Understanding of the active beneficial processes of adventure learning remains elusive. Resilience may provide one foundation for understanding the positive adaptation derived from Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) and Adventure Therapy (AT) programming. From a neurological perspective, resilience may be explained by the brain’s innate capability to adapt its structure (growth of new cells) and function (re-wiring of existing cells) directly in response to environmental exposure. This paper explores the role of known brain responses to experiences analogous to adventure programming based on themes from a key literature review. The fundamental paradigm of ‘stress and recovery’ contends that a balance of neurobiological processes help realign psychosocial equilibrium in the short term and over time. Through progressive, repeated exposure to custom-built outdoor challenges, the concept of brain resilience may provide a scientific platform for understanding the mechanisms of achieving meaningful, authentic and healthy outcomes. It could also help to begin to illuminate a section of the black box of adventure processes.

Promoting physical activity (PA) with Black and Minority Ethnic elders (BMEE) is an important public-health issue. Not least because there are low levels of PA in BMEE and a barrier to becoming physically active is a lack of engagement of BMEE in planning culturally appropriate resources (Chiang et al., 2008: Preventing Chronic Disease, 5, A05). This led us to disseminate a process of engaging BMEE when designing a PA-promoting DVD. Following ethics clearance, formerly inactive participants were recruited through UK-BMEE networks. Each provided consent and health and safety screening to attend a 2-day residential based on small groups. Activities included sharing cultural PA experiences (e.g. Hindi dance, Tai chi, calypso and steel band dancing). Participants also attended a 2-h focus group delivered by two experienced PA facilitators. Using versions of Health Education Authority (1996: Promoting physical activity with black and minority ethnic groups. London: HEA). Participants were asked to address four key themes: (i) What are the benefits of physical activity? (ii) What are the barriers to physical activity? (iii) How can these barriers be overcome? (iv) What are the five most important items to include in a DVD? Participants were filmed while performing their PA, and during the focus groups where participants identified and recorded responses to the key themes. Responses were shared with group members and facilitators encouraged groups to expand on their responses which were transcribed. Participants were drawn from three BMEE groups, five Hindus (female n=3), five Africans (female n=1) and three Afro-Caribbeans (female n=2); by age-group; 5064 years, (n=4); 6574 years, (n=5); 75, (n=4). (i)The benefits of PA included setting an example, feeling and looking better, social interaction and independence. (ii) Barriers included elder abuse, health conditions, low confidence, weather and lack of culturally-sensitive services. (iii) Solutions involved better information, education, mentoring, communication in ethnic languages and culturally sensitive provision. (iv) DVD Design included culturally appropriate images and messages. Key responses were identified and shared with the DVD producers who combined responses with video footage of participants to illustrate important considerations when promoting PA with BMEE. The DVD was launched nationally for use by professionals within a range of BMEE contexts. Future research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the DVD at meeting the PA needs of BMEE.

Work-related stress (WRS) has reached critical levels with the related costs being felt at individual, organisational and national levels. Although physical activity (PA) is associated with positive physical, psychological and cognitive outcomes, little is known about the direct and indirect effects of PA in alleviating WRS and potential savings. A recent meta-analysis (Richardson and Rothstein, 2008) concluded that cognitive behavioural therapy is more effective than PA for managing WRS. However, this conclusion was based on only 4 of 55 interventions using PA. Recent neurological evidence suggests that PA may have a powerful role in managing WRS. To progress this area, a new review will examine emerging evidence and propose an innovative methodology to build on previous recommendations. Previous research analysing the effects of PA on WRS has consistently failed to consider multidisciplinary nature of stress and has found interventions are often prescriptive and insufficiently underpinned by theoretical frameworks.

Background: Staff in UK Higher education institutions regularly experience change, impacting on organisational resources and wellbeing. Wellbeing has been associated with improved work performance and physical activity (PA) with reduced incidence of chronic diseases. Hence, interventions promoting wellbeing and PA in the workplace are likely to increase productivity, improve employees’ health and reduce employer costs. However, despite these potential positive outcomes, limited conclusions exist on the efficacy of interventions and their respective impact on employees’ wellbeing, particularly among university employees. Objectives: To investigate the impact on PA levels and measures of wellbeing in university employees. Method: The Step into Summer Challenge was devised and managed by the Leeds Beckett University Wellbeing team. After advertising on the staff intranet, 380 participants registered i.e. 11% of total headcount. Pre- and post-challenge data were available for 165 participants; 133 females, 22 academics, 135 professional and support staff and 8 managers. Of these participants, 85%+ were aged 26 to 55. Each five-person work team was set the objective of walking the equivalent distance of Land’s End to John O’Groats (equating to 10,000 steps per team-member per day) within a six-week challenge period via a prescribed route. Social media was used to promote the challenge and encourage participation. A weekly email contained a link to an interactive Google Map showing ‘virtual’ progress. Pedometer scores recorded step counts; these were updated weekly into a central spread sheet. Mental wellbeing levels were assessed using the 7-item Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS). PA was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF). After securing university ethical approval, intervention effects were explored by evaluating the associations between pre- and post-challenge data. Results: An overall increase in median PA levels, measured in Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) minutes per week, was observed from 2,595 to 3,504. This broadly equates to four additional hours of walking (d=0.42). No significant changes in PA were observed for managers or for staff aged 16-25. An increase in mean wellbeing scores was observed from 22.64 to 23.69 (potential score range 7-35) (d=0.34). No significant changes in wellbeing were observed for males, academics, managers or staff aged 36+. PA levels increased for 105 participants, while wellbeing scores increased for 93 participants. There was a weak non-significant positive correlation between change in PA and change in wellbeing scores (r=0.1, p> 0.05). Conclusions: The six-week challenge resulted in a powerful increase in PA levels and wellbeing scores amongst participants. These data confirm the strength of short-term, team-based, positively reinforcing interventions. Allowing for the limitations of sampling and recruitment, effect sizes indicate that these interventions may offer powerful Public Health benefits for university employees. Follow-up data are currently being collated to measure the longer-term impact on these variables. Further research is required to explore variances in participation rates and scores by gender, age-group and role to develop more inclusive interventions. In addition, qualitative research is required to explore the experience of organisational change and its impact on PA and wellbeing. Keywords: Wellbeing, physical activity, workplace interventions, higher education staff

The contributors to this volume share some of the challenges and the benefits of using professional football settings as a channel for connecting people to health improvement opportunities.

Background: Despite recent statistics confirming the majority of UK men have an unhealthy weight, this problem does not seem to prompt men to seek help. It has been suggested that men may adopt this ‘careless’ attitude to maintain their version of masculinity. However, it is important to resist making generalisations, meaning that it is necessary to gain insight into men’s personal life histories to understand how men’s experiences of health interplay with current health behaviours and future identities. Methods: This qualitative study adopts a narrative approach to describe the health stories of 10 men attending a male only weight management programme delivered in North West England. Data collection was based on participant observation of classes, supported by focus groups and narrative interviews. Results: The men who took part in this study did not believe that being concerned about their health undermined their version of masculinity. Instead, they aspired to be fit and healthy for practical reasons. However, work commitments, lack of facilities, lack of interest and health issues were the factors that had prevented these men from taking positive actions to improve their health. Conclusions: This study suggests theoretical and policy implications. Theoretically, our findings challenge notions of men being careless and engaging unthinkingly in unhealthy behaviours. In terms of policy, men’s health services need to follow three ‘F’ rules: Friendly approach, Flexible times, and Fun activities.

Whilst acknowledging that inactive communities which increase participation in sport, exercise and physical activity will benefit health fitness, with far-reaching implications for contemporary health systems, the authors warn against conflation of the terms ‘physical activity’, ‘exercise’ and ‘sport’, and assumption that the promotion of sport alone can deliver desired public health objectives. They argue that there is a need to recognise that adoption of active lifestyles by physically inactive individuals is not necessarily easy and that, in addition to the promotion of sport, there is a need for different programmes (featuring exercise and physical activity) which will attract inactive audiences. The concept of ‘exercise as medicine’ is explored, looking at how health professionals have responded to accumulating evidence over the past half century that being unfit or physically inactive has major negative health consequences throughout the lifespan. It is suggested that practitioners have tended to recommend exercise ‘as medicine’ for inactive individuals already experiencing related health problems or displaying consequent health risks. The need to adopt a preventive, rather than purely reactive, approach is stressed. The benefits and risks of promoting sport, exercise and physical activity are also considered, and, whilst it is concluded that evidence shows risks to be outweighed by benefits, the need to recognise and take action to minimise risks is emphasised. Some examples of good practice (including mass participation events, such as Parkrun) are presented, and, finally, a particular evaluation framework for health promotion interventions (RE-AIM) is discussed. Lessons demonstrated by the use of RE-AIM are shown in the evaluation of the Premier League Health programme—an initiative by English professional football clubs to deliver a range of activities led by the clubs’ own Health Trainers and other staff, to increase activity levels among previously inactive male fans.

"Concerns about gender inequalities in longevity, particularly premature male mortality, have prompted a range of innovative approaches to health promotion work dating back to the 1980s. In developing such work, sport, and football in particular, has emerged as a gendered cultural field that has utility for engaging men in community health initiatives. Evaluations of such work have shown that health initiatives using football settings, football interventions or even club branding can have positive impact on various health measures in the short and longer term. However, little work to date has looked at the underlying mechanisms that generate success in such projects. This paper presents secondary analysis of data collected during the evaluation of the Premier League Health (PLH) programme specifically focusing on these underlying mechanisms and how/where gender (masculinities) appears in these processes. We draw on interview data with 16 staff who had been involved in the delivery of the PLH initiative and 58 men who took part. Thematic analysis highlighted two overarching (and underpinning) themes: ‘Trust’, what processes it was key to and how it was developed and sustained; and ‘Change’, including what it was facilitated by and what impact it had. The paper adds to our understanding of how active listening, flexibility and sustained engagement are key to community-based sports projects’ success. Furthermore, it demonstrates how the physicality and sociability of involvement, rather than any direct focus on ‘health’, are important in acting as a springboard for facilitating reflection and aiding lifestyle changes for men."

Objective: With growing concerns to establish the value for returns on public health investment, there is a need to identify cost-effective physical activity interventions. This study measured change in moderate physical activity (MPA) in seven community-based intervention types, costs and cost-effectiveness of the interventions, and possible explanations for cost variation. Design: Between 2004 and 2006, pre- and post-intervention assessments identified demographics and MPA levels, and quarterly interviews with intervention managers identified key implementation costs. Setting: Nine sites across the UK. Method: MPA was collected using self-report measures. MPA categories (sedentary, lightly, moderately, highly active) were assigned at pre- and post-intervention. Differences between pre- and post-intervention scores identified MPA change (median metabolic equivalent (MET)-minutes/week) in completers. Cost, attendance and activity data were combined to estimate the average monthly implementation cost, cost per participant attending interventions, and the cost per completer improving MPA category. An economic model was built to estimate the cost per Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) gained and potential savings to the National Health Service (NHS). Results: Demographics (n = 984) show that those who engaged with the interventions were predominantly white, British older females. In completers (N = 1,051), 37.9 per cent improved at least one MPA category. The cost per completer improving MPA category ranged from c£260 to c£2,786 (N = 1000). The cost per QALY gained from intervention types ranged from c£47 to c£509, which was below the £20,000 threshold implicit in National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) decisions. Future cost savings to the NHS per intervention participant ranged from c£769 to c£4,891. In the case of each of the interventions, this saving per participant exceeds the implementation cost per participant, which ranged from c£55 to c£3,420 (N = 6940). Conclusions: MPA interventions are cost-effective. Key Words: community interventions • cost-effectiveness • healthcare savings • physical activity

Evaluation is an important component of contemporary physical activity (PA) interventions. In this chapter, we provide a series of peer-review case studies that we have been involved. We comment on a number of issues and debates on the role of evaluation in PA policy and interventions. The case studies selected originated in local and or national policy. To identify these cases, we applied two key criteria set elsewhere (Pringle, Hargreaves Lozano et al., 2014): (I) Credibility: Cases represent real world illustrations of the place of evaluation in a policy context. (II). Impact: Cases identify their effects. The case studies provide applied, insightful, contextual and practical examples of partnership evaluations in both PA intervention and policy. Emerging from these case studies are a number of lessons for how evaluation is performed. We share this learning so it may shape future evaluation practice in physical activity and public health.

Player profiling can reap many benefits; through reflective coach-athlete dialogue that produces a profile the athlete has a raised awareness of their own development, while the coach has an opportunity to understand the athlete's viewpoint. In this study, we explored how coaches and players perceived the development features of an elite academy footballer and the contexts in which these features are revealed, in order to develop a player profile to be used for mentoring players. Using a Delphi polling technique, coaches and players experienced a number of 'rounds' of expressing their opinions regarding player development contexts and features, ultimately reduced into a consensus. Players and coaches had differing priorities on the key contexts of player development. These contexts, when they reflect the consensus between players and coaches were heavily dominated by ability within the game and training. Personal, social, school, and lifestyle contexts featured less prominently. Although 'discipline' was frequently mentioned as an important player development feature, coaches and players disagreed on the importance of 'training'.

Objective Identifying community physical activity interventions that facilitate increases in moderate physical activity (MPA) is important in meeting targets set in government health policy. This study evaluated community interventions that aimed to increase levels of MPA. Intervention themes included exercise referral, classes and groups, peermentoring, motivational interviewing, campaigns and directories, outdoor activity and training physical activity leaders. Design Longitudinal, pre-intervention and intervention assessments occurred between 2004 and 2006. Setting Recruitment of 10,433 people from ten sites located in areas of high health need across England. Method Demographic data were collected by questionnaire, with seven-day, population-specific self-reports assessing pre-intervention and intervention MPA. Using guidelines for young people and adults, MPA MET-minutes/week were used to assign participants to four MPA categories (sedentary, lightly, moderately and highly active) at pre-intervention and intervention phases. Cross-tabulation established movement between three change categories (reversal, stability and progression). Results From nine sites, 5324 people engaged in the evaluation, and a sub-sample of 998 provided demographic and 1022 self-report baseline and intervention data (i.e. completers) for a typical week’s physical activity participation. Of completers who were sedentary or lightly active at pre-intervention, 58.5 per cent achieved recommended physical activity guidelines. 80.9 per cent who were sedentary at pre-intervention reported as lightly, moderately or highly active at intervention. Conclusions Completers increased overall activity levels, including those sedentary and lightly active at pre-intervention who increased levels to recommended guidelines.

Background: The co-occurrence of unhealthy lifestyles, calls for interventions that target multiple health behaviours. This study investigates the clustering of health behaviours and examines demographic differences between each cluster. Methods: In total, 934 adults from Queensland, Australia completed a cross-sectional survey assessing multiple health behaviours. A two-step hierarchical cluster analysis using multiple iterations identified the optimal number of clusters and the subset of distinguishing health behaviour variables. Univariate analyses of variance and chi-squared tests assessed difference in health behaviours by socio-demographic factors and clusters. Results: Three clusters were identified: the 'lower risk' cluster (n = 436) reported the healthiest profile and met all public health guidelines. The 'elevated risk' cluster (n = 105) reported a range of unhealthy behaviours such as excessive alcohol consumption, sitting time, fast-food consumption, smoking, inactivity and a lack of fruit and vegetables. The 'moderate risk behaviour' cluster (n = 393) demonstrated some unhealthy behaviours with low physical activity levels and poor dietary outcomes. The 'elevated risk' cluster were significantly younger and more socio-economically disadvantaged than both the 'lower and moderate risk' clusters. Discussion: Younger people who live in more deprived areas were largely within the 'elevated risk' cluster and represent an important population for MHBC interventions given their wide range of unhealthy behaviours.

Objective: Using a randomised control trial design, this study assessed the impact of two walking interventions, on the work day step counts and health of UK academic and administrative, university employees. Method: A convenience sample of 58 women (age 42 ± 10 years) and 6 men (age 40 ± 11 years) completed baseline and intervention measures for step counts, % body fat, waist circumference and systolic/diastolic blood pressure, during a ten-week period (October to December, 2005). Before intervention, baseline step counts (five working days) were used to randomly allocate participants to a control (maintain normal behaviour, n = 22) and two treatment groups (“walking routes”, n = 21; “walking in tasks”, n = 21). Intervention effects were evaluated by calculating differences between pre-intervention and intervention data. A one-way ANOVA analysed significant differences between groups. Results: A significant intervention effect (p < 0.002) was found for step counts, with mean differences indicating a decrease in steps for the control group (− 767 steps/day) and increases in the “walking routes” (+ 926 steps/day) and “walking in tasks” (+ 997 steps/day) groups. Small, non-significant changes were found in % body fat, waist circumference and blood pressure. Conclusions: Findings have implications for work-based physical activity promotion and the development of walking interventions within the completion of work-based tasks.

Background: The benefits of exercise for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are now widely recognised [1]. However, exercise participation among people with RA remains low. A key reason for that could be the commonly held belief that exercise, may exacerbate disease activity while acutely increasing levels of joint pain. The association of acute exercise with pain has not been established in RA and especially in people with a recent diagnosis. Objectives: This study investigated the impact of acute aerobic-and resistance-type exercise on perceptions of pain in people with early RA. Methods: Following local NHS ethical approval, ten people with RA volunteered for the study (Age=46±13years; BMI=29.4±8.6kg/m2, RA diagnosis= 13±9months, mean±SD). Inclusion criteria were RA diagnosis (2010 EULAR criteria) within the last two years and not engaging in regular physical activity (i.e. no participation in structured exercise >2 times per week). They were assessed for maximal aerobic capacity and maximal strength at chest press, leg press and wide-grip lateral pulldown to determine intensities for exercise conditions. Thereafter they completed one no-exercise control trial (CON) and four exercise trials: 30 minutes of sub-maximal cycling at a workload equivalent to 65% VO2max (CYCLE); high intensity interval exercise consisting of 10x1 minutes cycling intervals at a workload equivalent to 95% VO2max (HIIE); resistance exercise consisting of three sets of 12-15 repetitions at 70%1RM (RES-70); resistance exercise consisting of three sets of repetitions to failure at 30%1RM (RES-30). All trials were randomised and separated by a washout period of 3-7 days. Participants completed a a visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain at baseline then 2-and 24-hours post exercise; they also completed a questionnaire related to exercise enjoyment 2-and 24-hours post exercise. Results: Currently four RA participants have completed the study and all participants completed the prescribed exercises in full. Perceived pain was low at 2 hours (0.7±0.4) and 24 hours post-exercise (1.2±0.8) for all exercise conditions (see table 1). Importantly, a difference in heart rate between the aerobic conditions (heart rate during HIIE was 16% higher than during CYCLE), and a difference in workload between the resistance conditions (RES-30 was 117% higher than RES-70) did not result in a difference in pain perception. One participant reported increased pain at 24 hours (7cm vs 1cm at 2 hours) post RES-30, but claimed that this was purely muscular and not joint pain. Interestingly, all participants enjoyed the exercises with comparable high results across the exercise conditions (see table 1). Conclusion: This study identified minimal exercise effect on perceived pain at 2 hours-and 24 hours-post exercise among participants with early RA. This suggests that exercise did not exacerbate pain and importantly, high intensities and high loads did not cause additional pain. Nevertheless, further larger studies are required to examine the role of acute exercise on disease activity, e.g. inflammation, and the association with perceived pain in people with early RA. References: [1]Combe B, et al. 2016 update of the EULAR recommendations for the management of early arthritis. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2016; 76: 948-959. Disclosure of Interests: None declared Table 1 Pain and Enjoyment Descriptives Trial Baseline VAS pain (cm) 2-hour VAS pain (cm) 24-hour VAS pain (cm) 2-hour exercise enjoyment (1-119) 24-hour exercise enjoyment (1-119) CON 0.1±0.3 0.1±0.3 0.3±0.3 63.8±13.0 63.8±13.0 CYCLE 0.1±0.3 0.5±0.4 0.9±1.2 86.8±11.0 88.0±8.8 HIIE 0.1±0.3 1.3±1.9 1.1±1.7 85.0±27.8 88.3±19.1 RES-70 0.1±0.3 0.4±0.4 0.5±0.4 91.3±13.0 88.3±6.6 RES-30 0.1±0.3 0.4±0.5 2.4±3.1 88.5±17.1 85.0±13.1 (mean±SD)

This book provides students and scholars with a fail-safe guide to the key concepts in the field of Sport & Exercise Science.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Adequate protein intake is essential to retaining muscle and maintaining physical function, especially in the elderly, and L-Leucine has received attention as an essential amino acid (EAA) that enhances protein retention. The study's aim was to compare the efficacy of EAA mixtures on lean tissue mass (LTM) and functional performance (FP) in a healthy elderly population. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Thirty-six subjects (65-75 years) volunteered to receive capsules with EAAs (Groups A and B containing 20% and 40% L-Leucine, respectively) or placebo (lactose containing 0% L-Leucine, Group C) for 12 weeks. The daily amount ranged from 11 to 21 g (0.21 g/ kg/day) and was taken in two equal dosages alongside food, morning and evening. Main outcomes measured before and after intervention were LTM and FP (30-s arm-curl test; 30-s chair-stand test (30-CST); 6-min walk test (6-WT); and handgrip strength). Secondary outcomes included dietary intakes and physical activity. RESULTS: Twenty-five subjects (11 male and 14 female) completed the study (Group A, n=8; Group B, n=8; Group C, n=9). Gains associated with medium effect sizes were noted in LTM (Group B, 1.1 ±1.1%, P=0.003) and FP (Group A in 30-CST (11.0±11.5%, P=0.02) and 6-WT (8.8±10.0%, P=0.02); Group B in 6-WT (5.8±6.6%, P=0.03) and a trend in 30-CST (13.2±16.0, P=0.06)). Significant differences between groups were not observed in secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Twice-daily supplementation of EAAs containing 20% or 40% L-Leucine improved aspects of functional status and at the higher level improved LTM. Further work to establish change in a larger sample and palatable supplemental format is now required.European Journal of Clinical Nutrition advance online publication, 17 June 2015; doi:10.1038/ejcn.2015.91.

© 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Current approaches to obesity recommend weight control strategies that focus on energy-restricted diets and increased physical activity. However, these approaches meet with (at best) limited success despite being central to evidence, policy and practice. There is apparently more to weight loss, including potentially important psychosocial processes that affect behaviour change. Using an ethnographic and narrative approach, this study explored the psychosocial processes experienced by those attending a men-only, community-based weight management intervention. Methods of data collection included semi-structured interviews and participant observation, and thematic analysis was used to analyse and interpret the data collected. Analysis and interpretation suggests that personally meaningful psychosocial processes in participants’ accounts comprised three themes, including (1) ‘Everybody is in the same boat’: A shared safe place; (2) ‘It’s a nudge in the right direction’: Broadening horizons and a push forward; and (3) ‘You need to want to change’: Taking control. This paper concludes with some implications for future practice and research in the area of weight loss and health promotion.