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University students’ mental health and well-being is a growing public health concern. There is a lack of studies assessing a broad range of mental health domains by sex and academic level of study. This cross-sectional online survey of BSc, MSc, and PhD students (n = 3353, 67% female) enrolled at one university in Germany assessed a wide scope of mental health domains, covering positive (i.e., self-rated health, self-esteem, student engagement) and negative aspects (i.e., perceived stress, irritation, and screening positive for depression, anxiety, comorbidity, and psychological distress). We evaluated differences in mental health by sex and academic level. Overall, although self-rated health did not differ by sex and academic level, females and lower academic level were associated with less favorable mental health. Males reported higher prevalence of high self-esteem, and higher engagement (all p ≤ 0.04). Conversely, mean perceived stress and cognitive/emotional irritation were higher among females, as were rates for positive screenings for anxiety, anxiety and depression comorbidity, and psychological distress (p < 0.001 for all). Likewise, lower academic level (BSc) was associated with lower rates of high self-esteem (p ≤ 0.001), increased perceived stress (p < 0.001), and higher prevalence of positive screening for depression, anxiety, comorbidity, and psychological distress (p ≤ 0.002 for all), while higher academic level (PhD) was linked to increased student engagement (p < 0.001 for all). Although the effect sizes of sex and academic level on student mental health were modest, these findings support a need for action to establish and expand early detection and prevention programs, on-campus advisory services, and peer counseling that focus on the sex-specific and academic-study-level-specific factors, as well as mental health and career development resources for students. Academics and policy makers need to consider multipronged intervention strategies to boost confidence of students and their academic career.
Abstract
Purpose
Chronic health conditions and impaired quality of life are commonly experienced in childhood cancer survivors. While rehabilitation clinics support patients in coping with the disease, studies evaluating an inpatient rehabilitation program on promoting physical activity (PA) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are missing.
Methods
A 4-week inpatient rehabilitation program was prospectively evaluated. One hundred fifty patients with leukemia or lymphoma (N = 86), brain tumors (N = 38), and sarcomas (N = 26) were enrolled on average 17 months after cessation of acute medical treatment. PA amount and cadence (indicating the intensity of walking activity) using the StepWatch™ 3 Activity Monitor and HRQoL global and physical well-being scores using the KINDL® questionnaire were assessed before, immediately after, and 6 and 12 months following the program and analyzed using multiple linear mixed models.
Results
Significant effects on PA were only found at 12-month follow-up for amount and cadence variables (all p < 0.05). While leukemia and lymphoma patients revealed the highest PA level throughout the study, rehabilitation effects were more pronounced for cadence variables in brain tumor and sarcoma patients. The rehabilitation program had immediate (t = 4.56, p < 0.001) and sustainable effects on HRQoL global scores (6-month follow-up, t = 4.08, p < 0.001; 12-month follow-up, t = 3.13, p < 0.006).
Conclusions
Immediate and sustainable increases in HRQoL indicate that a 4-week rehabilitation program is beneficial for improving psychosocial well-being, while the significant increase in PA levels could be related to general recovery as well. The lack of a control group hampers the evaluation of the rehabilitation program on promoting PA levels in pediatric cancer patients.
Die weitreichenden Potenziale individualisierter Bewegungsförderung für krebskranke Kinder und Jugendliche sollten über den gesamten Zeitraum der Akuttherapie, in der Nachsorge und bei der Rückkehr in den Alltag genutzt und als Bestandteil der Normalität aufrechterhalten und gefördert werden. Dieser Artikel stellt beispielhaft für den Standort Münster Ergebnisse und Erfahrungen aus den letzten 5 Jahren sporttherapeutischer und sportpädagogischer Bewegungsförderung im kinderonkologischen Setting dar und liefert konkrete Zahlen über die Bewegungsumfänge, die erreichten Patienten sowie die Möglichkeiten und Grenzen eines derartigen Angebots.
The effect of kinesiology tape applications on performance in amateur soccer and team handball
(2015)
Evidence supporting performance enhancing effects of kin esiotape in sports is missing . The aims of this studywere to evaluate effects of kinesiotape applications with regard to shooting and throwing performance in 26 amateursoccer and 32 handball players, and to further investigate if these effects were influenced by the players’ level ofperformance. Ball speed as the primary outcome and accuracy of soccer kicks and handball throws were analyzed withand without kinesiotape by means of radar units and video recordings. The application of kinesiotapes significantlyincreased ball speed in soccer by 1.4 km/h (p=0.047) and accuracy with a lesser di stance from the target by -6.9 cm(p=0.039). Ball velocity in handball throws also signific antly increased by 1.2 km/h (p=0.013), while accuracy wasdeteriorated with a greater distance from the target by 3.4 cm (p=0.005). Larger effects with respect to ball speed werefound in players with a lower performance level in kick ing (1.7 km/h, p=0.028) and throwing (1.8 km/h, p=0.001)compared with higher level soccer and handball players (1.2 km/h, p=0.346 and 0.5 km/h, p=0.511, respectively). Inconclusion, the applications of kinesiot ape used in this study might have beneficial effects on performance in amateursoccer, but the gain in ball speed in handball is counterac ted by a significant deterioration of accuracy. Subgroupanalyses indicate that kinesiotape may yield larger effects on ball velocity in athletes with lower kicking and throwingskills.
Im Beitrag wird eine „Systematische Übersicht und Meta-Analyse von Querschnittsstudien zum Zusammenhang zwischen körperlicher Aktivität und psychischer Gesundheit bei Studierenden“ vorgestellt. Auf Grundlage von 18 internationalen Studien wird die Frage beantwortet, inwieweit sich positive Assoziationen zwischen körperlicher Aktivität und psychischer Gesundheit auch bei Studierenden bestätigen lassen. Hierbei zeigt sich, dass psychische Beschwerden bei Studierenden vor allem in Form eines erhöhten Stresserlebens, von depressiven Symptomen und Angststörungen auftreten. Die Studienlage verweist zwar auf einen engen Zusammenhang von psychischer Gesundheit und körperlicher Aktivität, allerdings wurde dieser Zusammenhang bei Studierenden bislang noch nicht adäquat nachgewiesen. Lediglich für den Einfluss von körperlicher Aktivität auf Angststörungen wird ein moderater Zusammenhang ersichtlich. Da Studierende, die unter depressiven Beschwerden leiden, ihr Studium eher abbrechen, lässt sich die Schlussfolgerung ziehen, dass körperliche Aktivität eine relevante Größe für den Studienerfolg darstellen kann. Allerdings fehlen derzeit noch großangelegte empirische Studien, die sich explizit auf das deutsche Hochschulsystem beziehen.
Background: Mental health is an emerging topic on university campuses, with students reporting higher levels of psychological distress than the general population of the same age. Increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary time have been proved promising measures to promote mental health in the general population. However, to derive and implement effective measures to promote mental health among university students, further exploration of the associations between physical activity, sedentary time, and perceived stress in this specific setting is needed.
Objective: This study aims to identify associations between physical activity, sedentary time, and perceived stress after controlling for sociodemographic and behavioral variables among university students in Germany. We hypothesize that perceived stress is inversely related to physical activity and positively associated with sedentary time. Furthermore, we hypothesize that combined associations of concurrently high physical activity and low sedentary time on perceived stress are stronger compared with either alone and that the association between physical activity and perceived stress depends on activity intensity.
Methods: We conducted cross-sectional analyses from a large-scale internet-based student health survey (n=4189; response rate=10.0%). Physical activity, sedentary time, and engaging in moderate and vigorous activity intensities were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form with categorization into low, intermediate, and high levels. We measured perceived stress using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (range 0-40).
Results: The results indicate that higher physical activity and lower sedentary time are associated with reduced levels of perceived stress. Following adjustment for gender, BMI, income, fruit and vegetable intake, alcohol consumption, and sleep quality, perceived stress scores were lower for students reporting high physical activity levels and low sedentary time compared with the least active and highly sedentary students (Perceived Stress Scale –2.2, 95% CI –2.9 to –1.5, P<.001 for physical activity and –1.1, CI 95% –1.7 to –0.5, P<.001 for sedentary time). Combined associations with perceived stress revealed that students concurrently reporting high total physical activity and low sedentary time reported the lowest perceived stress scores of all possible combinations following adjustment for confounders (Perceived Stress Scale –3.5, CI 95% –4.6 to –2.5, P<.001 compared with students reporting low physical activity levels and concurrently high sedentary time). Associations between vigorous physical activities and perceived stress were not stronger compared with moderate activity intensities.
Conclusions: Self-reported physical activity and low sedentary time are favorably associated with perceived stress, while the intensity of physical activities seems to be of minor importance. These results help to effectively implement health-promoting measures on campus among university students through increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary time.
Heading in soccer involves repetitive head accelerations that may be detrimental for brain health. One way to mitigate adverse effects may be to increase head-neck stabilization and thus reduce the kinematic response after intentional headers. This study aimed to (a) assess associations between neck strength and head kinematics and (b) evaluate an exercise intervention designed to increase strength and attenuate head acceleration during intentional heading in youth soccer players. In 22 athletes, we used accelerometers to assess associations between neck strength and peak linear acceleration (PLA). We attached the accelerometers to the occiput and sternum, allowing us to differentiate between total, trunk, and head PLA. Longitudinally, we evaluated the effects of a 14-week twice-weekly resistance training in a subsample of 14 athletes compared with regular soccer training (N = 13). Results showed that female athletes had lower isolated neck strength (p ≤ 0.004), lower functional neck strength (p ≤ 0.017), and higher total PLA during purposeful headers compared with males (17.2 ± 3.5 g and 13.0 ± 2.3 g, respectively, at 9.6 m·s−1 ball velocity during impact; p = 0.003). The intervention group showed moderate to large strength gains (η
= 0.16–0.42), resulting in lower PLA (total −2.4 g, trunk −0.8 g, and head −1.5 g) during headers. We conclude that a resistance training focusing on cervical and trunk musculature is practicable in youth soccer, elicits strength gains, and helps to mitigate PLA during purposeful heading. Results should encourage youth strength and conditioning professionals to incorporate neck exercises as a risk reduction strategy into their training routine.
A new measurement system (horizontal displacement, time of flight, synchronicity—HDTS) was investigated regarding the latest changes to the international evaluation rules in trampoline gymnastics. It allows for the real-time measurement of objective criteria, such as flight time and landing position, without affecting the gymnast. The aim of this study was to investigate the temporal and spatial accuracy of a measurement tool via cross-validation. Temporal precision was additionally tested via high-speed video landing and takeoff, while a three-dimensional motion capturing system was incorporated for spatial precision. The Bland–Altman “limit of agreement approach” was used for the assessment of congruence between the measurement systems. The new measurement system presented an average spatial deviation of 3.2 cm and a temporal deviation between − 5.8 and + 6.4 ms for the landing and − 11.3 and + 11.3 ms for the takeoff. Given its temporal and spatial accuracy in determining flight time and landing position as identified through cross-validation, the novel HDTS system proved to be suitable for its use in trampoline competitions.
Die hohe Anzahl sportassoziierter Gehirnerschütterungen verdeutlicht die gesundheitliche Bedeutung dieser Verletzungen. Im Fußball liegt das Risiko bei 0,2 bis 1,4 Schädel-Hirnverletzungen pro 1.000 Spiel- und Trainingsstunden. Vor dem Hintergrund der Verletzungsprävention wird zwischen antizipierten und nicht-antizipierten Kraftstößen auf den Kopf unterschieden. Insbesondere jüngere und weibliche Spieler/innen können von einem spezifischen Training der Hals- und Rumpfmuskulatur zur Verletzungsprävention profitieren.