scholarly journals Defining a research agenda for youth sport specialisation in the USA: the AMSSM Youth Early Sport Specialization Summit

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 135-143
Author(s):  
Stephanie A Kliethermes ◽  
Stephen W Marshall ◽  
Cynthia R LaBella ◽  
Andrew M Watson ◽  
Joel S Brenner ◽  
...  

Sport specialisation is becoming increasingly common among youth and adolescent athletes in the USA and many have raised concern about this trend. Although research on sport specialisation has grown significantly, numerous pressing questions remain pertaining to short-term and long-term effects of specialisation on the health and well-being of youth, including the increased risk of overuse injury and burnout. Many current elite athletes did not specialise at an early age. Methodological and study design limitations impact the quality of current literature, and researchers need to prioritise pressing research questions to promote safe and healthy youth sport participation. The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine hosted a Youth Early Sport Specialization Summit in April 2019 with the goal of synthesising and reviewing current scientific knowledge and developing a research agenda to guide future research in the field based on the identified gaps in knowledge. This statement provides a broad summary of the existing literature, gaps and limitations in current evidence and identifies key research priorities to help guide researchers conducting research on youth sport specialisation. Our goals are to help improve the quality and relevance of research on youth sport specialisation and to ultimately assure that opportunities for healthy and safe sport participation continue for all youth.

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 920-929
Author(s):  
Erin K. Howie ◽  
Justin M. Guagliano ◽  
Karen Milton ◽  
Stewart A. Vella ◽  
Sjaan R. Gomersall ◽  
...  

Background: Sport has been identified as one of the 7 best investments for increasing physical activity levels across the life span. Several questions remain on how to effectively utilize youth sport as a strategy for increasing physical activity and improving health in youth. The purpose of this paper is to identify the main research priorities in the areas of youth sport and physical activity for health. Methods: An international expert panel was convened, selected to cover a wide spectrum of topics related to youth sport. The group developed a draft set of potential research priorities, and relevant research was scoped. Through an iterative process, the group reached consensus on the top 10 research priorities. Results: The 10 research priorities were identified related to sport participation rates, physical activity from sport, the contribution of sport to health, and the overall return on investment from youth sport. For each research priority, the current evidence is summarized, key research gaps are noted, and immediate research needs are suggested. Conclusion: The identified research priorities are intended to guide researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to increase the evidence base on which to base the design, delivery, and policies of youth sport programs to deliver health benefits.


Dementia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 1858-1895 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine A Hebert ◽  
Kezia Scales

Background Dementia friendly initiatives share similarities with the age-friendly movement in a focus on active engagement and creating a good quality of life for older adults. Dementia friendly initiatives offer a welcoming optimistic narrative in dementia studies by embracing dignity, empowerment, and autonomy to enable well-being throughout the dementia trajectory. Purpose The purpose of this review is to explore the current science of dementia friendly initiatives, identify gaps, and inform future research. Method Quantitative, qualitative, and conceptual/theoretical peer-reviewed dementia friendly research literature were evaluated for their current evidence base and theoretical underpinnings. Results The dementia friendly initiatives research base is primarily qualitative and descriptive focused on environmental design, dementia awareness and education, and the development of dementia friendly communities. Person-centered care principles appear in dementia friendly initiatives centered in care settings. Strong interdisciplinary collaboration is present. Research is needed to determine the effect of dementia friendly initiatives on stakeholder-driven and community-based outcomes. Due to the contextual nature of dementia, the perspective of persons with dementia should be included as dementia friendly initiatives are implemented. Theory-based studies are needed to confirm dementia friendly initiative components and support rigorous evaluation. Dementia friendly initiatives broaden the lens from which dementia is viewed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 658-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elodie Wendling ◽  
Meredith Flaherty ◽  
Michael Sagas ◽  
Kyriaki Kaplanidou

In this exploratory study, we first intended to identify the underlying structure of components affecting the sport participation of 1258 elite youth athletes from the USA through a principal component analysis of 23 items related to motives and barriers to participation and created for this study. A six-component solution was proposed, including college and professional aspirations and competence beliefs, coach and peer relationships, pressures from parents and coach, intrinsic and self-determined extrinsic motivation, external barriers, and non–self-determined extrinsic motivation. Noteworthy differences by age, gender, and race on those retained components were also reported. Lastly, results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that 28% of the variance in sport enjoyment was explained by all retained components. Given the rapid growth of travel teams, this study provides a timely cross-sectional and multisport assessment of the state of elite youth sport in the USA. In consideration of optimistic outcomes observed in this study compared to alarming attrition trends commonly found in the elite youth sport environment, this study may serve as a reference as to the elements that influence sustained participation that is indispensable in today's youth sport landscape. Results also provided important theoretical contributions with respect to motivational processes underlying elite sport participation. Practical implications with regards to the influence of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and barrier elements on elite sport participation are also presented.


Author(s):  
Katherine M. Auty

In recent years interest in the use of meditation programs in prison has grown considerably, yet empirical research evidence for their effectiveness has been slower to accumulate. This chapter explores the application of meditation programs that take place within prison walls and evaluates their effectiveness in three key areas: (i) mental health and psychological wellbeing; (ii) substance misuse; (iii) and reoffending behavior. Evidence from prison studies, most of them conducted in the USA, is reviewed with a focus on their effectiveness. The philosophical and historical context of meditation is taken into account, and key concepts and definitions are critiqued. The chapter explores the meditation practices that are most often found in prison, such as Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness, and Vipassana meditation. It examines meditation’s role as an adjunct therapy in the treatment of substance misuse disorders and more general applications that aim to enhance well-being. The limitations of current studies together with directions for future research are also discussed.


Author(s):  
Naser A. Alsharairi

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease which is associated with higher levels of systemic inflammation. The causes of asthma remain poorly understood. Unhealthy diet and food allergy are potential risk factors for developing asthma. The prevalence of asthma in the Arabian Gulf region (AGR), and Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar in particular, is higher than in other Eastern Mediterranean countries. In the AGR, diets tend to be of low nutritional value due to high levels of total energy, cholesterol, sodium, added sugars and saturated fat, and low levels of fiber, fruit and vegetables. A few studies that include children and adults in the AGR have suggested a potential link between unhealthy diets/specific food allergens and increased risk of asthma, however, the association of food allergy with asthma is still a controversial issue. The aim of this commentary is to consider the evidence from the AGR regarding the effects of diet/food allergy on asthma risk that may be used to make recommendations for future research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 244-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thelma S. Horn

Developmentally based theories in the social-psychology field emphasize the important role that significant adults play in relation to children’s psychosocial health and well-being. In particular, these theories suggest that the responses adults provide to children in reaction to their performance attempts may affect the children’s own perceptions and evaluations of their competencies, as well as their overall self-worth. In the youth sport setting, coaches may be the main providers of performance-related feedback. The purpose of this paper was to use current research and theory to identify and discuss 4 dimensions of coaches’ feedback that are relevant to the growth and development of young athletes: content, delivery, degree of growth orientation, and extent of stereotyping. The paper ends with recommendations for future research on the topic, with emphasis on examining developmental transitions and why coaches give feedback in particular ways.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole F. Stowell ◽  
Carl Pacini ◽  
Martina K. Schmidt ◽  
Nathan Wadlinger

Purpose This study aims to increase awareness and educate the reader about health-care fraud targeting seniors in the USA to help stakeholders better understand, recognize and prevent this type of fraud. Design/methodology/approach This paper collects statistics on the current state of health care frauds committed against seniors, and examines related cases and laws. Findings The authors find this type of fraud is highly prevalent and expected to increase. Current laws preventing this fraud from occurring are multifold and complex. While prevention strategies through law enforcement have been somewhat successful, a reduction in resources may put seniors at an increased risk in the years to come. Research limitations/implications Without additional prevention strategies, the problem will likely escalate with a growing population of older adults. This study encourages further research into effective prevention strategies and methods to fight health-care fraud against seniors. Practical implications Health-care fraud and its associated costs pose a significant threat to the society and economy of the USA. Reducing this fraud will not only reduce the costs to the US economy but also improve the physical and mental well-being of senior victims, reduce their mortality and hospitalization rates and improve the public trust placed to health-care providers. Originality/value This study highlights how health-care fraud is committed against seniors. With the projected trend of an aging US population, educating stakeholders, increasing awareness and applying tools to protect seniors will be important to reduce the absolute scope of this problem in the future.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilke Inceoglu ◽  
Geoff Thomas ◽  
Chris Chu ◽  
David Plans ◽  
Alexandra Gerbasi

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 582-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pawel Korzynski

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold: to examine the role of online networks in employee engagement and to analyze the factors influencing leaders’ involvement in online social networking. Design/methodology/approach – The study’s participants included team leaders, managers and directors working in Fortune 500 companies in the USA. Data were collected through structured surveys delivered through LinkedIn, professional online networking platform to randomly selected users with leadership roles. Totally, 194 matched questionnaires were returned. Findings – The results indicate that employee engagement is positively associated with the time leaders spend on internal online networking platforms, the code of online networking conduct, and the presence of an open-organizational culture. Furthermore, the study shows that organizations can influence leaders’ use of online social networking platforms through an open culture and training. Finally, the findings also indicate that leaders, who communicate with a higher percentages of employees through internal and external platforms, also spend more time on online social networking platforms than those who do not. Surprisingly, a hierarchical structure and the code of conduct are not an indicator of the number of hours that leaders spend on online networking platforms. Research limitations/implications – The study has three main limitations. First, it was conducted among leaders working in companies from the Fortune 500 list, because the majority of these companies have already implemented internal networking platforms, which are not yet popular in small and medium enterprises (SME). In the future, companies from the SME sector are also worth studying. Second, the study was undertaken among leaders from the USA, because most of the online networking platforms were developed there and then adopted in other countries. Online networking trends in other countries are also very interesting topics for study in future research projects. Third, the quality of the time leaders spend on online platforms should also be examined in future studies. Practical implications – The next generation of leaders should pay increasing attention to online social networking platforms so as to be more effective in fostering employees’ social and emotional well-being. Organizations that seek ways to facilitate involvement among their leaders in internal online networking, need to organize training and support leaders and employees in the use of online networking platforms. Social implications – The use of online social networking platforms change the way people communicate with others and how companies can use online social networking for the social well-being of their employees. Originality/value – This research provides a new look at employee engagement in the current working environment as well as organizational features fostering leaders’ involvement in online networking.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document