scholarly journals The Prevalence of Exercise Addiction Symptoms in a Sample of National Level Elite Athletes

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mia Beck Lichtenstein ◽  
Anna Katarina Melin ◽  
Attila Szabo ◽  
Lars Holm
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Elite Athletes ◽  
National Level ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Exercise Addiction ◽  
Eating Disorder Symptoms ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Prevalence Proportion ◽  
Core Symptoms

Exaggerated exercise volumes, lack of control, withdrawal symptoms and conflicts with family and friends are core symptoms of exercise addiction. The condition can lead to health problems and social isolation because exercise is given the highest priority in any situation. The prevalence of the risk of exercise addiction has mostly been assessed in leisure time exercisers such as runners, fitness attendees and cyclists. The prevalence proportion ranges from 3 to 42% depending on the type of sport and the assessment tool. The proportion is greater among elite athletes, and increases with the level of competition. This study's primary aim was to assess the prevalence of exercise addiction among elite athletes competing at national level and its secondary aim was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Exercise Addition Inventory (EAI) in elite sports. Participants (n = 417) from 15 sports disciplines and with 51% women completed an online survey. Results showed that 7.6% were at risk of exercise addiction. This group was younger, exhibited tendency to exercise despite pain and injury, felt guilty if not exercising enough, and reported substantial eating disorder symptoms. The reliability and validity of the EAI was good suggesting that the scale is appropriate for measuring the risk of exercise addiction in elite athletes.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Lockdown 2020 Changed Patterns of Alcohol and Cannabis Use in Swiss Elite Athletes and Bodybuilders: Results From an Online Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Imboden ◽  
Malte Christian Claussen ◽  
Samuel Iff ◽  
Boris B. Quednow ◽  
Erich Seifritz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Elite Athletes ◽  
National Level ◽  
Severity Index ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
Daily Training

Objectives: During the COVID-19 pandemic, increased patterns of substance use have been reported in the general population. However, whether this also applies to athletes is not yet clear. This study aimed to detect changes in alcohol consumption and cannabis use in elite athletes and bodybuilders during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Switzerland.Methods: Between April 25 and May 25, 2020, a cross-sectional online survey was conducted among bodybuilders and Swiss elite athletes who were active in Olympic sports and disciplines approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on at least the national level. The collected data included information on alcohol and cannabis use during the last month (lockdown) and in the year before COVID-19 lockdown (pre-lockdown), daily training times, existential fears on a scale from 1 to 100, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depression (PHQ-9), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).Results:N = 275 athletes (elite athletes: n = 193; bodybuilders: n = 82) was included in this study. Both pre-lockdown and during lockdown, more bodybuilders used cannabis (both time points: p < 0.001) than elite athletes, and more elite athletes drank alcohol (pre-lockdown: p = 0.005, lockdown: p = 0.002) compared to bodybuilders. During lockdown, fewer athletes drank alcohol compared to before, but those who continued drinking did so on more days per week (p < 0.001, Eta2 = 0.13). Elite athletes were more likely to increase their drinking with 17.7 vs. 8.2% in bodybuilders. When compared to pre-lockdown measures, the number of athletes using cannabis did not change during lockdown. Only three of 203 elite athletes reported using cannabis during lockdown; this contrasts with 16 of 85 bodybuilders. In a multivariate regression model, existential fears and a lower ISI score were significant predictors for increased alcohol consumption during the lockdown in the entire sample. In a model based on elite athletes only, male sex and a lower ISI score predicted increased alcohol consumption. In a bodybuilder-based model, predictors of increased alcohol consumption were existential fears and trait anxiety.Conclusion: We suggest identifying athletes who are at risk for increased alcohol and cannabis use; we suggest this to be able to professionally support them during stressful times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Cross-cultural validation of an expanded Exercise Addiction Inventory: A preliminary protocol report

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
UMBERTO GRANZIOL ◽  
Mike Trott ◽  
Takayuki Akimoto ◽  
Mia Beck Lichtenstein ◽  
Nikolina Bjegovic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Time Saving ◽  
Exercise Addiction ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Dependence Scale ◽  
Exercise Addiction Inventory ◽  
And Gender

Background and aims. In the last thirty years, the continuously increasing number of studies investigating Exercise Addiction (EA) stimulated interest in developing instruments assessing the risk of exercise addiction (REA). One widely used tool is the Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI) because it is a brief, easy-to-use, time-saving, and psychometrically validated tool. However, its items based on the Components Model of Addiction still lack some reoccurring symptoms associated with exercise addiction. This protocol report outlines the methods of developing and validating an expanded version of the EAI (EAI-3) in a large international sample.Methods. The EAI-3 will be administered to over 5000 regular exercisers in 15 languages through an online survey. The survey will also include questions from the Exercise Dependence Scale-Revised, the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised, the SCOFF questionnaire, and the Ten Item Personality Inventory. We will investigate the factorial structure of the EAI-3 through confirmatory factor analysis. Moreover, we will test EAI-3’s measurement invariance across languages and gender. Finally, we aim to find a standard cutoff point for at-risk exercisers. Expected results. We expect to obtain a good fit of the EAI-3 structure and general measurement invariance. In addition, we expect associations with another EA measure and the other measures of mental health assessed in the study.Discussion and conclusions. We expect that the results will support an assessment tool useful in measuring the REA with greater accuracy and exhibiting reliability across gender and language (culture).

scholarly journals Key Performance Indicators in Irish Hospital Libraries: Developing Outcome-Based Metrics to Support Advocacy and Service Delivery

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Dalton
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
National Level ◽  
Strategic Objectives ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
Irish Hospital ◽  
Action Change ◽  
The Impact

Objective – To develop a set of generic outcome-based performance measures for Irish hospital libraries. Methods – Various models and frameworks of performance measurement were used as a theoretical paradigm to link the impact of library services directly with measurable healthcare objectives and outcomes. Strategic objectives were identified, mapped to performance indicators, and finally translated into response choices to a single-question online survey for distribution via email. Results – The set of performance indicators represents an impact assessment tool which is easy to administer across a variety of healthcare settings. In using a model directly aligned with the mission and goals of the organization, and linked to core activities and operations in an accountable way, the indicators can also be used as a channel through which to implement action, change, and improvement. Conclusion – The indicators can be adopted at a local and potentially a national level, as both a tool for advocacy and to assess and improve service delivery at a macro level. To overcome the constraints posed by necessary simplifications, substantial further research is needed by hospital libraries to develop more sophisticated and meaningful measures of impact to further aid decision making at a micro level.

Examining User Perception and Usage of Voice Search

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-47
Author(s):  
Ning Sa ◽  
Xiaojun (Jenny) Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Success Rate ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Search Behavior ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
User Perception ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Search Systems

AbstractWith the development of mobile technologies, voice search is becoming increasingly important in our daily lives. By investigating the general usage of voice search and user perception about voice search systems, this research aims to understand users’ voice search behavior. We are particularly interested in how users perform voice search, their topics of interest, and their preference toward voice search. We elicit users’ opinions by asking them to fill out an online survey. Results indicated that participants liked voice search because it was convenient. However, voice search was used much less frequently than keyboard search. The success rate of voice search was low, and the participants usually gave up voice search or switched to keyboard search. They tended to perform voice search when they were driving or walking. Moreover, the participants mainly used voice search for simple tasks on mobile devices. The main reasons why participants disliked voice search are attributed to the system mistakes and the fact that they were unable to modify the queries.

The use of the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) in a practice-based health discipline: Academic and student experience in paramedicine

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy Bell ◽  
Jennifer Kelly ◽  
Peter Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Examination ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Clinical Performance ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Specific Area ◽  
Training Model ◽  
Objective Structured Clinical Examination ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Effective Measure

Abstract:Purpose:Over the past two decades, the discipline of Paramedicine has seen expediential growth as it moved from a work-based training model to that of an autonomous profession grounded in academia.  With limited evidence-based literature examining assessment in paramedicine, this paper aims to describe student and academic views on the preference for OSCE as an assessment modality, the sufficiency of pre-OSCE instruction, and whether or not OSCE performance is a perceived indicator of clinical performance.Design/Methods:A voluntary, anonymous survey was conducted to examine the perception of the reliability and validity of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as an assessment tool by students sitting the examination and the academics that facilitate the assessment. Findings:The results of this study revealed that the more confident the students are in the reliability and validity of the assessment, the more likely they are to perceive the assessment as an effective measure of their clinical performance.  The perception of reliability and validity differs when acted upon by additional variables, with the level of anxiety associated with the assessment and the adequacy of feedback of performance cited as major influencers. Research Implications:The findings from this study indicate the need for further paramedicine discipline specific research into assessment methodologies to determine best practice models for high quality assessment.Practical Implications:The development of evidence based best practice guidelines for the assessment of student paramedics should be of the upmost importance to a young, developing profession such as paramedicine.Originality/Value: There is very little research in the discipline specific area of assessment for paramedicine and discipline specific education research is essential for professional growth.Limitations:The principal researcher was a faculty member of one of the institutions surveyed.  However, all data was non identifiable at time of data collection.  Key WordsParamedic; paramedicine; objective structured clinical examinations; OSCE; education; assessment.

Advancing Women in Local Government: The Case of Illinois

Public Voices ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 89
Author(s):  
Rachel Lange ◽  
Kimberly Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Positive Solution ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Time Commitment ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Local Government Management ◽  
Professional Fields

Despite gains by women in many professional fields, the top level of local government management ranks continues to be populated primarily by man. The percentage of females serving as local government chief administrators has not increased since the 1980s. Little empirical research exists that attempts to uncover the reason for the gender gap. The purpose of this research is to identify some of the obstacles and barriers that affect a woman’s decision to advance her career in local government. Utilizing an online survey, the authors surveyed female chief administrative officers (CAOs), assistant CAOs, assistant to the CAOs, and deputy CAOs in Illinois. The survey results show that barriers such as a male dominated culture and time commitment to work life and family life are preventing females from achieving higher authority. Mentoring proves to be a positive solution to many of the barriers facing women in local government.

scholarly journals Integrating Sustainability and Lean: SLIM Method and Enterprise Game Proposed

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilie Tăucean ◽  
Matei Tămășilă ◽  
Larisa Ivascu ◽  
Șerban Miclea ◽  
Mircea Negruț
Keyword(s):  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Training Methods ◽  
Effective Solution ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Education Activity ◽  
Industry And Education ◽  
The Unemployed

Sustainability and leanness are organizational approach concepts for more efficient activities and increased competitiveness. This paper presents a study and an application of the concepts of sustainability and lean, with the purpose to capitalize on the benefits of the two concepts’ tools when used together in an industry and education activity. A literature review was carried out to evaluate qualitatively and empirically the concepts of sustainability, lean, and enterprise games, and the possibility to integrate the first two concepts into a new tool applied into an enterprise game. An online survey was done to identify which tools are used within companies in the region, how and what training methods they used, and what the reported benefits are. The survey results were used to design a new tool integrated in a new enterprise game (SLIM) developed by the authors. The game was tested and validated in educational laboratory with students and actual employees from companies. The game follows the frame of an enterprise game, considering the simulation of enterprise classical functions. The game’s purpose is to improve the activity in successive rounds. A scorecard is used to fill in and compute the key performance indicators (KPIs), and a new indicator is proposed (SLIMx). Applications of the instrument/game include: students’ training in an educational laboratory; lifelong learning; professional training in companies; and professional perfection/reconversion of potential employees and the unemployed. The SLIM game was simulated in a team of 15 players over three rounds, with teachers playing the role of the supervisor. A number of possible improvements have been identified. The next step is testing it in enterprises with various fields of activity. SLIM has proven to be an effective solution to improve organizational efficiency and motivate players to gain new knowledge.

scholarly journals Testing a self-assessment tool for HP competencies with participants of training courses in Austria

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
G Lang
Keyword(s):  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Training Courses ◽  
Training Programmes

Abstract Background High quality health promotion (HP) depends on a competent workforce for which professional development programmes for practitioners are essential. The “CompHP Core Competencies Framework in HP” defines crucial competency domains but a recent review concluded that the implementation and use of the framework is lacking. The aim was to develop and validate a self-assessment tool for HP competencies, which should help evaluate training courses. Methods A brief self-assessment tool was employed in 2018 in Austria. 584 participants of 77 training courses submitted their post-course assessment (paper-pencil, RR = 78.1%). In addition, longitudinal data are available for 148 participants who filled in a pre-course online questionnaire. Measurement reliability and validity was tested by single factor, bifactor, multigroup, and multilevel CFA. A SEM proved for predictive and concurrent validity, controlling gender and age. Results A bifactor model (X2/df=3.69, RMSEA=.07, CFI=.95, sRMR=.07) showed superior results with a strong general CompHP factor (FL>.65, wH=.90, ECV=.85), configurally invariant for two training programmes. On course level, there was only minimal variance between trainings (ICC<.08). Structurally, there was a significant increase in HP competencies when comparing pre- and post-course measurements (b=.33, p<.01). Participants showed different levels of competencies due to prior knowledge (b=.38, p<.001) and course format (b=.16, p<.06). The total scale had good properties (m = 49.8, sd = 10.3, 95%-CI: 49.0-50.7) and discriminated between groups (eg by training length). Conclusions The results justify the creation of an overall scale to assess core HP competencies. It is recommended to use the scale for evaluating training courses. The work compensates for the lack of empirical studies on the CompHP concept and facilitates a broader empirical application of a uniform competency framework for HP in accordance with international standards in HP and public health. Key messages The self-assessment tool provides a good and compact foundation for assessing HP competencies. It provides a basis for holistic, high quality and sustainable capacity building or development in HP.

Reliability and Validity Analyses of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory

2005 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred Schmidt ◽  
Robert D. Hoge ◽  
Lezlie Gomes
Keyword(s):  
Juvenile Offenders ◽  
Case Management ◽  
Interrater Reliability ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Level Of Service ◽  
Risk Level ◽  
Criminogenic Needs ◽  
Health Assessments ◽  
Males And Females

The Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) is a structured assessment tool designed to facilitate the effective intervention and rehabilitation of juvenile offenders by assessing each youth’s risk level and criminogenic needs. The present study examined the YLS/CMI’s reliability and validity in a sample of 107 juvenile offenders who were court-referred for mental health assessments. Results demonstrated the YLS/CMI’s internal consistency and interrater reliability. Moreover, the instrument’s predictive validity was substantiated on a number of recidivism measures for both males and females. Limitations of the current findings are discussed.

scholarly journals Training interns in nutrition and dietetics: a cross-sectional study of the barriers and motivators to being a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist preceptor

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea M. Hutchins ◽  
Donna M. Winham ◽  
Jinette P. Fellows ◽  
Michelle M. Heer
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
National Level ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Registered Dietitian ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Entry Level

Abstract Background As is common across the health professions, training of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) requires experiential learning for interns/students to gain skills and demonstrate entry-level competency. Preceptors are essential to the experiential learning component of health care professional training, providing supervision and mentoring as students and interns gain the skills required for entry-level practice competency. Over the past 27 years, 47–73% of applicants to dietetic internships have received a placement. Practitioners willing to volunteer as preceptors are needed to generate more internship or experiential learning opportunities for the profession to continue to meet workforce demands. Methods The objective of this national-level online cross-sectional survey was to identify perceptions and attitudes associated with the preceptor role and incentives that might encourage precepting by current RDNs. A random sample of RDN and Nutrition and Dietetic Technicians, Registered (NDTR) professionals from the Commission on Dietetic Registration credentialed practitioner database were eligible to participate in the online survey. The main outcome measures included perceptions, attitudes, and preferred incentives to precept compared by preceptor experience categories (current, former, never precepted). Comparisons of perceptions, attitudes, and preferred incentives were made between preceptor experience categories using Chi-square and ANOVA. Results Of 2464 invitations, 308 participants had complete variables for analysis. Top incentives were the opportunity to earn continuing education units (65.9%) and having expenses paid to attend a national conference (49.5%). Significantly more (P < 0.001) “former” and “never” preceptors reported the ability to choose when to take an intern, training on how to teach and communicate with interns, and access to an “on-call” specialist as incentives compared to “current” preceptors. Significantly more (P < 0.01) “never” preceptors reported training on internship expectations and the ability to provide input on intern selection process as incentives compared to “current” or “former” preceptors. Conclusions Incentives to serve as a preceptor differ based on “current”, “former”, or “never” precepted status. Promoting and strategizing solutions to the current imbalance between the greater number of dietetic internship applicants compared to preceptors should be targeted based on preceptor status to retain current preceptors, encourage former preceptors to return and recruit professionals who have never served.

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