Zoekresultaten

Generalized Joint Hypermobility and Anxiety Are Serious Risk Factors for Dysfunctioning in Dance Students: A One-Year Follow-Up Study

Young professional dancers find themselves in a demanding environment. GJH within dancers is often seen as aesthetically beneficial and a sign of talent but was found to be potentially disabling. Moreover, high-performing adolescents and young adults (HPAA), in this specific lifespan, might be even more vulnerable to anxiety-related disability. Therefore, we examined the development of the association between the presence of Generalized Joint Hypermobility (GJH) and anxiety within HPAA with a one-year follow-up. In 52.3% of the HPAA, anxiety did not change significantly over time, whereas GJH was present in 28.7%. Fatigue increased significantly in all HPAA at one year follow-up (respectively, females MD (SD) 18(19), p < 0.001 and males MD (SD) 9(19), p < 0.05). A significantly lower odds ratio (ß (95% CI) 0.4 (0.2–0.9); p-value 0.039) for participating in the second assessment was present in HPAA with GJH and anxiety with a 55% dropout rate after one year. This confirms the segregation between GJH combined with anxiety and GJH alone. The fatigue levels of all HPAA increased significantly over time to a serious risk for sick leave and work disability. This study confirms the association between GJH and anxiety but especially emphasizes the disabling role of anxiety. Screening for anxiety is relevant in HPAA with GJH and might influence tailored interventions.

The Position of Female Entrepreneurs and Women in Tech

English:In the Netherlands female entrepreneurs and women in tech have structurally less opportunities than men. The latest numbers from October 2020 show that only 1 percent of all venture capital went to female entrepreneurs. The percentage of non-white entrepreneurs that received financing is even below 1 percent. Remarkable numbers if we look at the demographics of the Dutch population and a clear signal that bias is a structural problem in financing start-ups. Additionally, there remains an underrepresentation of women at all levels in the tech industry.As part of the Rise project, this whitepaper will focus on the question ‘What needs to be done in the coming years to improve the position of female entrepreneurs and women in tech? Building on an expert session, a review of annual reports and a short survey amongst a selected group of support organizations, we focus on the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (MRA) and show a clear trend towards ‘women only’ programs for female entrepreneurs and an increase in the support structures for female tech workers. In this report, the results of a baseline analysis for the state of the field for Female Entrepreneur and Women in Tech in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area will be presented by the professorship of Entrepreneurship from the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS).--Dutch:WOMEN Inc., HvA en We Rise hebben een rapport geschreven over de positie van vrouwelijke ondernemers en vrouwen die werken in de tech-sector. Er is onderzocht wat er momenteel wordt gedaan om de positie van vrouwelijke ondernemers en vrouwen in tech te ondersteunen en wat er de komende jaren kan veranderen om dit te verbeteren.

Changes in perceived stress and recovery in overreached young elite soccer players

The aim of this study was to prospectively monitor sport-specific performance and assess the stress-recovery balance in overreached (OR) soccer players and controls. During two competitive seasons, 94 players participated in the study. The stress-recovery balance (RESTQ-Sport) and sport-specific performance (Interval Shuttle Run Test) were assessed monthly. Seven players with performance decrement of at least a month were classified as OR. Stress and recovery measures were assessed between groups (OR vs healthy players) and at different times within the OR group. An unfavorable total recovery score appeared 2 months before diagnosis when compared with the reference values of the healthy group established at the start of the season (P=0.009) and also over the two seasons (P=0.028). The scales Emotional Stress (P=0.044), Physical Recovery (P=0.009), General Well-being (P=0.001) and Sleep Quality (P=0.045) were sensitive to OR compared with the average of the healthy group over the two seasons. Finally, Fatigue and Being in Shape demonstrated the largest changes in stress and recovery within the OR players (effect size=1.14 and 1.50). The longitudinal monitoring of performance and changes in stress and recovery may be useful for the detection of OR in its earliest stage. The information obtained from these tests can be used to optimize individual training and recovery programs.

'Take a Mental Break!' study

Background Running-related injuries (RRIs) can be considered the primary enemy of runners. Most literature on injury prediction and prevention overlooks the mental aspects of overtraining and under-recovery, despite their potential role in injury prediction and prevention. Consequently, knowledge on the role of mental aspects in RRIs is lacking. Objective To investigate mental aspects of overtraining and under-recovery by means of an online injury prevention programme. Methods and analysis The ‘Take a Mental Break!’ study is a randomised controlled trial with a 12 month follow-up. After completing a web-based baseline survey, half and full marathon runners were randomly assigned to the intervention group or the control group. Participants of the intervention group obtained access to an online injury prevention programme, consisting of a running-related smartphone application. This app provided the participants of the intervention group with information on how to prevent overtraining and RRIs with special attention to mental aspects. The primary outcome measure is any self-reported RRI over the past 12 months. Secondary outcome measures include vigour, fatigue, sleep and perceived running performance. Regression analysis will be conducted to investigate whether the injury prevention programme has led to a lower prevalence of RRIs, better health and improved perceived running performance. Ethics and dissemination The Medical Ethics Committee of the University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands, has exempted the current study from ethical approval (reference number: NL64342.041.17). Results of the study will be communicated through scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, scientific reports and presentations on scientific conferences.

What is not known is not aimed for — Understanding staff knowledge and readiness to embrace sustainable and healthy food.

The effect of stress and recovery on field-test performance in floorball

Physical and psychosocial stress and recovery are important performance determinants. A holistic approach that monitors these performance determinants over a longer period of time is lacking. Therefore this study aims to investigate the effect of a player’s physical and psychosocial stress and recovery on field-test performance. In a prospective non-experimental cohort design 10 female Dutch floorball players were monitored over 6 months. To monitor physical and psychosocial stress and recovery, daily training-logs and three-weekly the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ-Sport) were filled out respectively. To determine field-test performance 6 Heart rate Interval Monitoring System (HIMS) and 4 Repeated Modified Agility T-test (RMAT) measurements were performed. Multilevel prediction models were applied to account for within-players and between-players field-test performance changes. The results show that more psychosocial stress and less psychosocial recovery over 3 to 6 weeks before testing decrease HIMS performance (p≤0.05). More physical stress over 6 weeks before testing improves RMAT performance (p≤0.05). In conclusion, physical and psychosocial stress and recovery affect submaximal interval-based running performance and agility up to 6 weeks before testing. Therefore both physical and psychosocial stress and recovery should be monitored in daily routines to optimize performance.