Empowering youth sport environments: Implications for daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and adiposity

Background: Evidence suggests involvement in youth sport does not guarantee daily guidelines for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity(MVPA) are met, and participation may not mitigate the risks associated with physical inactivity. The need to promote higher habitual MVPA engagement amongst children active in the youth sport context has therefore been underlined. Framed by self-determination theory, the aim of the present study was to examine the implications of the motivational climate created in youth sport, for children's daily engagement in MVPA and associated adiposity. Specifically, we sought to test a motivational sequence in which children's perceptions of an empowering coach-created motivational climate were related to autonomous and controlled motivation, which in turn predicted sport-related enjoyment. Finally, enjoyment was assumed to predict accelerometer assessed daily MVPA and, following this, adiposity.Methods: Male and female youth sport participants aged 9–16 years(n = 112) completed multi-section questionnaires assessing their perceptions of the motivational climate created in youth sport(i.e., autonomy supportive, task involving, socially supportive), autonomous and controlled motivation, and sport-related enjoyment. Daily MVPA engagement was determined via 7 days of accelerometry. Percent body fat(BF%) was estimated using bio-electrical impedance analysis.Results: Path analysis revealed perceptions of an empowering motivational climate positively predicted players' autonomous motivation, and in turn, sport-related enjoyment. Enjoyment was also significantly negatively related to players' BF%, via a positive association with daily MVPA.Conclusion: Fostering more empowering youth sport environments may hold implications for the prevention of excess adiposity, through encouraging higher habitual MVPA engagement. Findings may inform the optimal design of youth sport settings for MVPA promotion, and contribute towards associated healthy weight maintenance amongst youth active in this context. Longitudinal and intervention studies are required to confirm these results.

Perceptions of Injured Athletes after Eight Weeks of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction(MBSR)has been extensively ap­plied as a clinical intervention by researchers’who have made on-the-spot decisions research as part of their practice.This research was provided via a knowledge transfer of 8 weeks of MBSR based on the original MBSR version.The main objective of this study was to offer a qualitative explorative insight into the perceived experience of participating in a MBSR program for injured athletes.A semi structured interview was con­ducted with each injured athlete who participated in this study.A thematic analysis was applied to explore the themes which emerged from injured athletes’experience after 8 weeks of participation in a MBSR program.Five themes emerged from injured athletes’attitudes towards MBSR:1)Reconnecting with the body,2)Reconnecting with the mind,3)Passivity of MBSR as opposed to the athletic praxis,4)Group versus self-guided MBSR,5)Acceptance of pain.These different themes are presented and discussed below.This particular qualitative exploratory investigation was based on injured athletes’experiences in this study;MBSR can benefit them during the sport rehabilitation process.As such,the findings will promote scientific understanding about the effectiveness of MBSR as a clinical intervention.It should also be noted that,more investigation is required to find out about the role of mindfulness meditation in terms of therapeutic aspects with injured athletes.