Evaluation of the HEAL™ing Mental Health program: A prospective cohort study of short-term changes from a physical activity and lifestyle education program for people with mental health disorders living in rural Australia.

This study aimed to evaluate short-term outcomes of the HEAL™ing Mental Health program, an 8-week intervention for change in functional, behavioural and physiological health and wellbeing designed for people living with mental health conditions in rural or regional areas of Australia. A prospective cohort study was completed, reporting on 19 items (pre-program) and 15 (post-participation change), organised across seven domains. Participants took part in an Accredited Exercise Physiologist/Nurse led supervised group exercise (60 minutes) and healthy lifestyle education program (60 minutes). Separate linear mixed models with restricted maximum likelihood were used to examine the primary research question considering the effect of the program on: walking (min/week); planned, incidental and total physical activity (min/week); sitting time; active days; fruit and vegetable intake; body mass index; waist circumference; blood pressure; 6 minute walk distance; 30 second sit-to-stand; psychological distress symptoms; and stage of behaviour change. There were 99 participants (31 males, 68 females) out of 117 participants completed more than 50% of program sessions. Twelve of 15 measures achieved their desired target change and a statistically significant change toward the desired outcome was reported for 14 of 15 measures. Positive results were obtained for participants completing more than 50% of sessions, suggesting that HEAL™ ing Mental Health program is effective to increase physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices in individuals who self-report a mental health disorder.

Training for "Worst-Case" Scenarios in Sidestepping: Unifying Strength and Conditioning and Perception-Action Approaches.

Sidesteps can impose high demands on the knee joint and lead to non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Understanding how different constraints shape an athlete's movement strategy and the associated joint demands can help design training interventions to increase injury resilience. Motor capacities, such as muscular strength and power, act as boundaries for the safe execution of perceptual-motor skills and co-determine the emergence of unique movement strategies. Increasing single- and multi-joint strength enables a broader solution space for movement strategies and increases load tolerance. Manipulating task constraints during sidesteps can be used in the training process to systematically expose athletes to increasing demands (on the knee joint or any joint or structure) in preparation for "worst-case" scenarios. In particular, the type and timing of information available influence the preparation time, subsequently affecting the movement strategy and the associated magnitude of external knee joint loading (e.g., knee valgus moment). While an athlete's perceptual-cognitive skills contribute to the preparation time during in situ scenarios, attempts to further improve those skills with the aim of increasing athlete preparation time prior to "worst-case" scenarios are yet to demonstrate conclusive evidence of transfer to on-field situations. Therefore, in the current article, we reflect on the impact of different interacting constraints that influence the execution of sidesteps during in situ scenarios and impose high demands on the knee joint. Subsequently, we discuss how an integrated perspective, drawing on knowledge and perspectives from strength and conditioning and perception-action, may enhance an athlete's ability to withstand "worst-case" scenarios and adapt to perform varied movement executions when sidestepping.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: Common Errors in Meta-Analyses and Meta-Regressions in Strength & Conditioning Research.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Meta-analysis and meta-regression are often highly cited and may influence practice. Unfortunately, statistical errors in meta-analyses are widespread and can lead to flawed conclusions. The purpose of this article was to review common statistical errors in meta-analyses and to document their frequency in highly cited meta-analyses from strength and conditioning research. METHODS: We identified five errors in one highly cited meta-regression from strength and conditioning research: implausible outliers; overestimated effect sizes that arise from confusing standard deviation with standard error; failure to account for correlated observations; failure to account for within-study variance; and a focus on within-group rather than between-group results. We then quantified the frequency of these errors in 20 of the most highly cited meta-analyses in the field of strength and conditioning research from the past 20 years. RESULTS: We found that 85% of the 20 most highly cited meta-analyses in strength and conditioning research contained statistical errors. Almost half (45%) contained at least one effect size that was mistakenly calculated using standard error rather than standard deviation. In several cases, this resulted in obviously wrong effect sizes, for example, effect sizes of 11 or 14 standard deviations. Additionally, 45% failed to account for correlated observations despite including numerous effect sizes from the same study and often from the same group within the same study. CONCLUSIONS: Statistical errors in meta-analysis and meta-regression are common in strength and conditioning research. We highlight five errors that authors, editors, and readers should check for when preparing or critically reviewing meta-analyses.

Test Re-test Reliability of Single and Multijoint Strength Properties in Female Australian Footballers.

PURPOSE: To examine the test re-test reliability of isometric maximal voluntary contractions (MVC) of hip adduction (ADDISO), hip abduction (ABDISO), and multijoint leg extension (SQUATISO) in sub-elite female Australian footballers. METHODS: Data were collected from 24 sub-elite female Australian footballers (age 22.6 ± 4.5 years; height 169.4 ± 5.5 cm; body mass 66.6 ± 8.0 kg; 4.5 ± 4.4 years sport-specific training; 2.5 ± 2.0 years unstructured resistance training) from the same club on two non-consecutive days. Participants performed three isometric MVCs of ADDISO, ABDISO, and SQUATISO. The SQUATISO was performed at 140° knee flexion with a vertical trunk position and ADDISO and ABDISO measures were performed in a supine position at 60° of knee flexion and 60° hip flexion. Reliability was assessed using paired t tests and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), typical error (TE), and coefficient of variation (CV%) with 95% CI. RESULTS: SQUATISO peak force (ICC .95; CV% 4.1), ABDISO for left, right, and sum (ICC .90-.92; CV% 5.0-5.7), and ADDISO for left, right, and sum (ICC .86-.91; CV% 6.2-6.9) were deemed acceptably reliable based on predetermined criteria (ICC ≥ .8 and CV% ≤ 10). CONCLUSION: SQUATISO, ABDISO, and ADDISO tests demonstrated acceptable reliability for the assessment of peak force in sub-elite female Australian footballers, suggesting these assessments are suitable for muscle strength testing and monitoring adaptations to training.