Differences in Effort, Reward, Grit, Burnout, and Continuous Exercise Intention: Assessing the Effort-Reward Imbalance among Korean Athletes.

Although studies have shown that an imbalance between effort and reward in the workplace negatively affects an individual's physiological and mental health, few have looked at how this imbalance may affect the mental state of athletes. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the importance of the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) in athletes by examining whether psychological variables would differ depending on the ERI. To accomplish this, 795 registered collegiate athletes were recruited. Of them, 227 and 230 responses with the ERI in the bottom and in the top 30% of the ERI scale were selected to compare groups with a high and a low ERI. Athletes completed a self-reported 64-item questionnaire (general characteristics: 5; effort: 14; rewards: 14; grit: 12; burnout: 15; and continuous exercise intention: 4 items). Data analysis included reliability and validity using the Jamovi and SPSS/AMOS software. The results showed no significant differences in effort, reward, grit, burnout, and intention to continue to exercise based on gender, weekly training frequency, and hours of training per day. There were differences in effort, reward, grit, burnout, and intention to continue exercising based on the presence of a professional league. Additionally, differences were found in effort, reward, grit, burnout, and intention to continue exercising between the low and high ERI groups. There was a clear difference between the mental state of those who were satisfied with their effort and reward, and those who were not. However, given that the two groups spent approximately the same amount of time exercising each week, the difference may have been more a function of the psychology of athletes than an actual difference in effort and reward. As our findings confirmed that the level of the ERI in athletes is related to their mental state, further research is necessary to identify and control factors that affect the ERI in athletes.

Mediating Effect of Sports Safety Awareness between Sports Activity Habits and the Intention to Complete Safety Education among Korean Adolescents.

BACKGROUND: As the importance of safety during sports activities continues to gain emphasis socially, the interest in creating a culture of safety and safety education to support this is also increasing. However, no study has examined the willingness of adolescents to complete safety education voluntarily. To identify methods of building a culture of sports safety among adolescents, this study investigated the structural relationship among three related variables: sports activity habits, intention to complete safety education, and sports safety awareness of Korean adolescents. METHODS: Data on 3928 adolescents aged 13-18 years old from the 2019 Sports Safety Accident Survey conducted by the Korea Sports Safety Foundation were analyzed. This encompassed frequency analysis, scale reliability, validity verification, descriptive statistics analysis, path analysis, and mediating effect verification. RESULTS: The results indicated that sports activity habits among these adolescents had a positive effect on their sports safety awareness and on their intention to complete safety education; further, their sports safety awareness had a positive effect on their intention to complete safety education. The results also showed that sports safety awareness had a partial mediating effect between sports activity habits and intention to complete safety education. The willingness of adolescents to voluntarily complete safety education is particularly important, as adolescence is a critical period when lifelong safety habits can be formed. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results, discussions on creating safe sports activity habits for adolescents and continuous education on sports safety awareness are needed. Ultimately, we need to improve sports safety awareness by paying attention to the development and implementation of sports safety education programs for adolescents as a national policy and, through this, increase their willingness to complete safety education.

Wellness Perception of South Korean Elementary School Students during the COVID-19 Endemic.

This study aimed to analyze health management awareness among South Korean elementary school students in COVID-19 endemic areas. METHODS: Using convenience sampling, 675 South Korean elementary school students (age 11-12 years old) were selected as participants in July 2023. Data for the study were collected via online and offline surveys between July and August 2023. The collected data were subjected to frequency, reliability, and multicollinearity analyses, independent sample t-tests, and importance-performance analysis (IPA). RESULTS: The findings indicated the following: (1) There was no significant difference in health management performance between male and female children. (2) Children who had not experienced COVID-19 infection, had a higher level of "hygiene management" performance. (3) Among children who did not wear masks during physical activity, "mental health management" and "physical activity management" performance were higher, while "hygiene management" performance was lower. (4) The IPA matrix analysis revealed that, compared to the COVID-19 pandemic period, "physical activity management", "dietary habit management", and "sleep management" still required improvement, while "hygiene management" and "disease management" appeared to have decreased due to the relaxation of epidemic control efforts. CONCLUSION: As per the study's findings, schools, local communities, and families should make efforts to develop and implement preventive and individualized health management programs that consider the individual characteristics of their children.

Changes in Physical Fitness among Elementary and Middle School Students in Korea before and after COVID-19.

The present study aimed to analyze changes in health-related physical fitness among Korean elementary and middle school students before (2019) and after (2021) the COVID-19 pandemic. Data collection was completed by requesting the physical activity promotion system (PAPS) data from elementary and middle school students. This information is obtained annually by the Goyang Office of Education in Gyeonggi-do, Korea. The collected data were measured in 2019 and 2021. Data were collected from 17,000 children in the fifth and sixth grades of elementary school and about 24,000 boys and girls in the first, second, and third grades of middle school. Chi-square analyses were used to examine data from each school's health-related physical fitness examinations. Our results indicated that physical fitness levels were significantly lower in 2021 than in 2019 across the following six areas: cardiorespiratory endurance, power, muscular strength, flexibility, obesity, and overall health-related physical fitness (p < 0.05). In addition, the ratio of students with excellent physical fitness (PAPS Grades 1 and 2) significantly decreased from 2019 to 2021, while the ratio of students with poor physical fitness (PAPS Grades 3, 4, and 5) increased (p < 0.05). In addition, there were some differences according to grade and gender. Discussions regarding the impact of decreases in physical activity on physical fitness, interpretations of physical fitness in the context of a pandemic, and practical measures that can be implemented to improve health and fitness among children and adolescents in such situations remain essential.

Factor Structure of the Korean Version of the Occupational Socialization of Beginning Physical Education Teachers Scale in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Relationship with Health Perception Education.

This study aimed to explore the factor structure of the Korean version of the occupational socialization of beginning physical education teachers scale, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to verify its relationship with health perception education. In October 2021, 257 Korean beginning physical education teachers were enrolled in this study. Data were analyzed using frequency analysis, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, and multiple regression analysis. Regarding the findings, first, the occupational socialization of beginning physical education teachers scale showed a six-factor structure: role recognition, past physical education class experience, pre-service teacher education, organizational atmosphere, fellow physical education teachers, and sports facility. Second, occupational socialization of beginning physical education teachers showed a partial positive effect on health perception education. These results suggest that the Korean Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education and Korean schools should develop various methods to support and ensure the occupational socialization of beginning physical education teachers. Such efforts may enable these new professionals to effectively adapt to their schools, teaching roles, and provide effective health education to students under the difficult context of the COVID-19 pandemic, wherein normal educational activities are hindered.

An Analysis of Health Perceptions and Performance in Elementary Students in Korea during the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, social distancing guidelines changed lifestyles, including increased sedentary time, physical inactivity, and disrupted sleep patterns among children. The purpose of the present study is to analyze the health awareness (mental health, disease, physical activity, sleep, eating habit, and hygiene health management) of elementary school students during the COVID-19 pandemic, and use the importance-performance analysis (IPA) technique to identify gender differences in health perceptions. We collected data on 1006 students, which was analyzed using frequency analysis, reliability testing, independent sample t-tests, and importance-performance analysis (IPA). A median importance value of 0.163 and a median performance value of 4.048 were selected as cross points to distribute the IPA matrix into four quadrants. The highest performance was given for wearing a mask and sanitary practice; the IPA matrix indicated that the sense of belonging, happiness, trust, and movement activity were located in quadrant I. Children's regular physical activity and level of physical activity were low, especially that of girls. Children's sleep management was poor. Their physical activity and sleep-related factors must be improved under the facilitation of the national government, public education institutions, and families.

Effects of School-Based Physical Activity Programs on Health-Related Physical Fitness of Korean Adolescents: A Preliminary Study.

As adolescents spend the majority of their time focused on exams and assignments, they do not have sufficient time to engage in physical activity; this lack of physical activity is an important public health concern. This study aimed to investigate how school-based physical activity programs affect the health-related physical fitness of adolescents in the Republic of Korea. For this study, a total of 120 high school students participated in a school-based physical activity program that included badminton and table tennis for 15 weeks each (35 min/day, three times a week), with a total of 30 weeks for one academic year. The parameters for health-related physical fitness measured muscle strength (handgrip strength), power (standing long jump), cardiorespiratory fitness (shuttle run test), flexibility (sit and reach), body mass index (BMI), and the total score. The results revealed a statistically significant improvement in muscle strength (p < 0.001), power (p < 0.001), cardiorespiratory fitness (p < 0.001), flexibility (p = 0.005), and the overall health-related physical fitness score (p = 0.001). However, students' BMI showed no significant difference before and after participation (p = 0.825). The results of this study indicated that school-based physical activity programs can have a positive effect on the health-related physical fitness of adolescents.

Development and Implementation of a "Music Beeps" Program to Promote Physical Fitness in Adolescents.

This study aimed to develop a physical education fitness program for adolescents to counteract the declining physical activity levels caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to investigate the program's effect. This mixed-methods study developed and implemented a five-component "Music Beeps" (MB) program to promote adolescents' physical fitness. A total of 240 students from two high schools in South Korea-divided into experimental and control groups-participated in 32 sessions over 16 weeks. The changes in students' fitness were analyzed, and the educational effects were examined via inductive analysis of the observation logs and group and in-depth interviews. The results demonstrated that, whereas the comparison group demonstrated no statistically significant changes in power, muscular strength and endurance, or cardiopulmonary endurance, the experimental group showed changes in all these variables, along with changes in flexibility. Further, the MB program had significant educational effects. First, students reported that musical cues enhanced their fitness motivation and sense of responsibility. Second, record-keeping and active participation contributed to self-led fitness management. Third, activity in a small space with few pieces of equipment led to the positive perception that the program was efficient and enabled regular exercise regardless of climate conditions.

Efficacy of the optimal ablation index-targeted strategy for pulmonary vein isolation in patients with atrial fibrillation: the OPTIMUM study results.

PURPOSE: The ablation index (AI) is a recently developed marker for ablation lesion quality that incorporates contact force (CF), time, and power in a weighted formula. There is a paucity of information on whether AI-guided pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) could improve the outcome in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We evaluated the optimal AI threshold for avoiding acute pulmonary vein reconnection (PVR), and to compare the efficacy of optimal AI-targeted PVI with that of conventional CF-guided PVI. METHODS: Seventy patients with AF (paroxysmal, 67%) were enrolled. In a phase 1 study, the patients underwent conventional CF-guided PVI (CON group), and the optimal AI threshold for avoiding acute PVR was identified. In phase 2, the patients underwent AI-guided PVI (OAI group). We compared the acute PVR rate between the CON group and the OAI group to demonstrate the efficacy of AI-guided PVI. RESULTS: In phase 1 (n = 38), acute PVR was observed in 57 of 532 (10.7%) segments. AI values of ≥ 450 at the anterior/roof segments and of ≥ 350 at the posterior/inferior/carina segments were identified as the optimal AI thresholds for avoiding acute PVR. In the phase 2 study targeting those AI values, the OAI group (n = 32) showed a significantly lower acute PVR rate than the CON group (4.2% vs. 10.7%, p < 0.001). The OAI group showed a higher minimum AI and smaller variations in AI values than the CON group. CONCLUSIONS: Optimal AI-targeted PVI is feasible and could improve the acute outcome in patients with AF. TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT03389074.

Association of metabolic syndrome and chronic kidney disease with atrial fibrillation: A nationwide population-based study in Korea.

AIMS: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are significant risk factors for incident atrial fibrillation (AF). Few studies have reported the synergistic effect of MetS and CKD on development of AF. We investigated the individual and synergistic effects of MetS and CKD on the risk of incident AF. METHODS: We studied a retrospective cohort comprising 22,886,663 Koreans whose data was obtained from the national health claims database established by the Korean National Health Insurance Service between 2008 and 2013. Patients were classified into a MetS and a CKD group and followed-up until 2016 for new-onset AF. A Cox proportional hazards model assessed the independent and synergistic effect of MetS and CKD on the risk of incident AF. RESULTS: The prevalence of MetS and CKD in these patients was 27.4% and 5.4%, respectively. During a mean follow-up of 5.4 years, AF developed in 225,529 patients (1% of the total cohort). The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for incident AF was 1.38 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.36-1.39) for MetS, and 1.35 (95% CI 1.34-1.37) for CKD. Patients with MetS and CKD showed a higher risk of AF (HR 1.75, 95% CI 1.73-1.78) than that observed in those without MetS and CKD. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of MetS and CKD showed a high risk of development of AF in a large-scale nationwide cohort. Further studies are warranted to determine whether pharmacological and/or lifestyle interventions can control/manage these modifiable risk factors to reduce the risk of development of AF.

Crystal structure of 2-bromo-4,6-di-nitroaniline.

In the title compound, C6H4BrN3O4, the dihedral angles between the nitro groups and the aniline ring are 2.04 (3) and 1.18 (4)°, respectively. In the crystal, N-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and weak side-on C-Br⋯π inter-actions [3.5024 (12) Å] link adjacent mol-ecules, forming a three-dimensional network. A close O⋯Br contact [3.259 (2) Å] may also add additional stability.