MS, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Allied Health Sciences: Nutrition

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a six-week nutrition education intervention in increasing nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy related to nutrition behaviors in female high school athletes. Methods: A preliminary assessment of needs was distributed to a group of athletes at a local high school. Female high school athletes were recruited to participate in the nutrition intervention.. The intervention included six-weekly nutrition education sessions, each of which being one half hour in duration. The topics of the classes included energy needs, macronutrients, micronutrients, periodization, hydration, and supplement usage. Nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy related to nutrition behaviors were assessed before and after the intervention. Paired T-tests were used to examine the differences pre- to post-intervention for nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy. Results: Seventeen participants completed both the pre- and post-test. The average knowledge post-test score was 34.35. The average change in score from pre to post was +3.7 points. The post-test score was significantly higher than the pre-test score at p<0.05. The average score of the self-efficacy pre-evaluation was 4.67 points (with the highest possible score being 7 and lowest possible score being 1), and the average score of the self-efficacy post-evaluation was 5.94 points. The average change in this score was +1.24 points. The average score from the self-efficacy post-evaluation was significantly higher than that of the self-efficacy pre-evaluation at p<0.001. There were no significant differences found by grade level for self-efficacy or nutrition knowledge. Conclusion: This nutrition education intervention was shown to be effective in increasing sports nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy in this population. The short duration and flexibility of this program indicate that it would be feasible to repeat the intervention with future participants. Future inte (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sarah Couch Ph.D. (Committee Member); Abigail Peairs Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Nutrition

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Approximately 7.8 million high school students participate in athletics annually and although athletic participation comes with many benefits, it also comes with an inherent risk of lower extremity (LE) musculoskeletal (MSK) injury. Effectively identifying individuals at greatest risk of injury first requires an accurate understanding of injury risk. Despite the breadth of research, current injury risk assessment models are inadequate and no gold standard exists for effectively identifying risk of injury in physically active populations. Most research fails to target multiple risk factors and, instead, often focuses on how one specific risk factor alters injury risk. Additionally, research has not examined how injury risk is altered by relationships among risk factors. These gaps in knowledge have formed an understanding of injury risk that does not reflect a multi-factorial model where factors influence risk through a combination of direct, indirect and moderated effects. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to assess the complex multifactorial nature of LE MSK injury risk in adolescent athletes. Aim 1 established similarities and differences in epidemiology of injury in boys' and girls' high school soccer and basketball using a national injury surveillance system. The results of this aim indicated that injury rates are greater in soccer than basketball, and greater in competitions than practices, regardless of sex. The most common injuries were similar between sports, suggesting both sports should emphasize preventing sprains and strains affecting the ankle and knee, specifically those resulting from player contact and noncontact mechanisms. Additional efforts are also needed to prevent hip and thigh/upper leg injuries in soccer. Aim 2 evaluated direct and indirect effects of functional performance asymmetries, as well as drop landing mechanics, on injury in 2,645 high school soccer and basketball players. Results from this aim indicate that ankle do (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: James Onate PhD, ATC (Advisor); Andrew Persch PhD, OTR/L (Committee Member); Jingzhen Yang PhD, MPH (Committee Member); Ajit Chaudhari PhD (Committee Member); Thomas Best MD, PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Health Sciences; Sports Medicine

Master of Science in Sport Studies, Miami University, 2011, Sport Studies

The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether adolescent athletes' levels of sport burnout would be correlated with, or predicted by, their level and type of passion and the degree to which they identify with the athlete role. Measures for burnout, passion and athletic identity were completed by 218 high school female athletes attending summer camps. Two significant canonical functions explained the relationship of the variables. In the first canonical function, high levels of harmonious passion combined with high levels of social identity were predictive of lower levels of burnout on all three dimensions of burnout. In the second canonical function, high scores on obsessive passion combined with high scores on all three subscales of the AIMS were predictive of higher scores on the exhaustion dimension of burnout but lower levels of sport devaluation. Future directions and limitations of the study are also discussed.

Committee: Thelma Horn PhD (Committee Chair); Robin Vealey PhD (Committee Member); Melissa Chase PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Kinesiology

Master of Science in Exercise and Health Studies, Miami University, 2010, Physical Education, Health, and Sport Studies

The increase in adolescent and young adult sport participation has contributed to a rapid rise in sports-related knee injuries, particularly anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Even following surgical reconstruction and comprehensive rehabilitation, asymmetries in performance of the injured knee may increase the risk of future injury. Muscle power is an important representation of an athlete‘s abilities to perform various demands imposed in sports; however, relatively little research has examined measures of single leg power in athletes following ACL reconstruction. The purpose of this study is to examine single leg power generation in adolescent and young adult athletes following ACL reconstruction. A portable force platform was used to compare power generation of the injured and uninjured legs during single leg hopping. The findings from this study offer clinical implications for future rehabilitation interventions and prevention of future injury.

Committee: Valerie A. Ubbes PhD, CHES (Advisor); Susan C. Lipnickey PhD (Advisor); Randal P. Claytor PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Health; Rehabilitation; Sports Medicine