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ABSTRACT: Lim, C, Wee, J, Lee, M, Lim, S, and Leow, S. Validity and reliability of the power slap board as an application to measure upper body vertical pulling power for female water polo players. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2024-This study examined the validity and reliability of the power slap test (PS) as an assessment for upper body pulling power to predict water polo functional performance and competitive experience of female water polo players. Seventeen female water polo players from the national and development squads were recruited. Subjects completed test-retest sessions of PS testing and 1 session of functional performance tests for the 15-m arms-only sprint (15 mAOS) and the 5-m maximum shooting velocity (5 mMSV). All PS, 15 mAOS and 5 mMSV results were compared for predictability. Power slap scores demonstrated high reliability for left PS (intraclass correlations [ICC]: 0.96, 90% confidence interval [CI]: 0.91-0.98), right PS (ICC: 0.96, 90% CI: 0.90-0.98), left and right center of mass (COM) displacement (ICC: 0.98, 90% CI: 0.96-0.99; ICC: 0.95, 90% CI: 0.88-0.98), and summed PS (ICC: 0.96, 90% CI: 0.92-0.99). All absolute PS scores and left COM displacement (COMdispL) demonstrated large correlations with the 15 mAOS times (r = -0.542 to -0.52, r2 = 0.27-0.29, p < 0.05). No performance parameters of the PS were correlated with the 5 mMSV performance (p > 0.05). This study validates the reliability of the PS as a dryland assessment tool for upper body pulling power. Only absolute PS scores and COMdisp were validated as weak predictors of the arms-only sprint times over 15 m. Its predictive power significantly improved when considered in combination with shooting performance. All absolute and normalized kinetic and kinematic PS parameters did not predict functional performance and competitive experience.

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OBJECTIVES: This study investigates the use of tibia-mounted inertial measurement units (IMUs) as an alternative to upper trunk-mounted IMUs for assessing lower limb training magnitudes and asymmetries in Badminton players. DESIGN: Cross-Sectional Study. SETTING: Youth athlete training environment. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-three adolescent Badminton players, grouped based on injury history (non-injured = 19, bilateral = 6, unilateral = 8). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Players wore 1 upper trunk-mounted and 2 tibia-mounted IMUs during simulated match-play. Modified vector magnitudes were assessed to identify if the IMUs can discriminate between injury history groups to assess the device location sensitivity, determine to what extent players exhibit movement asymmetry within the sport, and explore if asymmetries exist within groups with injury history. RESULTS: Upper trunk-mounted IMUs could not distinguish between injury history groups. Statistically significant asymmetries were observed in the non-injured group, however these were below the 10% threshold for clinical asymmetry. No significant asymmetries were observed in the bilaterally injured group, while statistically significant asymmetries were observed in the unilaterally injured group, which were above the 10% threshold for clinical asymmetry. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that direct limb specific IMU measurement offers a method to suitably assess training magnitudes and asymmetry within a sporting performance, rather than isolated non-sport specific testing.

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The relationship between stress and food consumption is complex and often characterised by substantial between- and within-person variation. From a theoretical and practical perspective, more research is needed to improve our understanding of the factors that influence this relationship. The aim of this study was to identify those factors, and to derive insight into the nature of their effects on the relationship between stress and food consumption. Using semi-structured interviews, 41 adult participants (M ± SD age = 26.7 ± 6.3 yr, BMI = 22.9 ± 3.0 kg/m2) were invited to reflect on their food consumption following stressor exposure, and to elaborate on the factors that influence stress-induced eating behaviour. Reflexive thematic analyses revealed insight into the different ways in which individuals respond to stress in terms of food quantity and choices, and more significantly, highlighted a range of factors that may influence stress-induced eating behaviours. These factors included the intensity and/or nature of the stressor, aspects of prioritisation, rewarding, knowledge of and perceptions about food, normative (e.g., family, friend) influences, automated or habituated behaviours, the availability of food, and selected coping mechanisms. These findings present important directions for researchers seeking to study the variation in stress-induced eating, and may hold substantial practical value by way of informing interventions designed to alleviate unhealthy dietary responses to stress.

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Previous research examining the relationship between negative states such as tension/anxiety and food intake has typically overlooked the naturally occurring variability of day-to-day experiences and the subsequent consequences for eating behavior. In this study, the relationship of within- and between-person perceived daily tension with food cravings and consumption was assessed. One hundred and forty-two men and women (Mage=21.3, SDage=5.3) completed a survey daily for 7 consecutive days. Levels of perceived daily tension, food cravings, and consumption were assessed. Linear and logistic mixed effect regression models were used to examine associations between tension and food cravings and consumption variables, respectively. Individuals reported greater cravings (for sweets, OR 95% CI 1.05-1.26; carbohydrates/starches, OR 95% CI 1.02-1.26; and fast foods, OR 95% CI 1.01-1.19) and consuming more carbohydrates/starches (b 95% CI 0.05-0.79) on days when they felt more tension. Individuals with higher tension had more cravings (total OR 95% CI 1.09-1.71; and specifically for sweets, OR 95% CI 1.04-1.42; and fast foods, OR 95% CI 1.15-1.54) and reported consuming more sweet (b 95% CI 0.21-1.10) and fast foods (b 95% CI 0.55-1.66). These findings suggest that greater perceived tension (both within and between individuals) is associated with increased food cravings and consumption.

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Physical activity has been shown to be protective against many of the deleterious consequences of stress; however, the effects of exercise on stress-induced food consumption are unclear. This study examined the effect of an acute bout of exercise prior to exposure to an acute stressor on subsequent eating behavior, together with the physiological (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure, salivary cortisol) and psychological (e.g., mood, perceived stress) responses to stress. Twenty-three men and women completed four experimental conditions (control, exercise only, stress only, and exercise prior to stress) conducted in a counterbalanced order using a within-subjects repeated measures design. Ad libitum energy intake from a laboratory test meal was assessed at each trial, together with monitoring of physiological and psychological responses. No difference in total energy intake (p = 0.146) or energy intake from 'unhealthy' foods was noted between conditions (p = 0.783), despite lower circulating ghrelin when antecedent exercise was performed compared with stress alone (p < 0.05). Exposure to an acute stressor is not necessarily associated with alterations in subsequent food intake, nor does antecedent exercise prior to stress exposure affect food choices, despite transient alterations in the hunger hormone ghrelin.

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It is well established that both acute and chronic stress can be detrimental to health and wellbeing by directly increasing the risk of several chronic diseases and related health problems. In addition, stress may contribute to ill-health indirectly via its downstream effects on individuals' health-related behaviour, such as promoting the intake of unhealthy palatable foods high in fat and sugar content. This paper reviews (a) the research literature on stress-models; (b) recent research investigating stress-induced eating and (c) the potential physiological and psychological pathways contributing to stress-induced eating. Particular attention is given to (d) the role of physical exercise in attenuating acute stress, with exploration of potential mechanisms through which exercise may reduce unhealthy food and drink consumption subsequent to stressor exposure. Finally, exercise motivation is discussed as an important psychological influence over the capacity for physical exercise to attenuate unhealthy food and drink consumption after exposure to stressors. This paper aims to provide a better understanding of how physical exercise might alleviate stress-induced unhealthy food choices.

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