This study compared the effects of two pitch sizes (40 × 20 m and 30 × 15 m) on mental workload (MWL), perceived physical effort (RPE), and physical performance during 8-vs-8 small-sided football games (SSGs). Sixteen amateur players (an average age of 13.95 years) participated in a cross-over design over three weeks, playing on both pitch sizes. Pre- and post-tests measured neuromuscular fatigue via countermovement jumps (CMJ), the RPE scale, and MWL with the NASA-TLX. VO2Max was assessed once to explore its relationship with MWL changes. Results showed a significant effect of time on neuromuscular fatigue and a significant pitch size effect on RPE, with a 9.39
With the development of society, contemporary young people, especially college students, are facing increasing levels of stress. Stress is often associated with poor sleep quality in individuals, but the underlying mechanisms between these two factors need further exploration. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationship between stress and sleep quality among college students, with stress as the independent variable, sleep quality as the dependent variable, healthy diet as the mediating variable, and physical exercise as the moderating variable, to further elucidate the underlying connections between stress and sleep quality in college students. A total of 4090 college students (1503 males and 2587 females; mean age 19.05 ± 1.16 years) were included in this study. Data on stress, healthy diet, physical exercise, and sleep quality were collected through a cross-sectional subjective survey. The basic characteristics of the variables were described using SPSS, and correlation analyses were performed. Finally, a moderated mediation model was constructed using the PROCESS macro. The study found that stress was significantly negatively correlated with healthy diet (r = -0.162, p < 0.001) and sleep quality (r = -0.492, p < 0.001) among college students. Healthy diet mediated the relationship between stress (β = -0.161, SE = 0.015, p < 0.001) and sleep quality (β = 0.160, SE = 0.014, p < 0.001) among college students. Physical exercise significantly moderated the relationship between stress and healthy diet (β = -0.040, SE = 0.015, p < 0.01). This study further elucidated the mechanisms underlying the relationship between stress and sleep quality among college students by incorporating behavioral variables (healthy diet and physical exercise). It is recommended that college students actively engage in physical exercise, which can help alleviate stress, promote healthy eating, and thereby improve sleep quality.
BackgroundThis overview synthesized evidence from systematic reviews (SRs) of combined physical activity (PA) and diet interventions versus diet-only or PA-only approaches on obesity-related anthropometric, cardiometabolic, and physical fitness outcomes, and identified program features linked to better effects.MethodsWe conducted an Overview of SRs following Cochrane guidance and PRIOR standards. Five databases were searched until June 13, 2024, and Google Scholar was updated on January 25, 2025. Eligible SRs synthesized randomized controlled trials of combined PA and diet interventions in people with overweight or obesity. We extracted key intervention characteristics, outcomes, and meta-analytic estimates where available. Methodological quality was assessed with AMSTAR 2, and overlap was quantified using the corrected covered area (CCA).ResultsThirty-two SRs (19 meta-analyses) met inclusion criteria. In adults, combined PA and diet interventions generally outperformed single-component comparators for reducing weight, BMI, waist circumference, and fat mass, and improving cardiorespiratory fitness. More favorable and sustained effects were most often reported in programs lasting ≥6–12 months with frequent, structured contact and supervised, resistance-inclusive exercise. In children and adolescents, face-to-face and family-engaged programs produced the most consistent improvements in BMI/BMI-z, but effects often attenuated 6–12 months after program end without maintenance. In older adults, combined programs reduce fat mass while preserving lean mass, strength, and function. Across diverse settings (including type 2 diabetes, workplaces, and digital delivery), combined interventions improved glucose control, insulin resistance, lipids, and inflammation, and some benefits occurred even without additional weight loss. Long-term lifestyle programs reduced incident type 2 diabetes by about half. Review quality varied (31% high; 69% low/critically low) and overlap between SRs was minimal (CCA 0.0–0.6%).ConclusionCombined PA and diet interventions tended to outperform diet-only and PA-only approaches. The most consistent and durable benefits were linked to longer duration, higher contact, supervision, resistance training, and family engagement in youth, underscoring maintenance planning. These findings support prioritizing structured lifestyle programs, including scalable hybrid/digital delivery models, while interpreting effects cautiously given the predominance of low-quality SRs. Future research should improve rigor, standardize outcomes, report intervention dose and behavior-change methods, include longer follow-up, and improve representation of underserved groups.
As artificial intelligence (AI) agents become deeply integrated into fitness systems, trustworthy human–AI agent interaction has become pivotal for user engagement in smart home fitness (SHF) e-commerce platforms. Grounded in the Computers Are Social Actors (CASA) framework, this study empirically investigates how, acting as AI fitness coaches, AI agents’ technical and social features shape users’ active engagement in the in-home social e-commerce context. A mixed-method approach was employed, combining computational text mining of 17,582 user reviews from fitness e-commerce platforms with a survey (N = 599) of Chinese consumers. The results show that (1) the technical–social features of AI agents serving as AI fitness coaches include visibility, gamification, interactivity, humanness, and sociability; (2) these five technical–social features of AI agents positively influence user compliance via both cognitive and emotional trust in AI agents; (3) these five technical–social features of AI agents serving as AI fitness coaches positively impact active engagement via both cognitive and emotional trust in AI agents. This study extends the CASA framework to the domain of AI coaching by demonstrating the parallel roles of cognitive and emotional trust in AI agents. For designers and managers in the fitness e-commerce industries, this study offers actionable insights for designing AI agents integrating functional and social features that foster trust and drive behavioral outcomes.
Background/Objectives: This study aimed to characterize macro- and micro-morphological properties of the supraspinatus tendon (SST) in para swimmers during the chronic stage of rotator cuff tendinopathy, integrating ultrasound assessments of tendon thickness, peak spatial frequency radius (PSFR) for collagen organization, acromiohumeral distance (AHD), and occupation ratio to evaluate subacromial impingement risk. Methods: In a cross-sectional design, 43 elite para swimmers (aged 18-30 years, S7-S10 classes with lower extremity impairments) from Para Swimming Team Poland were divided into rotator cuff tendinopathy (RC; n = 22) and asymptomatic control (CON; n = 21) groups. Measurements on the dominant shoulder utilized B-mode ultrasound (Alpinion X-CUBE 90) to assess SST thickness at 5, 10, and 15 mm proximal to the greater tuberosity, PSFR via MATLAB-analyzed spatial frequency spectra, AHD, and occupation ratio. Two-way and one-way ANOVAs assessed group and measurement effects (p < 0.05); Pearson correlations examined the relationships between thickness and PSFR. Results: Para swimmers with tendinopathy exhibited greater SST thickness across sites (p < 0.001, η2 = 0.63), higher PSFR at all intervals (p ≤ 0.009, η2 = 0.53) peaking at 10 mm, wider AHD (p = 0.002, η2 = 0.21), and lower occupation ratio (p < 0.001, η2 = 0.44) versus controls. Strong positive correlations linked thickness and PSFR proximally (r = 0.75-0.79, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Chronic tendinopathy in para swimmers manifests as thickened SST with collagen disarray, altered subacromial space, and impingement risk, distinguishing pathological from healthy tendons. Integrated ultrasound metrics aid diagnosis and inform interventions for overhead athletes with locomotor disorders.
