ECSS Paris 2023: CP-MH02
INTRODUCTION: Numerous clinical studies demonstrated that higher physical fitness is associated with favourable body composition and better cognitive performance in older adults. However, it remains unclear whether these associations are domain-specific and how they differ between sexes. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the associations between physical fitness, body composition, and specific cognitive domains in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: Physical fitness of 157 older adults (M/F: 39/118, age 68±6 years) was assessed via 10m maximal and preferred walking speed (WSmax, WSpref), functional lower-limb strength (5-time Sit-to-Stand; 5STS), and upper-limb strength (hand grip). Body composition (lean body mass, fat mass, visceral adiposity) was measured using bioelectrical impedance (OmronBF511). Cognitive performance was evaluated through a battery of cognitive tests (Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-Revised, ACE-R; Auditory Verbal Learning Test, AVLT; Trail Making Test: TMT-A, TMT-B; Digit Symbol Substitution Test, DSST). To assess specific executive domains, cognitive flexibility was calculated as the Trail Making Test (TMT) B-A difference, while psychomotor speed was represented by TMT B/A ratio. Additionally, an executive composite score (ECS) was determined as the mean of standardized z-scores from the TMT-B and DSST, with TMT values reversed to ensure that higher values represent better performance (Z_score=((-1)*Z_TMT B time+Z DSST_score)/2). RESULTS: In the whole population, the 5STS performance showed the strongest association with global cognition (ACE-R total score) and specific cognitive domains (ACE-R: attention, memory; both p<0.01). In females, the executive composite score (ECS) was positively associated with right hand grip strength (r=0.54; p=0.0004) and negatively with visceral adiposity (r=-0.23; p=0.033). In men, executive composite score correlated with visceral adiposity (r= -0.55; p=0.01) and lean body mass (r= 0.56; p=0.01). Visceral adiposity was linked to cognitive flexibility (TMT B-A: r= 0.49; p=0.03) and psychomotor speed (DSST) (r= -0.46; p=0.05). WSmax was strongly linked to psychomotor speed (DSST) (r= 0.60; p= 0.006). CONCLUSION: While functional lower-limb strength was linked to cognitive performance in both sexes, visceral adiposity showed a more pronounced association with cognitive performance specifically in men. Furthermore, cognitive performance in women correlated with upper-limb strength, whereas in men, it was more linked to body composition and maximal physical capacity. Taken together, our findings suggest that the motor-cognitive interface in older adults is sex-specific. Grant support: ADDIT-CE HorizonEurope-WIDERA, Grant agreement ID: 101087124; TEIDe, ERA4Health NUTRIBRAIN-014; FWF Austria science fund KLI–1122; POO 09I01-03-V04-00077
Read CV Lucia SlobodovaECSS Paris 2023: CP-MH02
INTRODUCTION: Tennis, as a high-intensity aerobic and anaerobic sport, requires repetitive overhead stroke, rapid jumps, sudden stops, and turns. These characteristics put considerable pressure on the musculoskeletal system, eventually leading to tennis-related injuries. This study aimed to investigate the distribution and incidence of injuries among child and adolescent tennis players aged 6-18 years. METHODS: In 2024, a total 375 Chinese tennis players under 18 years of age were recruited randomly, of whom 291 meeting the inclusion criteria were selected as subjects. An epidemiological injury questionnaire investigated sex, age, height, weight, years of tennis training experience, training hours per session, training days per week, warm-up, cool-down, and tennis-related injuries over the past year. The primary outcome measures were the distribution of tennis-related injuries and the injury rate per 1000 training hours with a 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Regardless of gender, the most common sites were ankle (16.50%), wrist (16.50%), and foot (11.00%). By gender, boys experienced a higher rate (68.80%) compared to girls (31.20%). By type, compared to girls, boys (61.00%) are more likely to suffer from acute injuries (39.00%). The injury rate per 1,000 training hours of exposure among child and adolescent tennis players exhibits a double-peak distribution, with the first peak occurs before puberty at age 10 years old (1.21 injuries per 1000 training hours,95CI%: 0.73,1.68) and the second peak emerges during puberty at age 14 years old (1.10 injuries per 1000 training hours, 95CI%:0.45,1.75). CONCLUSION: Injury incidence was significantly higher in the 10-year-old group than in other age groups, with a predominantly acute injury pattern, with lower extremity injuries focused on the ankle and upper extremity injuries predominantly in the wrist. Boy players were more likely to sustain tennis-related injuries. The study provides coaches and tennis players with more reasonable training programs by investigating the epidemiology of injuries in school-age tennis players. When training, coaches and tennis players need to pay more attention to the age group and location of high frequency injuries in children and take interventions during the growth period to reduce the high prevalence of injuries in child and adolescent tennis players.
Read CV Ziwen MuECSS Paris 2023: CP-MH02
INTRODUCTION: Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are a leading cause of disability worldwide and frequently progress to chronic pain. Although the burden, affecting approximately 1.63 billion people, is disproportionately higher in low- and middle–sociodemographic index (SDI) regions, global MSK research production remains uneven. Little is known about how research agendas reflect the realities of populations most affected. This study examines how MSK research is structured globally through a critical narrative synthesis. METHODS: The primary empirical basis of this analysis was a systematic review of long-term (>12 months) psychosocial prognostic outcomes in patellofemoral pain (PFP), which is currently under submission. Searches were conducted in MEDLINE, OVID, CENTRAL, Web of Science, OpenGrey, and the abstract books of the International Patellofemoral Research Retreat. Eligible studies were prospective investigations of clinically diagnosed PFP in individuals under 40 years of age with long-term follow-up. No date restrictions were applied, and only articles written in English were included. PFP was selected as a theoretically informative case within MSK research due to its high prevalence, multifactorial nature, and frequent chronicity. Rather than considering PFP as an isolated condition, the review examined broader research practices, including geographical distribution, study design, and the psychosocial outcomes assessed. These characteristics were analysed as indicators of how social and psychosocial dimensions are prioritised or neglected within MSK research more broadly. RESULTS: Among the 42 included studies, the evidence base was overwhelmingly derived from high-SDI countries (38 studies; 90.5%), with limited representation from middle-SDI regions (4 studies; 9.5%), and no studies were conducted in low-SDI settings. Study designs reflected the substantial resource demands, including the capacity to conduct large-scale and long-term studies, with six prospective cohorts (14.3%), 13 interventional studies (30.9%), and 23 randomised controlled clinical trials (54.8%). Psychosocial outcomes were rarely assessed, with kinesiophobia, anxiety/depression, and self-efficacy appearing in only one study (2.4%), while quality of life was included in five studies (11.9%), consistently as a secondary outcome. Notably, all studies from middle-SDI regions were conducted in Brazil and comprised three randomised controlled trials and one prospective cohort; none assessed psychosocial outcomes. These studies were also characterised by small sample sizes, highlighting a misalignment between disease burden and research production. CONCLUSION: The global MSK research agenda continues to prioritise high-SDI issues, perpetuating inequities and reducing its relevance to the Global South. However, strengthening MSK research in Brazil could provide an opportunity to develop context-sensitive models with broader applicability to low- and middle-income countries.
Read CV Gabriela VasconcelosECSS Paris 2023: CP-MH02