Vocation and avocation: Leisure activities correlate with professional engagement, but not burnout, in a cross-sectional survey of UK doctors

RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are.Abstract Background Sir William Osler suggested in 1899 that avocations (leisure activities) in doctors are related to an increased sense of vocation (professional engagement) and a decreased level of burnout. This study evaluated those claims in a large group of doctors practicing in the UK while taking into account a wide range of background variables. Methods A follow-up questionnaire was sent to 4,457 UK-qualified doctors who had been included in four previous studies of medical school selection and training, beginning in 1980, 1985, 1990 and 1989/1991. A total of 2,845 (63.8%) doctors returned the questionnaire. Questions particularly asked about work engagement, satisfaction with medicine as a career, and personal achievement (Vocation/engagement), stress, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization (BurnedOut), and 29 different leisure activities (Avocation/Leisure), as well as questions on personality, empathy, work experience, and demography. Results Doctors reporting more Avocation/Leisure activities tended to be women, to have older children, to be less surface-rational, more extravert, more open to experience, less agreeable, and to fantasize more. Doctors who were more BurnedOut tended to be men, to be more sleep-deprived, to report a greater workload and less choice and independence in their work, to have higher neuroticism, lower extraversion and lower agreeableness scores, and to have lower self-esteem. In contrast, doctors with a greater sense of Vocation/engagement, tended to see more patients, to have greater choice and independence at work, to have a deep approach to work, to have a more supportive-receptive work environment, to be more extravert and more conscientious, and to report greater self-esteem. Avocation/Leisure activities correlated significantly with Vocation/engagement, even after taking into account 25 background variables describing demography, work, and personality, whereas BurnedOut showed no significant correlation with Avocation/Leisure activities. Popular Culture and High Culture did not differ in their influence on Vocation/engagement, although there was a suggestion that Depersonalization was correlated with more interest in Popular Culture and less interest in High Culture. Conclusion In this cross-sectional study there is evidence, even after taking into account a wide range of individual difference measures, that doctors with greater Avocation/Leisure activities also have a greater sense of Vocation/Engagement. In contrast, being BurnedOut did not relate to Avocation/Leisure activities (but did relate to many other measures). Osler was probably correct in recommending to doctors that, 'While medicine is to be your vocation, or calling, see to it that you also have an avocation'.Peer Reviewe

Vitamin D status among female handball and football elite athletes in Norway at latitude 60°N

Bakgrunn: En overhyppighet av suboptimal vitamin D-status er blitt rapportert på verdensbasis, men lite er kjent når det gjelder nivået hos idrettsutøvere. Vitamin D er kjent for sin funksjon i skjelettet og betydning for beinhelse. I tillegg har vitamin D en funksjon i muskel og immunforsvaret, og lave nivåer er trolig forbundet med både nedsatt muskelstyrke og kroniske sykdommer. Om disse funksjonene kan påvirke helsestatus og prestasjon hos idrettsutøvere er ennå ikke bekreftet. Hensikt: Å måle serum vitamin D-konsentrasjon, som 25-hydroksyvitamin D (25(OH)D), hos kvinnelige toppidrettsutøvere innen håndball og fotball på Østlandet i Norge, ved breddegrad 60ºN. Vi ville også se på mulige eksponeringsfaktorer for 25(OH)D-nivået i denne gruppen, ved å se på kosthold, bruk av kosttilskudd og solvaner. Metoder: Serum 25(OH)D-konsentrasjon ble målt for 48 kvinnelige toppidrettsutøvere (26 håndball/22 fotball) i oktober/november 2010. Utilstrekkelig 25(OH)D-nivå ble definert som <80 nmol/l. Utøverne registrerte kostholdet sitt med vekt i fire dager. Bruk av kosttilskudd og solvaner ble rapportert ved intervjuer-baserte spørreskjemaer. Resultater: Gjennomsnittlig serum 25(OH)D-konsentrasjon var 99 (SD=32) nmol/l. Utilstrekkelig vitamin D-nivå ble funnet hos 27 prosent av utøverne. Håndballspillerne hadde signifikant høyere serum 25(OH)D-nivå enn fotballspillerne (p=0.001). Deltakerne som kun oppholdt seg i Norden om sommeren, hadde signifikant lavere 25(OH)D-nivå enn deltakerne som reiste utenfor Norden (p=0.039). Håndballspillerne reiste signifikant mer utenfor Norden enn fotballspillerne (p=0.004). Vitamin D-inntaket var under anbefalt nivå, 7,5 µg/dag, for 73 prosent av alle deltakerne. Konklusjon: I denne studien, gjort på kvinnelige utøvere fra høy nordlig breddegrad, var gjennomsnittlig 25(OH)D-nivå om høsten tilsvarende optimalt nivå, og utilstrekkelig 25(OH)D-nivå ble funnet hos en av fire utøvere. Å reise utenfor Norden om sommeren så ut til å være den faktoren av størst betydning for 25(OH)D-nivåene. Siden deltakerne bor ved høy nordlig breddegrad og siden vitamin D-inntaket var under anbefalt nivå for ¾ av deltakerne, er det sannsynlig at 25(OH)D-nivåene deres vil synke i løpet av vinteren. Derfor er det nødvendig å diskutere om generell screening av 25(OH)D-konsentrasjon for kvinnelige toppidrettsutøvere bør anbefales

Kunstmøte i skulen. Opplevingar av Den kulturelle skulesekken

Føremålet med artikkelen er å kasta lys over kunstmøte som skjer gjennom Den kulturelle skulesekken (DKS) med spesielt blikk mot barn sine opplevingar. Artikkelen spring ut av eit forskingsprosjekt gjort på oppdrag frå Kulturtanken, der datagrunnlaget er observasjonar av to skuleklassar på 4. trinn under to verkstadar/kunstmøte innan visuell kunst og film arrangert gjennom DKS, samt gruppeintervju med barn, lærarar og involverte kunstnarar om verkstadane/kunstmøta. Ved sida av å gi innblikk i barn sine måtar å artikulera om kunstmøte gjennom DKS på, analyserer artikkelen korleis estetiske, sosiale og materielle kvalitetar er med og skapar kunstmøte. Artikkelen analyserer kunstmøte gjennom bruk av både kunstsosiologiske, interaksjonistiske og materielle perspektiv. Kunstmøte vert i artikkelen forstått som møte eller situasjonar, som skjer i spesifikke rom, har materielle objekt og rammer, samt sosiale deltakarar og interaksjon. Artikkelen spør: Korleis set barn ord på kva dei opplever i kunstmøte formidla gjennom DKS? Kva rollar speler sosial interaksjon og materielle forhold for opplevinga av kunstmøte?publishedVersio

New Opportunities to Advance Sport Nutrition

Sports nutrition is a relatively new discipline; with ~100 published papers/year in the 1990s to ~3,500+ papers/year today. Historically, sports nutrition research was primarily initiated by university-based exercise physiologists who developed new methodologies that could be impacted by nutrition interventions (e.g., carbohydrate/fat oxidation by whole body calorimetry and muscle glycogen by muscle biopsies). Application of these methods in seminal studies helped develop current sports nutrition guidelines as compiled in several expert consensus statements. Despite this wealth of knowledge, a limitation of the current evidence is the lack of appropriate intervention studies (e.g., randomized controlled clinical trials) in elite athlete populations that are ecologically valid (e.g., in real-life training and competition settings). Over the last decade, there has been an explosion of sports science technologies, methodologies, and innovations. Some of these recent advances are field-based, thus, providing the opportunity to accelerate the application of ecologically valid personalized sports nutrition interventions. Conversely, the acceleration of novel technologies and commercial solutions, especially in the field of biotechnology and software/app development, has far outstripped the scientific communities' ability to validate the effectiveness and utility of the vast majority of these new commercial technologies. This mini-review will highlight historical and present innovations with particular focus on technological innovations in sports nutrition that are expected to advance the field into the future. Indeed, the development and sharing of more “big data,” integrating field-based measurements, resulting in more ecologically valid evidence for efficacy and personalized prescriptions, are all future key opportunities to further advance the field of sports nutrition

Rocket science: a review of phytochemical & health-related research in Eruca & Diplotaxis species

Rocket species (Eruca spp. and Diplotaxis spp.) are becoming increasingly important leafy salad crops across the world. Numerous scientific research papers have been published in recent years surrounding the potential health benefits associated with phytochemicals contained in leaves, such as flavonoids and isothiocyanates. Other research of note has also been conducted into the unique taste and flavour properties of leaves, which can be hot, peppery, bitter, and sweet depending upon the genotype and phytochemical composition. While research into these aspects is increasing, some studies lack cohesion and in-depth knowledge of commercial breeding and cultivation practices that makes interpretation and application of results difficult. This review draws together all significant research findings in these crops over the last five years, and highlights areas that require further exploration and/or resolution. We also advise on experimental considerations for these species to allow for more meaningful utilisation of findings in the commercial sector

New Strategies in Sport Nutrition to Increase Exercise Performance.

Despite over 50 years of research, the field of sports nutrition continues to grow at a rapid rate. Whilst the traditional research focus was one that centred on strategies to maximize competition performance, emerging data in the last decade has demonstrated how both macronutrient and micronutrient availability can play a prominent role in regulating those cell signalling pathways that modulate skeletal muscle adaptations to endurance and resistance training. Nonetheless, in the context of exercise performance, it is clear that carbohydrate (but not fat) still remains king and that carefully chosen ergogenic aids (e.g. caffeine, creatine, sodium bicarbonate, beta-alanine, nitrates) can all promote performance in the correct exercise setting. In relation to exercise training, however, it is now thought that strategic periods of reduced carbohydrate and elevated dietary protein intake may enhance training adaptations whereas high carbohydrate availability and antioxidant supplementation may actually attenuate training adaptation. Emerging evidence also suggests that vitamin D may play a regulatory role in muscle regeneration and subsequent hypertrophy following damaging forms of exercise. Finally, novel compounds (albeit largely examined in rodent models) such as epicatechins, nicotinamide riboside, resveratrol, β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate, phosphatidic acid and ursolic acid may also promote or attenuate skeletal muscle adaptations to endurance and strength training. When taken together, it is clear that sports nutrition is very much at the heart of the Olympic motto, Citius, Altius, Fortius (faster, higher, stronger)

Measured and predicted resting metabolic rate of Dutch and Norwegian Paralympic athletes

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine RMR and its predictors in a diverse cohort of Paralympic athletes and evaluate the agreement between measured and predicted RMR from both newly developed and pre-existing equations. Design: This cross-sectional study, conducted between September 2020 and September 2022 in the Netherlands and Norway, assessed RMR in Paralympic athletes by means of ventilated hood indirect calorimetry and body composition by means of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Participants: Sixty-seven Paralympic athletes (male: n = 37; female: n = 30) competing in various sports, with a spinal cord disorder (n = 22), neurologic condition (n = 8), limb deficiency (n = 18), visual or hearing impairment (n = 7), or other disability (n = 12) participated. Main outcome measures: RMR, fat-free mass (FFM), body mass, and triiodothyronine (T3) concentrations were assessed. Statistical analyses: Multiple regression analyses were conducted with height, FFM, body mass, sex, T3 concentration, and disabilities as potential predictors of RMR. Differences between measured and predicted RMRs were analyzed for individual accuracy, root mean square error, and intraclass correlation. Results: Mean ± SD RMR was 1386 ± 258 kcal/d for females and 1686 ± 302 kcal/d for males. Regression analysis identified FFM, T3 concentrations, and the presence of a spinal cord disorder, as the main predictors of RMR (adjusted R2 = 0.71; F = 50.3; P ＜ .001). The novel prediction equations based on these data, as well as pre-existing equations of Chun and colleagues and Nightingale and Gorgey performed well on accuracy (＞60% of participants within 10% of measured RMR), had good reliability (intraclass correlation ＞0.78), and low root mean square error (≤141 kcal). Conclusions: FFM, total T3 concentrations, and presence of spinal cord disorder are the main predictors of RMR in Paralympic athletes. Both the current study’s prediction equations and those from Chun and colleagues and Nightingale and Gorgey align well with measured RMR, offering accurate prediction equations for the RMR of Paralympic athletes.publishedVersio