Bilateral symmetry and the competitive standard attained in elite and sub-elite sport

Deviations from perfect bilateral symmetry, in a normally symmetric organism, signal a lack of developmental precision. In adult human males, previous studies have shown that symmetry is positively associated with height, body mass and physical performance. In this study, symmetry was measured in adult male athletes from two sports, competing at two different standards. Fifty-two elite and sub-elite Australian male basketballers and soccer players, who regularly competed in the national and state leagues in the 2000-2001 season, participated in the study. All participants underwent anthropometric assessment. Both basketballers and national league athletes in general were significantly taller (P < 0.0001) and heavier (P < 0.001) (and more ectomorphic in the case of basketballers) than their soccer-playing and state league counterparts, respectively. The anthropometric traits were examined further for departures from perfect bilateral symmetry. No significant differences in size-corrected asymmetry were observed between the two competitive standards (P > 0.50), the two sports (P > 0.50) or among any of the competitive standard x sport groups (P > 0.50). Contrary to expectations, we did not find any differences in asymmetry between adult male athletes from two sports (basketball and soccer), competing at two different standards (professional national league and semi-professional state league).     

The great leap backward: changes in the jumping performance of Australian children aged 11−12-years between 1985 and 2015

Previous data have indicated relative stability over time of paediatric jumping performance, but few data exist since the early 2000s. This study quantified the 30-year secular changes in jumping performance of Australian children aged 11?12-years using data from the Australian Schools Health and Fitness Survey (1985, n = 1967) and Growing Up in Australia’s Child Health CheckPoint (2015, n = 1765). Both cohorts measured jumping performance (standing long jump distance), anthropometric and demographic data. Secular changes in jumping performance means and quantiles were examined using multivariable linear and quantile regression. Between 1985 and 2015, jumping performance declined by 16.4 cm or by 11.2% (standardised change 0.66 SD, 95%CI 0.60 to 0.73). Adjustment for body mass reduced the effect by 32%, although the decline remained (absolute change – 11.1 cm, 95%CI ?12.5 to ?9.7; percent change 7.7%, 95%CI 6.7 to 8.6; standardised change 0.51 SD, 95%CI 0.44 to 0.57). This decline was evident across all quantiles. The jumping performance of Australian children aged 11?12-years has declined between 1985 and 2015, with body mass changes accounting for only part of the decline. Efforts should continue to promote paediatric muscular fitness, reduce adiposity, and aim to reverse this decline in jumping performance.     

Rescuing our neglected heritage: The evolution of the Government's policy on portable antiquities in England and Wales

This paper looks at the evolution of a new approach to an old problem—that of protecting the heritage of moveable archaeological objects—‘portable antiquities’—in England and Wales. It sets out a brief history of attempts to bring forward legislation to protect such finds, charts the rise of metal detecting as an activity and describes the successful process of changing government policy through the Treasure Act 1996. This led to the Portable Antiquities Scheme which has now received full government funding. The paper looks at how this was achieved through the development of what has been described as the largest community archaeology project in the country, which is starting to change public attitudes towards objects from the past. These two initiatives have in fact started to lead to a change in public attitude towards material from the past.     

Utility of international normative 20 m shuttle run values for identifying youth at increased cardiometabolic risk

The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of international normative centiles for the 20 m shuttle run test (20mSRT) to identify youth at increased cardiometabolic risk. This was a cross-sectional study involving 961 children aged 10–17 years (53% girls) from the United Kingdom. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves determined the discriminatory ability of cardiorespiratory fitness percentiles for predicting increased cardiometabolic risk. ROC analysis demonstrated a significant but poor discriminatory accuracy of cardiorespiratory fitness in identifying low/high cardiometabolic risk in girls (AUC = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.54–0.63; p = 0.04), and in boys (AUC = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.54–0.63; p = 0.03). The cardiorespiratory fitness cut-off associated with high cardiometabolic risk was the 55^th percentile (sensitivity = 33.3%; specificity = 84.5%) in girls and the 60^th percentile (sensitivity = 42.9%; specificity = 73.6%) in boys. These 20mSRT percentile thresholds can be used to identify children and adolescents who may benefit from lifestyle intervention. Nonetheless, further work involving different populations and cardiometabolic risk scores comprising of different variables are needed to confirm our initial findings.     

Evaluating the impact of Forest Schools: a collaboration between a university and a primary school

The Forest School movement, an important part of education in Scandinavia, has gained momentum in the UK in recent years. Within the context of declining access to, and engagement with, the natural environment Forest Schools can provide invaluable life experiences for our children. In 2012 the University of Northampton investigated opportunities to develop part of its campus as a forest site for use by schools and to enhance its students' learning. A researcher from the university evaluated the impact of visits made by children from the pilot primary school through a series of pupil, staff and parent interviews. Analysis of the interview data showed that evidence of impact was anecdotal and it was clear that a systematic approach was needed. The university and school have collaborated in developing a toolkit for evaluating this impact, which will act as a starting point to support other schools visiting the site.