Bewegungstherapie in der Kinder- und Jugendlichenrehabilitation

Although recommended in most treatment guidelines for child/adolescent rehabilitation, there is a lack of standards regarding the amount of exercise therapy that children and adolescents should receive during rehabilitation to ensure effective treatment. First, existing treatment guidelines were examined with regard to data on the frequency, duration, content, and modes of procedure of exercise therapy in the treatment of children and adolescents with asthma, obesity, and atopic dermatitis. Moreover, the actual implementation of exercise therapy in child/adolescent rehabilitative care was analyzed by using standardized data on the classification of therapeutic measures of the years 2007/2008 and comparing different rehabilitation centers. In the context of a nationwide survey, experts and clinicians were asked to describe and define how exercise therapy can be adopted in rehabilitative practice. On this basis, an expert workshop was conducted during which a pilot version of treatment guidelines for child/adolescent rehabilitation was developed and compared with actual medical care practice. Obese children/adolescents receive the highest amount of exercise therapy (4.7 h/week). However, children suffering from atopic dermatitis engage just as long in therapeutic exercises (1.9 h/week) as do children with asthma (1.9 h/week). Exercise therapy modules vary significantly between rehabilitation centers in terms of average frequency and duration. When comparing treatment guidelines and actual medical practice, it becomes apparent that only children up to the age of 7 with atopic dermatitis or asthma are provided to some degree adequately with exercise therapeutic treatment, whereas children aged 8 or older with asthma and/or obesity receive too little exercise therapy. Potential reasons for large variations between rehabilitation centers regarding the use of exercise therapy as well as possible factors that influence discrepancies between actual rehabilitative care practice and therapeutic guidelines are discussed.     

Dynamics of mental model construction from text and graphics

When students read for learning, they frequently are required to integrate text and graphics information into coherent knowledge structures. The following study aimed at analyzing how students deal with texts and how they deal with graphics when they try to integrate the two sources of information. Furthermore, the study investigated differences between students from different school types and grades. Forty students from grades 5 and 8 from higher track and lower track of the German school system were asked to process and integrate texts and graphics in order to answer items from different levels of a text–picture integration taxonomy. Students’ eye movements were recorded and analyzed. Results suggest fundamentally different functions of text and graphics, which are associated with different processing strategies. Texts are more likely to be used according to a coherence-formation strategy, whereas graphics are more likely to be used on demand as visual cognitive tools according to an information-selection strategy. Students from different tracks of schooling revealed different adaptivity with regard to the requirements of combining text and graphic information.     

Sex differences in injury rates in team-sport athletes: A systematic review and meta-regression analysis

Background:Team-sport players have a particularly high injury risk.Although female sex is considered a risk factor,it is still unknown whether female and male team-sport players,in fact,differ in their injury rates.We aimed to compare injury rates between female and male players by systematically reviewing and meta-analyzing injury surveillance studies of both sexes in order to evaluate sex-specific differences in team-sport injuries.Methods:Studies that prospectively collected injury data for high-level female and male players(age≥16 years)in basketball,field hockey,football(soccer),handball,rugby(union and sevens),and volleyball were included.Two reviewers(AZ and ALR)independently assessed study quality and extracted data for overall,match,training,and severe injuries(>28 days’time loss)as well as data regarding injury locations and types.Incidence rate ratios(IRRs)were pooled in a meta-analysis,and meta-regression analysis was performed when 10 or more studies were available.Results:Of 20 studies,9 studies reported injury data from football,3 studies from rugby,3 studies from handball,1 study from basketball,1 study from field hockey,2 studies from volleyball,and 1 study from basketball and field hockey.For overall injuries,the pooled IRR=0.86(95%confidence interval(95%CI):0.76-0.98)indicated significantly more injuries in male than in female players.For injury location,the pooled IRR showed higher injury rates in male athletes than in female athletes for upper extremity,hip/groin,thigh,ande foot injuries.Female players had a significantly higher rate of anterior cruciate ligament injuries(IRR=2.15,95%CI:1.27-3.62)than male players.No significant sex-specific differences in IRR were found for match,training,severe injuries,concussions,or ankle sprains.Conclusion:Our meta-analysis provides evidence for sex-specific differences in the injury rates in team sports.Further epidemiological studies including both sexes in sports other than football are needed in order to strengthen the evidence.