A novel sleep optimisation programme to improve athletes’ well-being and performance

Objectives: To improve well-being and performance indicators in a group of Australian Football League (AFL) players via a six-week sleep optimisation programme. Design: Prospective intervention study following observations suggestive of reduced sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness in an AFL group. Methods: Athletes from the Adelaide Football Club were invited to participate if they had played AFL senior-level football for 1–5 years, or if they had excessive daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS] >10), measured via ESS. An initial education session explained normal sleep needs, and how to achieve increased sleep duration and quality. Participants (n?=?25) received ongoing feedback on their sleep, and a mid-programme education and feedback session. Sleep duration, quality and related outcomes were measured during week one and at the conclusion of the six-week intervention period using sleep diaries, actigraphy, ESS, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Profile of Mood States, Training Distress Scale, Perceived Stress Scale and the Psychomotor Vigilance Task. Results: Sleep diaries demonstrated an increase in total sleep time of approximately 20?min (498.8?±?53.8 to 518.7?±?34.3; p?<?.05) and a 2% increase in sleep efficiency (p?<?0.05). There was a corresponding increase in vigour (p?<?0.001) and decrease in fatigue (p?<?0.05). Conclusions: Improvements in measures of sleep efficiency, fatigue and vigour indicate that a sleep optimisation programme may improve athletes’ well-being. More research is required into the effects of sleep optimisation on athletic performance.     

Role of objectively measured sedentary behaviour in physical performance,frailty and mortality among older adults: A short systematic review

Sedentary behaviour (SB) has recently emerged as an independent risk factor for different health outcomes. Older adults accumulate long time in SB. Understanding the role that SB plays on health is crucial for a successful aging. This short systematic review summarizes the current evidence related to the effects of objectively measured SB on frailty, physical performance and mortality in adults ≥60?years old. The literature search produced 271 records for physical performance (n?=?119), frailty (n?=?31), and mortality (n?=?121). Finally, only 13 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. All articles but one included in the physical performance section (n?=?9) showed a negative association between longer time spent in SB and physical performance. A significant association of SB with higher odds of frailty was found, however this association disappeared after adjusting for cognitive status. Lastly, two of the three included studies showed positive associations between SB and mortality, but this effect decreased or even disappeared in the more adjusted models. In conclusion, there is consistency that SB is negatively associated with physical performance. However, the relationship between objectively measured SB and frailty incidence and mortality rates remains unclear and deserves further research. The use of homogenous criteria to assess SB and the inclusion of more robust research designs will help clarifying the independent effects that SB could have on physical performance, frailty, and mortality. This will ultimately help designing more efficient and comprehensive physical activity guidelines for older adults.     

Texts

Made in America: Immigrant Students in Our Public Schools. Laurie Olsen, New York: The New Press, 1997, 276 pages, $25.00 (hardcover), ISBN 1–5658–4400–9, and $14.95 (softcover), ISBN 1–5658–4471–8.

The Power of Their Ideas: Lessons for America From a Small School in Harlem. Deborah Meier, Boston: Beacon Press, 1995, 190 pages, $12.00 (softcover). ISBN 0–8070–3111–9.

Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow: Meeting the Challenge of Our Multicultural America & Beyond. Paul D. Christiansen and Michelle Young, San Francisco: Gaddo Gap Press, 1996, 376 pages, $29.95 (softcover). ISBN 1–8801–9218–7.     

Teachers' emotions and test feedback

A qualitative methodology, grounded theory, was used to examine the thoughts and emotions of teachers who delivered test feedback to students. The goal of this study was to develop a conceptual model of test-feedback processes that was grounded in observational and interview data. Seven college teachers were interviewed and observed as they planned and conducted testfeedback sessions. During the test-feedback sessions, these teachers experienced a variety of negative emotions when they encountered challenges from students in the classroom. Strategies developed by these teachers reflected their attempts to organize test feedback in ways that were consistent with their goals and beliefs, but that also limited their negative emotions and stress during the feedback session. These findings are discussed in terms of their contribution to existing research on teachers' interactive thought and emotion and on the ways that teachers cope with stress in the classroom.     

Naturally Acquired Mentoring Relationships and Young Adult Outcomes Among Adolescents with Learning Disabilities

We evaluated whether having a naturally acquired mentor during adolescence was associated with improved adult outcomes among youth with learning disabilities (YLD). Mentored youth were more likely to have graduated from high school, reported a higher level of self‐esteem, and reported a higher overall number of positive outcomes than nonmentored youth. Mentorship by teachers/guidance counselors was associated with larger differences in high school graduation rates and self‐esteem compared to nonmentored youth whereas mentorship by nonteachers was associated with smaller changes in self‐esteem and no differences in high school completion rates. Future research should include more in‐depth, objective assessments of youths’ learning disabilities, consideration of interactions with concurrent risk factors, and efforts to clarify optimal strategies for mentoring support of YLD.     

Self-Regulating Informational Text Reading Comprehension: Perceptions of Low-Achieving Students

Students who struggle with learning may not have the metacognition needed to support the multiple processes required to understand what is read in informational text. Instruction for these students, therefore, should include methodologies that promote self-regulation of critical thinking processes. Fifty-eight low-achieving students were provided Self-Regulated Strategy Development instruction for the TWA (Think before reading, think While reading, think After reading) strategy approach. Students were explicitly taught to establish goals, self-monitor performance, use positive self-instructions, and self-reinforce. We examined these students' perceptions in regard to application of the self-regulation procedures. Students' worksheets and comments as well as perceptions documented in post-instruction interviews were used to gain insight into students' metacognitive awareness of the self-regulation procedures taught and learned.     

Evaluation of evidence-based medicine search skills in the clinical years

The librarians of the Health Sciences Library worked with the director of the Primary Care Clerkship to reinforce the principles of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) searching, taught during the first two years of medical school, through an intensive workshop. The purpose of the program was to ensure that students apply EBM principles in a timely and effective manner in clinical situations. Working in teams led by a resident and librarian, students researched real cases and then evaluated the effectiveness of their approach to the problems. This paper outlines the rationale for the team approach, reviews the administration of a computer-based workshop, and discusses the evaluation process. Evaluation focused on both the current workshop and its implications for the informatics program presented to students during years one and two.     

A quiver full of arrows: recommended Web-based tutorials for PubMed,PowerPoint, Ovid MEDLINE,and FrontPage

Librarians often are responsible for instructing their patrons in the use of various databases and popular software packages. When this instruction can't be provided through face-to-face contact, Web-based tutorials can be useful tools to bridge the information gap. This article recommends Web-based tutorials for PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, PowerPoint, and FrontPage.