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Group physical activity can provide physical and social benefits; however, social barriers or a lack of social support may affect participation. This study examined social-support needs and barriers among older adults who were not participating in group physical activities. Using interpretive description, semistructured interviews were conducted with 38 older adults (M = 70.9 years; 81.6% women). Themes were grouped into two categories. Category 1, expectations and initial impressions, consisted of the following: (a) Groups cannot meet everyone's expectations or interests, (b) groups are intimidating to join, and (c) the need for inclusive programming. Category 2, social processes within group physical activity, consisted of (a) modeling physical activity behaviors, (b) sharing information and suggestions about physical activity opportunities, and (c) encouragement and genuine interest. Outreach to this population should aim to address these barriers and utilize these supportive behaviors to reduce feelings of intimidation and promote participation among older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Questionnaire on Health Problems (OSTRC-H) is a valid and reliable registration method for self-reported injuries and is regularly used among dancer populations. Monthly questionnaire administration is acceptable in athlete populations but has not been evaluated in dancers. The aim of this exploratory study was to assess the influence of weekly versus monthly administration of the OSTRC-H on estimated injury outcomes among elite adolescent ballet dancers. Methods: Participants (n = 103) were prospectively followed for 6 months and completed the OSTRC-H online, evaluating perceived consequences of self-reported health problems during the previous week and the previous 4 weeks, respectively. Four definitions of dance-related injury were utilized: (1) all complaints, (2) substantial, (3) medical attention, and (4) time-loss injuries. Descriptive statistics estimated: (1) the number of injuries reported (count), (2) average injury prevalence [proportion, 95% confidence intervals (CI)], (3) average severity score (0-100), and (4) days of time loss (count) for each injury definition. The 4 outcome measures were then compared between weekly and monthly registration with paired sample t -tests (P <.05) and overlapping 95% CI. Results: A significant difference between the number of all complaints injuries (weekly: 133; monthly: 94; P <.001) and substantial injuries (weekly: 64; monthly: 45; P =.012) was found. Regardless of injury definition, there were no significant differences between injury prevalence, severity scores, and days of time loss when reported weekly versus monthly. Conclusion: Monthly administration of the OSTRC-H is an acceptable method to estimate injury prevalence, severity scores, and days of time loss amongst elite adolescent ballet dancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dance teachers are ideally positioned to implement safe dance practices and injury prevention strategies for their students. However, to date, it is unclear whether these safe dance practices are being utilized and implemented by teachers in dance schools and private studios. To this end, we aimed to understand dance teachers' knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors related to safe dance practice and dance-related injury by surveying a sample of 73 dance instructors teaching primarily in urban centers. While general knowledge is high, some teachers reported gaps in their understanding of injury risk. Most common barriers to implementing safe dance practices were insufficient time (20/52 [38%]), lack of knowledge/training (11/52 [21%]) and no student interest (10/52 [19%]). Addressing these barriers with dance teacher training, inclusive of safe dance practice principles, is essential to ensuring the safety and well-being of dance student populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For young adults (YAs), a cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatments may result in physical changes that can negatively impact body image (BI) and health-related quality of life (HRQL). Physical activity (PA) is an evidence-based tool found to impact both BI and HRQL. However, most research has focused on the perspectives of older adults with breast or prostate cancer. No research has explored the experiences of PA, BI, and HRQL in YA males affected by cancer. A qualitative study was designed for YA males diagnosed with cancer between the ages of 20 and 39 years. Eligible participants were recruited through pre-existing exercise oncology studies, support organizations, and social media. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand participants' experiences of PA, BI, and HRQL. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using interpretive description. The participants were YA males (n = 7) with a mean age of 32.7 ± 4.0 years. Themes included a loss of identity due to cancer, building autonomy and identity using PA, and the "should" behind BI. PA for YA males living with and beyond cancer may support them in rebuilding their identity and BI. The development of exercise oncology resources for YA males may consider addressing BI through education or exercise prescription programs, with the goal of enhancing HRQL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dancers are susceptible to relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S), specifically low bone mineral density (BMD). Little is known about how dancers' BMD compares to other athletic populations. The objective of this study was to examine the association between participant characteristics and total body areal BMD (aBMD) among female pre-professional dancers compared to other female athletes. Two hundred sixty-nine females (132 pre-professional dancers (17.6 (3.2) years) and 137 sport participants (22.8 (2.6) years) were included in this study. aBMD (g/cm2) was estimated using dual X-ray absorptiometry. Multivariable linear regression was used to examine the association between height-adjusted z-scores of total body aBMD (aBMD-Z) and age (years), body mass index (BMI) (z-score), supplement intake, history of stress fracture, irregular menses, MRI/bone scan, 1-year injury history, oral contraceptives, and activity (dance/sport). Total body aBMD and aBMD-Z were lower in dancers than athletes (dancers: aBMD = 1.03 g/cm2 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.05); aBMD-Z = −0.28 (−0.43, −0.12) (p < 0.001); athletes: aBMD = 1.14 g/cm2 (95% CI: 1.12, 1.16); aBMD-Z = 0.41 (0.25, 0.57) (p < 0.001)). aBMD-Z increased with age (β = 0.054, 95% CI: 0.017, 0.092; p = 0.004) and BMI (β = 0.221, 95% CI: 0.006, 0.415; p = 0.043). Activity type modified the relationship between BMI and aBMD-Z (β = 0.323, 95% CI: 0.025, 0.621; p < 0.033) with a stronger positive association in dancers, compared to other female athletes. Dancers had lower total body aBMD and aBMD-Z than other female athletes. aBMD-Z increases with age in female pre-professional dancers and other female athletes. A stronger association exists between aBMD-Z and BMI in dancers than athletes. Future studies should consider changes in aBMD-Z during adolescence and associations with increased risk of bone injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explored how participation in community dance supports older adults' aging journey through a theoretical framework of successful aging, physical literacy, and embodiment. Older adults (aged 71–87 years) with experience participating in a community dance class completed semi-structured interviews that were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Six themes were generated: (1) laughter, lightness, and feeling youthful; (2) the body comes back to life; (3) confidence can shine; (4) carried away by the music; (5) an opportunity to belong; and (6) contributing to the neighborhood spirit. Our findings suggest that dancing offers multidimensional benefits which can contribute to healthy, active aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used cross-lagged modeling to examine reciprocal relations between maternal and paternal harsh verbal discipline and adolescents' conduct problems and depressive symptoms. Data were from a sample of 976 two-parent families and their children (51% males; 54% European American, 40% African American). Mothers' and fathers' harsh verbal discipline at age 13 predicted an increase in adolescent conduct problems and depressive symptoms between ages 13 and 14. A child effect was also present, with adolescent misconduct at age 13 predicting increases in mothers' and fathers' harsh verbal discipline between ages 13 and 14. Furthermore, maternal and paternal warmth did not moderate the longitudinal associations between mothers' and fathers' use of harsh verbal discipline and adolescent conduct problems and depressive symptoms.

Contemporary dancers are at risk for musculoskeletal injury due to the choreographic, artistic, and physical demands of the form. Group norms such as persevering through and normalization of pain and injury have been demonstrated within dance contexts and may contribute to the high prevalence of reported injury among dancers. The purpose of this study was to explore contemporary dancers' perceptions of pain, injury, and fatigue. Ten undergraduate contemporary dance students, self-identifying as women (18-23 years), participated in semi-structured interviews. Interviews were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four themes were generated: (1) It's more abnormal for people to sit out than to dance through their injuries; (2) Pain, injury, and fatigue aren't just physical; (3) Safe dancing environments are important; (4) Implementing dancer health knowledge into practice is complicated. Participants described training and performing through pain and injury, and not always feeling comfortable expressing these experiences to instructors. Pain, injury, and fatigue impacted participants physically and psychologically. Safe dance practice education was viewed as important but challenges implementing knowledge into practice were noted. Continued efforts to integrate safe dance practices into university dance curriculum are needed to help minimize the high prevalence of pain, injury, and fatigue among university contemporary dancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OpenMx is free, full-featured, open source, structural equation modeling (SEM) software. OpenMx runs within the "R" statistical programming environment on Windows, Mac OS-X, and Linux computers. The rationale for developing OpenMx is discussed along with the philosophy behind the user interface. The OpenMx data structures are introduced--these novel structures define the user interface framework and provide new opportunities for model specification. Two short example scripts for the specification and fitting of a confirmatory factor model are next presented. We end with an abbreviated list of modeling applications available in OpenMx 1.0 and a discussion of directions for future development.

The perceived spatiotemporal continuity of objects depends on the way they appear and disappear as they move in the spatial layout. This study investigated whether infants' predictive tracking of a briefly occluded object is sensitive to the manner by which the object disappears and reappears. Five-, 7-, and 9-month-old infants were shown a ball rolling across a visual scene and briefly disappearing via kinetic occlusion, instantaneous disappearance, implosion, or virtual occlusion. Three different measures converged to show that predictive tracking increased with age and that infants were most likely to anticipate the reappearance of the ball following kinetic occlusion. These results suggest that infants' knowledge of the permanence and nonpermanence of objects is embodied in their predictive tracking.