Evaluating the Perceived Health-Related Effectiveness of 'The Daily Mile' Initiative in Irish Primary Schools.

Many Irish primary school children do not meet recommended physical activity (PA) guidelines. The Daily Mile (TDM) is a primary school initiative designed to increase children's PA output. This study evaluates TDM's perceived effect on Irish primary school children's health-related metrics.

A Comparison of Elite and Sub-elite Match-Play Running Performance of Gaelic Football Players.

Donnelly, S, Collins, K, Burns, C, O'Neill, C, and Mangan, S. A comparison of elite and sub-elite match-play running performance of Gaelic football players. J Strength Cond Res 38(5): 912-923, 2024-This research aimed to examine differences in match-play running performance between elite and sub-elite Gaelic football players.

A Systematic Review of the Implementation and Effectiveness of 'The Daily Mile' on Markers of Children's Health.

Currently, a high percentage of children globally fail to meet the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recommended daily physical activity (PA) guidelines. The Daily Mile (TDM) is a school-based PA initiative, designed to improve primary school children's PA behaviour. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the extant TDM implementation process and identify its impact on health-related metrics.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Health-Related Behaviours, Mental Well-Being, and Academic Engagement of a Cohort of Undergraduate Students in an Irish University Setting.

Given the well-established impact of COVID-19 on university students' health and lifestyle parameters, the current study sought to investigate these impacts within an Irish university setting. A cross-sectional design was employed, with a 68-item questionnaire instrument disseminated to all Year 2 undergraduate students in the host institution (N = 2752), yielding a 9.7% response rate ( = 266).

The Effects of a Weighted Football Intervention on Ball Velocity of a Standard Football Place-Kick among Elite Gaelic Football Goalkeepers: A Single-Subject Designed Study.

Weighted football place-kicking acutely enhances the ball velocity (BV) of subsequent standard football place-kicks. However, there is a dearth of research examining the long-term effects of such interventions, with less evidence in existence among elite athlete cohorts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the individual effects of a 4 week, eight-session weighted Gaelic football intervention on BV of standard Gaelic football place-kicks among six elite male Gaelic football goalkeepers.

Latent inhibition, aberrant salience, and schizotypy traits in cannabis users.

Aberrant salience processing may underlie the link between cannabis and psychosis, as posited in individuals with schizophrenia or high schizotypy. We investigated the relative effects of cannabis use, schizotypy status, and self-reported aberrant salience experiences on salience processing, measured using a latent inhibition (LI) task (Granger et al., 2016), in a non-clinical population.

Cannabis Use, Schizotypy and Kamin Blocking Performance.

Cannabis use has been associated with increased risk for a first episode of psychosis and inappropriate assignment of salience to extraneous stimuli has been proposed as a mechanism underlying this association. Psychosis-prone (especially schizotypal) personality traits are associated with deficits in associative learning tasks that measure salience allocation. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between history of cannabis use and Kamin blocking (KB), a form of selective associative learning, in a non-clinical sample.

The Acute Effects From the Use of Weighted Implements on Skill Enhancement in Sport: A Systematic Review.

Jermyn, S, Neill, CO, and Coughlan, EK. The acute effects from the use of weighted implements on skill enhancement in sport: A systematic review. J Strength Cond Res 35(10): 2922-2935, 2021-Weighted implements are used before competitive performance with the aim of enhancing motor skill execution on return to the standard implement.

Global levels of fundamental motor skills in children: A systematic review.

Competence in fundamental motor skills (FMS) facilitates physical activity participation and is important for children's holistic development. This study aimed to systematically review the FMS levels of children worldwide, using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2). In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, studies were identified from searches across 7 databases.

Does cannabis use predict psychometric schizotypy via aberrant salience?

Cannabis can induce acute psychotic symptoms in healthy individuals and exacerbate pre-existing psychotic symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Inappropriate salience allocation is hypothesised to be central to the association between dopamine dysregulation and psychotic symptoms. This study examined whether cannabis use is associated with self-reported salience dysfunction and schizotypal symptoms in a non-clinical population.

'A Healthy CIT': An Investigation into Student Health Metrics, Lifestyle Behaviours and the Predictors of Positive Mental Health in an Irish Higher Education Setting.

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are potent health promotion settings, uniquely positioned to aid societal efforts to combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs). International evidence suggests that health metrics and lifestyle behaviours of higher education students are sub-optimal, yet a dearth of contemporary Irish data exists. This study aimed to examine sex differences in student lifestyle behaviours and identify significant predictors of positive mental health in an Irish HEI setting.

Fundamental Movement Skill Proficiency and Health Among a Cohort of Irish Primary School Children.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between fundamental movement skills (FMS) and markers of health among a cohort of Irish primary school children.

Methods: Participants (N = 296, mean age: 7.99 ± 2.

Accuracy of Children's Perceived Skill Competence and its Association With Physical Activity.

Background: Perceived movement competence is important in the relationship between actual competence and physical activity (PA). This study examines the accuracy of children's perceptions and investigates the relationship between perceived competence (PC) and PA.

Methods: Data collected were part of Project Spraoi, a PA and nutrition-based intervention.

Match-Play Running Demands and Technical Performance Among Elite Gaelic Footballers: Does Divisional Status Count?

McGahan, JH, Mangan, S, Collins, K, Burns, C, Gabbett, T, and O'Neill, C. Match-play running demands and technical performance among elite Gaelic footballers: Does divisional status count? J Strength Cond Res 35(1): 169-175, 2021-The aim of the current study was to compare positional differences in running demands and technical performance variables among elite Gaelic football teams from separate divisions. Data were obtained from a division 1 (26.

Seasonal changes in body composition of inter-county Gaelic Athletic Association hurlers.

Longitudinal change in body composition for elite-level inter-county hurlers was reported over a single season and four consecutive seasons. Body composition measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of 66 senior, male, outfield players was obtained. Four successive measurements were taken: off-season (OFF), pre-season (PRE), mid-season (MID) and the off-season of the following season (OFF).

'Project Spraoi': A randomized control trial to improve nutrition and physical activity in school children.

Background: Recent evidence predicts that by 2030, Ireland will have the highest rate of obesity in Europe. Consequently, there are concerns that health problems associated with this condition will present in childhood. Studies have shown that interventions based on increasing physical activity (PA) levels, reducing sedentary lifestyles and improving nutritional habits all pose protective mechanisms against obesity and its related disorders in youth.

Generalised equations for the prediction of percentage body fat by anthropometry in adult men and women aged 18-81 years.

Anthropometric data indicate that the human phenotype is changing. Today's adult is greater in stature, body mass and fat mass. Accurate measurement of body composition is necessary to maintain surveillance of obesity within the population and to evaluate associated interventions.

Ultrasound measurement of subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness accurately predicts total and segmental body fat of young adults.

This study evaluated the ability of ultrasound measurement of subcutaneous adiposity to accurately determine whole body and segmental body fat in young adults aged 18-29 years. Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) thickness was measured by ultrasound at five body sites in 135 subjects (83 men, 52 women) and compared with the corresponding segmental fat mass measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Ultrasound measures of SAT thickness were strongly correlated to segmental fat mass and total percentage (%) body fat (r = 0.

A comparison of dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and bioelectrical impedance analysis to measure total and segmental body composition in healthy young adults.

The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of BIA in the measurement of total body composition and regional fat and the fat free mass in the healthy young adults. Four hundred and three healthy young adults (167 women and 236 men) aged 18-29 years were recruited from the Mid-West region of Ireland. Multi frequency, eight-polar bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) were used to measure the total body and segmental (arm, leg and trunk) fat mass and the fat free mass.