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Item Perceived social norms and concussion-disclosure behaviours among first-year NCAA student-athletes: implications for concussion prevention and education(Informa UK Limited, 2020-01-25) Register-Mihalik, Johna K.; Marshall, Stephen W.; Kay, Melissa C.; Kerr, Zachary Y.; Peck, Karen Y.; Houston, Megan N.; Linnan, Laura A.; Hennink-Kaminski, Heidi; Gildner, Paula; Svoboda, Steven J.; Cameron, Kenneth L.Timely disclosure and identification of concussion symptoms are essential to proper care. Perceived social norms are a potential driving factor in many health-related decisions. The study purpose was to describe concussion disclosure behaviours and identify the association between perceived social norms and these disclosure behaviours. First-year student-athletes (n = 391) at two NCAA institutions completed a cross-sectional survey about concussion disclosure and disclosure determinants. Log-binomial regression models identified factors associated with concussion disclosure behaviour prevalence for: higher intention to disclose symptoms, disclosed all at time of injury, eventually disclosed all, and never participated with concussion symptoms. More favourable perceived social norms were associated with higher prevalence of intention to disclose (PR = 1.34; 95%CI: 1.18, 1.53) and higher prevalence of never participating in sports with concussion symptoms (PR = 1.50; 95%CI: 1.07, 2.10). Clinicians, coaches, sports administrators, and healthcare practitioners should be mindful of the need to create supportive social environments to improve concussion symptom disclosure.Item Describing the Experiences of Peer Tutors: A Phenomenological Study of Undergraduate Students at Federal Service Academies(Liberty University, 2019) Van Dam, Drew JohnThe purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of undergraduate students who served as peer tutors (PT) at federal service academies. The following research question provided the framework for this study: How do undergraduate students describe their peer tutoring experiences in federal service academies? Further, I used subquestions in order for participants to fully describe the phenomenon. These included: What were participants’ expectations for being a PT prior to the start of this experience? In what ways were participant expectations met or not met during the peer tutoring experience? What expected and unexpected outcomes were realized by participants during this experience? How do participants describe their short-lived and enduring influences of their peer tutoring experience? Transition theory served as the theoretical framework as it postulates how one transitions during a change in one’s assumptive world. I collected data by seeking voluntary participation through purposeful sampling procedures including both criterion and intensity types. Identified participants recorded information pertinent to their experience through the use of journaling. Participants underwent individual interviews and participated in a focus group in order to describe their experiences. Data were analyzed using the transcendental phenomenological reduction process. Overall, participants described their need to help others, in order to do so, participants described steps they took to ensure they were successful and in doing so, they described the feeling that this role would continue beyond their time at their respective academies. Limitations, implications, and suggestions for further research are also addressed.Item Translating digital anthropometry measurements obtained from different 3D body image scanners(European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2023) Ashby, Nicholas; LaPorte, G. Jake; Richardson, Daniel; Scioletti, Michael S.; Heymsfield, Steven B.; Shepherd, John A.; McGurk, Michael; Bustillos, Brenda; Gist, Nicholas; Thomas, Diana M.Body image scanners are used in industry and research to reliably provide a wealth of anthropometric measurements within seconds. The demonstrated utility of the scanners drives the current proliferation of more commercially available devices that rely on their own reference body sites and proprietary algorithms to output anthropometric measurements. Since each scanner relies on its own algorithms, measurements obtained from different scanners cannot directly be combined or compared.Item Tough Teams and Optimistic Individuals: The Intersecting Roles of Group and Individual Attributes in Helping to Predict Physical Performance(The Journal of Psychology, 2020) Schaefer, Hillary S.; Gist, Nicholas; Bigelman, Kevin A.; Coelho, Jeffrey D.; Proctor, Eliot S.; Lerner, Richard M.This study tested the effects of individual and group-level characteristics on performance during a mandatory and challenging physical education course at the United States Military Academy (USMA). We focused on attributes related to mental toughness, and examined both self-report and utilized an other-rating scale that measures mental toughness-related characteristics and is important to USMA generally. We examined course scores for 5,581 first-year students over five academic years, accounted for background physical fitness, and determined how mental toughness attributes at the group and individual-level contributed to overall course score and scores on constituent events (e.g. obstacle course, rope climbing). Self-reported optimism, self-reported resilience, and mental toughness items from a peer rating scale, but not self-reported grit, significantly improved course performance. The average score across class section on optimism or the peer rating scale also positively covaried with course score, over and above the individual-level impact of that attribute. Analyses of individual events demonstrated that “group-level character” was important for some events, whereas individual attributes were most important for others. Findings suggested an emergent group character capable of influencing individual physical performance scores. Being a member of a tough group may have comparable effects to individual mental toughness.Item The New Army Combat Fitness Test: An Opportunity to Improve Recruitment and Retainment(The Obesity Society, 2019) Bigelman, Kevin A.; East, Whitfield B.; Thomas, Diana M.; Turner, Dusty; Hertling, MarkThe lessons of military readiness garnered from Task Force Smith are used as an example of how the health and fitness of nations are integral to fielding and training the force for combat...Item Scandal scarred: a discussion of our national pastime’s controversial history(Science Direct, 2022) Costa, Gabriel B.“Hall of Famer Selig, in money-first silent confederation with the MLBPA, allowed players to become so infested with record-busting, drug-swollen sluggers they were dragged before Congress to further, under oath, skirt the truth through the inability to remember, or in the case of Sammy Sosa forget he could speak English”Item Perceived social norms and concussion-disclosure behaviours among first-year NCAA student-athletes: implications for concussion prevention and education(Research in Sports Medicine, 2020) Register- Mihalik, Johna K.; Marshall, Stephen W.; Kay, Melissa C.; Kerr, Zachary Y.; Peck, Karen Y.; Houston, Megan N.; Linnan, Laura A.; Hennink-Kaminski, Heidi; Gildner, Paula; Svoboda, Steven J.; Cameron, Kenneth L.Timely disclosure and identification of concussion symptoms are essential to proper care. Perceived social norms are a potential driving factor in many health-related decisions. The study purpose was to describe concussion disclosure behaviours and identify the association between perceived social norms and these disclosure behaviours. First-year student-athletes (n = 391) at two NCAA institutions completed a cross-sectional survey about concussion disclosure and disclosure determinants. Log-binomial regression models identified factors associated with concussion disclosure behaviour prevalence for: higher intention to disclose symptoms, disclosed all at time of injury, eventually disclosed all, and never participated with concussion symptoms. More favourable perceived social norms were associated with higher prevalence of intention to disclose (PR = 1.34; 95%CI: 1.18, 1.53) and higher prevalence of never participating in sports with concussion symptoms (PR = 1.50; 95%CI: 1.07, 2.10). Clinicians, coaches, sports administrators, and healthcare practitioners should be mindful of the need to create supportive social environments to improve concussion symptom disclosure.Item Gender, Body Mass And Lean Body Mass Relationships On A Robust Fitness Challenge(Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2021) Crowder, Todd A.; Jaffe, Daniel A.; Hewit, Jennifer K.; Magennis, Matthew D.; Morogiello, Jenna; Leahy, Guy D.Robust fitness testing {Cadet Fitness Challenge (CFC)} is an important entity for physical assessment & future military operations. PURPOSE: Investigate relationships of gender, body mass, & lean body mass on performance during the CFC at a U.S. Service Academy.Item Factors Influencing Dietary Supplements Use Among NCAA Athletes At A United States Service Academy(Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2021) Zang, Karl; Jaffe, Daniel A.; Hewit, Jennifer K.; Crowder, Todd A.PURPOSE: To identify the key factors that influence the decision to purchase dietary supplements among NCAA athletes at a United States Service Academy METHODS: Through analysis of descriptive statistics, 54 cadets at a United States Service Academy who were active members of NCAA Athletic teams were surveyed on key factors influencing decision to purchase dietary supplements. Survey questions included: ingredients, third party verification, quality of products, and sources of information, to include doctors, coaches, and teammates. A self-administered questionnaire utilizing a Likert scale (1-5) was used, with 1 corresponding to “no influence” and 5 corresponding to “strongly influenced.” Data collection and processing was captured using Microsoft Forms, while Statistica Version 13 was used to calculate the descriptive statistics. RESULTS: A total of 54 cadet-athletes completed the self-administered questionnaire. The top three factors influencing purchasing of dietary supplement were: “free of banned substances” (4.58 ± 0.82), “quality of product” (4.34 ± 0.85), and “ingredients” (4.15 ± 1.20). The three least influential factors regarding purchasing decisions were: “print media” (2.02 ± 1.11), “social media” (2.06 ± 1.29), and “supplement representative” (2.08 ± 1.41). CONCLUSION: As anticipated, “free of banned substances” was the most important factor influencing supplement purchasing decisions among the NCAA athletes. Unanticipated and contradictory to previous research were the findings regarding the limited influence of social media on dietary supplement purchasing decisions among this demographic (18-24 years old). These findings indicate that the participants are performing due diligence regarding dietary supplement purchases and utilization.Item Exertional Rhabdomyolysis Following Noncontact Collegiate Recreational Activity: A Case Report(International Journal of Athletic Therapy and Training, 2021) Morogiello, Jenna; Roessler, RebekahA healthy 19-year-old male (body mass = 68.04 kg, height = 175.26 cm) participating in a collegiate intramural flag football tournament presented with unilateral gastrocnemius exercise-associated muscle cramps. He was given electrolytes, stretched, and returned to play. The exercise-associated muscle cramps progressed to his quadriceps bilaterally within 23 min of initial reported symptoms. Emergency medical services was activated and the patient was transported by ambulance to the emergency department, where he was diagnosed with acute exertional rhabdomyolysis. This case report explores the rarity of exertional rhabdomyolysis in a noncontact intramural sport and highlights the necessity for early recognition and treatment.Item Body shape and performance on the US Army Combat Fitness Test: Insights from a 3D body image scanner(PLoS ONE, 2023) Smith. Maria; Turner, Dusty; Spencer. Charlotte; Gist, Nicholas; Ferreira, Sarah; Quigley, Kevin; Walsh, Tyson; Clark, Nicholas J.; Boldt, William; Espe, Justin; Thomas, Diana M.; Inge RoggenObjective: To identify relationships between body shape, body composition, sex and performance on the new US Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT). Methods: Two hundred and thirty-nine United States Military Academy cadets took the ACFT between February and April of 2021. The cadets were imaged with a Styku 3D scanner that measured circumferences at 20 locations on the body. A correlation analysis was conducted between body site measurements and ACFT event performance and evaluated using Pearson correlation coefficients and p-values. A k-means cluster analysis was performed over the circumference data and ACFT performance were evaluated between clusters using t-tests with a Holm-Bonferroni correction. Results: The cluster analysis resulted in 5 groups: 1. “V” shaped males, 2. larger males, 3. inverted “V” shaped males and females, 4. “V” shaped smaller males and females, and 5. smallest males and females. ACFT performance was the highest in Clusters 1 and 2 on all events except the 2-mile run. Clusters 3 and 4 had no statistically significant differences in performance but both clusters performed better than Cluster 5. Conclusions: The association between ACFT performance and body shape is more detailed and informative than considering performance solely by sex (males and females). These associations may provide novel ways to design training programs from baseline shape measurements.Item A review of machine learning in obesity(Obesity Reviews, 2018) DeGregory, K. W.; Kuiper, Patrick; DeSilvio, T.; Pleuss, James D.; Miller, Richard C.; Roginski, Jonathan W.; Fisher, Christopher B.; Harness, D.; Viswanath, S.; Heymsfield, Steven B.; Dungan, I.; Thomas, Diana M.Rich sources of obesity-related data arising from sensors, smartphone apps, electronic medical health records and insurance data can bring new insights for understanding, preventing and treating obesity. For such large datasets, machine learning provides sophisticated and elegant tools to describe, classify and predict obesity-related risks and outcomes. Here, we review machine learning methods that predict and/or classify such as linear and logistic regression, artificial neural networks, deep learning and decision tree analysis. We also review methods that describe and characterize data such as cluster analysis, principal component analysis, network science and topological data analysis. We introduce each method with a high-level overview followed by examples of successful applications. The algorithms were then applied to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to demonstrate methodology, utility and outcomes. The strengths and limitations of each method were also evaluated. This summary of machine learning algorithms provides a unique overview of the state of data analysis applied specifically to obesity.Item A Bayesian adjusted plus-minus analysis for the esport Dota 2(Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, 2020) Clark, Nicholas J.; Macdonald, Brian; Kloo, IanAnalytics and professional sports have become linked over the past several years, but little attention has been paid to the growing field of esports within the sports analytics community. We seek to apply an Adjusted Plus Minus (APM) model, an accepted analytic approach used in traditional sports like hockey and basketball, to one particular esports game: Defense of the Ancients 2 (Dota 2). As with traditional sports, we show how APM metrics developed with Bayesian hierarchical regression can be used to quantify individual player contributions to their teams and, ultimately, use this player-level information to predict game outcomes. In particular, we first provide evidence that gold can be used as a continuous proxy for wins to evaluate a team’s performance, and then use a Bayesian APM model to estimate how players contribute to their team’s gold differential. We demonstrate that this APM model outperforms models based on common team-level statistics (often referred to as “box score statistics”). Beyond the specifics of our modeling approach, this paper serves as an example of the potential utility of applying analytical methodologies from traditional sports analytics to esports.Item DESCRIBING THE EXPERIENCES OF PEER TUTORS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT FEDERAL SERVICE ACADEMIES(Liberty University, 2019) Van Dam, Drew JohnThe purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of undergraduate students who served as peer tutors (PT) at federal service academies. The following research question provided the framework for this study: How do undergraduate students describe their peer tutoring experiences in federal service academies? Further, I used subquestions in order for participants to fully describe the phenomenon. These included: What were participants’ expectations for being a PT prior to the start of this experience? In what ways were participant expectations met or not met during the peer tutoring experience? What expected and unexpected outcomes were realized by participants during this experience? How do participants describe their short-lived and enduring influences of their peer tutoring experience? Transition theory served as the theoretical framework as it postulates how one transitions during a change in one’s assumptive world. I collected data by seeking voluntary participation through purposeful sampling procedures including both criterion and intensity types. Identified participants recorded information pertinent to their experience through the use of journaling. Participants underwent individual interviews and participated in a focus group in order to describe their experiences. Data were analyzed using the transcendental phenomenological reduction process. Overall, participants described their need to help others, in order to do so, participants described steps they took to ensure they were successful and in doing so, they described the feeling that this role would continue beyond their time at their respective academies. Limitations, implications, and suggestions for further research are also addressed.