Lithuanian Sports University Virtual Library
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Perceived stress and coping strategies among young Lithuanian tennis players /
No full textBackground: The psychological preparation of young athletes is a relevant issue, varying across different sports. Tennis is one of the fastest-growing sports, especially in Lithuania, which highlights the importance of psychological preparation for tennis players. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the stress experienced by young tennis athletes, the factors that cause it, and the stress-coping strategies they use. Methods: This cross-sectional study included a representative sample (n = 60) of tennis players aged 12–17 years (mean age 14.63, SD = 1.52; 50% male) who participated in Lithuanian tennis championships. A questionnaire was used, which included questions about stress experienced during competitions, signs of stress, the causes of stress, and the coping strategies applied. Results: The study revealed that 25.0% of tennis players experience high levels of stress during competitions. Girls reported higher stress levels during competitions compared to boys. The main stress-inducing factors identified were: fear of making mistakes (63.3%), fear of losing (56.7%), opponents’ skill level (55.0%), and the importance of the competition (31.7%). Fear of not meeting parents’ expectations was a greater source of stress than fear of not meeting the coach’s expectations. The most common stress symptoms experienced were anxiety, lack of concentration, negative thoughts, and increased heart rate. To reduce stress, tennis players most often listened to their favourite music, communicated with parents or friends, or talked with their coach. Conclusion: The study revealed that all tennis players experience stress during competitions, and some of them experience high stress levels. This is more common among females than males. Young tennis players experience stress for various reasons, with both parents and coaches playing an important role. Although young athletes use several stress-coping strategies, they do not fully employ all effective coping methods. Therefore, the findings emphasise the importance of the coach’s role in the psychological preparation of young athletes
Quantifying intrinsic capacity: does it work for healthy older adults? – preliminary results :
No full textAdolescents’ digital health literacy and its associations with physical activity and health-risk behaviours factors :
No full textPurpose: Adolescents live in an era where digital media permeates every aspect of their everyday lives, including entertainment, learning, and information acquisition. It influences their physical activity and other lifestyle factors. We aimed to investigate the relationship between adolescents’ digital health literacy, physical activity, and health-risk behaviours using the WHO Action Network on Measuring Population and Organizational Health Literacy (M-POHL) instrument HLS19-DIGI. Methods: The current cross-sectional study includes survey data from 796 adolescents (boys: n = 339, girls: n = 466; 15–19 years of age). Digital health literacy (DHL), as a predictor variable, was measured using two HLS19-DIGI scales. One scale consisted of eight items, while the other comprised six items. DHL scores range from 0 to 100. Health risk behaviours include smoking and alcohol consumption. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s α. Regression analyses were conducted to measure associations between digital health literacy, physical activity and health-risk behaviours variables, controlling for social demographics. Results: Digital health literacy mean score was 78.28 (SD = 24.24). One third of the participants (29.8%) demonstrated inadequate or problematic DHL, while more than half (55.8%) exhibited excellent and 14.4% adequate levels of DHL. Participants who were more physically active demonstrated higher DHL scores (F = 3.36, p = 0.04). Regression analysis showed that DHL has a significant positive impact on physical activity (β = 0.08, p < 0.05) and a significant negative impact on lifetime smoking (β = 0.09, p < 0.01), indicating that higher instances of DHL relate to higher exercising and lower smoking. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that by using HLS19-DIGI, a meaningful relationship between digital health literacy and adolescents’ physical activity and health-risk behaviours was found. Among adolescents with higher digital health literacy, there is a lower prevalence of smoking and higher levels of physical activity
Communicating physical activity messages with adolescents: what works? A scoping review with stakeholder consultation /
No full textGlobal levels of adolescents’ physical inactivity are cause for concern, despite the well-documented health benefits of physical activity (PA). Addressing the messaging of PA is one approach to improve PA knowledge. While increased knowledge does not necessarily lead to behavior change, physically active students have better knowledge of the health benefits of PA. Recently, researchers have highlighted the need for an effective communication strategy for PA messages. This review aimed to summarize the state of the available evidence about the operationalization of communicating PA messages, the evaluation, and effectiveness of PA messages
Prevalence and risk factors of low back pain among Lithuanian national defense volunteer forces /
No full textBackground Low back pain (LBP) is a prevalent musculoskeletal disorder that imposes a significant burden on individuals and healthcare systems worldwide. Military personnel, including active and reserve forces, are particularly vulnerable to LBP due to the physically demanding nature of their duties, exposure to extreme conditions, and repetitive strain on the lower back. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of LBP and identify associated risk factors among members of the Lithuanian National Defense Volunteer Forces (LNDVF). Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 272 active-duty LNDVF personnel (221 males and 51 females). A structured questionnaire collected data on demographics, lifestyle habits, health history, and LBP occurrence. LBP prevalence was assessed based on self-reported instances: lifetime prevalence, 12-month prevalence, and pain at the time of the survey. The analysis explored associations between LBP and potential risk factors, including gender, age, marital status, smoking, body mass index (BMI), history of back injuries, stress levels, and self-perceived health status. Results The lifetime prevalence of LBP was 85.3%, the 12-month prevalence was 81.6%, and 42.3% of participants reported experiencing LBP at the time of the survey. Female soldiers reported a higher prevalence of LBP than males. Older soldiers (≥ 33 years) and unmarried personnel had a greater likelihood of experiencing LBP. Smokers and individuals with a higher BMI exhibited an increased risk, likely due to biomechanical strain. Elevated stress levels were positively correlated with LBP prevalence, emphasizing the link between psychological and physical health. A history of back injuries significantly increased the odds of experiencing LBP. Soldiers who rated their health as poor or average were more likely to report LBP. Conclusions More than four-fifths of military personnel have experienced low back pain at least once in their lifetime and within the past 12 months, with nearly half reporting LBP at the time of the survey. Identified risk factors for LBP include female sex, older age, lack of a partner, previous back injuries, elevated stress levels, smoking, self-reported poor health, and higher body mass index. LBP significantly affects military readiness, impairing the ability to perform service tasks in approximately two-thirds of affected soldiers
Improving the quality of the website in order to increase user loyalty.
No full textThe problem of the study. There are many studies that analyze website quality improvement in order to increase user loyalty, however there is not enough information on the Lithuanian market. Aim. To identify opportunities for improving the quality of the website in order to increase user loyalty. Tasks. 1. To analyze the benefits of websites in sports; 2. To review aspects of improving the quality of the website; 3. To identify measures on increasing user loyalty; 4. To investigate opportunities for improving the quality of the website of Impuls health clubs; Research methods. Analysis of literature sources; empirical, quantitative research using a questionnaire survey. Results. 96 percent of respondents use the Internet daily. 88.6 percent of respondents have made online purchases more than once. Respondents rated the Impuls health club website information reliability, ease and clarity of website navigation, importance of information and ease of understanding, security of information and payments the highest. The lowest – the website competence, clarity and detail of the information provided, personalization of services, sense of community. Interestingly, higher ratings of respondents are related to lower education – customers with secondary/vocational education rate the website better; the lowest ratings are from customers with higher education. According to respondents, the greatest influence on the decision to buy sports goods/services online is photos/videos posted on social networks (59.9 percent) and reviews of other buyers (58.9 percent). Conclusions. 1. Websites create easier communication, foster the image of the organization, when choosing a sports organization, consumers first check their websites and reviews. For successful business development, a sports website must be effective and consistently used. 2. There are many aspects of website improvement and each business model should choose the most appropriate research model that meets business expectations. The WEBQUAL model is used to assess user perceptions of website quality. The Technology Acceptance Model helps to understand human behavior predictions that can lead to the decision to accept or reject a service/product. The SERQUAL model assesses the quality of the service and how much it differs from the customer's expectations. The E-S-QUAL and E-RECS-QUAL models analyze the quality of an electronic service. 3. The studies examined revealed that in order to increase the loyalty of website users, it is recommended to understand your customer, create loyalty and recommendation programs, improve communication on social networks, improve the buying and selling process, and use artificial intelligence. 4. In order to increase customer loyalty, the study revealed the following opportunities for improvement of the Impuls health club website: website competence, clarity and detail of the information provided, personalization of services, and a sense of community
Associations of smartphone, computer, and television use with insufficient sleep duration and overweight/obesity among lithuanian adolescents: a cross-sectional study /
No full textExcessive use of screen-based devices may be associated with a higher risk of various adverse health outcomes in children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between smartphone, computer, and television use and insufficient sleep duration and overweight/obesity among Lithuanian children and adolescents aged 11–18 years. Data on self-reported smartphone, computer, and television use, as well as sleep duration on weekdays, were collected from 1,350 schoolchildren aged 11 to 18 who participated in a cross-sectional study conducted in Lithuania between November 2019 and March 2020. Use of smartphone, computer, and television was categorised into two groups: <2 h/day and ≥ 2 h/day for each device. Overall, 54.5% of the participants reported using a smartphone for ≥ 2 h/day, 28.1% reported using a computer for ≥ 2 h/day, and 7.8% reported watching television for ≥ 2 h/day. After adjusting for age, BMI, and physical activity, participants who used a smartphone ≥ 2 h/day had significantly higher odds of insufficient sleep duration (boys: aOR = 2.49 (95% CI 1.81–3.44) and girls: aOR = 2.57 (95% CI 1.80–3.66). Participants who used a computer ≥ 2 h/day had also significantly greater odds of insufficient sleep duration (boys: aOR = 1.94 (95% CI 1.41–2.67) and girls: aOR = 1.92 (95% CI 1.25–2.94). After adjusting for age, sleep duration, and physical activity, computer use ≥ 2 h/day was associated with increased odds of overweight/obesity only among boys (aOR = 1.45 (95% CI 1.03–2.05)). Our study revealed significant associations between prolonged smartphone and computer use with insufficient sleep duration among Lithuanian schoolchildren. Additionally, greater computer use was associated with increased odds of overweight/obesity, specifically in boys
Relationship between emotional wellbeing and physical activity of primary school children.
No full textBackground. Emotional wellbeing and physical activity are key components of children’s health, learning, and social functioning. Schools provide a unique setting to support both domains, yet less is known about how school type and sex are related to emotional wellbeing and physical activity in younger school-age children. Objective. To examine the associations between emotional wellbeing and physical activity among primary school children and to assess differences according to sex and school type. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in November 2024, which included 166 children in grades 1–4 from one rural, one urban, and one private school. Emotional state was assessed using the SAN scale, yielding scores for wellbeing and mood. Physical activity was measured using a self-report questionnaire, capturing weekly activity levels. Non-parametric tests (Mann–Whitney U) were used to compare groups, and Spearman’s correlation coefficients were calculated to examine associations between variables. Results. Wellbeing and mood were strongly and positively correlated (r = 0.70, p 0.05). Children attending private schools reported significantly lower wellbeing and mood scores compared with their peers in rural and urban schools (p 0.05). Conclusions. Emotional wellbeing among primary school children is closely interconnected, but it is more strongly related to school type than to sex or self-reported physical activity levels. School environment appears to play a meaningful role in shaping both emotional state and activity levels, highlighting the importance of supportive, health-promoting school settings in early education
