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No / Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are a major problem among female athletes. Screening for the risk of ACL injuries tends to focus on landing tasks, which may be limited in sports where changing direction is the main action involved in noncontact ACL injuries such as soccer. To investigate whether there is a relationship between single-legged landing (SLL), cutting (90° cuts), and pivoting (180° turns) in terms of the characteristics of dynamic valgus. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Twenty female soccer players (mean ± SD: age, 21.0 ± 3.9 years; height, 1.65 ± 0.08 m; mass, 58.4 ± 6.4 kg) performed a minimum of 6 trials of SLL from a 0.3-m drop height and cutting and pivoting all on the right leg. Kinematics and kinetics were calculated from 3-dimensional motion analysis. Results: Strong correlations were found for peak knee abduction angles between tasks (R = 0.63-0.86, P < .01), whereas only moderate correlations between SLL and cutting (R = 0.46, P < .05), cutting and pivoting (R = 0.56, P < .05), and SLL and pivoting (R = 0.43, P > .05) were found between tasks for peak knee abduction moments. Conclusion: The results suggest that female athletes who exhibit poor SLL mechanics perform the same during various changing direction tasks. Clinical Relevance: The results support the use of existing screening tests that involve landing tasks to identify at-risk athletes for noncontact ACL injuries.

Background: The number of women participating in sports has increased dramatically, though research in sports are often performed on men. Physical exercise is known to increase physical performance and improve well-being. Although exercise has beneficial health effects for most of the women, it is known that strenuous exercise may also have negative health consequences. Common are menstrual dysfunctions and the medical effects of a long-standing amenorrhea are serious. Moreover, strenuous exercise without adequate recovery may lead to overreaching (OR) /overtraining syndrome (OTS). An improved muscle strength are of great importance in many sports, hence an increased understanding on how to generate optimal strength training programs in women without negative side effects are essential. The aims of this thesis were to investigate the effects on strength and power of high frequency periodised leg resistance training to evaluate a training regime and moreover to investigate if the training was well accepted and without potential exercise-related negative consequences. Moreover, to provide normative data on oxytocin and cortisol to elucidate if these hormones could be one diagnostic marker in combination with others to monitor and diagnose female athletes that may be at risk to develop OR/OTS. Methods: Fifty-nine women, participated in the four month intervention study. Two groups performed high frequency leg resistance training for two weeks of each menstrual/oral contraceptive (OC) cycle. The remaining part of the cycle they performed the leg training once a week. Group 1, trained with high frequency (5 times·w-1) during the first two weeks of each cycle, and group 2, during the last two weeks of each cycle. A control group performed regular (3 times·w-1) leg resistance training. Another 33 women participated in the observational study. The OC users and non-users, were followed over a nine-month period with monthly blood sampling of oxytocin and cortisol, and the Profile of Mood State (POMS) as a subjective measure of OR/OTS. Results: The women who performed high frequency leg resistance training, 5 times·w-1, during the first two weeks of each cycle showed significant increase in jump height, peak torque values in hamstrings, increased lean body mass of the legs, and their experiences of the training were positive. These results were not found when the periodised training was performed during the last two weeks of each cycle. In the control group an increase in jump height, and peak torque (left hamstring) was observed. There were no evident differences in the training effects between women with or without OC use. Moreover, no exercise-related negative consequences were detected in any of the three groups. The women in the observational study showed seasonal variations in oxytocin and cortisol, with different pattern in OC users to non-users. No convincing relationships to POMS were found.  Conclusions: The high frequency periodised leg resistance training during the first two weeks of the cycle is more beneficial to optimize resistance training, than the last two weeks. The high frequency periodised leg resistance training was not associated with exercise-related negative consequences and was well accepted when performed during the first two weeks of each cycle. Due to seasonality and impact of OC use, oxytocin and cortisol are not suggested to be optimal, diagnostic markers alone/in combination with others, to detect OR/OTS in physically active women.

Denna studie fokuserar på mediers framställning av män och kvinnor i sportjournalistiken. Utifrån ett genusperspektiv analyserar vi Aftonbladets nyhetskrönikor av de Olympiska Spelen sommaren 2016. Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur kvinnliga atleter framställs gentemot manliga atleter inom sportjournalistiken. Vi undersöker även om det råder en hegemonisk maskulinitet i rapporteringen. I utförandet av studien har vi använt oss av kritisk diskursanalys (CDA) som både metod och teori. Som komplement till CDA som teori, utgår vår analys från genusteori, hegemonisk maskulinitet och stereotyper. Studien grundar sig i fem olika analysverktyg hämtade ur Carvalhos (2008) steg-för-steg modell för kritisk diskursanalys. Modellen gör det möjligt för en kritisk analys av textens innehåll samt skildringar av manliga och kvinnliga atleter. Resultaten visar att det i jämförelse med tidigare studier råder en ändring i diskursen. De kvinnliga atleterna i studien skildras inte av negativa stereotyper. Fokus ligger inte på kvinnornas sociala roll, utan de beskrivs istället utifrån sina bedrifter som atleter. Det råder en jämställd skildring av kvinnliga och manliga atleter utifrån ett genusperspektiv och den hegemoniska maskuliniteten stöds inte i vår studie. / The focus of this study lies on medias representation of male and female athletes in sports journalism. The research has been conducted on one of Sweden’s biggest newspaper, Aftonbladet. This study has, from a gender perspective, critically analysed Aftonbladets news coverage of the summer Olympic games of 2016. The purpose of this study is to examine how female athletes is portrayed in sports journalism in comparison with male athletes, and to see if a hegemony masculinity shows in the news coverage. To carry this study into effect we chose to use critical discourse analysis as both method and theory. To complement CDA as a theory we also base our analysis in the theory of gender, stereotypes and hegemony masculinity theory. This study is based on five analytic tools that was recovered from Carvalhos step-by-step model for a critical discourse analysis. This makes it possible for a critical qualitative analysis of the text and the depiction of male and female athletes. The model makes it possible to examine the chronicles use of linguistic, as the content of the text is broken down thoroughly and deeply analysed. In comparison to earlier studies, our results shows that there is a change in the discourse. The female athletes in the study are not described by negative stereotypes. The focus of the female athletes does not lie on them as social actors, instead they are described by their actions as athletes. From a gender perspective the female and male athletes are represented equally. There is no showing of a hegemony masculinity in the news reporting.

Syftet med studien var att beskriva hur idrottande kvinnor gör för att må och prestera bra i sitt idrottande under menstruationscykeln. En kvalitativ metod av öppna brev användes för att samla in data. De öppna breven samlades in digitalt via plattformen www.enkät.se, som även säkerställde deltagarnas anonymitet. Tio idrottande kvinnor mellan 18–33 år deltog i studien genom att skriva det öppna brevet som började med meningen “Nu ska jag berätta hur jag gör för att må och prestera bra när jag idrottar under min menstruationscykel…”. Den skriftliga datan analyserades med en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Utifrån analysen skapades ett huvudtema: Idrottande under menstruationscykeln - en fråga om kunskap och förhållningssätt och tre underteman: Vardagsrutiner för välmående, Idrottskvinnans prestation förutsätter egenmakt och valfrihet samt Idrottsrörelsens ansvar att skapa rätt förutsättningar. Huvudtemat tillsammans med de tre underteman beskriver hur deltagarna är beroende av sig själva, tränare och samhällsstrukturer för att må och prestera bra. Gemensamt för samtliga underteman är kunskap vilket utgör grunden för att kunna förhålla sig till ämnet på ett bra sätt. / The aim of this study was to describe what female athletes do to feel and perform well in sports during their menstrual cycle. A qualitative method with open letters was used to collect data. The open letters were collected by the digital plattform www.enkät.se who ensured that the participants remained anonymous. Ten female athletes between 18–33 years old participated in the study and wrote the open letter which started with the sentence "I am now going to tell you what I do to feel and perform well in sports during my menstrual cycle…". The collected data was analyzed with a qualitative content analysis. Based on the analysis a main theme was created: Sports during the menstrual cycle - a matter of knowledge and approach, together with three sub-themes: Everyday routines of wellbeing, The female athletes’ performance requires empowerment and freedom of choice and The sports movement's responsibility to create the right conditions. The main theme together with the three sub-themes describes how the participants are dependent on themselves, coaches and social structures in order to feel and perform well. Common to all sub-themes is knowledge, which is the basis for being able to relate to the subject in a good way.

Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 49-59).

Over the last three decades, the sports research community has demonstrated a growing interest in the process of sport retirement. The majority of the sport retirement research has focused on male professional athletes, traditionally those in the popular spectator sports. Yet, the process of leaving sport applies to thousands of individuals, both male and female, who engage in competitive sport. To date very little consideration has been given to the retirement experiences of female athletes. Three separate studies have been undertaken to address this identified gap in the literature. Studies One and Two aimed to explore the experiences of sport retirement for elite female athletes in Scotland, using a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. In Study One questionnaire data was collected from 92 former Scottish elite female athletes. Questionnaire sections were designed to examine what were felt to be the major elements of the Taylor and Ogilvie (1994; 2001) conceptual model of adaptation to retirement from sport, in order to explore the applicability of this model to female athletes in Scotland. The results of the study provide support for the use of this model to assist in our understanding of the retirement transition. The findings highlighted the importance of athletic identity, reason for retirement, and perceptions of control in predicting the level of difficulty and adjustment that an athlete may experience upon their retirement. The most significant finding was the effect that athletic identity had on the retirement process, with those identifying strongly with the athletic role reporting significantly higher levels of difficulty, emotional adjustment, and social adjustment. 29 of these athletes participated in an in-depth interview within Study Two, enabling a more in-depth analysis of their retirement experiences. In this study particular attention was paid to the effect of athletic identity on this transition. In support of the findings of Study One, athletes with a strong and exclusive athletic identity were found to be more likely to experience difficulties when they retire. In comparison, athletes with lower levels of athletic identity generally experience some mild negative emotions after initially retiring, followed by a relatively smooth transition into their life after sport. The second part of this thesis examines formal programmes available to support female athletic retirement in Scotland. Study Three provides an evaluation of the Performance Lifestyle programme offered by the Scottish Institute of Sport, focusing in particular on the services related to preparation for life after sport. The perspectives of a number of different groups with an interest or involvement in the programme were examined and comparisons made with the delivery of Performance Lifestyle to other athlete groups in Great Britain. The results show that Performance Lifestyle is a very valuable source of support for athletes who are part of the Institute Network. The programme does deal with the issue of the end of the career, but it is definitely a weaker aspect, largely due to lack of resources. Performance Lifestyle in Scotland compares favourably with programmes offered by the Institute Network in England and by Welsh Rugby. However other professional sports are currently offering superior programmes due to higher levels of investment and resources.

The aim of this bachelor thesis was to examine how Swedish tabloids portrayed Sweden’s greatest female boxers Mikaela Laurén and Klara Svensson the time before and the time after their great meeting at Hovet the 10th of September. We examined the following questions: Which gender roles are given to Sweden’s greatest female boxers Mikaela Laurén and Klara Svensson in Swedish tabloids and how is the interplay between media and the figures in the text described in the Swedish tabloids?   We used narrative analysis to investigate 14 texts from Aftonbladet and Expressen which were related to the match at Hovet. We found that the two boxers were portrayed differently. Laurén was portrayed as the bad girl who had to fight hard to get to where she is. She is tough and she is the one that comes with mean comments and gives media the real intrigues and she likes to use props. She believes she has a greater purpose, to get female boxing acknowledged on the media agenda. Svensson is portrayed as the good girl, she is more girly and is portrayed as if she seems to think that she is a better person than Laurén and therefore pity her when Laurén creates drama in the media. Svensson tries to convince the media that she is a tough girl but is still portrayed as more girly. Both Laurén and Svensson were also portrayed with their roles outside of boxing, as girlfriends which is common for female athletes. The meeting seems to be perfect for both the media and the boxers team. The meeting is portrayed as the final battle between good and evil.

Syfte och frågeställningar : Syftet med denna kandidatexamensuppsats är att belysa skillnaden mellan hur kvinnliga och manliga idrottare framställs i media genom fotografier och hur det påverkar konstruktionen och/eller förstärkningen av könstereotyper och könsroller, vilket i sin tur försvårar arbetet för en jämställd idrott; utifrån RF:s jämställdhetsmål för 2025. Studien ämnar svara på följande frågeställningar: 1) Förekommer manliga idrottare i större omfattning än kvinnliga idrottare i media? 2) Blir kvinnliga idrottare marginaliserade i media genom att placeras senare i tidningen och på färre första sidor än manliga idrottare? 3) Porträtteras kvinnliga idrottare oftare på bilder i mindre storlek än manliga idrottare? 4) Framställs kvinnor på ett könsstereotypiskt sätt i media som begränsar möjligheter för en jämställd idrott? 5) Förekommer manligt kodade idrotter i större omfattning än kvinnligt kodade idrotter i media?6) I vilken utsträckning får kvinnligt kodade idrotter utrymme i media och vilket kön representeras mest i respektive kodad idrott?   Metod: Undersökningen genomfördes genom en kvantitativ innehållsanalys på 3153 bilder på idrottare i Sportbladet. Ett kodningsschema konstruerades där faktorer som kön, placering i tidningen, storlek på bilden, om idrottaren framställdes i eller utanför en idrottskontext och i idrottskläder eller civila kläder. Något som också noterades var om idrotten var manligt, neutralt eller kvinnligt kodad. En pilottestning genomfördes för att testa interbedömarreliabiliteten och därefter kodades de 3153 bilder som studien avser.   Resultat: Manliga idrottare porträtteras på 75% av alla bilder jämfört med 25% på kvinnliga idrottare (p = &lt;.001). Manliga idrottare förekom även tidigare i tidningen än kvinnliga idrottare (p= &lt;.001). Det fanns ingen skillnad mellan könen gällande storlek på bild (p &lt;.184). Resultatet visar även att kvinnliga idrottare oftare framställs utanför en idrottskontext än manliga idrottare (p= &lt;.002). Däremot framställs både manliga och kvinnliga idrottare i idrottskläder 90% (p= &lt;.34). Resultatet visar att 97% av bilder på kvinnliga idrottare var i en manligt kodad idrott. Endast elva bilder föreställde en idrott som var kvinnligt kodad.   Slutsats: Resultaten indikerar att kvinnliga idrottare är tydligt marginaliserade i media och kvinnligt kodade idrotter är obefintligt rapporterade. Studien drar slutsatsen att media i nuläget inte utnyttjar möjligheten att främja jämställdhet vilket i sin tur har konsekvenser för att riksidrottsförbundet ska nå jämställdhetsmålen för 2025. / Aim: The purpose of this study is to examine and illustrate the way female and male athletes are portrayed in media through photographs and how that in turn affects the construction and/or the reinforcement of gender stereotypes and gender roles, which in turn obstruct the strive for equality in sports; regarding the Swedish Sports Confederations goals for equality to be met 2025. The study presents six questions of issue: 1) Are male athletes portrayed to a larger extent than female athletes in media? 2) Are female athletes marginalized in media by being systematically placed later in the paper and in less first pages than male athletes? 3) Are female athletes portrayed in smaller pictures more often than male athletes? 4) Are female athletes portrayed in a gender stereotypical way in media that limits the possibilities for equality in sports? 5) Are masculine sports portrayed to a larger extent than feminine sports in media? 6) To what extent are feminine sports portrayed in media and what gender is most prominent in feminine sports? Method: The study performed a quantitative content analysis on 3153 pictures in Sportbladet. A coding scheme was designed where factors such as, gender, placement in the paper, size of picture, if the athlete was portrayed in or outside of an athletic context, if the athlete was portrayed in athletic or civilian clothes. It was also noted if the sport was masculine, neutral or feminine. A pilot test was conducted to test for interrater reliability. Thereafter the main analysis of the study was conducted on 3153 pictures.  Results: Male athletes are portrayed in 75% of all pictures compared to female athletes who is portrayed in 25% (p = &lt;.001). Male athletes also occurred earlier in the paper than female athletes (p= &lt;.001). There were no differences between male and female athletes regarding the size of the picture (p &lt;.184). The results indicate that female athletes more often were portrayed outside an athletic context than male athletes (p= &lt;.002). On the contrary, both male and female athletes are portrayed in athletic clothes in 90% of all pictures (p= &lt;.34). Results also indicate that 97% of pictures portraying female athletes were athletes competing in a masculine sport. Eleven pictures in total portrayed feminine sports.   Conclusions: Results indicate that due to the evident marginalization of female athletes and feminine sports the study leads to the conclusion that media in the present situation does not take advantage of the possibility to promote an equal representation of female athletes which in turn implicate the Swedish Sport Confederations goals for equality to be met 2025.

Bakgrund: Varje år utbildar Sveriges Riksidrottsgymnasier (RIG) ca 1200 ungdomar med målet att nå internationell nivå inom sin idrott. Studier har visat att ca 32% av de kvinnliga eleverna har någon form av menstruationsdysfunktion vilket kan vara en av konsekvenserna vid låg energitillgänglighet (LEA). När en idrottare har för lågt energiintag i förhållande till träningsmängd kan de drabbas av den kvinnliga idrottstriaden (Triaden; LEA, menstruationsrubbningar och låg bentäthet) som även ingår i syndromet relativ energibrist inom sport (RED-S) och kan påverka både hälsa och prestation negativt. För att förebygga och motverka långsiktiga konsekvenser krävs kunskap bland både idrottare och tränare. Syfte: Syftet med studien var således att undersöka kunskapsläget gällande Triaden och RED-S hos unga kvinnliga idrottare på ett idrottsgymnasium, samt deras tränare. Metod: 16 RIG kontaktades via mejl där kvinnliga idrottare och tränare tillfrågades om deltagande via ett anonymt digitalt frågeformulär bestående av frågor om Triaden och RED-S samt frågor om upplevd trygghet och stöd inom ämnet. Resultat: Totalt svarade 35 personer (25 idrottare och 10 tränare) på enkäten. Resultatet visade att kunskap gällande Triaden och RED-S var relativt låg. Fler respondenter hade hört talas om RED-S jämfört Triaden och signifikant fler tränare jämfört idrottare kunde benämna Triadens tre ingående komponenter (p=0,024). 41% av respondenterna kände sig inte trygga i att rapportera symptom och fler tränare jämfört idrottare kände sig trygga i att söka hjälp utifrån (100% vs. 52%, p=0,032). Vidare visade resultatet att idrottarna önskade mer utbildning och stöd samt någon de kan lita på och prata med vid problem. Även tränarna tyckte mer utbildning inom ämnet vore värdefullt. Slutsats: Resultatet indikerar att få idrottare har goda kunskaper inom Triaden och RED-S och känner en viss otrygghet att rapportera symptom till sin tränare eller annan utomstående. Både idrottare och tränare ansåg det önskvärt med mer utbildning och öppenhet inom ämnet för att kunna förebygga och motverka konsekvenserna av Triaden och RED-S. / Background: Every year, 1200 students start their education at one of the Swedish National Sports Gymnasiums with the goal of reaching international level in their sport. Studies have shown that c. 32% of female students have some form of menstrual dysfunction which can be a consequence of low energy availability (LEA). When an athlete has too low energy intake in relation to training amount they may suffer from the female athlete triad (Triaden; LEA, menstrualdysfuction and low bone density) which is a part of the syndrome relative energy deficiency in sports (RED-S) which can negatively affect both health and performance. To prevent long-term consequences, knowledge is required among both athletes and coaches. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the state of knowledge regarding the Triad and RED-S among young female athletes who attend a sports gymnasium, as well as their coaches. Method: 16 National Sports Gymnasiums in Sweden were contacted through email where female athletes and coaches were asked about participation via an anonymous digital questionnaire consisting of questiones of knowledge about the Traid and RED-S and questiones about percieved safety and support in the subject. Results: A total of 35 people (25 athletes and 10 coaches) completed the survey. The results showed that knowledge regarding the Triad and RED-S was relatively low. More respondents had heard of RED-S compared to the Triad and significantly more coaches compared to athletes could name the three components of the Triad (p=0,024). 41% of the respondents did not feel safe in reporting symptoms and more coaches felt confident in seeking outside help compared to athletes (100% vs. 52%, p=0,032). Furthermore, the results showed that the athletes wanted more education and support as well as someone they can trust and talk to in case of problems. The coaches also thought more education on the subject would be valueble. Conclusion: The results indicate that few athletes have good knowledge of the Triad and RED-S and feel a certain insecurity of reporting symptoms to their coach or other outside staff. Both athletes and coaches consider it desirable to have more education and openness on the subject in order to prevent the consequences of the Triad and RED-S.