Thesis (B.A.)--Harvard University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 55-56). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a associação do polimorfismo de variação do número de cópias (CNV) do gene PDLIM3 (ALP) com o desempenho esportivo. Também foi objetivo desta investigação avaliar o impacto dessa variação genética sobre o padrão de expressão da proteína PDLIM3 no músculo esquelético. Mil e setenta e quatro indivíduos fizeram parte deste estudo, sendo 617 brasileiros (328 atletas + 289 não atletas) e 417 australianos (307 atletas + 150 não atletas). O polimorfismo foi determinado por meio de reação PCR convencional utilizando-se 3 primers, os quais permitiam a amplificação da região contendo ou não a inserção. Foi observada maior frequência do alelo I em atletas brasileiros em relação a seus controles (33,7% vs. 26,1%; x2=8,34; p=0,0044). A frequência do alelo I também foi significantemente maior em negros e pardos do que em brancos e, mesmo quando contrastados com grupo controle de mesma etnia, a diferença se mantém. Entretanto, a frequência do alelo I não foi diferente entre atletas de diferentes níveis competitivos. Ainda, o alelo I tendeu a ser mais frequente em atletas de força/potência em comparação com os de resistência em ambas as coortes estudadas. Nenhuma diferença foi observada na expressão da proteína ALP em função da presença do polimorfismo CNV do gene PDLIM3. Em conclusão, o polimorfismo CNV do gene ALP está associado com a condição atlética geral, muito embora não esteja associado com modalidades de força/potência ou resistência. O polimorfismo parece não influenciar o padrão de expressão da proteína PDLIM3 e, portanto, as associações observadas neste estudo devem ser explicadas por um mecanismo não avaliado / The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the copy number variation (CNV) polymorphism in gene PDLIM3 and the athletic status. Another objective was to determine the impact of CNV polymorphism in PDLIM3 gene upon skeletal muscle PDLIM3 expression. One thousand and seventy four subjects took part in this study (617 Brazilians, athletes=328, non-athletes=289; 417 Australians, athletes=307, non-athletes=150). Genotypes were determined through the use of conventional 3-primer PCR reaction, which was designed to amplify the region with/without the insertion. It was observed a higher I-allele frequency in the Brazilian athletes (33,7% vs. 26,1%; x2=8,34; p=0,0044) in comparison to non-athletes controls. Also, the frequency of the I-allele was significantly higher in black and half-black Brazilians as compared to their white counterparts. Despite the higher percentage of black and half-black in the athletes group, the statistical difference was still observed when ethnicity-matched controls where compared to the athletes. No effect of the polymorphism on muscle PDLIM3 protein expression was observed in the present study. In conclusion, CNV polymorphism in PDLIM3 gene is associated with general athlete status, although it is not associated with specific sprint or endurance performance. This polymorphic variant seems to not influence PDLIM3 protein expression at the muscle level and, therefore, all associations observed in this study are due to any other mechanism that does not involve altered PDLIM3 protein expression in skeletal muscle

This diploma thesis deals with the issue of a status of individual professional athlete. This issue seems to be easy to resolve as the legal doctrine unanimously classifies individual professional athletes as self-employed. However, further examination provides more detailed view and illustrates the issue is not as unambiguous as one might assume. Thus the aim of the thesis was to analyse the status and sports activity performance of individual professional athlete both theoretically and practically. The analysis of the sports activity performance of single individual professional athletes points out that their performances are different to a great extent. The sports activity performance of some athletes can be even without any doubt considered as a dependent work in terms of labour law. It results in fact that some of individual professional athletes conducts sports activity as self-employed, some of them are employees and some of them even professional soldiers. Every single legal status is connected with various benefits but also with some difficulties. In addition, according to predominant practice and regardless on the nature of their sports activity performance athletes are free to choose their legal status. The thesis also partly concentrates on complex issue of civil liability of athletes...

The purpose of this research was to explore the interplay between coach transformational leadership and coach-athlete relationship, and the effect on athletes' positive psychological outcomes though three separate studies. The research positioned both transformational leadership and coach-athlete relationship as distinct yet highly related factors of a social environment created by coaches.

This study investigated the relationship between public stigma, self-stigma, and help-seeking attitudes in a sample of undergraduate student-athletes. Student-athletes appear to be at increased risk for developing mental health issues compared to their non-athlete counterparts (Etzel et al., 2006). However, student-athletes appear to underutilize available mental health services for fear of being labeled as mentally ill as well as other factors (Pinkerton, Hinz, and Barrow, 1989). The purpose of the current study is to explore two facets of stigma as a potential explanation for negative attitudes toward help-seeking and thus the underutilization of these mental health services. Sixty-six student-athletes completed a 10-minute paper-pencil survey. The survey included measures of self-stigma, public stigma, help-seeking attitudes, demographic variables, and an open-ended question regarding barriers to help-seeking. Results indicated that self-stigma mediated the relationship between public stigma and help-seeking attitudes, which replicates the mediated model found in Vogel et al. (2007). Self-stigma appears to explain how negative stereotypes about those who seek help are internalized to form negative attitudes toward help-seeking for student-athletes. Further, student-athletes noted barriers to help-seeking such as lack of time or knowledge of resources as well as fear of being labeled as mentally ill. Implications for research and practice are delineated.

A escolha do Brasil como país sede dos Jogos Olímpicos e Paralímpicos de 2016 tornou aparente a necessidade da estruturação de políticas públicas para o esporte, mais especificamente aquelas voltadas à preparação de atletas de alto rendimento. O tempo, a qualidade do treinamento esportivo, o sistema organizacional do esporte na sociedade e o financiamento estão, entre outros aspectos, relacionados, diretamente, a um ambiente ideal para o desenvolvimento do esporte de alto rendimento. Nesse sentido, o presente estudo discorrerá sobre o Programa Bolsa-Atleta, coordenado pelo Ministério do Esporte. A Bolsa-Atleta é uma política governamental voltada ao apoio de atletas de alto rendimento, instituída pela Lei 10.891, de 9 de julho de 2004, como forma de garantir a transferência direta de recursos financeiros, prioritariamente, aos atletas praticantes de modalidades Olímpicas e Paralímpicas. O presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar o processo de formulação, implementação e avaliação do Programa Bolsa-Atleta do Governo Federal, identificando como o benefício é aplicado e sua influência na preparação esportiva do atleta. Optou-se pela utilização do método de pesquisa descritiva exploratória com abordagem mista. Para coleta de dados o estudo envolveu procedimentos de pesquisa documental, realização de entrevistas semiestruturadas e aplicação de questionários. A análise documental se deu por meio da sistematização dos documentos selecionados e posterior estratificação dos elementos considerados relevantes para atingir os objetivos propostos pelo presente estudo. Foram realizadas dez entrevistas envolvendo gestores esportivos, auditores fiscais e consultores legislativos, sendo que para o processo de classificação e análise dos dados obtidos, por meio das entrevistas, optou-se pela técnica de categorização conforme estabelece Bardin (2004). Os dados coletados por meio do questionário enviado aos 6.132 atletas praticantes de modalidades olímpicas e paralímpicas, contemplados com a bolsa-atleta em 2015, foram tratados por meio da estatística descritiva, mediante a utilização da ferramenta de envio de questionários online GoogleDocs® e analisados com base nos objetivos definidos para o estudo em tela e à luz do referencial teórico. Por fim, foi possível verificar uma participação ativa de atletas, ex-atletas, dirigentes esportivos, entidades e agentes políticos ao longo do processo de formulação do Programa Bolsa-Atleta. Pode-se dizer que o Programa Bolsa-Atleta cumpre o papel para o qual foi criado, uma vez que o recurso financeiro chega, diretamente, no atleta. Contudo, alguns entraves foram apontados ao longo da implementação. Apurou-se que há consenso sobre a inexistência de metodologia padronizada para avaliar o Programa Bolsa-Atleta, enquanto Política Pública de esporte de alto rendimento. Considerando o objetivo do Brasil de figurar entre as nações consideradas potências esportivas, conclui-se ser de fundamental importância a manutenção e o incremento de uma Política Pública destinada a dar suporte direto aos atletas de alto rendimento. / The choice of Brazil as the host country for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games brought to light the need for public policies for the sport, especially those implemented to prepare high performance athletes. The amount of time, the quality of training, the organizational system of the sport in society including its funding are, among other aspects, directly related to providing the ideal environment for the development of high performance sports. In this sense, the present study will go over the Athlete Sponsorship Program, coordinated by the Brazilian Ministry of Sports. The Athlete Sponsorship athletes by the passing of the Act 10.891 from July, 9th of 2004, as a way to secure the direct transfer of financial resources to Olympic and Paralympic sports athletes. This study its aimed to analyze the process of formulation, implementation and evaluation of the Athlete Sponsorship Program of the Federal Government, identifying how the descriptive exploratory method with a mixed approach. For data collection, the study involved documental research procedures, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The documental analysis was conducted through the systematization of the selected documents and subsequent stratification of the elements considered relevant to the objectives proposed by the present study. Ten interviews involving sports managers, fiscal auditors and legislative consultants were carried out. In order to classify and analyze the data obtained through interviews, the technique of categorization was chosen according to Bardin (2004). The data collected through the questionnaire sent to the 6,132 athletes of Olympic and Paralympic modalities, recipients of the Athlete Sponsorship Program in 2015, were treated through descriptive statistics, using the online questionnaire tool GoogleDocs® and analyzed based on the objectives of the study and in light of the theoretical reference. Finally, it was possible to verify an active participation of athletes, former athletes, sports leaders, entities and political agents throughout the process of formulating the Athlete Sponsorship Program. It can be stated that the Athlete Sponsorship Program fulfills the role for which it was created, since the financial resource comes directly to the athlete. However, some obstacles were pointed out throughout the implementation process. It was identified that there is consensus about the lack of a standardized methodology to evaluate the Athlete Sponsorship Program, as a Public Policy for high-performance sports. Considering Brazil's objective to be ranked among the nations considered as sports powers, it is concluded to be of fundamental importance to maintain and increase a Public Policy aimed at providing direct support to high-performance athletes.

abstract: Vegetarian diets can provide an abundance of nutrients when planned with care. However, research suggests that vegetarian diets may have lower protein quality than omnivore diets. Current protein recommendations assume that vegetarians obtain a majority of their protein from animal products, like dairy and eggs. Studies have shown that this assumption may not be valid. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) may not be adequate in vegetarian populations with high protein requirements. The purpose of this study is to analyze dietary protein quality using the DIAAS (Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score) method in both vegetarian and omnivore endurance athletes. 38 omnivores and 22 vegetarians submitted 7-day food records which were assessed using nutrition analysis software (Food Processor, ESHA Research, Salem, OR, USA). Dietary intake data was used to calculate DIAAS and determine the amount of available dietary protein in subject diets. Dietary data was compared with the subjects’ lean body mass (obtained using DEXA scan technology), and strength (quantified using peak torque of leg extension and flexion using an isokinetic dynamometer). Statistical analyses revealed significantly higher available protein intake in the omnivore athletes (p<.001). There were significant correlations between available protein intake and strength (p=.016) and available protein intake and lean body mass (p<.001). Omnivore subjects had higher lean body mass than vegetarian subjects (p=.011). These results suggest that vegetarian athletes may benefit from higher overall protein intakes to make up for lower dietary protein quality. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Nutrition 2017

Formal long-term athlete development programmes emerged at the turn of the century and, despite some fierce criticisms, have evolved significantly since their inception. The first generation of athletes to grow up with these systems are now coming of age. The purpose of this thesis was to track a population of adolescent school-level swimmers between the ages of 12 and 18 years over an 8-year period so as to assess their performance progression as they matured under these athlete development programmes. The first study aimed to track the performances of the sub-elite athletes at an annual international school championship and to compare their progression with those of both junior elite and elite-level swimmers. In addition to narrowing the gender gap, the records of the sub-elite swimmers have continued to improve. In contrast, both of these factors remained relatively stable for junior elite and elite-level swimmers over the same period. Swimming affords athletes the possibility of within-sport specialisation. This almost unique aspect of swimming led to the two investigations of the second study. Firstly, the paired stroke combinations preferred by swimmers were determined using Cohen’s Kappa tests in a cross-sectional design. Secondly, the stability in the event selection of each swimmer during their adolescent years was explored longitudinally. Both males (33.9±5.8%) and females (36.9±6.5%) preferred to swim the 50 and 100 m freestyle events together over any other paired stroke combination. The majority of swimmers preferred to specialise in specific stroke techniques over distance specialisms with breaststroke being the only stroke in which swimmers of both sexes chose to specialise early. Most notable was that females specialised earlier than males. Studies three (males, n = 446) and four (females, n = 514) utilised mixed linear modelling to determine the quadratic functions of the performance progressions of adolescent swimmers (between the ages of 12 and 19 y) in seven individual competition events. Males progressed at more than twice the rate of females (3.5 and 1.7% per year, respectively) in all strokes over this age range. This was likely due to the fact that females reach puberty before males. Thresholds of peak performance occurred between the ages of 18.5±0.1 y (50 m freestyle and the 200 m individual medley) and 19.8±0.1 y (100 m butterfly) for males, but between the wider range of 16.8±0.2 y (200 m individual medley) and 20.6±0.1 y (100 m butterfly) for females. Using an independent sample of Dutch Junior national swimmers (n = 13), the fifth and final study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the models developed in studies three and four as both target setting and talent identification tools. This was achieved through a mixed-methods approach where quantitative and qualitative data confirmed the applicability of the models for adolescent swimmers of any skill level. This thesis demonstrates that sub-elite swimmers have probably benefitted from first generation athlete development models. Longitudinal modelling of their data provides a valuable platform from which all adolescent swimmers can be compared and used to inform the next generation of bespoke swimming-specific youth development programmes.

Submitted by Rafael Nogueira Rodrigues null (rafael.nogueira@fc.unesp.br) on 2018-03-13T14:20:52Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Sindrome de Burnout em Jovens Atletas.pdf: 1590368 bytes, checksum: fd07eacd175dea907bbb634cbe5037a4 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Marlene Zaniboni null (zaniboni@bauru.unesp.br) on 2018-03-14T14:04:11Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 rodrigues_rn_me_bauru.pdf: 1590368 bytes, checksum: fd07eacd175dea907bbb634cbe5037a4 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-03-14T14:04:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 rodrigues_rn_me_bauru.pdf: 1590368 bytes, checksum: fd07eacd175dea907bbb634cbe5037a4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-01-26 / Com a finalidade de monitorar efetivamente o jovem atleta comprometido com o treinamento intenso, alguns pesquisadores sugerem o aprofundamento do conhecimento sobre o desenvolvimento psicossocial, e informam os riscos de burnout (estresse físico e emocional), levando à perda de oportunidades sociais, educacionais e, em muitos casos, o rompimento com a vida familiar e esportiva. Sendo a própria competição uma fonte causadora de estresse para atletas de qualquer nível (adulto ou infanto-juvenil), e a exposição prolongada a agentes estressores pode ter influências negativas graves, podendo gerar problemas relacionados ao seu desempenho. Essa pesquisa teve por objetivo identificar escores de burnout, em atletas de ambos os sexos, praticantes de esportes individuais e coletivos, em diferentes faixas etárias durante a fase pré-competitiva, bem como as possíveis correlações entre idade, sexo e tipo de esporte. Utilizou-se o questionário de burnout para atletas, com amostra constituída por 223 atletas amadores e profissionais, sendo 173 do sexo masculino e 50 do sexo feminino, 108 atletas praticantes de modalidades individuais e 115 de modalidades coletivas. Para o cálculo e análise dos dados foi utilizada a estatística descritiva e inferência estatísticas, com estimativas de média, desvio padrão, mediana, quartis e valores extremos. Foi utilizado o valor de ≥2.5 para classificação de vulnerabilidade dos atletas nas diferentes variáveis. Como resultado foi identificado que os indivíduos de modalidade individual apresentaram maiores escores em cada dimensão do burnout em relação aos indivíduos de modalidades coletivas. Em relação ao sexo, houve uma pequena indicação de maior sentimento de desvalorização esportiva no grupo do sexo masculino, mas sem diferença significativa, sendo também observada uma fraca correlação positiva entre idade, valores de burnout total e desvalorização esportiva. Em relação a vulnerabilidade, o percentual de atletas de esportes individuais, atletas do sexo feminino e atletas de maior idade foi um pouco mais elevado em comparação a seus pares, demonstrando uma possível maior vulnerabilidade neste público. / In order to effectively monitor the young athlete who is committed to intense training, some researchers suggest a deepening of knowledge about psychosocial development. They also report on the risks of burnout, physical and emotional stress, leading to loss of social, educational and, in many cases, disruption to family and sports life. Competition is a source of stress for athletes of any level (adult or child-juvenile), and prolonged exposure to these stressors can have serious negative influences, thus influencing their performance. This research aimed to identify burnout scores in athletes of both sexes, individual and collective sportsmen, in different age groups during the pre - competitive phase, as well as the possible correlations between age, gender and type of sport. The burnout questionnaire was used for athletes. The sample consisted of 223 amateur and professional athletes, of whom 173 were males and 50 were females, 108 were athletes practicing individual modalities and 115 were of collective modalities. For the calculation and analysis of the data we used statistical descriptive and statistical interference, with estimates of mean, standard deviation, median, quartiles and extreme values. The value of ≥2.5 was used to classify the vulnerability of the athletes in the different variables. As a result, it was identified that individuals of individual modality presented higher scores in each dimension of burnout in relation to individuals of collective modalities. Regarding gender, there was a small indication of a greater sense of sports depreciation in the male group, but without a significant difference, a weak positive correlation was also observed between age and values of total burnout and sports devalorization. Regarding vulnerability, the percentage of athletes of individual sports, female athletes and older athletes was a little higher, showing greater vulnerability in this public.

A escolha do Brasil como país sede dos Jogos Olímpicos e Paralímpicos de 2016 tornou aparente a necessidade da estruturação de políticas públicas para o esporte, mais especificamente aquelas voltadas à preparação de atletas de alto rendimento. O tempo, a qualidade do treinamento esportivo, o sistema organizacional do esporte na sociedade e o financiamento estão, entre outros aspectos, relacionados, diretamente, a um ambiente ideal para o desenvolvimento do esporte de alto rendimento. Nesse sentido, o presente estudo discorrerá sobre o Programa Bolsa-Atleta, coordenado pelo Ministério do Esporte. A Bolsa-Atleta é uma política governamental voltada ao apoio de atletas de alto rendimento, instituída pela Lei 10.891, de 9 de julho de 2004, como forma de garantir a transferência direta de recursos financeiros, prioritariamente, aos atletas praticantes de modalidades Olímpicas e Paralímpicas. O presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar o processo de formulação, implementação e avaliação do Programa Bolsa-Atleta do Governo Federal, identificando como o benefício é aplicado e sua influência na preparação esportiva do atleta. Optou-se pela utilização do método de pesquisa descritiva exploratória com abordagem mista. Para coleta de dados o estudo envolveu procedimentos de pesquisa documental, realização de entrevistas semiestruturadas e aplicação de questionários. A análise documental se deu por meio da sistematização dos documentos selecionados e posterior estratificação dos elementos considerados relevantes para atingir os objetivos propostos pelo presente estudo. Foram realizadas dez entrevistas envolvendo gestores esportivos, auditores fiscais e consultores legislativos, sendo que para o processo de classificação e análise dos dados obtidos, por meio das entrevistas, optou-se pela técnica de categorização conforme estabelece Bardin (2004). Os dados coletados por meio do questionário enviado aos 6.132 atletas praticantes de modalidades olímpicas e paralímpicas, contemplados com a bolsa-atleta em 2015, foram tratados por meio da estatística descritiva, mediante a utilização da ferramenta de envio de questionários online GoogleDocs® e analisados com base nos objetivos definidos para o estudo em tela e à luz do referencial teórico. Por fim, foi possível verificar uma participação ativa de atletas, ex-atletas, dirigentes esportivos, entidades e agentes políticos ao longo do processo de formulação do Programa Bolsa-Atleta. Pode-se dizer que o Programa Bolsa-Atleta cumpre o papel para o qual foi criado, uma vez que o recurso financeiro chega, diretamente, no atleta. Contudo, alguns entraves foram apontados ao longo da implementação. Apurou-se que há consenso sobre a inexistência de metodologia padronizada para avaliar o Programa Bolsa-Atleta, enquanto Política Pública de esporte de alto rendimento. Considerando o objetivo do Brasil de figurar entre as nações consideradas potências esportivas, conclui-se ser de fundamental importância a manutenção e o incremento de uma Política Pública destinada a dar suporte direto aos atletas de alto rendimento. / The choice of Brazil as the host country for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games brought to light the need for public policies for the sport, especially those implemented to prepare high performance athletes. The amount of time, the quality of training, the organizational system of the sport in society including its funding are, among other aspects, directly related to providing the ideal environment for the development of high performance sports. In this sense, the present study will go over the Athlete Sponsorship Program, coordinated by the Brazilian Ministry of Sports. The Athlete Sponsorship athletes by the passing of the Act 10.891 from July, 9th of 2004, as a way to secure the direct transfer of financial resources to Olympic and Paralympic sports athletes. This study its aimed to analyze the process of formulation, implementation and evaluation of the Athlete Sponsorship Program of the Federal Government, identifying how the descriptive exploratory method with a mixed approach. For data collection, the study involved documental research procedures, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The documental analysis was conducted through the systematization of the selected documents and subsequent stratification of the elements considered relevant to the objectives proposed by the present study. Ten interviews involving sports managers, fiscal auditors and legislative consultants were carried out. In order to classify and analyze the data obtained through interviews, the technique of categorization was chosen according to Bardin (2004). The data collected through the questionnaire sent to the 6,132 athletes of Olympic and Paralympic modalities, recipients of the Athlete Sponsorship Program in 2015, were treated through descriptive statistics, using the online questionnaire tool GoogleDocs® and analyzed based on the objectives of the study and in light of the theoretical reference. Finally, it was possible to verify an active participation of athletes, former athletes, sports leaders, entities and political agents throughout the process of formulating the Athlete Sponsorship Program. It can be stated that the Athlete Sponsorship Program fulfills the role for which it was created, since the financial resource comes directly to the athlete. However, some obstacles were pointed out throughout the implementation process. It was identified that there is consensus about the lack of a standardized methodology to evaluate the Athlete Sponsorship Program, as a Public Policy for high-performance sports. Considering Brazil's objective to be ranked among the nations considered as sports powers, it is concluded to be of fundamental importance to maintain and increase a Public Policy aimed at providing direct support to high-performance athletes.