Nachwuchspreis 2023

1. Platz (geteilt): Fabian Schwendiger von der Universität Basel

Accelerometry yields numerous physical activity (PA) outcomes. These include traditional cut-point-based (i.e. light, moderate, and vigorous PA) and cut-point-free metrics (i.e. intensity gradient [IG] and average acceleration [AvAcc]). Cut-point-based metrics are simple to interpret but require population- and device-dependent cut-points. In contrast, cut-point-free metrics are comparable across populations and accelerometer brands. However, their interpretation is difficult. Besides, their association with cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), an important health indicator is unknown. We thus aimed to 1) examine the association of CRF with cut-point-free and cut-point-based metrics in a prospective cohort of healthy adults aged 20 to 89 years, and 2) provide age-, sex-, and CRF-related reference values.
In the cross-sectional COmPLETE study, healthy adults in the Basel area were asked to wear GENEActiv accelerometers on their non-dominant wrists for up to 14 days and undergo cardiopulmonary exercise testing to determine CRF. Associations between CRF and accelerometer metrics were examined using multiple linear regression models adjusted for sex, age, and body mass index. Percentile curves were generated with Generalised Additive Models for Location, Scale, and Shape.
463 healthy adults were included in the analyses. IG and AvAcc were independently associated with CRF. The best cut-point-free regression model (AvAcc+IG) performed similar to the best cut-point-based model (vigorous activity) and explained 73.9% and 74.2% of the variance in CRF, respectively. We produced age-, sex-, and CRF-related reference values for IG, AvAcc. Moreover, we developed an R-package (‘rawacceleration’) facilitating the interpretation of cut-point-free metrics.
Cut-point-free metrics are not only more robust than cut-point-based metrics, but also have similar predictive value for CRF. Our findings indicate that cut-point-free metrics may be a viable alternative to cut-point-based metrics in describing PA. Our reference values together with the R-package ‘rawacceleration’ will enhance the utility of IG and AvAcc and facilitate their interpretation.

1. Platz (geteilt): Sofia Anzeneder von der Universität Bern

Designed acute physical activity to benefit primary school children’s cognition: Effects of cognitive challenge, bout duration and positive affect

Acute bouts of physical activity (PA) can transiently enhance children’s cognition. Cognitive benefits are interactively influenced by quantitative and qualitative PA characteristics. Among qualitative PA characteristics, the level of cognitive challenge has attracted increasing interest; however, a low comparability of PA studies does not allow definitive conclusions. Moreover, evidence highlights that positive affect induced by the bout may mediate PA effects on cognition. Thus, a series of three acute PA studies investigated: Which cognitive challenge level affects children’s cognition (study 1); which duration of the identified cognitive challenge level is optimal to reap largest benefits (study 2); if positive affect mediates the PA-cognition relation (study 3).
All studies were conducted in a within-subjects crossover design. Children (5th-6th graders) performed exergaming (i.e., active video-gaming) sessions at 65% HRmax.

• Study 1: three sessions (15-min) with varying cognitive challenge levels (low, mid, high).
• Study 2: four sessions with varying bout durations (5-, 10-, 15-, 20-min), but the same cognitive challenge level (derived from study 1).
• Study 3: three sessions with varying affect-inducing feedbacks (no feedback; standard acoustic environment; supportive verbal feedback), but same cognitive challenge level and bout duration (derived from studies 1 & 2).

Executive control, alerting, orienting, and their interactions were assessed after each session by an attention network task (ANT-R). For analyses repeated measures ANOVAs were calculated.
Compared to cognitively less challenging bouts, an acute high-challenging PA benefitted children’s executive control the most (study 1), supporting the assumptions of the cognitive stimulation hypothesis. In line with previous evidence, a 15-min bout benefitted overall information processing, but not attention networks (study 2). A verbal supportive feedback during a cognitively high-challenging, 15-min bout led to better executive control (study 3), confirming previous assumptions of beneficial effects of conditions inducing positive affective states. The studies allowed to (1) test cognitive challenge effects, while individualizing cognitive demands; (2) identify the optimal duration for learning contexts; and (3) further the understanding of the role of affective states in the acute PA-cognition relation. Results of the research program may inform the design of school-based PA interventions.

3. Platz Claudia Kubica von der Universität Bern

"Effects of a training intervention tailored to the menstrual cycle on endurance performance, recovery and well-being in female recreational runners – a randomized-controlled pilot study."

Throughout the menstrual cycle (MC), sex hormones such as estrogens and progesterone fluctuate. Research highlights that those hormones, primarily affecting the reproductive system, also impact multiple physiological systems. Tailoring traditional endurance training to the individual MC phases may therefore impact training response and adaptation in female runners. Current findings in resistance training support this idea, but it remains unclear whether this effect can also be found in endurance training. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a polarized endurance training intervention tailored to the MC on performance, recovery, and well-being in female runners. Fourteen eumenorrheic, moderately trained runners (age: 24±2.8 years; BMI: 22.3±2.6 kg/cm2; 240±152min of moderate to vigorous physical activity/week) took part in an 8-week running training intervention consisting of three weekly training sessions. The participants were randomly assigned to a control group, which followed traditional endurance training, and an intervention group, which followed MC-adapted endurance training. At baseline and following the intervention period, anthropometrics (weight, height, BMI), performance (countermovement jump performance (CMJ), and maximum oxygen uptake (VO2peak) were assessed. A repeated measures ANOVA determined no statistically significant time and group interaction effects in mean performance levels. A significant time effect was found for VO2peak but not for the other parameters (p<.05). An 8-week polarized running training, block-periodized or individually adapted to the MC, improves the VO2peak in eumenorrheic female runners. Nevertheless, our results implicate no further benefits of MC-adapted training on recovery and premenstrual symptoms in recreational runners. However, a post-analysis revealed that in 57% of participants in the CG, training recovery phases of the block-periodized training protocol randomly matched with current recommendations for the late-luteal and early-follicular phase of their MC. Therefore, the structure of the training protocols between the IG and CG did not differ, limiting the generalization of the results.