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Background Proper menstrual management is crucial for well-being and reproductive health. Despite global efforts to improve menstrual health, more than 2.3 billion girls and women still lack access to adequate menstrual hygiene facilities. This issue is exacerbated in physically demanding sports, where menstrual health can impact performance. Objective This study examines the menstrual experiences and challenges adolescent female athletes face in Bangladesh. It seeks to identify their current menstruation management practices, assess physical, psychological, and sociocultural challenges during menstruation, and evaluate the facility improvements and support systems needed to enhance menstrual management and athletic performance. Methods A qualitative research design was employed, focusing on a phenomenological approach to understand the lived experiences of adolescent athletes. The study was conducted at the Bangladesh Institute of Sports Education (BKSP), which serves approximately 1,500 female athletes. A purposive sampling strategy selected 32 adolescent athletes for in-depth interviews (IDIs) and two focus group discussions (FGDs), which were segmented by age. Additionally, six key informant interviews (KIIs) were conducted with coaches and administrative staff. The data were collected through audio-recorded interviews, and thematic analysis was performed. Results This study revealed that sociocultural taboos and misconceptions significantly affect menstrual management practices among athletes. Physical challenges include discomfort, irregular cycles, and limited access to menstrual hygiene products, contributing to increased absenteeism from training. Psychological impacts, such as concerns about reproductive health and inadequate guidance on oral contraceptive pills (OCPs), further complicate the situation. Both athletes and coaches expressed a need for better education and resources. Conclusion Addressing menstrual management challenges for adolescent female athletes requires a comprehensive approach. Enhanced knowledge and awareness, improved access to menstrual hygiene products, and targeted education for athletes and coaches are essential to enhance menstrual management and athletic performance.

Background Sports-related oro- dental trauma, such as tooth fracture, displacement, mobility, and avulsion, cause significant concern among adolescent players due to detrimental impacts. The current study aims to develop, validate and assess the reliability of a simple index as a questionnaire to assess the impact of sports-related oro-dental trauma both untreated and treated, among adolescent school children in Sri Lanka. Methods AODTII, an adolescent oro-dental trauma impact index, was developed and validated using a mixed-method approach. Items for the index were generated by quantitative as well as qualitative analysis of the results from Oral Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaires, personnel interviews with experts and focus group discussions with adolescents. Principal component analysis and Exploratory factor analysis were used to create the index. The index was validated in the Sinhala language, and the reliability of the index was assessed using a separate sample in the school context in the Colombo district. Results The initial list of 28 items was reduced to 12 by the Principal Component Analysis. Exploratory Factor Analysis categorised the variables into four latent constructs; physical impact, psychosocial effect influenced by peer pressure, the impact of oral health care and the impact caused due to unmet dental trauma treatment need. The cut-off values of the AODTII were based on PCA. The index achieved the Content Validity Ratio of 88.33. The construct validity was assessed with confirmatory factor analysis by developing a structural equation model. It obtained good model fit indices of RMSEA value of 0.067, SRMR of 0.076, CFI of 0.911 and the Goodness of Fit index of 0.95. The homogeneity was ensured with convergent and discriminant validity. The Cronbach's alpha value was 0.768, ensuring reliability. The index assesses the level of impact due to oro- dental trauma and identifies whether the adolescents perceive it significantly or not. Conclusion Twelve-item AODTII emerged as a reliable and valid tool to assess the perceived impact of untreated and treated sports-related oro- dental trauma on Sri Lankan adolescents with implications for its use in other populations. Further research is required to improve the translational value of AODTII. Moreover, the tool is potential as a patient-centred communication tool, clinical adjunct, advocacy tool and a useful OHRQoL index. However, it is needed to be supported end-users’ feedback.

The effects of sleep on elite athletes in late adolescence and early adulthood have been well documented in a myriad of sports. However, there is underrepresentation of pre-pubertal and young female adolescent athlete research between the ages of 11–17, and specifically female gymnast and swimmers. Neglecting to understand how high energy demand at a young age relates to sleep and restoration may lead to developmental ramifications for this group, as they display physiological dysfunctions like delayed puberty, amenorrhea and are at risk for the female athlete triad or components of the triad. This review aims to summarize the contemporary variables of blue light emitting screens, social media, and caffeine on quality and quantity of sleep in young athletes while identifying gaps in the literature on how these factors impact the target group of young female swimmers and gymnasts.  The implications of this work include sleep hygiene recommendations for increasing duration and quality of sleep, as well as future research with respect to electronic device usage, social media participation, caffeine consumption, and sport engagement in female early adolescent athletes.

Background Sudden cardiac death is the most common cause of mortality in young athletes. In some of these, the final pathway is arrhythmia. The authors aimed to identify the incidence, diagnosis and management of athletes undergoing investigation and intervention for cardiac arrhythmias. Methods Retrospective analysis of all patients between 10 and 17 years presenting to a supra-regional paediatric cardiac unit for investigation and intervention for a cardiac arrhythmia. Elite athletes (county and national level) were identified from the departmental clinical and arrhythmia databases (October 1997–2007). Patients with significant congenital heart disease were excluded. Results From 657 patients undergoing 680 interventions, 324 were excluded. From the remaining 333 we identified 11 elite athletes – football (n=3), martial arts (n=2), rugby (n=2), triple jump, netball, canoeing, and motor sport (n=1). Presenting symptoms included palpitations (n=8) and syncope (n=1). Two were asymptomatic and investigated following routine screening. Diagnoses included atrioventricular (AV) re-entry tachycardia (n=3), AV node re-entry tachycardia (n=4), complete heart block (n=1), sinus node dysfunction (n=1), vasovagal syncope (n=1) and pre-excited atrial fibrillation (n=1). Arrhythmia interventions included implantable loop recorder (n=2), diagnostic electrophysiology study (n=9), including radiofrequency ablation (n=5), cryoablation (n=2) and pacemaker implantation (n=2). Following intervention, 10 children returned to competitive sport. There were no deaths. No child required long-term medication post-intervention. Conclusion Of the young competitive athletes identified from the authors' study, there was a high incidence of significant arrhythmias. Intervention is usually successful and most athletes return to elite sport without the need for long-term medication.

Despite recent declines in overall sexual activity, sexual risk-taking remains a substantial danger to US youth. Existing research points to athletic participation as a promising venue for reducing these risks. Linear regressions and multiple analyses of covariance were performed on a longitudinal sample of nearly 600 Western New York adolescents in order to examine gender- and race-specific relationships between \"jock\" identity and adolescent sexual risk-taking, including age of sexual onset, past-year and lifetime frequency of sexual intercourse, and number of sexual partners. After controlling for age, race, socioeconomic status, and family cohesion, male jocks reported more frequent dating than nonjocks but female jocks did not. For both genders, athletic activity was associated with lower levels of sexual risk-taking; however, jock identity was associated with higher levels of sexual risk-taking, particularly among African American adolescents. Future research should distinguish between subjective and objective dimensions of athletic involvement as factors in adolescent sexual risk.KEY WORDS: jock identity; athletic activity; sexual risk; adolescent; gender; race.

This paper addresses and compares the impact of organized, more intensive sports participation with lower intensity participation among high school student-athletes. Subjects included 770 high school students who reported being active in organized school sports. Mental health, physical health, and coping skills were assessed as indicated by factor scores derived from the Juvenile Wellness and Health Survey (JWHS-76). Results indicate that compared to students who were less active, competitive sports participation was associated with fewer mental health problems, fewer total risks, and fewer eating and dietary problems for both girls and boys. These results provide initial support for the association between youth participation in competitive sports and mental health.

Literature review of research into the influence of the institutional culture of schools on health behaviour, and in particular on substance misuse and teenage pregnancy. Impact on health of interventions to improve pupil engagement and quality of teacher-child relationships and reduce disaffection is described. [(BNI unique abstract)] 12 references

When the neuropathologist, Bennet Omalu, analyzed Webster's brain tissue, he discovered clumps of tau proteins, generally associated with neurodegeneration. In 2005, he published a paper arguing that Webster had suffered from what he recognized as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, brought on by more than two decades of brain battering on the field. As Omalu and others studied the brains of dozens of former players who had died, they continued to discover signs of CTE. Not surprisingly, the National Football League fought to discredit the work, possibly hoping to avoid expensive disability payments to ex-players. The issue now extends far beyond the NFL to children who play football, soccer, hockey, and other sports, especially because new research is revealing the pervasiveness of head injury in young athletes. In 2013, a report from the Institute of Medicine called for greater attention to concussions across the age spectrum, but especially in younger kids. In response.