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Evan L. Frederick and Ann Pegoraro
The purpose of this commentary is to present the state of sport, social media, and crisis communication research. Existing crisis-communication research involving athletes and coaches; collegiate institutions; teams, leagues, and governing bodies; journalists; and other sport entities are discussed. The commentary concludes with a discussion of directions for future research, including (a) interviewing industry professionals, (b) employing survey design to examine user response, (c) employing experimental design with social media manipulations, (d) validating and developing frameworks, and (e) examining additional social media platforms.
Emma J. Kavanagh, Chelsea Litchfield, and Jaquelyn Osborne
While the topic of athlete welfare has gained significant attention in academic literature, to date there has been a primacy placed on physical settings and their ability to augment or thwart the welfare of athletes. The discourse has, therefore, neglected the advent of social media spaces and their potential to have a significant impact on athlete welfare. Social media platforms are now a vital component in the lives of athletes who are increasingly reliant on maintaining an online presence and following. In this commentary, we consider the scope of social media and its potential impact on the welfare of athletes, particularly female athletes. In doing so, we identify and discuss some of the positive health and well-being outcomes associated with increased online communication and self-representation in social media spaces. We examine the scholarship concerning the threats posed by social media spaces, consider power in virtual environments and its impact on welfare, and finally suggest some future directions for scholarship in this field.
Vera Moniz-Pereira, Thaís Ferreira Silva, Eduardo B. Cruz, and Filomena Carnide
This study aims to perform the cross-cultural adaptation to European Portuguese of the Composite Physical Function Scale and to assess its validity and reliability in a sample of community-dwelling older adults. The scale was translated into European Portuguese, back translated, and piloted in a sample of 16 representative individuals. Its validity and reliability were tested in an independent sample of 114 community-dwelling older adults (52 were tested twice to assess test–retest reliability). The results showed that the scale had good internal consistency (α = .90), construct validity (ρ = .71) and measurement error (78.8% agreement), and excellent test–retest reliability (κ = .98). However, a ceiling effect was found as 28% of the participants achieved the highest possible score. Although the scale has good measurement properties, the presence of ceiling effects is indicative that this tool is not able to distinguish higher levels of intrinsic capacity within community-dwelling older adults.
Yves Paul Vincent Mbous, Rowida Mohamed, and Ruchi Bhandari
Purpose: In light of the known benefits of physical activity (PA) for cancer survivors, this exploratory study sought to investigate the uptake of PA among this population in the United States. Methods: Using the National Health Interview Survey data from 2009 to 2018, lung, breast, colorectal, prostate, ovarian, and lymphoma cancer survivors were identified, and their PA adherence measured per the standards of the American College of Sports Medicine. Logistic regression and the Fairlie decomposition were used, respectively, to identify correlates of PA and to explain the difference in PA adherence between races. Results: Uptake of PA was significantly different between Whites and minorities. Blacks had lower odds than Whites (adjusted odds ratio: 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.66–0.93), whereas Mixed Race had twice the odds of Whites (adjusted odds ratio: 1.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.27–0.98) of adhering to PA recommendations. Decomposition identified education, family income-to-poverty ratio, body mass index, number of chronic conditions, alcohol use, and general health as key factors accounting for the PA disparity between cancer survivors of White and Black or Multiple/Mixed racial group. Conclusion: These findings could help inform behavioral PA interventions to improve their design and targeting to different racial groups of cancer survivors.
