Tommy Haugen

Normative data of BMI and physical fitness in a Norwegian sample of early adolescents

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to 1) provide normative data quantifying the physical fitness level and body mass index of 13–15-year-old Norwegian adolescents using a multi-component fitness assessment, and 2) compare the physical fitness of Norwegian teenagers with available European and International fitness data. Methods: 1059 adolescents (529 males, 530 females) from 12 public schools in Kristiansand were invited to testing at age 13, 14, and 15 years (Grades 8–10). Test participation was 75%–80%. The participants performed objectively anthropometrical measures (height and weight) and six field-based physical fitness tests. Results and Conclusions: As expected, sex differences in physical fitness expanded from age 13 to 15. Strength and power increased more in males than females. Aerobic capacity increased slightly in males while remaining stable or tending to decline in females. Balance and gross motor coordination improved identically in males and females from age 13 to 15. Compared to European and International reference data, the sample performed superior in endurance and balance, slightly above median in lower-body strength, but inferior in flexibility.

Sports clubs as accessible developmental assets for all? Adolescents’ assessment of egalitarianism vs. elitism in sport clubs vs. school

School and sport clubs are considered important public institutions in the nationwide scaffolding of developmental assets for adolescents. However, external assets’ impact on individuals’ internal assets is not given and developmental institutions do not necessarily function as the society would like to believe. Previous qualitative studies from Norway indicate that organized youth sport appears as competitive and exclusive and the purpose of the present study was therefore to assess a national sample of adolescents’ perceptions of their local sports clubs in terms of egalitarianism (inclusiveness) and elitism (exclusiveness). A comparison with their assessments of their local school was performed. This study offers a youth development perspective on personal experience, and a sociological sport policy perspective focusing on sports for all. A sample of Norwegian adolescents’ (N = 2055) appraisal of their local school and sports club was assessed and the results showed no significant cross-domain difference between the two institutions regarding the perception of egalitarianism/inclusiveness. However, the adolescents rated the sports club as significantly more elitist and thus more exclusive compared to schools. The perception of inclusiveness was positively related to a measure of parenting quality while the perception of sports clubs as elitist was positively related to age among girls, but not among boys. The results confirm an incongruity between the Norwegian ‘sport for all’ policy and adolescents’ assessment of their local sports club, and this article questions the use of democratic and egalitarian rhetoric in sports policy documents emphasizing the concepts as democracy, loyalty, equality, community, health, integrity and tolerance.

Translating, Reliability Testing, and Validating a Norwegian Questionnaire to Assess Adolescents’ Intentions to be Physically Active After High School Graduation

This study aimed to test the reliability and validity of a Norwegian measure of adolescents’ intentions to be physically active after graduation (the Intention to be Physically Active After Graduation [IPAG] Questionnaire). The development of IPAG involved a translation and back-translation procedure and a test–retest study, performed on 105 adolescents (M age = 17.1, SD = 0.6) from three different high schools in Kristiansand, Norway. The four IPAG items loaded on one single factor, demonstrating acceptable factor loadings (.68-.90) and acceptable Cronbach’s alpha values (.84 and .84) in both the test and retest assessment. IPAG correlated positively with a measure of attitudes toward physical activity (.61-.71) and a measure of participants’ intentions to be physically active next month (.77-.82), supporting both construct validity and criterion-related validity of the IPAG-Questionnaire. Acceptable reliability and validity of IPAG was found, which supports the use of this instrument in future research.

What distinguishes responders from nonresponders to a vocational rehabilitation program

Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare responders and nonresponders in terms of work ability (WA) to a multidisciplinary vocational rehabilitation program (MVRP) in Norway. Methods: The WA of 74 participants was tested at baseline and in the final week of a 4–6-week intervention. The participants whose WA increased were defined as WA-responders, whereas participants with no increases or with decreases in their WA after the intervention were defined as WA-nonresponders. Measures of functional health, psychological functioning, and demographics were also collected. Results: Overall, the results of this study indicate that the WA improved and the proportion of participants with poor WA decreased by 26% after the intervention. However, the main outcome of this study was that not all of the participants reported improved WA after the intervention. WA of 43% of the participants did not improve and they were defined as WA-nonresponders, whereas the WA of the other 57% participants improved and they were defined as WA-responders. At baseline, the two groups did not differ significantly in terms of their basic characteristics, whereas there were significant differences between the two groups in terms of pain intensity and sense of mastery variables. Logistic regression analysis identified pain intensity and sense of mastery as significant predictors of WA-response. Conclusion: Multidisciplinary vocational rehabilitation seems effective for some but not all participants. Unfavorable WA responses were more prevalent in participants who reported high pain intensity and low sense of mastery at baseline. It is still a challenge to understand what distinguishes responders from nonresponders to MVRPs; thus, further research is required.

Referee efficacy in the context of Norwegian soccer referees – A meaningful construct?

Objectives: The purpose of this study was two‐fold. Firstly, to examine the measurement/factorial validity and invariance of the Referee Self‐Efficacy Scale (REFS) among Norwegian soccer referees. Secondly, extending scale validation, we also tested a structural model in which a second‐order version of the REFS was modelled to mediate a set of theoretically informed antecedents and outcomes. Design: Cross‐sectional. Method: One hundred and eleven Norwegian elite referees and 81 non‐elite referees completed an electronic questionnaire measuring expected antecedents and outcomes of perceived self‐efficacy in the role as referees. Results: Analyses provided support for the first – and second order versions of the REFS scale as well as for scale invariance. Further, a task goal and experience as referee related positively to referee positive affect, mediated by referee efficacy. Unexpectedly, physical preparation related directly to positive affect, whereas no mediation effects or direct effects for mental preparation and ego goal were observed. Conclusions: Measurement/factorial validity and invariance of the REFS were fully supported. Validity of the scale in mediation model by Guillén and Feltz (2011) was only partly supported. HighlightsTesting the factorial validity and invariance of the Norwegian REFS scale.Cross‐sectional study using latent variable modeling.Support for validity and invariance of the referee efficacy scale.REFS mediated years of experience and task orientation on positive affect.

Childhood football play and practice in relation to self-regulation and national team selection; a study of Norwegian elite youth players

ABSTRACT Childhood sport participation is argued to be important to understand differences in self-regulation and performance level in adolescence. This study sought to investigate if football-specific activities in childhood (6–12 years of age) is related to self-regulatory skills and national under 14- and 15-team selection in Norwegian elite youth football. Data of practice histories and self-regulatory skills of 515 youth football players selected at Norwegian regional level were collected and further analysed using multilevel analyses. The results revealed that high self-regulated players were more likely to be selected for national initiatives, and increased their involvement in peer-led football practice and adult-led football practice during childhood, compared to players with lower levels of self-regulation. While national level players reported higher levels of peer-led football play in childhood, the interaction effect suggest that the regional level players increased their involvement in peer-led play during childhood compared to national level players. In conclusion, the findings indicate that childhood sport participation may contribute to later differences in self-regulation, and highlights the importance of childhood engagement in football-specific play and practice in the development of Norwegian youth football players.

Difference in physical fitness in children with initially high and low gross motor competence: A ten-year follow-up study

The aim of the study was to investigate the difference in relative physical fitness between children with initially high and low gross motor competence in a ten-year prospective study. A sample of 49 children from a local primary school was tested on gross motor competence and physical fitness in 1st grade (5/6 years old). The children were tested again in 2nd (motor competence only), 7th, and 10th grade (15/16 years old). The sample was divided into two groups; initially high and low gross motor competence, according to score (median-split) on the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder-test battery in 1st grade. Results suggested that the initially high gross motor competence-group performed significantly better on a multidimensional physical fitness test, compared to the initially low gross motor competence-group at all time-points. There were also statistically significant differences between the groups in gross motor competence in 7th and 10th grade, with the initially high gross motor competence-group scoring most favorable. The findings from the present study highlight the importance of identifying and supporting young individuals with low gross motor competence, to prevent low levels of physical fitness in the future.

Mental Toughness Moderates Social Loafing in Cycle Time-Trial Performance

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if mental toughness moderated the occurrence of social loafing in cycle time-trial performance. Method: Twenty-seven men (Mage = 17.7 years, SD = 0.6) completed the Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire prior to completing a 1-min cycling trial under 2 conditions: once with individual performance identified, and once in a group with individual performance not identified. Using a median split of the mental toughness index, participants were divided into high and low mental toughness groups. Cycling distance was compared using a 2 (trial) × 2 (high–low mental toughness) analysis of variance. We hypothesized that mentally tough participants would perform equally well under both conditions (i.e., no indication of social loafing) compared with low mentally tough participants, who would perform less well when their individual performance was not identifiable (i.e., demonstrating the anticipated social loafing effect). Results: The high mental toughness group demonstrated consistent performance across both conditions, while the low mental toughness group reduced their effort in the non-individually identifiable team condition. Conclusions: The results confirm that (a) clearly identifying individual effort/performance is an important situational variable that may impact team performance and (b) higher perceived mental toughness has the ability to negate the tendency to loaf.

Does mindfulness affect participants’ response to a vocational rehabilitation program?

ABSTRACT Objective: The study aims were to investigate whether mindfulness predicts improved work ability after a multifactorial vocational rehabilitation program in Norway and to examine the mediating influence of mindfulness in the relationship between personal health factors and changes in work ability in response to the program. Methods: Seventy-four participants on long-term sick leave completed questionnaires assessing mindfulness, work ability, functional health, psychological functioning, and demographics before and after a 4–6-week multidisciplinary vocational rehabilitation program. In addition to a standard logistic regression analysis, a bias-corrected bootstrapping technique was used to test the hypothesized indirect effects. Results: Enhanced mindfulness over the course of the program significantly predicted a positive change in work ability. Furthermore, decreased personal burnout and enhanced self-esteem were both unique predictors of such positive change. Mindfulness mediated the effects of personal burnout and self-esteem on participants’ work ability. Increased body responsiveness and sense of mastery, and decreased pain consequences and subjective health complaints, were indirectly related to positive changes in work ability through increased mindfulness. Conclusion: Enhancing mindfulness skills is useful for improving the work ability of Norwegians on long-term sick leave.