Detection of potential causal pathways among social determinants of health: A data-informed framework.

Introduction: Understanding social determinants of health (SDOH) as a complex system is necessary for designing effective public health interventions. Traditional expert-driven approaches to mapping SDOH relationships, when used in isolation, are susceptible to subjective biases, incomplete knowledge, and inconsistencies across different domains of expertise. Additionally, SDOH variables often contain overlapping information, making it difficult to isolate unique SDOH constructs.

Applying Community-based System Dynamics to promote child health equity: the case of healthy and fit kids in Milwaukee, WI.

Background: Child health equity is influenced by complex systemic factors, including structural racism, socioeconomic disparities, and access to resources. Traditional public health interventions often target individual behaviors, but there is a growing need for systems approaches that address these root causes. This study examines coalition members' perspectives on promoting child health equity in Milwaukee as a result of participating in an intervention that includes Community-based System Dynamics (CBSD).

Using group model building to understand factors that influence childhood obesity in an urban environment.

Background: Despite increased attention, conventional views of obesity are based upon individual behaviors, and children and parents living with obesity are assumed to be the primary problem solvers. Instead of focusing exclusively on individual reduction behaviors for childhood obesity, greater focus should be placed on better understanding existing community systems and their effects on obesity. The Milwaukee Childhood Obesity Prevention Project is a community-based coalition established to develop policy and environmental change strategies to impact childhood obesity in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Electromyographical analysis of lower extremity muscle activation during variations of the loaded step-up exercise.

The loaded step-up exercise allows strength and conditioning practitioners to incorporate a unilateral resistance for athletes while performing extension at the hip, knee, and plantar flexion at the ankle. This study evaluated the activation of the biceps femoris (BF), gluteus maximus (GMx), gluteus medius (GMe), rectus femoris, semitendinosus (ST), vastus lateralis, and vastus medialis during 4 variations of the step-up exercise to assess the specific muscle training stimulus of each exercise variation. The exercises included the step-up, crossover step-up, diagonal step-up, and lateral step-up.

Evaluation of plyometric intensity using electromyography.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the motor unit activation of the quadriceps (Q), hamstring (H), and gastrocnemius (G) muscle groups during a variety of plyometric exercises to further understand the nature of these exercises. Twenty-three athletes volunteered to perform randomly ordered plyometric exercises, thought to cover a continuum of intensity levels, including two-foot ankle hops; 15-cm cone hops; tuck, pike, and box jumps; one- and two-leg vertical jump and reach; squat jumps with approximately 30% of their 1RM squat load; and 30- and 61-cm depth jumps. Integrated electromyographic data were analyzed for each exercise using a one-way repeated-measures ANOVA.

Strength and conditioning practices of Major League Baseball strength and conditioning coaches.

This study describes the results of a survey of the practices of Major League Baseball strength and conditioning (MLB S&C) coaches. The response rate was 70.0% (21 of 30).

Strength and conditioning practices of National Basketball Association strength and conditioning coaches.

This study describes the results of a survey of the practices of National Basketball Association strength and conditioning (NBA S&C) coaches. The response rate was 68.9% (20 of 29).

Strength and conditioning practices of National Hockey League strength and conditioning coaches.

This study describes the results of a survey of the practices of National Hockey League strength and conditioning (NHL S&C) coaches. The response rate was 76.6% (23 of 30).