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Our research has highlighted that exercise-induced asthma (EIA) and allergies are poorly diagnosed and managed in athletes by physicians. We have shown that a quarter of undiagnosed athletes do in fact have EIA and conversely half of previously diagnosed athletes do not have EIA. This has implications for both performance and health of the athlete. These findings have resulted in several professional sports teams implementing EIA screening programmes for all their athletes. Furthermore, we have identified a high prevalence of untreated allergies in athletes, which is a known risk factor for EIA. This research formed the basis for the Healthy Airways programme implemented by the British Olympic team.
The impact of this research has been to improve the performance of elite athletes and safeguard the well-being of Paralympians. It has affected the management of athletes' dynamic physiological responses and advanced the regulatory frameworks of sporting bodies. This has changed the strategies of the USA Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee and the British Paralympic Association. The indirect impact of this primary research has been to change the routine training practices of recreational athletes and influence the advice on exercise given to military personnel and people with disabilities.
This case study demonstrates how research at the University of Bath on athlete technique and performance in sprinting and hurdling events has been translated back to the end users in order to improve their performance. The primary pathway to impact is via Dr Salo's involvement in applied work with virtually all top British sprinters and hurdlers and their coaches over the last 5 years (including all those who have represented Britain in major Championships). As a consequence of his research since 1998, Dr Salo has helped specific athletes to win medals, brought new insights to coach education and practice, instigated changes to routine practices within UK Athletics and also translated his expertise to other Olympic sports.
There are twelve young (<35 years) sudden cardiac deaths each week in the UK. These deaths in the young, fit and otherwise healthy are devastating, result in significant life-years lost and can lead to substantial media attention. The focus of this case study is based on the fact that the majority of these deaths may be preventable as it is possible to detect young athletes at risk of sudden cardiac death through pre-participation cardiovascular screening (PPS). The Cardiovascular Health Sciences Group (CHS) within the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences (RISES) has a long history of novel empirical research in this field that has had significant and far-reaching impact by; a) determining UK-based pathology data in cases of sudden cardiac death that led to the establishment of a National Register for these cases, b) contributing to international consensus statements (e.g. European Society of Cardiology) related to PPS that have been adopted by major sporting teams and organisations (e.g. Liverpool FC), c) the production of evidence-based screening policy guidelines for PPS (e.g. Cardiac Risk in the Young [CRY], British Society of Echocardiography), and d) the establishment of PPS screening activity in Liverpool (e.g. CRY clinic; elite athletes) and internationally (e.g. ASPETAR, Qatar). Our work has made a significant contribution to improving the cardiovascular care of athletes in the UK and globally.
As a consequence of research carried out at the University of Stirling, as set out in this case study, the following developments to athlete career transition support have been achieved
This well established research conducted by members of Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport (Loughborough University) is seen as an integral part of the support provided for Paralympic wheelchair athletes and has impact in 3 key areas:
The Compulsive Exercise Test (CET) and Loughborough Eating disorders Activity Programme (LEAP) are the world's first clinical assessment tool and intervention designed to assess and treat compulsive exercise among eating disorder patients. These advances have changed the way in which services now assess their patients and deliver treatment. They are currently in use by in excess of 52 specialist eating disorder services globally, including the vast majority of specialist services in the UK (a minimum of 520 patients treated to date). As well as delivering an assessment tool and manual, the impact also includes training of circa 600 clinicians and sports specialists.
John Gerrard's cinema scale simulation Exercise (Djibouti) 2012 emerged from research he carried out as the Legacy Fellow at the Ruskin School of Drawing & Fine Art. The output of the research has created impact by engaging new audiences with contemporary art and increasing its appreciation and understanding among the general public. Further, the project has stimulated debate about the relationships between politics, competitive sport and military warfare and helped to change existing perceptions of the role and function of contemporary art in society and culture. Exercise (Djibouti) 2012 has inspired a creative legacy for future generations, contributing to the success of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and the London 2012 Festival, and it has delivered creative synergies and developed new working practices through innovative collaborative partnerships with non-academic organisations.
Research conducted at Swansea University has helped transform the pre-competition strategies of elite sport. This research has focused mainly on the application of post-activation potentiation (PAP), manipulation of warm-up variables and morning priming for enhanced performance. This work has had significant impact on the recent successes of elite skeleton bobsleigh athletes at the 2010 Winter Olympics (e.g. ~4% improvement on their key performance indicator) and a number of other British sports during London 2012 (e.g. British Cycling who won 12 medals). The research continues to impact elite sports and is being embedded into athletes' pre-competition routines for Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016.
Research at the University of Bath has had a significant impact on reducing the burden of injury and illness in military training and sport. We have engaged practitioner communities in evidence-based approaches to injury and illness prevention. Our research has contributed directly to reducing the burden of musculoskeletal injuries and heat illness by informing military personnel selection, training and healthcare policies. This affects approximately 20,000 military trainees per year and has resulted in reduced morbidity and estimated training/medical costs of over £60 million per annum. Our injury surveillance research has helped shape the Rugby Football Union's (RFU) medical safety policy and, based on our research, the International Rugby Board (governing 5 million players worldwide) announced in May 2013 a global trial of new scrum laws designed to reduce the incidence/severity of neck injuries.