Valeurs, Innovations, Politiques, Socialisations et Sports

BACKGROUND: Sexual health is frequently affected by chronic diseases but has been poorly investigated in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk factors for impaired sexual desire and its relationship with the burden and quality of life of patients with AD. METHODS: A multicentre prospective transversal study in patients with AD. Socio-demographic and clinical data were obtained from all patients using a specifically developed questionnaire. In addition, patients were asked to answer validated scales, that is ABS-A, DLQI, SF-12 and EQ-5D. RESULTS: A total of 1024 patients participated in the study. Severity of AD, sites involved and treatment type was found to negatively impact the sexual desire of patients and their partners. In addition, the involvement of the genital and visible areas was associated with a higher burden and more significant alterations in quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study are substantial and clearly demonstrate the deep impact of AD on sexual health, its relationship with disease-related burden and alterations to quality of life. Psychosociological as well as neurosensory phenomena could help to understand these data.

BACKGROUND: Currently, few studies investigated the economic burden of atopic dermatitis (AD) in adult patients and specifically the estimation of out-of-pocket costs. Patients with skin disorders primarily use comfort care to ease dryness, itch or pain, and the costs of comfort care are not subject to any reimbursement from mandatory or complementary insurance. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to measure the medical and non-medical expenses paid by the patient. METHODS: Eczema Cohort Longitudinal Adults was a non-interventional study that aimed to assess the burden of AD in terms of quality of life and financial consequences. A self-assessment questionnaire was distributed to adult patients who were cared in four French hospitals. Patients were asked to list the resources consumed for the treatment of AD during the last 12 months and to estimate the corresponding amount of money they had to pay out of their own pockets. The severity of AD was subjected to a stratification based on the PO-SCORAD score. RESULTS: A total of 1024 patients answered the questionnaire: 31.9% with severe AD, 40.4% with moderate AD and 27.6% with mild AD. The mean annual out-of-pocket cost was €462.1 for severe AD and €247.4 for moderate AD. Emollients were the most commonly used product: 74.4% for an average out-of-pocket cost of €151.4. The out-of-pocket costs increased significantly with the severity: 27% of patients with severe AD declared having bought specially textured clothes, while 19% of patients with moderate AD reported the same. The corresponding mean out-of-pocket costs were €162 and €91, respectively. CONCLUSION: The amount of out-of-pocket costs for patients with AD for essential medical and non-medical expenses is relatively high, compared to the average out-of-pocket cost for French households. Integration of these essential resources into the list of reimbursed products and services appears necessary for a better coverage of AD.

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The influence of player gender on referees’ decision-making was examined in 30 handball matches played at the highest regional level. The results indicated that referees make more lenient decisions toward male players when administering sporting sanctions, but more severe decisions toward male players when administering disciplinary sanctions, depending on whether or not the players were able to succeed in their action despite the foul. The findings are congruent with the hypothesis that referees use player gender as a judgmental heuristic. We suggest that further experimental studies examining the effects of referee gender and level of expertise, and of level of competition are needed to better understand the extent and limits of referees’ use of player gender as a decision-making heuristic.

(1) Background: Climate change is a major threat to human health and new research is highlighting its effects on physical health. However, there is still little research on the psychological effects, particularly on young people, who seem to be disproportionately affected. (2) Objectives: In this context, we conducted a study focusing on the young adult population to identify psychosocial and behavioral factors that may modulate the intensity of this anxiety. (3) Method: A cross-sectional study by questionnaire was carried out on a sample of 369 young French adults. Data were analyzed via structural equation modelling. (4) Results: The main results suggest that: (1) CFC and information seeking predict climate anxiety, which in turn predicts the emotional consequences of exposure to information about the negative consequences of climate change; (2) information seeking moderates the effects of CFC on climate anxiety. (5) Conclusions: This study highlights both the role of temporal orientation and information seeking on the climate anxiety experienced by young adults. These results provide an interesting lever for health professionals to work with this population who may be more vulnerable to climate anxiety than others.

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Background: Emerging evidence points towards the psychological benefits of meeting 24-hour movement behavior (24-HMB) guidelines, but such associations have not yet been investigated among children and adolescents of prescribed eyeglasses/contact lenses. To this end, we examined associations of meeting 24-HMB guidelines with internalizing and externalizing challenges in this population. Methods: We used data from the 2021 National Survey of Children's Health, a cross-sectional survey including a representative sample of US children and adolescents. Data on movement behaviors (physical activity [PA], sedentary behavior operationalized via screen time [ST], and sleep duration [SL]) and internalizing and externalizing problems were collected through caregiver proxy reports. Caregivers completed questionnaires for 6030 (2799 girls) US children and adolescents of prescribed eyeglasses/contact lenses. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the above-presented associations. Results: Only 7.1 % of those prescribed eyeglasses/contact lenses met all three 24-HMB guidelines, while they were more likely to meet SL guideline alone (32.1 %) in relation to other independent guidelines including PA (2.5 %) and ST (10.9 %). Compared to not meeting any of the three 24-HMB guidelines, meeting at least two guidelines (25.22 %) was significantly linked to lower odds of internalizing problems and externalizing problems. Conclusion: Meeting at least two components of the 24-HMB guidelines was beneficially linked to internalizing and externalizing problems. Thus, strategies or intervention programs that focus on meeting 24-HMB guidelines should be implemented among children and adolescents of those prescribed eyeglasses/contact lenses to foster coping with psychological issues.

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While Olympic bids were for a long time diplomatic and strategic decisions taken in a very narrow circle of sport, political and economic stakeholders recently, new forms of grassroots participation and citizens’ efforts have arisen, striving to influence the orientation of the projects. This article examines the socio-political construction of protest fronts against the 2024 Olympic bids in Europe through a qualitative study of four cities: Paris (France), Rome (Italy), Hamburg (Germany) and Budapest (Hungary). Findings show that the bids (supported or challenged) essentially serve local political strategies. Mainly, opponents seem to be able to achieve their goals only if they rely on advocacy coalitions based on multiple actors and organizations which give them an access to strategic resources such as political networks or traditional media. Although the repertoire of action is similar -and in some ways standardized -across all the bids, it seems that the determinants of contestation are profoundly contextual, according to local political spaces and conjunctures.

Acknowledging the detrimental effects of prolonged sitting, this study examined the effects of an acute exercise break during prolonged sitting on executive function, cortical hemodynamics, and microvascular status. In this randomized crossover study, 71 college students completed three conditions: (i) uninterrupted sitting (SIT); (ii) SIT with a 15 min moderate-intensity cycling break (MIC); and (iii) SIT with a 15 min vigorous-intensity cycling break (VIC). Behavioral outcomes, retinal vessel diameters (central retinal artery equivalents [CRAE], retinal vein equivalents [CRVE], arteriovenous ratio [AVR]), cortical activation, and effective connectivity were evaluated. Linear mixed models identified significant positive effects of exercise conditions on behavioral reaction time (RT), error rate, and inverse efficiency score (β = -2.62, -0.19, -3.04: ps < 0.05). MIC and VIC conditions produced pre-to-post-intervention increases in CRAE and CRVE (β = 4.46, 6.34), frontal activation, and resting-state and task-state causal density (β = 0.37, 0.06) (ps < 0.05) compared to SIT; VIC was more beneficial for executive function and neurobiological parameters. The effect of AVR on average RT was mediated through task-based causal density (indirect effect: -0.82). Acutely interrupting prolonged sitting improves executive function, microvascular status, and cortical activation and connectivity, with causal density mediating the microvascular-executive function link.

This article analyses the struggle for the inclusion of women in competitive big-wave surfing through interviews with professional big-wave surfers Bianca Valenti, Keala Kennelly, Andrea Moller and Paige Alms. These women co-founded the Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing (CEWS), which advocated for inclusion and equal pay in competition for women in big-wave surfing. The survey highlights the resistance to their integration in this male dominated sport. Their bodies in movement, true tools of performance essential to establish their legitimacy are constantly being questioned, as they challenge the gendered hierarchical boundaries and essentialist (fundamental) arguments that contribute to keep them out of and/or alongside big-wave competition. Moreover, the performance of men and woman had been becoming increasingly similar in tow-in surfing, until winter 2019–2020 when the biggest wave of the year was surfed by a woman, proving women’s legitimacy in this male-dominated sport.

This article is based on a study of the 2006 Asian Games held in Qatar. It was one of the first major international sporting events ever organised by Qatar that has since become a key location for such occasions. The purpose of this study was to explain the function of mega-events. They are associated with the event organisers to bring out the unique identity of a nation and to gain credibility with the international community through the use of an emotional dynamic. Analysis proposes to illustrate how this event affected Qatar internationally as part of soft power as well as the structuring role it played locally. The Asian Games were not to be perceived as an isolated sports event on the contrary, it was an integral part of a global strategy. Qatar needed to gain political recognition and to demonstrate its ability to organise other more prestigious sporting events. Moreover, this mega-event served a local purpose. It was essential in the process of identity affirmation. As a metaphor of society, sport had to symbolise excellence with regard to the values promoted. It was an opportunity to associate the modern aspect of sports with the traditional values of a political system and the Muslim faith. Previously, where sport was typically ingrained in the values that defined western society, Qatari leaders believed that social values could purify sports to become a method of socialisation. If mega-events were a means to increase Qatar’s influence in international relations, they also served as a cultural instrument that would impose a model for society and further increase the country’s influence.

Objectives To evaluate the effects of brief bouts of exercise spread throughout the day, termed ‘exercise snacks’, on cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, and cardiometabolic health outcomes in physically inactive adults and older adults (aged ≥65 years). Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources Seven databases were searched from inception to April 2025. Eligibility criteria Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of adults and older adults, comparing exercise snacks with non-exercising controls. Results 11 RCTs (n=414; 69.1% women, mean age 18.7±0.8 to 74.2±5.6 years) were included. Exercise snacks were defined as structured bouts lasting ≤5 min, performed at least twice daily, ≥3 times/week, for ≥2 weeks. The interventions varied in duration (4–12 weeks), frequency (3–7 days/week) and intensity (moderate-to-vigorous to near-maximal). Exercise snacks significantly improved cardiorespiratory fitness in adults (g=1.37, 95% CI 0.58 to 2.17; p&lt;0.005; I 2 =71.4 %, k=6) and muscular endurance in older adults (g=0.40, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.75; p=0.02; I 2 =0 %, k=4), with moderate and very low certainty of evidence, respectively. No significant effects were observed for lower limb muscular strength or cardiometabolic outcomes, including body composition, blood pressure and blood lipid profiles. High compliance (91.1%) and adherence (82.8%) rates were observed. Conclusions Moderate certainty of evidence indicated that exercise snacks improved cardiorespiratory fitness in physically inactive adults. However, evidence for benefits on muscular endurance in older adults was limited, and the current data do not support their effectiveness for improving other cardiometabolic health markers. PROSPERO registration number CRD42024616514.

Abstract Background Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the most common side effect of cancer and cancer treatment. CRF prevalence is up to 50% in breast cancer patients and can continue several years after cancer remission. This persistent subjective sense of exhaustion is multifactorial. Numerous parameters have been evidenced to be related to CRF across biological, physical, psychological, social and/or behavioral dimensions. Although CRF has been studied for many years, the majority of previous studies focused on only one dimension, i.e., physical function. Moreover, few studies investigated CRF longitudinally with repeated measures. These are the two main obstacles that limit the understanding of CRF mechanisms. The purpose of this study is to create a biopsychosocial model of CRF with simultaneous and longitudinal anthropometric, clinical, biological, physical, psychological and sociological parameters. Methods BIOCARE FActory is a multicentric prospective study that will consist of an 18-month follow-up of 200 women diagnosed with breast cancer. Four visits will be scheduled at diagnosis, after treatments, and 12 and 18 months after diagnosis. The same procedure will be followed for each visit. Each session will be composed of anthropometric data collection, a semi-structured interview, cognitive tests, postural control tests, neuromuscular fatigability tests and a cardiorespiratory fitness test. Clinical and biological data will be collected during medical follow-ups. Participants will also complete questionnaires to assess psychological aspects and quality of life and wear an actigraphy device. Using a structural equation modeling analysis (SEM), collected data will build a biopsychosocial model of CRF, including the physiological, biological, psychological, behavioral and social dimensions of CRF. Discussion This study aims to highlight the dynamics of CRF and its correlates from diagnosis to post treatment. SEM analysis could examine some relations between potential mechanisms and CRF. Thus, the biopsychosocial model will contribute to a better understanding of CRF and its underlying mechanisms from diagnosis to the aftermaths of cancer and its treatments. Trial registration This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT04391543 ), May 2020.

Research on physical activity (PA) and health has a fundamental concern with dose-response relationships. The variables of (1) Frequency, (2) Intensity, (3) Time, and (4) Type (i.e., the FITT principle) have traditionally been used to operationalize the dosage of PA. We consider some limitations of FITT and propose that it can be complemented by the additional variable density (from the German exercise and training variable Belastungsdichte), which can be defined as the timing of successive work bouts within a single PA bout as well as the timing between successive PA bouts within a specific time period; it does so by quantifying the temporal intervals between successive work or PA bouts (i.e., time spent at a lower PA intensity or resting such as in napping/sleeping or sedentary behaviors). Using the field of PA and brain health as an example, we discuss the opportunities and challenges for further research employing the variable density and consider its potential to improve the understanding of dose-response relationships between PA and health outcomes.

The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) represents a challenge to university teachers to adapt their evaluation systems, directing them towards continuous assessment. The integration of competence-based learning as an educational benchmark has also led to a perspective more focused on student and with complex learning situations closer to reality; however, its evaluation entails an increase in lecturers’ workload and a continuous demand for students due to the diversity of evaluation tests required to assess each aspect of competences. After a period in which the changes have been introduced and within the framework of educational innovations cross-cutting project named "Analysis of the UPM Degree Programmes Evaluation Procedures and Proposal for Improvements" (EVALÚA)", supported by the Educational Innovation Department, the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) considered to analyse the assessment systems and the ways to improve them, at both levels bachelor's and master's degree programmes. The methodology is based on the model "Working with People", which for the first time at the UPM, creates a participatory process with students and lecturers aimed at knowing their opinion and their feelings about the evaluation process and the potential for improvement. Eight focus groups were developed, with 33 students and 39 university teachers in total. The results indicate that the perception of students and lecturers regarding the evaluation systems have many common points, as well as the need to undertake an improvement strategy for integrating actions from all three model dimensions, seeking a balance in joint work among lecturers, university administrators and students.

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International audience

Avec le développement des trithérapies et l’allongement de la durée de vie avec le VIH, de nouvelles questions se posent aujourd’hui quant à l’impact du diagnostic, et de la prise en charge à laquelle il confronte. Quand certains parviennent à résister aux injonctions biomédicales à la prise en charge et à préserver les loisirs d’avant le diagnostic, d’autres interrompent ces activités sociales et de loisirs, ou s’engagent dans des dispositifs associatifs où les loisirs deviennent un outil de prise en charge. L’article présente des données recueillies dans deux enquêtes : une sur l’engagement dans les loisirs physiques et sportifs des personnes vivant avec le VIH (PVVIH), par questionnaire (n = 619), et une sur la participation sociale, par entretien semi-directif (n = 21) et par observation participante des dispositifs de loisirs proposés par quatre associations du Languedoc-Roussillon. Elles montrent que les trajectoires de loisirs sont à la fois liées aux situations sanitaires et sociales et au type d’expérience du VIH. Les loisirs ne dérogent pas à l’alternative entre deux logiques, une de préservation d’une vie « normale » et une d’appropriation du statut de malade chronique, qui traversent par ailleurs tous les domaines de l’existence des PVVIH.

Pour conserver leur statut sur les réseaux sociaux numériques, les influenceuses « beauté » orientent principalement leur activité vers le maintien et l’accroissement de leur prestige en ligne. S’inscrivant dans le cadre de la sociologie configurationnelle de Norbert Elias, l’étude précise la manière dont elles construisent ce prestige au sein d’une configuration particulière : le réseau social Instagram. Il s’agit de comprendre comment les enquêtées gèrent leur exposition corporelle et esthétique. Loin d’une diffusion unilatérale des normes de beauté qu’elles tentent et espèrent incarner, les influenceuses sont soumises à des contraintes normatives fortes liées à leur position au cœur de multiples interdépendances avec les marques, leurs abonnés, leur agence, la plateforme ciblée par l’enquête ici, mais aussi avec leurs homologues sur les réseaux sociaux.