June 4 Research Highlights from ACSM Annual Meeting

The American College of Sports Medicine’s 68th Annual Meeting, 12th World Congress on Exercise is Medicine and World Congress on the Basic Science of Exercise in Regenerative Medicine are taking place virtually this week from June 1 – 5, 2021. These three exciting meetings will happen simultaneously and feature new trends and research in sports medicine and exercise science. 

Here is a selection of the research that will be presented on Friday, June 4. Contact Lisa Ramage to access sessions, connect with presenters or to view this year’s abstracts and clinical case ePosters. 

• The D.B. Dill Historical Lecture | Born to Move: The Effect of Evolutionary Mismatch on Biomechanics and Musculoskeletal Health by Irene S. Davis, Ph.D., PT, FACSM, FAPTA, FASB, from Harvard Medical School 

• President’s Lecture | To Drink or not to Drink: A Drop of Facts in an Ocean of Opinions by Stavros A. Kavouras, Ph.D., FACSM, Arizona State University. 

• President’s Lecture | Merging Implementation Science and Health Equity Research to Eliminate Youth Physical Activity Disparities by Rebecca E. Hasson, Ph.D., FACSM, University of Michigan. 

• President’s Lecture | Leadership Matters- An Outlier’s Accidental Journey from Coach to PI to Chancellor by Timothy White, Ph.D., FACSM, The California State University. 

• President’s Lecture | Overcoming Disparities in Physical Activity: We Need to Dig Deeper by Melicia C. Whitt-Glover, Ph.D., FACSM, Gramercy Research Group and Council on Black Health. 

• Evidence-Based Prevention of Illness Associated with Long-haul Travel in Elite Athletes: “Sorting the Wheat from the Chaff” by Wayne Derman, FACSM; Tim Meyer, FACSM; Dina Janse Van Rensburg, FACSM; Nick Webborn, FACSM. Long-haul travel is a necessary for elite athletes. Yet, there are potentially hazardous exposures associated with travel, including increased risk of infection, jet lag and other travel associated illnesses, or environmental factors at the destination. The risk is highlighted by COVID-19. While much is written about mitigation of illness during long-haul travel, most is based on opinion and not evidence-based medicine. 

• IOC Consensus Statement on Injury and Illness Surveillance: How to Apply this Framework to your Clinical Skill Set by Roald Bahr; Martin Schwellnus, FACSM; Margo Mountjoy, FACSM; Carolyn Emery. Sport and physical activity offer physical and mental health benefits. However, sport participation at the elite and grassroots levels also has an increased risk of injury and illness. Sport medicine has the moral obligation to protect athletes from health risks of sports. According to the injury prevention model of van Mechelen (1992), the preliminary step in injury and illness prevention is determining the extent of the problem. This step is injury and illness surveillance. Prevention interventions are then designed accordingly and implemented. 

• Sex Matters in Performance: The Female of the Species is Stronger than the Male by Glyn Howatson, FACSM; Sandra Hunter, FACSM; Paul Ansdell; Kevin Thomas; Emma Ross. In an era where roughly 50% of Olympic medals will go to female athletes, it is surprising that most literature in the exercise sciences is dominated by responses in males. Female physiology in human performance is distinctly different than males, yet most practitioners persist in delivering traditional training interventions without making adequate considerations for the nuanced differences of women throughout the menstrual cycle. The session will deliver an evidenced-based perspective of female physiology and cover crucial factors relating to the physiological elements of performance, exercise responses and recovery. 

• Stepping into a New Decade: Healthy People 2030 Directions for Physical Activity, Health, and Well-Being for the Nation by Nico Pronk, FACSM; Katrina Piercy, FACSM; John Omura; Kathleen Watson; David Buchner, FACSM; Russell Pate, FACSM. The Healthy People Initiative serves as the leading disease prevention and health promotion roadmap for the nation and provides a platform to enable stakeholders to strengthen policies and improve practices related to health. Healthy People 2030 identifies high-priority objectives to improve “health and well-being for all people.” This symposium will provide insights into the development process with emphasis on physical activity objectives. 

• Considerations for Inclusion of Transgender Athletes in Competitive Sport by Kathryn Ackerman, FACSM; Joanna Harper; Siddhartha Angadi, FACSM. Transgender athletes are increasing their participation in competitive sports. There is significant controversy surrounding inclusion of transgender athletes from the high school to elite level. It is important for sports medicine specialists to be aware of the current regulations at the various levels of competition and to understand the effects of hormonal treatment and suppression on the physiology, performance and overall health of transgender individuals. 

• Exercise Recommendations for Cancer Patients with Bone Metastases from International Expert Consensus Panel: How they were Developed and How to Use Them by Kristin Campbell, FACSM; Celestia Higano; Nicolas Hart; Friederike Rosenberger. Exercise is a recommended treatment for advanced cancer patients with bone metastases, and research shows it is safe and effective. However, no specific guidelines exist that support exercise professionals in applying this knowledge in clinical practice. This symposium will review current evidence specific to exercise prescription for bone metastases and the application in the clinical practice setting. 

• Leveraging Electronic and Mobile Health Technology to Promote Physical Activity among Racial/Ethnic Minorities by David Marquez, FACSM; Bess Marcus; Dori Pekmezi; Rodney Joseph, FACSM. Electronic and mobile health interventions show promise for increasing physical activity. Yet, limited research has tested the impact of these interventions among racial/ethnic minority populations. This symposium will highlight current and emerging research in this field, including outcomes, challenges faced, and future directions along with cultural design considerations. 

• Cannabis in 2021: What Does the Evidence Show by Jeff Konin, FACSM. Emerging data advocates for the medical use of cannabis. Does this treatment option fit into the management of those experiencing disruptive symptoms? A significant amount of misinformation and myths regarding the use of Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is abundant. Athletes are not waiting for evidential studies to affirm safe and effective results of using different variations of the cannabis plant. Advantages and disadvantages of using cannabis for sport performance and reasons for being banned will be explored. 

• Military Human Performance Optimization (HPO) and Injury Prevention: International Perspectives by Bradley Nindl, FACSM; Julie Greeves; Herbert Groeller; Heikki Kyröläinen, FACSM. Military HPO can be defined as the process of applying scientific knowledge, skills and emerging technologies to improve and preserve the capabilities of military members and organizations to execute essential occupational tasks. HPO and injury prevention is critical for military and combat readiness and integral for ensuring national security. This can be achieved by optimizing physical and cognitive/psychological abilities. 
• The Implications of COVID-19 on Cardiac Rehabilitation: The Need to Accelerate Provision of Non-Traditional Approaches by Carol Ewing Garber, FACSM; Robert Berry; Andrea Duran; Ana Mola. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is recognized as a Class I, Level A recommendation for secondary prevention, yet less than 20% of eligible cardiac patients participate in the U.S. Given the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on our health care system, CR participation will likely drop below 20%; unproportionally affecting underserved populations. An urgent need exists to adopt non-traditional approaches (e.g., home-based, hybrid) to improve CR participation, especially among racial and ethnic minorities.

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About the American College of Sports Medicine

ACSM is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 50,000 international, national and regional members and certified exercise professionals are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to improve educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine. More details can be found at www.acsm.org.