Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the World Anti-Doping Agency's e-learning programme for anti-doping education on knowledge of, explicit and implicit attitudes towards, and likelihood of doping among Chinese college athletes and non-athletes. Method: Thirty-two young adults (including 16 college athletes) were recruited to receive the Athlete Learning Program about Health and Anti-Doping (ALPHA) intervention (Zh-hans version). Another 32 young adults were recruited for no-treatment control purposes. Before and immediately after the intervention, the ALPHA test, performance enhancement attitude scale, doping likelihood scale, and brief implicit association test (BIAT) were performed. Cortical activity during the BIAT test was monitored using a functional near-infrared spectroscopy instrument. Results: Significant intervention effects were observed for knowledge (p < 0.01, η² = 0.21) and explicit attitude (p < 0.05, η² = 0.12) but not for doping likelihood (p > 0.05; benefit situation: η² = 0.04; cost situation: η² = 0.02). Compared with the non-athletes, the college athletes reported lower doping likelihood scores in benefit situations (e.g., financial gain, p < 0.05, η² = 0.10). Regarding the BIAT task, the experimental effect was successfully induced by different semantic associations between the concepts and the attitude (doping + like vs. doping + dislike). The mean reaction times (p < 0.01, η² = 0.36) and error rate (p < 0.01, η² = 0.34) in the doping-like block were higher than those in the doping-dislike block. Moreover, oxygenated haemoglobin (oxy-Hb) in response to BIAT interference in the temporoparietal junction-related channels was increased during the post-intervention test (p < 0.05, η² varied from 0.09 to 0.16). Conclusions: The findings suggest that the online anti-doping education programme is partially effective among Chinese college athletes and non-athletes. Furthermore, our findings reflect enhanced cognitive control after the education intervention to suppress a prepotent implicit attitude towards doping.

Background and objectives: Existing studies concerning the associations of cognitive function with adiposity in young adults are sparse. The purpose of the study was to examine the associations of adiposity with cognitive control in young adults. Materials and Methods: Participants were 213 young adults (98 women and 115 men). Cognitive control was measured using a modified task-switching paradigm. Anthropometrics were measured by standardized procedures. Body fat mass and visceral fat area were measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Results: The results showed that increased body mass index (BMI, p = 0.02), body fat percentage (p = 0.02), and visceral fat area (p = 0.01) were significantly correlated with larger global switch costs of accuracy in women. In men, high levels of body fat percentage (p = 0.01) and visceral fat area (p = 0.03) were significantly correlated with larger local switch costs of reaction time. Conclusions: The results indicated that elevated adiposity was associated with worse performance on measures of cognitive control in young adults.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effects of self-paced cycling at an active workstation on executive functions and cortical activity. Methods: In a crossover study design, 37 young adults (45.9% females) were randomly assigned to the following two task conditions: (1) performing cognitive tests during sitting, (2) performing cognitive tests while cycling at an active workstation. Executive functions were assessed by the Stroop color and word test and the task-switching paradigm. Cortical activity was monitored using a multi-channel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system. Results: The behavioral results showed that there were no significant differences on the Stroop interference effects (P = 0.66) between the sitting and the cycling conditions. In all probability, no differences on the global switch costs (P = 0.90) and local switch costs (P = 0.67) were observed between the sitting and the cycling conditions. For the fNIRS results, the oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) in response to the Stroop interference in channels 5, 10, and 12 were decreased during the cycling condition (all Ps < 0.05, FDR-corrected). Conversely, the oxy-Hb associated with the global switch costs in channels 3, 29, and 31 were increased during the cycling condition (all Ps < 0.05, FDR-corrected). Conclusions: The findings indicated that behavioral performances on executive functions were not affected by cycling at an active workstation, while cognitive resources were reallocated during cycling at an active workstation.

Previous studies in Western countries indicated that coaching style had significant influence on athletes’ attitudes toward doping. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between coaching style and attitudes toward doping among Chinese athletes. The potential mediating role of moral disengagement was examined. Participants were 203 athletes (Mean age = 19.0 years, 36.9% females) from the Fujian Provincial Sports Team, China. Athletes’ perception of autonomy-supportive and controlling coaching style was assessed using the adapted Health Care Climate Questionnaire and the Coach Controlling Behaviors Scale, respectively. Moral disengagement in sport was assessed using a scale developed by the authors. The Performance Enhancement Attitude Scale was adapted to measure athletes’ attitudes toward doping. Structural equation modelling was used to establish to assess the mediation effects. The results from structural equation model testing showed that autonomy-supportive coaching style had no direct effect on attitudes toward doping, and the indirect path through moral disengagement was also not significant. Controlling coaching style had an indirect and positive effect on attitudes toward doping through moral disengagement. Results indicated that controlling coaching style was positively associated with attitudes toward doping among Chinese athletes. The relationship was mediated by moral disengagement. Autonomy-supportive coaching style was not associated with attitudes toward doping. The findings provided evidence supporting the important role of moral disengagement in mediating the positive relationship between controlling coaching style and attitudes toward doping among Chinese athletes. The findings indicated that avoiding construction of controlling coaching climate and reducing moral disengagement in sport may be relevant for reducing athletes’ pro-doping attitudes.

We investigated the independent associations of 3 types of sedentary behavior with depression, anxiety, and sleep quality among 214 Chinese university students. Self-reported sedentary behavior was assessed by the length of time that participants spent on television viewing/computer use, and smartphone use. We used the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) to evaluate depressive status and anxiety symptoms, respectively, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to assess sleep quality. The results showed that longer smartphone use was associated with worse SDS, SAS, and PSQI scores. There was no association between the time spent on television viewing and computer use, and depression, anxiety, and poor sleep quality.