Initial studies indicated that student mental health was impaired during the early stages of the pandemic and that maintaining/improving physical activity gave some protection from mental illness. However, as the pandemic persists, these data may not reflect current circumstances and may have been confounded by exam stress. Methods: This study used an online survey to assess the changes in, and associations between, mental health and movement behaviours in 255 UK university students from before the COVID-19 pandemic (October 2019) to 9 months following the UK’s first confirmed case (October 2020). Changes in and associations between mental wellbeing, perceived stress, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour were assessed using a mixed model ANOVA; a multiple linear regression model determined the predictive value of variables associated with Δ mental wellbeing. Results: Mental wellbeing and physical activity decreased (45.2 to 42.3 (p < 0.001); 223 to 173 min/week (p < 0.001)), whereas perceived stress and time spent sedentary increased (19.8 to 22.8 (p < 0.001); 66.0 to 71.2 h/week (p = 0.036)). Δ perceived stress, Δ sedentary behaviour and university year accounted for 64.7%, 12.9%, and 10.1% of the variance in Δ mental wellbeing (p < 0.001; p = 0.006; p = 0.035). Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic is having a sustained negative impact on student mental health and movement behaviour.

Cardiac arrhythmias are a growing global health concern, and the need for accessible, continuous monitoring has driven rapid advancements in wearable technologies. This review explores the evolution, capabilities, and clinical impact of modern wearables for arrhythmia detection, including smartwatches, smart rings, ECG patches, and smart textiles. In light of the recent surge in commercially available wearables across all categories, this review offers a detailed comparative analysis of leading devices, evaluating cost, regulatory approval, model specifications, and system compatibility. Smartwatches and patches, in particular, show a strong performance in atrial fibrillation detection, with patches outperforming Holter monitors in long-term monitoring and diagnostic yield. This review highlights a paradigm shift toward patient-initiated diagnostics but also discusses challenges such as false positives, regulatory gaps, and healthcare integration. Overall, wearable devices hold significant promise for reshaping arrhythmia management through early detection and remote monitoring.

Introduction: Historically, university students demonstrate poor movement behaviours that could negatively impact current and future health. Recent literature has focused on identifying determinants of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) in this population to inform the development of intervention strategies. However, the COVID-19 pandemic substantially restricted movement behaviours in this population, meaning findings of previous research may no longer be applicable within the current societal context. The present study explored the longitudinal relationships between pre-pandemic psychological, behavioural and anthropometric factors, and the movement behaviours of UK university students nine months following the outbreak of COVID-19. Methods: Mental wellbeing (MWB), perceived stress (PS), body mass index (BMI), SB, and PA were assessed using an online self-report survey in 255 students prior to (October 2019) and nine months following (October 2020) the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the UK. Path analysis was utilised to test relationships between pre-COVID mental wellbeing, perceived stress and BMI, and movement behaviours during the pandemic. Results: The fit of the path analysis model was good (χ² = 0.01; CMIN = 0.10, CFI = 1.00, RMSEA = 0.00). Pre-covid MWB and PS positively influenced PA (β = 0.29; β = 0.24; P < 0.01) but not SB (β = -0.10; β = 0.00; P = 0.79) during the pandemic. Additionally, pre-pandemic SB and PA positively influenced SB and PA during the pandemic respectively (SB: β = 0.26; P < 0.01) (PA: β = 0.55; P < 0.01). Pre-pandemic BMI did not influence any measured variable during the pandemic (PA: β = 0.03 and P = 0.29; SB: β = 0.06 and P = 0.56), and there was no mediating effect of PA on SB during the pandemic (β = -0.26; P = 0.14). Conclusion: These findings indicate that pre-covid mental health and movement behaviours had a direct positive influence on PA during the pandemic, but not SB. This longitudinal study demonstrates the influence that prior psychological and behavioural factors have in determining university students’ response to periods of elevated stress and uncertainty, furthering our understanding of determinants of health-related behaviours in students.

Aim: Physical activity (PA) is widely acknowledged as a cost-effective strategy to support mental health in students. However, the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruptive influence raises questions about how the relationship between PA and student mental health may have evolved. Therefore, the present study explored this relationship before, during and after the pandemic. Methods: A repeated cross-sectional design was employed with survey data collected annually (2019–2022) in term one (October) at an English university. Mental well-being was evaluated using the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale and weekly moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) measured in 6,250 students. Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation tests were used to assess the correlation between mental well-being and MVPA for each year. Results: There was a weak (r = 0.14–0.19, p < 0.001) positive correlation between mental well-being and MVPA for each year. This relationship was stronger for males compared to females in 2020 (Z = 1.02, p < 0.01) and 2022 (Z = 3.56, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The consistent correlation between mental well-being and MVPA suggests that the pandemic did not alter the discernible link between the two variables, emphasising the importance of PA for student mental health even during unprecedented circumstances.

The effects of triathlon exercise on cardiac function are well documented. While Olympic triathlon (swim‐bike‐run) remains the standard format, increasing concerns about water quality in natural waterways present ongoing challenges for open‐water swimming events, highlighting the potential need to consider alternative formats such as duathlon (run‐bike‐run) in some circumstances. An additional run may increase the overall metabolic and cardiovascular demand compared with the swim in triathlon, leading to reduced future performance. Conversely, the majority of EICF research reports reversal of post‐exercise perturbations within 24–7 days of recovery but duathlon has not yet been studied in this context. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the cardiac, autonomic, haemodynamic and biomarker responses during and following two Olympic distance (OD) duathlon separated by 7 days of recovery. Highly‐trained (V O_2max >60 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹) male participants (n = 10) completed two lab‐based OD duathlons, either continuous (BD) or with functional measurements after each leg (UD), separated by 7 days of rest. Conventional echocardiography recorded standard and tissue Doppler measures of left ventricular (LV) structure and function. Speckle tracking echocardiography was used to measure global longitudinal strain (GLS). Time and frequency domain analysis of HRV, as well as plasma high sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs‐cTnT) were measured pre and post exercise. In the broken duathlon trial (BD) cardiac measurements and blood samples were also taken between each leg. In the unbroken duathlon (UD) participants performed each leg sequentially. Duathlon exercise resulted in similar cardiac functional and biomarker alterations as previously reported in triathlon and standalone running and cycling exercise. Cardiac troponins were still elevated following 24 h⁻¹ of recovery. However, functional changes were resolved within 24 h⁻¹ of passive recovery and did not impair subsequent duathlon performance, or pre‐exercise measurements 7 days after the first trial. Whether or not elite or recreational athletes experience the same magnitude and reversibility of these changes remains to be elucidated further.

Height-adjustable workstations offer a practical strategy to reduce sedentary behaviour in student populations, but the effect of standing intervals on young adults' metabolic health remains uncertain. This study investigated the acute impact of breaking up sitting time with intermittent standing on postprandial metabolic responses in university students. Using a randomised, cross-over design, 23 participants (13 females, 10 males; age, 24 ± 5 years; BMI, 23.2 ± 3.1 kg/m²) completed two trials: 2 hours of uninterrupted sitting (SIT); and 2 hours alternating between sitting and standing every 30 minutes (STAND). During this period, participants underwent an oral glucose tolerance test, with [glucose] and [insulin] measured. Ad libitum food intake post intervention was also measured. No significant effects between trials nor trial × time interaction was found for [glucose] or [insulin] (all p > 0.05). The postprandial iAUC did not differ for [glucose] (p = 0.824; SIT: 222 ± 83 mmol/L; STAND: 225 ± 90 mmol/L) or [insulin] (p = 0.269; SIT: 17507 ± 9738 pmol/L; STAND: 15649 ± 10181 pmol/L). There were no differences in energy or macronutrient intake between trials. These findings indicate that interrupting sitting with 30-minute standing intervals does not improve postprandial metabolic responses in young, normal-weight adults.