Recent interest in barefoot running has led to the development of minimalist running shoes that are popular in distance runners. A careful transition to these shoes has been suggested and examined in the literature. However, no guidelines based on systematic evidence have been presented. The purpose of this review is to systematically examine the methods employed in the literature to transition to minimal footwear (MFW), as well as the outcomes to these studies in distance runners. In addition, MFW transition guidelines for future clinical practice will be presented based on observations from this review. A systematic database search was employed using PubMed online as the primary database. Twenty papers were included in the final review. All studies implemented a prospective transition design to MFW with a detail of this transition provided, which increased MFW exposure up to an average of 60% (30–100%) at completion. Only 8/20 studies included injury prevention exercises, and 9/20 included gait retraining. The main outcomes of this transition included limited positive evidence of transitioning into MFW for running economy (n = 4 studies) and muscle development (n = 5). The injury incidence comparing running during the MFW transition (17.9 injuries per 100 participants) to matched participants in conventional running shoes (13.4 injuries per 100) appears equivocal (p = 0.219; effect size phi (φ) = 0.06 [very small]). Finally, several important recommendations for clinical practice and future research have been presented. It is hoped that this paper will present important first steps in unifying the process of transitioning to MFW, both for academic and clinical use.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to examine gender differences in physical activity status and knowledge of physical activity guidelines in University staff and students. Methods: 820 survey respondents, 419 males and 401 females (Age: mean 30 ± 12, median 24 years; Weight: mean 73.4 ± 15.8 kg; Stature: mean 172.1 ± 10.2 cm) were recruited via internal email. All participants completed a self-administered online format of the Global Physical activity Questionnaire. Results: Less females were regularly active than males in students (p ≤ 0.001; Cramer’s V = 0.232 [small]), and staff (p = 0.003; Cramer’s V = 0.249 [small]). Overweight BMI incidence was greater among male students (p = 0.014; Cramer’s V = 0.13 [small]), and staff (p = 0.007; Cramer’s V = 0.31 [large]). A total of 43% of males and 29% of females were overweight or obese. No significant difference between genders for PA recommendations knowledge was observed (students; p = 0.174; Cramer’s V = 0.054 [trivial], staff; p = 0.691; Cramer’s V = 0.035 [trivial]). No significant difference between genders for disease incidence was observed (students; p = 0.894; Cramer’s V = 0.005 [trivial], staff; p = 0.237, Cramer's V = 0.101 [small]). Conclusions: Males had greater levels of PA participation and incidence of overweight BMI compared to females. These findings suggest PA status alone does not determine BMI status. Further investigation is needed to determine factors related to BMI status.

Background: The replicability of sports and exercise research has not been assessed previously despite concerns about scientific practices within the field. Aim: This study aims to provide an initial estimate of the replicability of applied sports and exercise science research published in quartile 1 journals (SCImago journal ranking for 2019 in the Sports Science subject category; www.scimagojr.com ) between 2016 and 2021. Methods: A formalised selection protocol for this replication project was previously published. Voluntary collaborators were recruited, and studies were allocated in a stratified and randomised manner on the basis of equipment and expertise. Original authors were contacted to provide deidentified raw data, to review preregistrations and to provide methodological clarifications. A multiple inferential strategy was employed to analyse the replication data. The same analysis (i.e. F test or t test) was used to determine whether the replication effect size was statistically significant and in the same direction as the original effect size. Z -tests were used to determine whether the original and replication effect size estimates were compatible or significantly different in magnitude. Results: In total, 25 replication studies were included for analysis. Of the 25, 10 replications used paired t tests, 1 used an independent t test and 14 used an analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the statistical analyses. In all, 7 (28%) studies demonstrated robust replicability, meeting all three validation criteria: achieving statistical significance ( p < 0.05) in the same direction as the original study and showing compatible effect size magnitudes as per the Z test ( p > 0.05). Conclusion: There was a substantial decrease in the published effect size estimate magnitudes when replicated; therefore, sports and exercise science researchers should consider effect size uncertainty when conducting subsequent power analyses. Additionally, there were many barriers to conducting the replication studies, e.g., original author communication and poor data and reporting transparency.