Background The aim of the study was to evaluate differences in body image across different types of sports in highly trained female athletes. Methods 242 female individuals, aged 13–30 years (M = 20.0, SD = 4.5), representing aesthetic sports (n = 56) and nonaesthetic sports (n = 186), were recruited from different sports clubs in Poland. Body image, BMI, age, the level of competition attained, and the training background of participants were recorded. Results One-way ANOVA showed differences in the body image of athletes engaged in different types of sport (F(11,230) = 4.10, p < 0.001, and η2 = 0.16). The model predicting the body image of female athletes was significant (F(5,236) = 10.40, p < 0.001); the adjusted R2 = 0.163. Type of sport explained 7.1% (β = –0.263, p < 0.001), age explained 4.5% (β = 0.341, p < 0.001), BMI explained 3.6% (β = –0.230, p < 0.001), and level of competition explained 0.9% (β = 0.153, p < 0.05) of variance in body image. Conclusions The findings provide vital new knowledge which can be used by researchers and practitioners in designing educational programs on weight-related behaviors in female athletes. Such programs should be implemented especially in young female athletes participating in high-level sporting activities at an early stage.

This article presents triathlon as a modern form of sports consumption. The theoretical part underlines the importance of triathlon events for the development of tourism and the promotion of health and physical activity, whereas the empirical part presents the results of research carried out at the Środa Wielkopolska Triathlon 2018 event. The socio-demographic profile of the participants of the event (N=109) and their motives for participation were determined. The information contained may be of value for those involved in the development of sport and tourism in smaller towns in Poland.

W artykule zaprezentowano triathlon jako nowoczesną formę konsumpcji sportowej. W części teoretycznej opisano znaczenie imprez triathlonowych dla rozwoju turystyki oraz promocji zdrowia i aktywności fizycznej. W części empirycznej przedstawiono wyniki badań przeprowadzonych podczas imprezy Triathlon Środa Wielkopolska 2018. Ustalono profil społeczno-demograficzny uczestnika imprezy (N = 109) oraz jego motywację do wzięcia w niej udziału. Informacje zawarte w artykule mogą mieć duże znaczenie dla osób zaangażowanych w rozwój sportu i turystyki w małych miejscowościach w Polsce.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of Active Rehabilitation (AR) on wheelchair distance in men with spinal cord injury (SCI) at the cervical or thoracic levels. The research group consisted of 30 men with cervical or thoracic SCI. All the participants completed the "1st level" rehabilitation camp in Spała (12 days). A modified Cooper test was used twice: the day before and the day after the AR camp. AR had increased the distance covered in a wheelchair in men with thoracic (18%) and cervical (29%) SCI. The percentage of change in the Cooper test result due to AR has a statistically significant dependency on the degree of impairment of spinal cord function according to the ASIA scale (parametric test: p=0.0131, nonparametric test p=0.0018). The level of SCI does not significantly differentiate this variable (parametric test: p=0.3418, nonparametric test p=0.0673). Contrary to expectations, men with SCI at cervical level improved more, which suggests that AR is a valuable therapeutic component in the rehabilitation of patients with SCI. The wheelchair distance improvement due to AR depends more on the degree of impairment of the spinal cord function than on the level of the SCI itself.

Nowadays, dance plays an important role in the modern tourism industry. Today, the craze for dancing creates great opportunities for cultural tourism. However, it should be remembered that there is a great danger of losing the most important meaning of dance by commercializing and reducing its essence. Dance tourism as discussed in the article is understood as travel for the purpose of learning about dance and its culture in places where given dance styles were born, or where they play an important national role as well as enjoying great popularity among the local community. This article is an introduction to the issue of dance tourism in an anthropological context. It presents potential attractions related to dance in the perspectives of cultural and sports tourism, it has an illustrative and descriptive character while its method is a literature review and presentation of popular examples.