PhASRec Video Project Playlist here for viewing.
The sustainability of physical activity participation and nutrition education through the use of a mobile application
A sustainable physical activity intervention and nutrition education is a goal for many working in the field of community health. This research study will develop a mobile application to guide community health workers in implementing a physical activity intervention and guide them with respect to the correct nutrition education. The health-worker application will also be combined with an application for the participants that provides tips and titbits of information to accomplish behaviour change in these participants. The initial investigation phase (identifying the problem, developing a design brief and formulating a design specification) and the planning phase (designing and planning the mobile application) will proceed the investigative (first) phase of the study. After the development of the mobile application the intervention will take place and the impact of the intervention will be tested.
Exercise oncology study
Cancer is treated through clinical adjuvant therapy which often imposes various side-effects on the patient. Cancer patients and survivors experience various benefits from self-directed or supervised exercise, which negate some of these side-effects. Benefits of physical activity include, but are not limited to:
- improved physical functioning,
- improved mood states,
- lower depression and
- anxiety and
- even decreased nausea.
In first world countries such as Europe, Australia and America have dedicated exercise oncology centers. Exercise oncology forms part of their treatment plan, whereas in South Africa, there is a need to create an active link between the treating oncologist and the biokineticist, to allow easier access to exercise groups or exercise treatment in a safe and controlled exercise facility.
Developing a motor PERFormance and physical FITness tool for low resourced communities (PERF-FIT)
Children continue to learn various motor performance skills such as hoping, running, throwing, jumping and balance that will improve their motor development. But for some with motor deficits, these skills take longer to develop, if at all. Therefore, this project is a quantitative study, with the research design focusing on a cross sectional, descriptive and an analytical approach. The main aim of the current project is to contribute to the establishing of the validity of the PERF-FIT by comparing it to standardized tests. Known group validity is established through a priori testing of children across different ages and genders. These findings, together with the lack of findings from a South African context, lend to the importance of designing a tool that can be implemented in South African communities in order to identify South African norm values. The PERF-FIT test battery will be developed to provide a set of valid, reliable, feasible, and cheap field‐based motor performance items for the assessment of health‐related physical fitness in children in low resourced communities. By selecting a group of children between the ages of 6 and 12 years old residing in low-resourced areas we intend to test the proposed tool on validity and reliability. In this known-group validity research study, children will be expected to perform the following tasks:
- Bouncing and catching a ball
- Throwing and catching a ball
- Jumping
- Hopping on one leg
- Balancing tasks while standing still
- and Balancing tasks while moving
From the study, we expect to compare standardized measures for motor performance and fitness levels for children between the ages of 6 years old to 12 years old that will be applied as an outcome measure to screen and identify early motor deficits or delays in children in low resourced areas.
Force signatures project
Injuries are a financial burden to teams. The goal for sports teams is to ensure an optimized strength and conditioning regime to increase performance and prevent injuries. Clinical movement screens are used to identify at risk athletes. The countermovement jump (CMJ) is a reliable movement screen to assign athlete risk. On the force-time curve, three phases during the CMJ are identified creating predictable force-signatures for the athlete in a specific sport. Discrepancies in the expected force output “signature” of an athlete, means increased injury risk. We will aim to include as many university sporting codes as possible. Force-signatures of athletes will be evaluated using the CMJ for the whole season of their sporting code. Injuries will be documented along the course of the season, while still regularly monitoring athletes. Project directions include comparing force signatures over the season, differences in sports, positional differences and previous injury effects.
Dr Mariaan van Aswegen in collaboration with Mr JPJ Stofberg
Investigating the relationship between physiological and physical loads, absolute and relative speeds on team match performance in semi-professional rugby union players
This specific GPS-based project was launched last year, and the data has been already collected. The project has exciting potential to investigate match performance by using the latest measures in tracking match load technology. The project has enough room to either focus on recovery through physical (Catapult’s player load) or physiological (HRV) attributes. Recovery is one of the most key factors in the modern sport era determining a team’s performance. However, in the high-pressure environments professional teams function in, non-invasive and quick interpretation of match loads is crucial to data analysts and sport scientists. Most teams used relative thresholds available in research and thus does not account for individuals that are different from the average norms. Absolute thresholds are therefore a better way to account for everyone in a team with their respective differences and therefore would be advantageous to any teams' performances. This study will aim to correct this oversight.
The Netball Study
Netball is an increasingly popular sport, practised by amateurs and professionals, both genders across many age groups. The prevalence of specific lower extremity injuries is common and increasing. Conditioning, monitoring and fitness protocols currently applied in netball to promote performance and decrease the risk of injuries are in question. Research on the above mentioned are limited. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of selected upper and lower extremity netball injuries, in relation to specific netball monitoring, conditioning, training and fitness protocols within young female netball players, as well as the effect of an exercise intervention on these variables. This study is a randomised controlled trial. Understanding the prevalence as well as risks and effects of injuries in netball will assist in decreasing the risks for obtaining injuries, improve conditioning protocols, lower reoccurrence of injuries and promote individual and team performance.
Rehabilitation and Human-performance Analytics using Biomechanics (ReHAB)
The ReHAB project is housed within the Physical Activity, Sport, and Recreation (PhASRec) Research Focus Area at the North-West University. Biomechanics plays a central role in both rehabilitation and performance. The ReHAB project aims to apply the principles of biomechanics that focus on injury prevention, post-injury rehabilitation, sports biomechanics, and performance enhancement. Themes within the ReHAB ongoing project include:
- Application of kinetic and kinematic profiling to better evaluate return-to-sport outcomes in laboratory and clinical settings in athletes with ACLR
- Evaluation of better assessment methods and metrics to enhance decision-making processes for phase progression
- Evaluating the use of novel technologies in clinical settings and the extent to which these enhance the decision-making processes of clinicians and practitioners
- Force-velocity-power profiles of athletes using force plates and OpenCap 3D biomechanics
- Evaluating the validity and reliability of low-cost alternatives (can the metrics derived out of the Cybex, force plates, and motion captures systems be replicated by alternative technologies that are affordable by clinicians/practitioners)
Currently the capacity of upcoming research projects would have to reside within these project domains. However, suitable research topics among potential PhD and Masters candidates that fall within the scope of the projects mentioned will be considered.
Retirement Adjustment and Leisure Study
This longitudinal research project within Recreation Sciences focuses on retirement adjustment and the changes that occur in terms of leisure, physical activity, and functional and cognitive ability. The project will also investigate the role that leisure plays during the different phases of retirement adjustment. The overarching research questions of the project are:
- How do individuals experience leisure and retirement during different stages of retirement?
- What changes occur in terms of individuals’ leisure, as well as physical, cognitive and psychological health during the different stages of retirement? and
- Do individuals’ leisure play a role in their psychological, physiological and cognitive wellness and adjustment to retirement? Phase 1 of the project will make use of qualitative research to inform our understanding of retirement. Phase 2 will consist of qualitative and quantitative research methods.
The University Teaching in Africa (RUTA) research project within PhASRec
How do we improve the educational experiences of future Biokineticist, Kinderkineticist, Sport and Coaching Scientist and Recreation specialists? In RUTA (a research project within PhASRec), we engage in education-based action (real-world and applied) research employing quantitative and/or qualitative methodologies. In this type of research, you will either work with health care professionals, coaches, students, patients and/or athletes. The following are the educational focus areas:
- Identifying the status of and/or developing professionals possessing the skillsets and self-confidence to deliver rehabilitative, sport-specific and/or recreational experiences.
- Identifying the status of and/or developing professionals possessing the skillsets and self-confidence to be entrepreneurs, good communicators, leader, societal changer, innovators, critical thinkers, and/or team members who can work with others.
- Exploring how the current teaching modalities used within Human Movement Science develops students’ 21st century attributes, introspection and/or certain literacy skills.
- Exploring lecturers’ educational philosophies, teaching modalities and/or experiences of higher education whilst aiming to achieve the Department of Higher Education and North-West University’s teaching and learning strategic outcomes.
- Exploring alternative educational experiences focused on developing students’ 21st century attributes, introspection and/or certain literacy skills.
The effect of a sleep hygiene period on match performance, physical, physiological and psychological states of university-level soccer players (sleep study)
Soccer has increased immensely at a collegiate level as seen with increased training and competitive sessions. This can result in in sleep deprivation due to various reasons, resulting in performance decrements. Sleep is vital for optimal physical, physiological and psychological recovery for enhancing sport performance. Due to athletes often undergoing sleep deprivation, researchers have established various sleep hygiene recommendations to implement for improving sleep quality. Unfortunately, limited research is available on the effectiveness of implementing a sleep hygiene period (SHP) on various physical, physiological and psychological measures, as well as on soccer match demands and performance indicators. Therefore, this study will examine the effectiveness of implementing a SHP on various aspects vital for performance. This will be beneficial for various athletes and coaching staff to implement during their competitive season, as well as to expand on the current research available.
Exercise effects on the physiological, mental and functional performance of a Higher Education Institution cohort
The higher education environment has changed significantly during the last three years. Mental health and physical health are declining. Previous research indicate that a decline in mental and phsyical health, also influence the cognitive functionality. In the academic environment, high levels of cognitive function are important for conceptualising new ideas and expanding the knowledge base of science. The project will determine the effectiveness of various interventions to address the health and well-bieing of management, staff and students in a higher education institution. The study will follow a pre- post design and include variables related to physiological, mental health, cognitive functioning and risk factors for lifestyle diseases. Due to the nature of the study, only students enrolled as full-time post-graduate students will be considered.
Improvement of nutritional status and health of children through the use of isotopic techniques
Nutritional status and body composition in childhood are integral to long term health and well-being. Nuclear techniques to determine ratios of fat mass and fat free mass, have been found to be more accurate than traditional field methods of predicted body fat using skinfolds, body mass index, and bioelectrical impedance, which have been linked with misclassifications and pose problems for early intervention. A recent study (2018) reported that amongst newly diagnosed paediatric cancer patients in South Africa, 24.3% of children were underweight and 21.6% were wasted. Better nutritional status at diagnosis has been linked with better clinical outcomes, however, there is strong evidence that other methods for the assessment of nutritional status should replace the use of weight related indices to identify malnutrition in children. The South African Department of Health reported that 14.2% prevalence of overweight in primary school children, with the highest prevalence (30%) in girls living in urban areas. Both childhood overweight and obesity as well as physical inactivity are linked non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and type II diabetes, motor and developmental delays, reduced self-esteem and quality of life, as well as stigmatisation. This project aims to develop capability to assess various forms of measuring body composition in two contrasted populations (undernutrition and overnutrition) and will utilise the nuclear techniques of dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), deuterium dilution, doubly labelled water, and optical technique of a 3D handheld scanner in order to improve clinical outcomes for in paediatric populations afflicted by undernutrition and overnutrition. The objective of the study is to determine the nutritional status and body composition in children for optimal health.
Patient experiences with anxiety and depression after total hip or knee arthroplasty: benefits of mental health assessments as an integral part of post-operative orthopaedic care
Patients undergoing total joint replacement show suggestive clinical levels of anxiety and depression pre-and post-operatively compared to the general population. As a result, this longitudinal observational sub-study aims to determine the changes and associations between patients’ mental health, their pain, and health-related quality of life levels after a total hip or knee replacement. Participants include males and females over 18 years with chronic or traumatic hip or knee replacement surgeries in Potchefstroom’s private and public hospitals. Questionaires regarding the pain, anxiety and depression, and health related quality of life are included at different time points. Quantitative measures for a walking analysis is also included.
Relationships between growth characteristics, physical activity and neuromotor milestone development of 6-12-month-old infants of different socio-economic backgrounds in the Northwest Province: GrowActive-Infant study
The first thousand days since birth, especially the first twelve months since birth, are considered a unique window of opportunity to establish a solid foundation for an infant’s overall development. This cross-sectional study aims to determine the effect of anthropometric growth (head and upper arm circumference, weight, length, arm length, arm span, leg length and sitting height) and differences in physical activity patterns (infant actigraph) on the neuromotor milestone development (reflexes, stationary, locomotor, object manipulation, grasping, visual-motor) of 6- to 12-month-old babies of varying socio-economic statuses. The study aims to include 700 participants, 100 babies in each month group (6-12 months) of various SES regions. The outcomes of the study will benefit the current but also the future health of babies as knowledge gained will shed light on the possible influence of impaired or advanced growth and PA patterns on infants’ neuro-motor milestone development.
Physical activity and Exercise in women's health and performance
In the domain of physical activity in it's contribution to women's health limited information is available, in particular in rural communities. At the same time, more women are engaging in high performance sport, setting the need for more research on women also in sport performance. This project would like to recruit 2 full-time PhD students to commit for three years and are eligeable for a full time bursary during the three years.
Athlete wellness and performance in field hockey
This project explores the relationship between athlete wellness and performance in field hockey. By understanding how wellness elements influence performance, the study aims to provide insights into optimizing training and recovery strategies for field hockey players. The research will focus on identifying key wellness indicators that impact game readiness and overall performance. It will use a combination of wellness monitoring tools, performance metrics, and athlete self-reports to assess correlations. The findings aim to inform coaches, sports scientists, and athletes about the importance of holistic wellness in maximizing on-field performance, with potential implications for training regimens and long-term athlete development in competitive field hockey.
Effect of a continuous aerobic vs sprint interval training intervention on cardiorespiratory fitness, functional performance, cardiovascular markers, cognitive function, quality of life, mental well-being and physical activity enjoyment of 40-80-year-old adult
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a rising public health concern with links to cardiovascular diseases, functional performance, mental health and health-related quality of life. More recently, associations between NCDs and cognitive function have been reported. Exercise interventions as preventative and management strategies for NCDs are receiving more attention in the scientific community. However, there is scarce evidence on tailored and effective exercise interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly related to cardiovascular, functional, cognitive and mental health-related outcomes in adults. High-quality randomised controlled trials determining the effect of different exercise interventions on cardiorespiratory, cognitive functioning and mental health-related outcomes are essential. Therefore, this study aims to determine the effect of a multi-component continuous aerobic exercise training vs sprint interval training (SIT) on cardiorespiratory fitness, functional performance, cardiovascular markers, cognitive function, quality of life, mental well-being and physical activity enjoyment of 40-80-year-old adults. The study will follow a three-armed randomised controlled design with a continuous aerobic intervention, SIT, and reference groups. The 120 recruited participants will be randomly allocated in equal numbers to each intervention group (n=40). Assessments will be at baseline, after 12 and 24 weeks of intervention and 24 weeks post-intervention. NCD risk factors, cardiorespiratory fitness, and functional performance measurements will be collected through standardised protocols. Pulsewave analysis and central blood pressure will be collected as cardiovascular markers, while the STROOP effect and brain blood flow with near-infrared spectroscopy will measure cognitive function. Health-related quality of life, mental health and physical activity enjoyment will be measured with validated questionnaires. Linear mixed-effect models with repeated measures, correlation analyses and multiple regression analyses will determine the effect of the intervention on the outcome variables and the relationships between the variables at each measurement wave. The findings will inform future intervention strategies in the fight against NCD in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The effects of different manual neuromodulation techniques on muscle activation, upper and lower body strength, countermovement jump kinetics, and repeated jump test performance in a variety of sport participants
Although practitioners promote the use of different manual neuromodulation techniques to regain and improve somatosensory input and neuromuscular control, currently there is little scientific evidence to verify the effectiveness of these techniques for optimising performance. Therefore, this study aims to compare the acute and more long-term effects of different manual neuromodulation techniques compared to no manual neuromodulation techniques on muscle activation, upper and lower body strength, countermovement jump kinetics, and repeated jump test performance in a variety of sport participants.
The effects of the Norwegian Lactate-Guided Threshold Interval Training model on the cardiovascular autonomic nervous system- and performance-related performance parameters of endurance athletes and road cyclists
Norwegian endurance athletes, such as Jakob Ingebrigtsen have won multiple Gold and Silver Medals at the international stage (including the European Championships, World Championships and Olympic Games) in running events that include the 1500m and 5000m. Norwegian endurance athletes follow a well-documented and scientific training model that includes a large amount of interval training at the anaerobic threshold that causes an increase in neuromuscular recruitment, while also reducing the build-up of metabolites that can cause fatigue. However, it is not known whether the implementation of the Norwegian Lactate-Guided Threshold Interval Training model will be effective in improving the cardiovascular autonomic nervous system- and performance-related performance parameters of endurance athletes and road cyclists in a South African university set-up. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine the effects of a six-week Norwegian Lactate-Guided Threshold Interval Training model on cardiovascular autonomic nervous system- and performance-related parameters of endurance athletes and road cyclists at a South African university.
The more long-term effects of different supplementation protocols on cortisol levels, sub-maximal strength and body composition of university students: A double-blind cross-over study
A lot of supplements are used for their claimed benefits, including improved physical performance, increased strength, and reduced fatigue. Although some research supports the potential for enhancing athletic performance, the effects of different supplements on cortisol, submaximal muscle strength and body composition are underexplored, especially in university students who do not have a lot of gym training experience. Therefore, the objective of this study is to compare a six-week combined resistance strength training programme and different supplementation protocols and a six-week resistance strength training programme alone on the body composition, cortisol levels and sub-maximal strength of university students.