Understanding influences on physical activity and sedentary behaviour from preschool to preadolescence. While promotion of optimal levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviours during childhood is important for health, much remains unknown in this field. This study will extend an existing cohort of children, recruited at ages three to five years and followed up at six to eight years by reassessing these children at nine to eleven years. Novel additions to the cohort include long term foll ....Understanding influences on physical activity and sedentary behaviour from preschool to preadolescence. While promotion of optimal levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviours during childhood is important for health, much remains unknown in this field. This study will extend an existing cohort of children, recruited at ages three to five years and followed up at six to eight years by reassessing these children at nine to eleven years. Novel additions to the cohort include long term follow-up spanning preschool to preadolescence, application of an ecological framework, and collection of objective neighbourhood data using a Geographical Information System. Findings will provide important information for policy and interventions focused at the individual, family and neighbourhood level, to improve physical activity and sedentary behaviour levels across childhood.Read moreRead less
Providing children with a healthy start to life: promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviours during early childhood. Early childhood (0-5 yrs), when health behaviours develop and may track into later life, represents promise as a time to positively impact physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Yet study of these behaviours in 3-5 yr olds is only emerging, and is almost non-existent in younger children. This project aims to understand predictors of these behaviours using a s ....Providing children with a healthy start to life: promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviours during early childhood. Early childhood (0-5 yrs), when health behaviours develop and may track into later life, represents promise as a time to positively impact physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Yet study of these behaviours in 3-5 yr olds is only emerging, and is almost non-existent in younger children. This project aims to understand predictors of these behaviours using a suite of longitudinal studies, including objective measures, and will commence as early as 3-mths of age. It will study strategies for promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviours during early childhood, by investigating mechanisms of behaviour change in existing interventions to inform new strategies with potential to provide children with a healthy start to life.Read moreRead less
An investigation into performance characteristics of elite male and female soccer players in training and competition environments. The aim of the project is to identify critical determinants of soccer performance that will improve preparation of Australian teams for international competition. Three studies are proposed. Study One will utilize a decade of physical performance and anthropometric data on male and female soccer players at the Australian Institute of Sport to identify physical perfo ....An investigation into performance characteristics of elite male and female soccer players in training and competition environments. The aim of the project is to identify critical determinants of soccer performance that will improve preparation of Australian teams for international competition. Three studies are proposed. Study One will utilize a decade of physical performance and anthropometric data on male and female soccer players at the Australian Institute of Sport to identify physical performance standards characteristic of elite players. Study Two will comprise match analyses to delineate crucial physical, technical and tactical aspects of individual and team performance. Study three will identify characteristics specific to elite goalkeepers that may be used for monitoring responses to training and competition.Read moreRead less
Development and application of wearable micro technologies for the assessment of swimming performance and activity. Australia's sporting performance at a national and international level are ingrained in the psyche of everyday Australians. It encourages sporting activity at every level of our society contributing to our well being and the development of tommorrow's athletes.
This research project will develop important tools for the assessment and servicing of our nations elite athletes, includ ....Development and application of wearable micro technologies for the assessment of swimming performance and activity. Australia's sporting performance at a national and international level are ingrained in the psyche of everyday Australians. It encourages sporting activity at every level of our society contributing to our well being and the development of tommorrow's athletes.
This research project will develop important tools for the assessment and servicing of our nations elite athletes, including those in regional areas. These tools will encompass the very latest in wearable technology and allow athletes to be measured under performance conditions rather than in the laboratory.
Assessment of human motion is also desirable as we seek to assess and aid a progressively aging population and a growing epidemic of obesity in our children.Read moreRead less
Matching Oars to Rowers. This project combines expert oar design, manufacture and advanced biomechanical analysis to produce new oar designs that match rowers? power generation characteristics with boat propulsion requirements. The outcome will be optimally configured oar designs that combine properties which maximise rowers? performance. The performance of the oar-rower combination will be race condition assessed, on-water, in a state-of-the-art measurement boat and an iterative process used to ....Matching Oars to Rowers. This project combines expert oar design, manufacture and advanced biomechanical analysis to produce new oar designs that match rowers? power generation characteristics with boat propulsion requirements. The outcome will be optimally configured oar designs that combine properties which maximise rowers? performance. The performance of the oar-rower combination will be race condition assessed, on-water, in a state-of-the-art measurement boat and an iterative process used to bring the oars to their final configurations. A range of specifications will result from matching the oar to different body types with emphasis on appropriate designs for women rowers.Read moreRead less
Bringing the boat into the lab: Rowing simulation. Rowing simulators are used for rowing training, rowing assessment and exercise. Their effectiveness for the first two depends on their exercise stimulus specificity to on-water rowing. Rowing simulators are also used in the fitness industry for exercise and in all applications the potential for injury should be minimised. This research will produce a "specification" of on-water rowing by characterising the magnitude and timing of the forces and ....Bringing the boat into the lab: Rowing simulation. Rowing simulators are used for rowing training, rowing assessment and exercise. Their effectiveness for the first two depends on their exercise stimulus specificity to on-water rowing. Rowing simulators are also used in the fitness industry for exercise and in all applications the potential for injury should be minimised. This research will produce a "specification" of on-water rowing by characterising the magnitude and timing of the forces and moments experienced on-water. Rowing simulator agreement with this specification will be tested, modifications suggested for their improvement, and one modified and retested. Simulator rowing will be computer-modelled and the potential for injury assessed.Read moreRead less
Passive mechanical properties of human muscles. Australia has a strong record in the discipline of biomechanics. The proposed studies will help maintain Australia's standing in the discipline. They will provide fundamental new data on the properties of human muscles and basic insights into muscle growth and adaptation. The data will be used to develop more refined biomechanical models than is currently possible. The studies will also provide training in world-leading research methods for two PhD ....Passive mechanical properties of human muscles. Australia has a strong record in the discipline of biomechanics. The proposed studies will help maintain Australia's standing in the discipline. They will provide fundamental new data on the properties of human muscles and basic insights into muscle growth and adaptation. The data will be used to develop more refined biomechanical models than is currently possible. The studies will also provide training in world-leading research methods for two PhD students and a research associate.Read moreRead less
Tracking the musculoskeletal health and performance of talented adolescent female athletes. The vision is to gain an innovative understanding of risk factors for the early detection or prevention of injury, and to identify factors that promote participation longevity in young athletes. The biomechanics explored in this study will provide a basis for larger studies in future years. Large economic and social benefits can be gained from increased knowledge of injury prevention early in life. Lowere ....Tracking the musculoskeletal health and performance of talented adolescent female athletes. The vision is to gain an innovative understanding of risk factors for the early detection or prevention of injury, and to identify factors that promote participation longevity in young athletes. The biomechanics explored in this study will provide a basis for larger studies in future years. Large economic and social benefits can be gained from increased knowledge of injury prevention early in life. Lowered injury costs provide immediate cost benefits to the nation. Ultimately, in a nation familiar with the high costs of cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases, the health sector of Australia will be the greatest benefactor of this project.Read moreRead less
Evaluating the impact of neuromusculoskeletal impairment on athletic performance. Sufficient physical activity is required for good health. Competitive sport is a culturally significant physical activity in Australia and the prospect of participating in fair competition is known to drive participation. In Paralympic sport, fair competition is enabled by classification, which aims to minimise the impact of impairments on competition outcome. Unfortunately classification methods are not evidence-b ....Evaluating the impact of neuromusculoskeletal impairment on athletic performance. Sufficient physical activity is required for good health. Competitive sport is a culturally significant physical activity in Australia and the prospect of participating in fair competition is known to drive participation. In Paralympic sport, fair competition is enabled by classification, which aims to minimise the impact of impairments on competition outcome. Unfortunately classification methods are not evidence-based, reducing confidence in the process and discouraging participation. This project will inform the development of the first evidence-based classification system, creating the possibility that, in the future, the prospect of truly fair competition may motivate sports participation among Australians, regardless of disability.Read moreRead less
Use of heart rate kinetics during the rest-exercise transition for tracking changes in exercise performance in athletes. The project aims to develop an objective method for assessing fatigue and recovery in athletes during changes in training load. It is intended that this will inform training adjustments to optimise performance and reduce the risk of overtraining and injury. The method assesses the maximal rate of heart rate increase at the start of light exercise (rHRI), and has been shown in ....Use of heart rate kinetics during the rest-exercise transition for tracking changes in exercise performance in athletes. The project aims to develop an objective method for assessing fatigue and recovery in athletes during changes in training load. It is intended that this will inform training adjustments to optimise performance and reduce the risk of overtraining and injury. The method assesses the maximal rate of heart rate increase at the start of light exercise (rHRI), and has been shown in the project team’s early studies to track reductions in exercise performance when an athlete is fatigued from increased training. The project aims to now refine rHRI so it can also track improvements in exercise performance as athletes recover, and to evaluate rHRI in multiple sports and genders. A field test will be developed and mechanisms that allow it to track changes in exercise performance will be investigated.Read moreRead less