Zoekresultaten

European Bachelor in Physical Activity and Lifestyle Counselling (co-financed by the European Union Project Number: 510029-LLP-1-NL-ERASMUS-ECDSP Programme: Lifelong learning programme Sub-programme: Erasmus)

Innovation Lab Exercise Friendy Environment

Exercise-friendly Environment Public SpacesOur physical and social environment have a great influence on how people move, whether they are aware of this or not. A public environment in which it is easy to move around can have a preventive effect on people’s health and this way it can make an important contribution to Healthy Ageing. An attractive park is an invitation for people to take a walk or go for a run. A beautiful cycle route through nature is an invitation to go cycling.The way a space that is easy to move around in can affect socialisation also contributes to the quality of life in a neighbourhood and its surroundings. By allowing people to exercise and meet each other, healthcare costs can be cut back and social problems can be reduced. In addition, a dynamic and exercise-friendly natural area makes for an attractive tourist destination, which can contribute positively to a region’s economy.The innovation lab ‘Exercise-friendly Environment Public Spaces’ is aimed at an optimal use of public spaces in order to stimulate an active lifestyle, and with this the economic and social impact on the environment of this space. In the innovation lab knowledge institutions, institutions for healthcare and wellbeing, governments (municipalities, provinces) and housing corporations together with various partners from sports, the catering industry and recreation.

Move Healthy

Sport injuries are a major reason for reduced participation and drop-out from sports and PE. Refraining from sport participation has negative bearing effects on mental and physical wellbeing, which tracks into adulthood. It is therefore important for youth to be facilitated into lifelong active participation in physical activity and sport, as the importance of physical activity for the health of youth is undisputed. Participation in physical education (PE) classes and membership of sports clubs and are essential for health enhancing physical activity. Despite the importance of sports injury prevention in youth, no broad scale approaches that work in real-life situations with significant positive effects exist. Main reasons for this are very poor uptake and maintenance of current sports injury prevention exercises. Sportscoaches and physical educators experience these exercises as not context specific, time consuming and not contributing to their training goals. Whereas youth perceives these exercises as not attractive, no fun and without any play or game component. These aspects cause lack of maintenance and thus no significant reduction of injuries. Recent scientific and practical insights promote more emphasis on motivation through autonomy and attractive exercise routines based on principles of motor learning which can be integrated in regular training sessions or physical education classes. Purpose: Therefore, the Move Healthy project develops ICT based support video material of routines for and with physical educators and sport coaches, which supports them to prevent sports injuries in youth. This material should be easy to integrate in regular training sessions or physical education classes.

Movebite

Movebite aims to combat the issue of sedentary behavior prevalent among office workers. A recent report of the Nederlandse Sportraad reveal a concerning trend of increased sitting time among Dutch employees, leading to a myriad of musculoskeletal discomforts and significant health costs for employers due to increased sick leave. Recognizing the critical importance of addressing prolonged sitting in the workplace, Movebite has developed an innovative concept leveraging cutting-edge technology to provide a solution. The Movebite app seamlessly integrates into workplace platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Slack, offering a user-friendly interface to incorporate movement into their daily routines. Through scalable AI coaching and real-time movement feedback, Movebite assists individuals in scheduling and implementing active micro-breaks throughout the workday, thereby mitigating the adverse effects of sedentary behavior. In collaboration with the Avans research group Equal Chance on Healthy Choices, Movebite conducts user-centered testing to refine its offerings and ensure maximum efficacy. This includes testing initiatives at sports events, where the diverse crowd provides invaluable feedback to fine-tune the app's features and user experience. The testing process encompasses both quantitative and qualitative approaches based on the Health Belief Model. Through digital questionnaires, Movebite aims to gauge users' perceptions of sitting as a health threat and the potential benefits of using the app to alleviate associated risks. Additionally, semi-structured interviews delve deeper into user experiences, providing qualitative insights into the app's usability, look, and feel. By this, Movebite aims to not only understand the factors influencing adoption but also to tailor its interventions effectively. Ultimately, the goal is to create an environment encouraging individuals to embrace physical activity in small, manageable increments, thereby fostering long-term engagement promoting overall well-being.Through continuous innovation and collaboration with research partners, Movebite remains committed to empowering individuals to lead healthier, more active lifestyles, one micro-break at a time.

PLAYSAFE: Pathways for Longitudinal ACL Injury Risk Assessment in Female Footballers

In societies where physical activity levels are declining, stimulating sports participation in youth is vital. While sports offer numerous benefits, injuries in youth are at an all-time high with potential long-term consequences. Particularly, women football's popularity surge has led to a rise in knee injuries, notably anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, with severe long-term effects. Urgent societal attention is warranted, supported by media coverage and calls for action by professional players. This project aims to evaluate the potential of novel artificial intelligence-based technology to enhance player monitoring for injury risk, and to integrate these monitoring pathways into regular training practice. Its success may pave the way for broader applications across different sports and injuries. Implementation of results from lab-based research into practice is hindered by the lack of skills and technology needed to perform the required measurements. There is a critical need for non-invasive systems used during regular training practice and allowing longitudinal monitoring. Markerless motion capture technology has recently been developed and has created new potential for field-based data collection in sport settings. This technology eliminates the need for marker/sensor placement on the participant and can be employed on-site, capturing movement patterns during training. Since a common AI algorithm for data processing is used, minimal technical knowledge by the operator is required. The experienced PLAYSAFE consortium will exploit this technology to monitor 300 young female football players over the course of 1 season. The successful implementation of non-invasive monitoring of football players’ movement patterns during regular practice is the primary objective of this project. In addition, the study will generate key insights into risk factors associated with ACL injury. Through this approach, PLAYSAFE aims to reduce the burden of ACL injuries in female football players.

Run for Health

Participatory sport events have been recently proposed as one of the strategies to promote physical activity participation, because of the “sport participation effect”.Active participation in sport events (and the training which participants complete prior to this event) can increase physical activity of both active and inactive individuals. To propose strategies for promoting running events among the public (citizens) in order to motivate them to participate in such events.Partners:Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), Mulier Instituut (Netherlands), KU Leuven (Belgium), Lithuanian Sports University (Lithuania), ECOS (Italy) and the European Association of Sports Management