The ‘Sport Physical Education and Coaching for Health (SPEACH) project, co-financed by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union (2015-2017) aims to increase awareness and behavioral change in sport professionals and European citizens towards an active and healthy lifestyle. The target is to develop and test Health Enhancing Physical Activities or HEPA modules that can be integrated in Physical Education Training Education structures and Sport Coaching courses. The different steps in this EU project are: (1) needs analyses among students (survey, interviews, focus groups), (2) development of most relevant HEPA modules based on the needs analysis results, (3) teach-the-teacher course (4) testing of 3 selected HEPA modules in a real-life setting with physical education and sport coaching students (n=60, from 8 countries) and teachers (n=12, from 7 countries), (5) sustainability of the project results, coordinated by the European Network of Sport Education (ENSE). The project is in its last phase (step 6). The titles of the three field-tested modules are (a) Development of a family-based HEPA project in the school & sport club context, (b) Promoting health enhancing physical activity among children and youth, and (c) Designing educational sport environments for children with special needs. The presentation will illustrate how the module on family-based HEPA was build up in content and didactical approach. The students were given the task to work out a health promotion project together with local sport clubs, school(s) and other local organizations. The goal of the intervention was to enhance (and maintain) health with children and make sure that parents are aware of possibilities to integrate PA in daily life for their children and themselves. A stepwise approach in small students groups was worked out concentrating on the themes: insight in stakeholders and their role in health promotion, behavior change theories, motivational interviewing and intervention mapping protocol. Advices for implementation on different educational levels (vocational, bachelor and master) and usefulness at national and international educational contexts will be given for the family-based module and for the project in general. Acknowledgements: this project is co-finance by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union, 557083-EPP-1-2014-1-NL-SPO-SCP) Keywords: health policy, family-based intervention, school and sport club context, teacher training, sport coaching courses,
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Main goal of the Sport Physical Education And Coaching in Health Project (SPEACH/Erasmus+ sport 557083-EPP-1-2014-1-NL-SPO-SCP) is to increase awareness and behavioural change in sport professionals and European citizens towards an active and healthy lifestyle. Sedentariness and physical inactivity are a cross-national problem. Therefore, the project builds upon a strong collaborative-partnership to contribute in solving this problem on the European level and to increase sport and physical activity participation.
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The impact of organized youth sport on youth development depends on various conditions in the pedagogical climate, such as how sport is delivered by youth sport coaches. While this is broadly acknowledged and provides a basis to improve youth sport and its developmental outcomes, little is known about the pedagogical perspectives of youth coaches on their practice. This study uses semi-structured interviews with 32 youth sport coaches in diverse youth sport contexts in the Netherlands. Reflexive data analysis is employed to garner insights into coaches’ role perceptions, coaching goals, and underlying values. The findings show that while youth coaches focus on sport-centered activities, many foreground non-sport dimensions such as life mentoring and working towards social inclusion as critical elements of their work, reflected in five pedagogically-oriented goals: discipline, autonomy, resilience, social abilities, and aspirations. Underlying these goals are pedagogical values such as building and maintaining caring relationships with participants. These goals and values echo scientific literature on pedagogical sport climate conditions (e.g. positive youth development), and challenge notions of youth sport as a performance-oriented and uncaring setting. The results contribute to existing knowledge about youth coaches’ pedagogical orientations, and inform the development of strategies to stimulate positive sport practices and developmental outcomes for participants.
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Electronic Sports (esports) is a form of digital entertainment, referred to as "an organised and competitive approach to playing computer games". Its popularity is growing rapidly as a result of an increased prevalence of online gaming, accessibility to technology and access to elite competition.Esports teams are always looking to improve their performance, but with fast-paced interaction, it can be difficult to establish where and how performance can be improved. While qualitative methods are commonly employed and effective, their widespread use provides little differentiation among competitors and struggles with pinpointing specific issues during fast interactions. This is where recent developments in both wearable sensor technology and machine learning can offer a solution. They enable a deep dive into player reactions and strategies, offering insights that surpass traditional qualitative coaching techniquesBy combining insights from gameplay data, team communication data, physiological measurements, and visual tracking, this project aims to develop comprehensive tools that coaches and players can use to gain insight into the performance of individual players and teams, thereby aiming to improve competitive outcomes. Societal IssueAt a societal level, the project aims to revolutionize esports coaching and performance analysis, providing teams with a multi-faceted view of their gameplay. The success of this project could lead to widespread adoption of similar technologies in other competitive fields. At a scientific level, the project could be the starting point for establishing and maintaining further collaboration within the Dutch esports research domain. It will enhance the contribution from Dutch universities to esports research and foster discussions on optimizing coaching and performance analytics. In addition, the study into capturing and analysing gameplay and player data can help deepen our understanding into the intricacies and complexities of teamwork and team performance in high-paced situations/environments. Collaborating partnersTilburg University, Breda Guardians.
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 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.
