H & K Research and Discovery
Faculty, students, and staff are engaged in rigorous and impactful research ranging from understanding basic biological factors to examining community characteristics that contribute to health and wellness. Health & Kinesiology research is categorized into 4 general, overlapping, and non-exclusive themes that advance scientific understanding in the areas of:
- Behavioral Science & Community Health
- Cognitive and Motor Neuroscience
- Exercise and Disease
- Physical Activity and Well-Being
Check out our Google Scholar Page to see what we are up to!
Research Highlights
#10
RANKED KINESIOLOGY DOCTORAL PROGRAM
4
NEW GRANTS IN 2020-21 TOTALING $2,340,924
1200
UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS COMBINED
9
SCHOLARSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS
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- Biomechanics & Locomotion
- Community-Engaged Health Promotion through Dissemination & Implementation Science
- Lifespan Motor Neuroscience
- Neuromechanics & Applied Locomotion
- Physical Activity & Health Promotion Science
- Sleep & Circadian Physiology
- Sleep & Motor Memory
- Weight Management & Metabolic Health
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- Title: Connect Diabetes Prevention Program
- Research team(s): Paul Estabrooks (PI)
- Stage of the project: Ongoing
- Key findings/points: The purpose of this project is to better connect people at risk for diabetes engage with existing community or digital resources for diabetes prevention.
- Next steps: Scale up the approach.
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Awards:
- Dr. Tanya Halliday was awarded the VPR/CoH Seed Grant for her study, "Does the Time of Day Resistance Exercise is Performed Impact Glycemic Control in Older Adults?".
- Dr. Kota Takahashi, Mukta Joshi, and Dr. Peter Fino were awarded the Group Teaching Grant by University Teaching Committee. Their project is called, "Enhancing student learning in Health & Kinesiology through computational analysis of human movement".
- The goal of this award is to implement hands-on training of biomechanics content through project-based experiential learning using commercial software (Visual3D).
Accomplishments:
- Dr. Paul Estabrooks, Invited Keynote Presentation at the University of Utah Population Health and Community Engagement Conference.
Get Involved with Health & Kinesiology Research
Become a Participant
- Lifespan changes in how prior knowledge modulates the learning of new information. Participate Now!
- Examining how the child’s brain is superior to the adult’s brain in the learning of new movements. Participate Now!
- Examining the neural processes underlying sequence learning. Participate Now!
- Elucidating Brainstem Contributions to Visceral and Somatic Motor Dysfunction after mTBI. Participate Now!
KEY FACULTY PUBLICATIONS
Behavioral Science & Community Health
- Development of a mixed methods investigation of process and outcomes of community-based participatory research
- Tobacco product use and mental health status among young adults
- The metatheory of resilience and resiliency
- Using integrated research-practice partnerships to move evidence-based principles into practice
Cognitive and Motor Neuroscience
- Identification of latent classes of motor performance in a heterogenous population of adults
- Baseline sensorimotor GABA levels shape neuroplastic processes induced by motor learning in older adults
- Reactive postural responses predict risk for acute musculoskeletal injury In collegiate athletes
- Sigma oscillations protect or reinstate motor memory depending on their temporal coordination with slow waves
- Mechanics and energetics of human feet: A contemporary perspective for understanding mobility impairments in older adults
Exercise and Disease
- Clinical factors associated with adherence to aerobic and resistance physical activity guidelines among cancer prevention patients and survivors
- Dietary intake modification in response to a participation in a resistance training program for sedentary older adults with prediabetes: Findings from the Resist Diabetes study
- Metabolic consequences of sleep and circadian disorders
- Role of chronic exercise on pelvic floor support and function
Physical Activity and Well-Being
- A Coach’s Guide to Maximizing the Youth Sport Experience: Work Hard, Be Kind
- Comparative evaluation of heart rate-based monitors: Apple Watch vs Fitbit Charge HR
- Effect of a 12-week physical activity program on gross motor skills in children
- Feasibility and effectiveness of a wearable technology-based physical activity intervention in preschoolers: A pilot study
- The effect of a comprehensive school physical activity program on physical activity and health-related fitness in children from low-income families