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
Molecular dissection of the functional regions of genes that encode actinins (ACTN2 and ACTN3) and their contribution to normal variation in skeletal muscle function. The project has discovered a common genetic variant that affects skeletal muscle structure, function and metabolism and influences athletic ability, and response to diet and exercise. The project will study how this gene influences muscle bulk and strength, the metabolic efficiency of muscle and the risk of obesity in the general ....Molecular dissection of the functional regions of genes that encode actinins (ACTN2 and ACTN3) and their contribution to normal variation in skeletal muscle function. The project has discovered a common genetic variant that affects skeletal muscle structure, function and metabolism and influences athletic ability, and response to diet and exercise. The project will study how this gene influences muscle bulk and strength, the metabolic efficiency of muscle and the risk of obesity in the general population.Read moreRead less
Playing it Safe: Psychological Safety and Mental Health for Community Sport. At a time when over half of all Australians participate in organised sports it is critical to ensure that these environments are psychologically safe. The problem is that community sports clubs have no clear guidance on how to fulfil this substantial responsibility. There have been urgent calls for the development of psychological safety and mental health guidelines which have yet to be answered. This project will deliv ....Playing it Safe: Psychological Safety and Mental Health for Community Sport. At a time when over half of all Australians participate in organised sports it is critical to ensure that these environments are psychologically safe. The problem is that community sports clubs have no clear guidance on how to fulfil this substantial responsibility. There have been urgent calls for the development of psychological safety and mental health guidelines which have yet to be answered. This project will deliver the knowledge to underpin effective psychological safety and mental health guidelines for community sports with national impact. When implemented, this knowledge will help sports clubs to provide a psychologically safe environment, and promote the mental health and wellbeing of all Australians involved in organised sports.Read moreRead less
Influence of athletic footwear on lower limb biomechanics of pubertal girls. This project aims to determine whether athletic footwear with appropriate design features can help improve neuromuscular control and, in doing so, reduce the potentially deleterious forces on the knee and lower limb structures of pubertal girls. As girls reach puberty, they become less able to control the movement patterns of their lower limbs, particularly in high-demand tasks like running and jumping. Better-designed ....Influence of athletic footwear on lower limb biomechanics of pubertal girls. This project aims to determine whether athletic footwear with appropriate design features can help improve neuromuscular control and, in doing so, reduce the potentially deleterious forces on the knee and lower limb structures of pubertal girls. As girls reach puberty, they become less able to control the movement patterns of their lower limbs, particularly in high-demand tasks like running and jumping. Better-designed footwear for pubertal girls may improve movement patterns, decrease the likelihood of musculoskeletal injury and improve physical activity participation rates. Project outcomes may lead to the development of such footwear, and are also anticipated to expand our understanding of female developmental biomechanics.Read moreRead less
Critical Windows: Health-related Behaviour in Children After School. Global concerns for increasing body fatness and insufficient physical activity in children highlight the importance of health promoting behaviour in younger populations. A critical window for healthy behaviour is created after school. We aim to improve the ability to assess healthy behaviour during 3 pm-7 pm and subsequently to describe activity and nutritional practices in Grade 5 children (randomly selected) from Western Sydn ....Critical Windows: Health-related Behaviour in Children After School. Global concerns for increasing body fatness and insufficient physical activity in children highlight the importance of health promoting behaviour in younger populations. A critical window for healthy behaviour is created after school. We aim to improve the ability to assess healthy behaviour during 3 pm-7 pm and subsequently to describe activity and nutritional practices in Grade 5 children (randomly selected) from Western Sydney. Psychosocial and environmental correlates and the extent to which seasons and annual growth influence behaviour will be considered. Outcomes involve an effective instrument for future research and an enhanced understanding of healthy behaviour in Western Sydney children.Read moreRead less
Athletic footwear for reducing knee loads in girls and women. This project aims to develop a novel athletic shoe that can reduce harmful knee loads during sport in adolescent girls and young women. As girls reach puberty, they become less able to control the movement patterns of their knees and lower limbs - particularly in high-demand tasks like jumping. The project will develop a new ASICS shoe that will be ‘field-tested’ during sporting activity with high ACL injury risk (netball) to evaluate ....Athletic footwear for reducing knee loads in girls and women. This project aims to develop a novel athletic shoe that can reduce harmful knee loads during sport in adolescent girls and young women. As girls reach puberty, they become less able to control the movement patterns of their knees and lower limbs - particularly in high-demand tasks like jumping. The project will develop a new ASICS shoe that will be ‘field-tested’ during sporting activity with high ACL injury risk (netball) to evaluate its effect on tibial shock (in-field surrogate measure of knee load) and player comfort compared to a conventional shoe. Expected outcomes include reduced healthcare costs associated with the treatment of serious knee injury, including surgical reconstruction and early-onset knee osteoarthritis.Read moreRead less