Gao and Pope publish in Obesity Review

September 18, 2015

Zan Gao, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory, recently published a review article titled, “A meta-analysis of active video games on health outcomes among children and adolescents” as the first author in the Obesity Review. Graduate research assistant Zachary Pope also serves as the co-author for this review paper.

The purpose of the review article was to synthesize current literature concerning effects of active video games on children/adolescents’ health-related outcomes. It was found that active video games could yield equivalent health benefits to children/adolescents as laboratory-based exercise or field-based physical activity. Therefore, active video games can be a good alternative for sedentary behavior and addition to traditional physical activity and sports in children/adolescent. Obesity Reviews is a monthly journal publishing reviews on all disciplines related to obesity and its comorbidities. It has an impact Factor of 7.995 and ranks 9 out of 128 journals in Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The full citation is: Gao, Z., Chen, S., Pasco, D., & Pope, Z. (205). A meta-analysis of active video games on health outcomes among children and adolescents. Obesity Reviews, 16(9), 783-794. DOI: 10.1111/obr.12287

Thul accepted into Med School’s Health Equity Leadership & Mentoring program

September 18, 2015

School of Kinesiology lecturer and alumni Chelsey Thul, Ph.D. was accepted into the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Program in Health Disparities Research 2015-16 mentoring program: Health Equity Leadership & Mentoring (HELM).

The program aims to enhance the academic excellence and leadership capacity of diverse faculty and health disparities researchers at the University of Minnesota and ultimately reduce health inequities. HELM focuses on some of the challenges that trainees from minority and underserved groups and other faculty whose research is addressing health equity may face. Thul will attend monthly seminar series sessions and be matched with a senior-level faculty mentor and health disparities researcher.

Thul’s research involves the interdisciplinary intersection of sport and exercise psychology, sport sociology, cultural studies, prevention science, public health, and child development. Through this interdisciplinary perspective and the use of multiple qualitative methods, she specifically studies the development, implementation, and evaluation of culturally relevant physical activity programming for underserved adolescent girls.

Doctoral candidate Joseph Ostrem publishes in Journal of Clinical Ultrasound

September 15, 2015

Joseph Ostrem, Kinesiology MS (2013), currently a doctoral candidate in the School of Kinesiology, is the lead author on an article published in the Journal of Clinical Ultrasound. The article, “Presence of a high flow-mediated constriction phenomenon prior to flow-mediated dilation in normal weight, overweight and obese children and adolescents, ” examines the presence of high flow-mediate constriction in children and found that overweight and obese children display this phenomenon more often than children of normal weight. This new biomarker may indicate early onset of cardiovascular disease in children.

The article is part of Mr. Ostrem’s doctoral thesis. He is advised by Donald R. Dengel, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology. Prof. Dengel and Nicholas Evanoff, a Research Fellow in the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology, are co-authors on the article.

Young fair-goers discover research is fun at the Great Minnesota Get-Together

September 14, 2015

For some young fair-goers, there was more to this year’s Minnesota State Fair than cheese curds and deep-fried Twinkies on a stick. For five days during the Fair’s 12-day run, over 200 children and young adults got the chance to participate in a research study conducted by the School of Kinesiology‘s Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory (HSCL) in the U of M Driven to Discover building.

Lab director Prof. Jűrgen Konczak and his graduate students set up a mini-lab in their booth and invited visitors aged 3-18 years to take a test that would help determine how proprioception, the ability to sense the position of one’s body and limbs, develops in childhood.

“The State Fair is a great venue for data collection and study recruitment,” says I-Ling Yeh, PhD student and graduate assistant in the HSCL. “People came by the Driven to Discover building because they’re interested in what the U is doing, and they found out they could be part of a research study. They liked the idea of contributing to the normative data.”

The test took about five minutes, and participants got their scores and charted results almost immediately. “Siblings were competing to get the best scores,” says I-Ling. “It was fun to see. They thought it was cool to be part of a research project.”

All graduate assistants and visiting scholars currently working in Dr. Konczak’s lab took a turn working during the State Fair, said I-Ling, which was necessary considering the large number of participants they tested in just a few days. “If we didn’t have such a large lab we couldn’t have done it.”

The study results will be used in a forthcoming research article, and study designers hope that the data gathered will lead to information that could be used for future diagnostic purposes.

Dengel co-authors article in Journal of Obesity

September 14, 2015

Donald R. Dengel, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology, is a co-author on an article published DengelD-2005 in the Journal of Obesity. “Visceral adiposity in persons with chronic spinal cord injury determined by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry” determined visceral adiposity levels in individuals with spinal cord injury using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry for the first time. The authors found higher levels of visceral adiposity in individuals who suffered a spinal cord injury than healthy controls. These higher levels of visceral adiposity may lead to the early development of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors.

PhD graduate Michael T. Nelson publishes in Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

September 14, 2015

Michael T. Nelson, Ph.D., a 2014 School of Kinesiology graduate advised by Donald Dengel, Ph.D., is the lead author of an article published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. “Repeatability of respiratory exchange ratio time series analysis” examines the reproducibility of time-series analysis of respiratory exchange ratio. The study, based on Dr. Nelson’s dissertation research, demonstrated that respiratory exchange ratio measures and analysis via sample entropy at 30% and 60% of ventilatory threshold are reproducible. Prof. Donald Dengel and Kinesiology lecturer George Biltz, MD, from the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology, are co-authors on the article.

APAL students present at ICPA XVIII

September 10, 2015

At the 18th International Conference on Perception and Action, graduate and undergraduate research assistants in the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory presented on many different topics.

APAL doctoral candidate Eric Haaland gave a talk on his dissertation research, under the title “Postural kinematics in support of affordance perception.”

Several graduate students also presented posters. Justin Munafo presented two posters: “The horizon affects postural sway in older adults on land” and The horizon affects postural sway in older adults at sea.” Frank Koslucher presented research on “Sex and task differences in pre-motion sickness postural control.” “Tablet Computers: Sex Differences in Body Sway and Motion” was presented by Ruixuan Li. Two undergraduate research assistants, Meg Diedrich and Zach Polhkamp, presented a posted “The Oculus Rift is Sexist.”

School of Kinesiology professors Thomas Stoffregen and Michael Wade not only hosted and organized the ICPA XVIII, but also advised many of the student projects.

Weiss, Wiese-Bjornstal contribute to special issue on concussion management in sport in “Kinesiology Review”

September 2, 2015

Maureen Weiss, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology and editor-in-chief of Kinesiology Review, recently organized the publication of a series of multidisciplinary articles by prominent researchers in a special issue of the journal devoted to pediatric, neurological, psychological, ethical, and clinical issues surrounding the topic of concussions in sport in Kinesiology Review.

Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology and director of the Sports Medicine Psychology Laboratory, was lead author of an article, “Psychology of Sport Concussions,” in the special issue.

The health implications of concussions incurred by youth, high school, and collegiate athletes, as well as adult participants in recreational and competitive leagues and professional athletes, are debated almost daily in many news and social media outlets. In this issue, the authors extensively reviewed frameworks, empirical research, and evidence-based best practices related to the assessment, treatment, care, and recovery of concussed individuals as a result of sport participation.

The reference for this issue is Kinesiology Review, Volume 4, Number 2, May 2015. Kinesiology Review is the official journal of the National Academy of Kinesiology and the American Kinesiology Association. Continue reading “Weiss, Wiese-Bjornstal contribute to special issue on concussion management in sport in “Kinesiology Review””

HSCL colleagues to publish in Journal of Sport and Health Science

September 1, 2015

Dr. Carmen Krewer, a postdocto Labs-HSC

ral researcher in the Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory (HSCL), is the first author on a paper entitled “Commentary on: ‘Assessing proprioception: A critical review of methods’ by Han J, Waddington G, Adams R, Anson J & Liu Y (2015),” that has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Sport and Health Science. This extensive commentary is part of a scientific discourse on how best to measure body awareness (proprioception). Senior author is HSCL director Jürgen Konczak, Ph.D., and co-authors are his advisees, Joshua Aman (Ph.D., 2012) and doctoral candidate Naveen Elangovan. Dr. Krewer returned to her native Germany last month after spending 6 months in Dr. Konczak’s lab. She now works as a clinical researcher in a large neurorehabilitation hospital in Bavaria.

Dr. Jens Omli, Kinesiology alum, has study featured in Wall Street Journal article

September 1, 2015

The dissertation research of Jens Omli, Ph.D. (2008) from the School of Kinesiology, was featured in the article, “The Best Way to Cheer for Your Child,” recently published in the Wall Street Journal. Dr. Omli was advised by Prof. Diane Wiese-Bjornstal and is currently an instructor of kinesiology at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. His dissertation was titled, “Kids Speak: Children’s Preferences for Coach and Parent Behavior.”

U.S. News article quotes Stoffregen on motion sickness

September 1, 2015

StoffregenT_2013 Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL) director and kinesiology professor Thomas Stoffregen, Ph.D., was interviewed by U.S. News & World Report on reasons for motion sickness.

In the article “Help! I have Motion Sickness”, Dr. Stoffregen explains that in his theory the feeling of motion sickness is related to the process of adapting to unpredictable movements. The online article also lists “six ways to cope with it.”

Kihl to lead workshop on corruption in sport at European Association for Sport Management conference in Dublin

September 1, 2015

Lisa Kihl, Ph.D., associate professor of sport management in the School of Kinesiology, will lead a workshop on “Corruption in Sport: ESMQ Special Issue” at the European Association for KihllL-pref Sport Management conference in Dublin, Ireland, September 9-12, 2015. Kihl and colleagues James Skinner, Ph.D. at Loughborough University in the UK, and Terry Engleberg, Ph.D. at James Cooke University in Australia, will be conveners for the workshop, which will build on existing research to help increase understanding of the complexity and multidimensional nature of corruption within the context of sport. Attendees will explore the meaning of sport corruption, its causes, consequences, approaches to reform, and implications for future research.

Kinesiology researchers measure body awareness in children at the State Fair

August 25, 2015

The School of Kinesiology’s Human Sensorimotor Control Lab (HSCL) is heading to the Minnesota State Fair this year! Teaming up with the Driven to Discover project group, HSCL members will show how the HSCL Fair ability to sense the position of one’s body and limbs develops during childhood. Specifically, researchers will measure forearm position sense using a device in which the child will try to match the specific arm position of one arm with the other arm.

HSCL has developed a test that will tell the participants in less than 10 minutes how accurately they “know” their arms in space. The children will get to experience being involved in a research project and earn a brain-shaped eraser on a pencil as a reward.

HSCL will be at the State Fair August 27 and 29 and September 2, 4, and 7 in the U of M’s Driven to Discover building at 1367 Cosgrove Avenue. The site will host various research activities each day during the Fair. Check out the research projects at https://guidebook.com/guide/41977/ or download the U Minnesota app from the App Store on your smart phone or tablet and search for the guidebook, UMN@TheFair.

BBC quotes Stoffregen in a story about an effective cure for motion sickness

August 25, 2015

The feature story, “The search for an effective cure for motion sickness,” from the BBC’s Future column looks into various theories on this subject, quoting School of Kinesiology professor, Thomas Stoffregen, Ph.D.

Stoffregen, who directs Affordance Perception- Action Laboratory, researches ”postural instability” theory, which states that people experience nausea in situations where they have not yet learned to maintain a stable posture. This theory contrasts with previous lines of research indicating that motion sickness occurs due to mixed messages between various human systems, i.e., the inner vestibular system (inner ears), the visual system, and the proprioceptive system(body awareness / sixth sense).

As for a cure? Stoffregen suggests that to control motion sickness you have to “learn new ways to control the body to cope with the fact that the ‘ground’ is moving underneath you.”

Kinesiology student featured on GopherSports.com

August 20, 2015

Justin Karstadt, an undergraduate student in the School of Kinesiology , was recently featured on Gophersports.com. Karstadt discusses why he chose gymnastics, why he chose the University of Minnesota and different aspects of being a part of the team.

“When I was weighing up my options for schools to attend, Minnesota caught my eye because of how much potential there was in gymnastics and how strong the team was academically. The team is young with a lot of freshmen/ sophomores, so I feel that there’s huge potential in the team.”

Konczak, HSCL student present at rehabilitation robotics meeting in Singapore

August 19, 2015

Juergen Konczak, Ph.D., director of the Human Sensorimotor Control Lab (HSCL), and an HSCL doctoral student, Anna Vera Cuppone, presented at the 2015 International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR) in Singapore.

Konczak, a member of ICORR’s Scientific Committee, was invited to speak on the use of robots to aid diagnosis and as therapeutic tools for improving body awareness and motor control in neurological patients. Konczak also chaired the session on Neuroscience and Brain Machine Interfaces.

Cuppone gave two poster presentations at ICORR on the collaborative work between HSCL and the Italian Institute of Technology on how wrist joint proprioception can be trained in humans. The work has implications for treating patients with proprioceptive deficits due to nervous system disease such as stroke or peripheral neuropathy.

Thul, Tucker Center featured in CEHD’s Connect Magazine

August 12, 2015

Chelsey Thul, Ph.D., teaching faculty in the School of Kinesiology and Tucker Center affiliated scholar, is featured in the fall issue of CEHD’s Connect magazine for her work creating culturally appropriate uniforms for East African middle-school aged girls. Thul, along with Nicole LaVoi, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Tucker Center, worked to make the connections at the University to create valuable research to help design the uniforms.

The project was a collaboration between Thul, LaVoi, Elizabeth Bye, Ph.D., professor and department head of Apparel Design Program, and Fatimah Hussein, founder of the Girls Initiative in Recreation and Leisurely Sports (GIRLS).

The culturally appropriate designs were modeled by the students at a fashion show on June 10th. Click here to read more about the event and research.

Stoffregen comments on motion sickness theory

August 11, 2015

Although some believe that motion sickness is caused by signal mismatches in the brain, the official causes of motion sickness remain a mystery. Dr. Thomas Stoffregen, professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Affordance Perception- Action Laboratory, has made advancements in the main competing theory about the body’s inability to maintain proper posture and control in a moving environment.

Stoffregen was recently quoted in Vox.com about his research on ships with virtual reality displays in the article, “Here’s why you get carsick- even when other people don’t.”

In the piece, Stoffregen states, “In each and every case, we have found that the objective patterns in body sway data differ between people who get sick and people who do not get sick, and that those differences exist before anyone feels sick”

School of Kinesiology faculty, staff present at the 2015 MN eLearning Summit

August 11, 2015

Kickstart — Calhoun (back row), Lupinek, Magnuson, Hoffman (left to right)

Four School of Kinesiology faculty and staff gave a panel presentation at the 2015 MN eLearning Summit held July 29-30 at Minneapolis Community & Technical College.

Austin Calhoun, Ph.D. (Director, eLearning & Digital Strategy), Brandi Hoffman (Director, Physical Activity Program), Joshua Lupinek, Ph.D. (recent graduate), and Connie Magnuson, Ph.D. (Director, Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies program) lead a panel discussion on Kickstart Open Lab, the School’s incentivized, project-based approach to eLearning exploration, adoption, and implementation.

The presentation, “Kickstart Open Lab: An Experiment in Incentivizing, Enhancing Teaching and Learning, and Diffusing Technology,” explored the versatile and unique program developed and implemented at the School of Kinesiology.

Slides from the presentation are available here.

The MN eLearning Summit is the premiere event of the Minnesota Learning Commons and is a gathering place for K-12, college, and university educators and innovators in the Midwest who are committed to effective online and blended learning.

Dengel publishes with top doctors and scientists on worldwide problem of deaths from non-communicable diseases

July 31, 2015

Dr. Donald R. Dengel, professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology, is a co-author of an article recently published online in European Heart Journal. The article/policy statement by a coalition of the world’s leading doctors and scientists working in cardiology and preventive medicine is a call to action to tackle the global problem of deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through healthy lifestyle (HL) initiatives. NCDs, such as heart problems, diabetes and cancer, may be preventable by reducing risk factors related to lifestyle such as cigarette smoking, obesity, poor nutrition, and physical inactivity.

“The goal of this American Heart Association/European Society of Cardiology/European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation/American College of Preventive Medicine policy statement is to define key stakeholders and highlight their connectivity with respect to HL initiatives,” the abstract states. “This policy encourages integrated action by all stakeholders to create the needed paradigm shift and achieve broad adoption of HL behaviors on a global scale.”

The article was also featured online in Mayo Clinic Proceedings and is available here.

CEHD News Kinesiology

CEHD News Kinesiology