Module Directory

This module compares physiological responses to exercise of children and adolescents with those of adults examining the effects of age, sex, and maturation. Students will examine the role that physical activity and fitness can play in improving markers of health and well-being in young people; an increasingly important area of study due to the evidence, from work at the University of Essex showing declines in children's fitness.

This module explains the immediate and possible future benefits of physical activity and exercise for the health and wellbeing of healthy children and young athletes.  Students will learn how to evaluate growth, maturation, adiposity, physical activity and fitness in children and adolescents; including training in data treatment and analytical procedures that are specific to paediatric exercise science.

The aims of this module are:

• To enable students to contrast the acute and chronic exercise responses of children and adolescents with those of adults.


• To enable students to contrast the acute and chronic exercise responses of children and adolescents with those of adults.


• Evaluate national and international surveillance of children's growth, physical activity, and fitness.


• To provide students with an understanding of best practices in promoting health and fitness through physical activity.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Contrast the acute physiological responses to exercise in children and adolescents with those of adults.


2. Show understanding of methods used to determine maturation, body composition, physical activity, and fitness in children and adolescents.


3. Demonstrate an understanding of how to obtain, treat and analyse data pertaining to children's body dimensions, maturation, physical activity, fitness, and psychological well-being.


4. Discuss the socio-geographical factors associated with children's physical and psychological health and the role of schools in promoting physical activity interventions.


5. Critically evaluate contemporary talent identification and development pathways in sports.

Syllabus

• Ethical considerations safeguarding and special considerations for working with youth athletes and schoolchildren.


• Understanding of the physiology of exercise during growth and maturation and the measurement and interpretation of young people's performance.


• Understanding of the relationships between fitness, physical activity, and health during growth and maturation. Fundamental to the module is an understanding of the distinction between fitness and physical activity with respect to health-related outcomes.


• The obesity epidemic, the inactivity epidemic, and temporal trends in children's health behaviours.


• Talent identification and development pathways in UK sport – barriers to participation and the relative age effect.


• Critical evaluation of current policies and recommendations for physical activity during childhood and adolescence.


• Designing and implementing paediatric health and fitness surveillance.


• Critical evaluation of policy and practice in promoting and evaluating physical activity interventions in schools.


• Pedagogical concepts in physical activity for health promotion and sport in youth.

This module will be delivered via:

• One 2-hour lecture/seminar session per week.
• Three 2-hour computer lab or practical laboratory sessions.