Postgraduate Course: Assessment of Physical Activity and Body Composition (EDUA11420)
Course Outline
| School | Moray House School of Education and Sport |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Physical activity benefits physical and mental health. It promotes social connectedness, quality of life, and general well-being. However, in 2012 the Lancet declared a global pandemic in terms of a lack of physical activity. Effective measurement of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and health is critical to on-going research developments in this area. This course will encourage students to critically evaluate methods for assessing physical activity, sedentary behaviour and the key health outcome of body composition. The course will also consider the evaluation of intervention programmes and will provide theoretical and practical knowledge required to collect and interpret data.
This course will be taught by research-active members of the Physical Activity for Health Research Centre (PAHRC) (http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/education/rke/centres-groups/pahrc). Lecture material will be supplemented with practical activities and seminars. The course will introduce skills necessary for accreditation in anthropometrical methods of assessing body composition. |
| Course description |
Within a behavioural epidemiological framework accurate measurement of physical activity and sedentary behaviour is essential to identify causal associations with health, to be able to quantify the size of the association and to describe dose-response relationships. Accurate measurement also allows researchers to document patterns and changes in activity over time. This course will introduce the measurement of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and the measurement of the important health outcome of body composition. The course will introduce the skills necessary for accreditation in anthropometrical methods of assessing body composition. Throughout the course we will draw from recent research and consider application to practice, encouraging students to employ appropriate analytical and interpretative skills to make sound judgements regarding physical activity, sedentary behaviour and health status.
It is likely the course will include sessions on:
Introduction to assessment of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and health
Self-report and objective measures of physical activity
Self-report and objective measures of sedentary behaviour
Assessment of body composition, with a particular focus on anthropometry
Introduction to the concepts of validity and reliability in the context of physical activity for health
Students will be encouraged to actively participate in interactive discussions and learning activities. Students will be set tasks to guide their reading and engagement with the material. Assignments will further facilitate consideration of the lecture material and how it relates to additional research papers and application. Students will also have the opportunity to engage with PAHRC-led research activities.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2022/23, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 27 |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 10,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
1. Written Assignment (60%) The submission will be a critical reflection on the measurement methods experienced (2500 words)
2. Class Test (40%) |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Critically evaluate commonly used methods for assessing physical activity, sedentary behaviour and body composition
- Make informed decisions regarding appropriate methodologies for assessing physical activity and sedentary behaviour with respect
- Employ appropriate analytical and interpretation knowledge to make sound judgements regarding physical activity, sedentary behaviour and health status
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Reading List
Core texts for this course are:
Welk, G. (Ed). (2002). Physical activity assessments for health related research. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Morrow, J., Jackson, A., Disch, J., & Mood, D. (2005). Measurement and evaluation in human performance (3rd Edition), Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Norton, K and Olds, T (Eds). (1996) Anthropometrica: a textbook of body measurement for sports and health courses. Sydney: UNSW Press
Kaminsky, L. (2009). ACSM's health-related physical fitness manual. 3rd edition. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
During this course students will have the opportunity to practice and develop their ability to:
1) Apply critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis to forefront measurement issues in physical activity, sedentary behaviour and body composition
2) Critically review, consolidate and extend knowledge, skills, practices and thinking in the measurement of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and body composition
3) Communicate with peers, more senior colleagues and specialists
4) Undertake critical evaluations of a wide range of numerical and graphical data
5) Take responsibility for own work |
| Keywords | physical activity,sedentary behaviour,body composition,measurement,validity and reliability |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Paul Kelly
Tel: (0131 6)54 4111
Email: |
Course secretary | Mr Stephen Graham
Tel: (0131 6)51 6132
Email: |
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