News by Subject Social & Behavior

Matthew Stork, a Ph.D. candidate in the school of Health and Exercise Sciences at UBC's Okanagan campus recently completed a study comparing inactive people's feelings and enjoyment of HIIT to traditional long-duration aerobic exercise. He found that inactive people who tried the high intensity exercise for the first time found it just as enjoyable as traditional exercise.

The impact of screen time on cardiovascular disease, cancer incidence and mortality may be greatest in people who have lower levels of grip-strength, fitness and physical activity, according to a study published in the open-access journal, BMC Medicine.

New research shows that using the legs, particularly in weight-bearing exercise, sends signals to the brain that are vital for the production of healthy neural cells. The groundbreaking study fundamentally alters brain and nervous system medicine -- giving doctors new clues as to why patients with motor neuron disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal muscular atrophy and other neurological diseases often rapidly decline when their movement becomes limited.

A new study reports that two new agility tests can distinguish between youth soccer players in under-17 and under-19 divisions, with older players showing increased agility. In contrast, other characteristics thought to indicate agility -- such as sprinting and jumping abilities -- were not significantly different between players of different ages. The findings suggest that specific agility training could lead to enhanced player agility and performance.

University of Guelph researchers examined 1,713 cases of racehorse deaths from 2003 to 2015, and found racing was connected to some of the deaths.

Physical activity is an effective way to help improve the many mental and physical side effects of breast cancer treatment. Yet, studies show up to 70 per cent of breast cancer survivors are not getting enough activity. This may be about to change thanks to new research from UBC's Okanagan campus that demonstrates that financial support and incentives are effective in increasing physical activity among breast cancer survivors.