Physical activity is key in preventing disease
Beyond the simple enjoyment of sport and leisure physical activity, a sufficient amount of physical activity, sports and exercise can reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, hypertension, cancer, musculoskeletal diseases, and psychological disorders.
Physical activity can play a key role in counteracting weight gain and obesity, a major challenge to successful ageing and public health. Regular physical activity can also
- improve school children’s academic performance,
- productivity at work,
- prevent secondary impairments in persons with disability,
- and slow cognitive decline in old age.
Through our research we learn:
- The physiological, neural, cognitive, and biomechanical mechanisms of movement;
- How children, adults, or elderly individuals with and without disability acquire motor skills, control movement
- How they improve functioning, and adapt to increased or decreased levels of physical activity, and to exercise programmess.
Our research groups are: