CSEP has just released the ‘Get Active Questionnaire for Pregnancy’!
CSEP has released the ‘Get Active Questionnaire for Pregnancy.’
Regular physical activity is a key part of a healthy pregnancy, according to the SOGC/CSEP 2019 Canadian Guideline on Physical Activity throughout Pregnancy. The new Get Active Questionnaire for Pregnancy released by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) is designed to identify the small number of individuals who should seek medical advice as a first step to becoming or continuing to be physically active during the months that they are pregnant, and to help the majority of healthy pregnant individuals overcome any concerns they might have with getting or staying active.
“This new evidence-informed Questionnaire is designed to be self-administered and provides clear advice to individuals who are pregnant to confirm whether it is safe for them to begin or continue to exercise during this special time in their life,” says CSEP’s panel Chair, Margie Davenport, PhD, from the University of Alberta’s Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health. “Physical activity is safe for most who are pregnant, but there are some cases where the individual should consult with their health care provider first and this questionnaire guides them on when this is necessary.”
Click Here to view the Questionnaire.
The short Questionnaire helps individuals decide whether they should speak to a Health Care provider before they begin or continue to be physically active. The checklist asks yes and no questions about pre-existing medical conditions (e.g., Type 1 diabetes), pregnancy-related conditions (e.g., placenta previa), as well as other reasons that the pregnant individual may be concerned about being physically active during pregnancy. Positive responses to any of the questions indicate that a conversation with their health care provider would be beneficial. Questions about their level of physical activity prior to, and during pregnancy, and their desired level of physical activity are included to help start a conversation with a qualified exercise professional about becoming or staying active.
Developed in concert with the Get Active Questionnaire for Pregnancy, the companion Health Care Provider Consultation Form for Prenatal Physical Activity helps health care providers have a meaningful conversation about the benefits of physical activity with their pregnant patients and discuss whether any modifications to their activity plan are required. Taken together, these new tools will help pregnant individuals who wish to become active to get the right guidance and reduce uncertainty.
“CSEP has a long history of developing internationally-recognized guidelines and pre-screening forms for physical activity as part of our work to bring science to practice. We were proud to bring together a group of clinicians and exercise professional stakeholders to develop this important tool for individuals who are pregnant.” says CSEP Board Chair, Adam Upshaw, PhD, Niagara College. “This Questionnaire is the only one of its kind in the world. It is clear, easy to use, and reduces the barriers to begin or continue to be active during pregnancy. Pregnant individuals, qualified exercise professionals and health care providers across Canada are encouraged to download and use the Questionnaire.”
Download the forms:
Psychology of Physical Activity, co-authored by Dr. Guy Faulkner
The positive benefits of physical activity for physical and mental health are now widely acknowledged, yet levels of physical inactivity continue to be a major concern throughout the world. Understanding the psychology of physical activity has therefore become an important issue for scientists, health professionals and policy-makers alike as they address the challenge of behaviour change.
Now publishing in a fully revised, updated and expanded fourth edition, Psychology of Physical Activity by Stuart J. H. Biddle, Nanette Mutrie, Trish Gorely and Guy Faulkner is still the only textbook to offer a full survey of the evidence base for theory and practice in exercise psychology, and the only textbook that explains how to interpret the quality of the research evidence.
Learn more: Click Here.
Strange Days: Adult Physical Activity and Mental Health in the First Two Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic
In addition to its physical health benefits, physical activity is increasingly recognized as a means to support mental health. Population levels of physical activity have further declined since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and implementation of public health measures (e.g., shelter-in-place protocols). The potential impact of this decline on mental heath outcomes warrants ongoing investigation.
This paper investigates associations between changes in MVPA and mental health (depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and life satisfaction) in adults impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
From the Population Physical Activity Lab at the School, the paper is by KIN postdoctoral researchers M Gierc, N Riazi , G. Faulkner, Katie M. Di Sebastiano, Mahabhir Kandola, Carly S. Priebe, Katie A. Weatherson, Kelly B. Wunderlich.
Read the full text: Click Here.
Xueqing (Snowy) Zhou
Xueqing (Snowy) Zhou is a fourth-year Kinesiology student in the Interdisciplinary Stream. She will be graduating in May 2021 and will pursue a Master of Science in Kinesiology at UBC in the fall, focusing on exercise, neurophysiology and urogenital health.
Originally from China, Xueqing was drawn to kinesiology because of a knee injury she suffered in high school which sparked her interest in the human body and movement. She states that throughout her undergraduate journey her favourite classes have been System Physiology, Neuroanatomy and Neuromuscular Integration of Human Movement.
After joining Dr. Tania Lam’s Human Locomotion Research Lab in 2020, Xueqing began a project that turned into a systematic review of exercises and urogenital function in individuals with spinal cord injury, which was published in the Journal of Neurotrauma this February. “That was probably the proudest moment in my undergrad years at UBC KIN”, she says. It was this experience that helped her confirm her passion and plans after undergrad: “I found learning through research projects to be extremely effective and rewarding. Bladder/sexual health is a salient topic that has fortunately received increasing attention, especially in the context of spinal cord injury. I am excited to continue exploring the power of exercise from a neurophysiological perspective.”
Outside of academia, Xueqing enjoys teaching fitness classes at BodyWorks. Her passion for educating the community has involved her in multiple campus health initiatives, including the UBC Cancer Association Club, where she collaborates with like-minded peers and creates the Cancer Decoded comics to communicate cutting-edge research findings in a digestible form.
Looking back at her undergrad years, Xueqing says, “I have benefited so much from the comprehensive support system in the KIN community, especially the Mentorship Program.” The most important piece she has learned to date is to “be brave, ask questions, be open to receive, and be ready to offer”. In the future, she hopes to be trained to work in both research and clinical practices.
Ahmadian, Mehdi
Graduate student, PhD
Mehdi is an international student working towards his PhD. His warmth and positive attitude are palpable. A former elite athlete and international karate champion. He says that as an athlete “I was always curious about how my body responded to different types of exercise training.” This curiosity led him to pursue studies in the field of physical education and sport sciences.
He states,“During my undergraduate years I participated in a number of research projects and quickly realized that this was the field for me. I understood that research could generate invaluable knowledge that could potentially aid both clinical patients and healthy populations alike. And so, I decided to pursue a graduate degree to enrich my knowledge and develop skills that could help me grow as a productive translational researcher.” Translational research builds on basic scientific research to create new therapies, medical procedures, or diagnostics to enhance human health and well-being.
His research is focused on how the cardiovascular system behaves in response to various interventions/therapies in health and disease. He is currently investigating how high-thoracic spinal cord injury impairs cardiovascular function with the aim of developing therapies that could effectively improve or restore cardiovascular function after injury.
After completing a PhD, Mehdi will be preparing himself to complete a post-doc in the field of cardiovascular physiology in order to follow the academic path towards a tenured professorship, so that he may ultimately act as a translational researcher. He says that “I aim to conduct research that results in the creation of novel therapies, medical procedures, and diagnostics to help those suffering from cardiovascular complications.”
UBC KIN Wins First Place Overall at KIN Games 2021!
This year, KIN Games celebrated their annual conference online. On Friday, March 19, 2021, a team of 20 UBC KIN students participated in a series of virtual challenges within four categories: Dance, Academics, Athletics and Spirit. Following months of online team building, training and hard work, the team landed a successful win at the closing ceremonies. The team expresses their gratitude to the KIN Games 2021 Committee for putting the event together and keeping the KIN Games’ spirit alive. They would also like to thank the School of Kinesiology for their consistent support. See below for UBC’s placements.
UBC KIN placed in the following categories:
- 1st Place for Dance Music Video
- 2nd Place for Dance Overall
- 1st Place in Academics
- 2nd Place in Athletics
Captains: Allison Hill, Madison Bulloch, and Aaron Harpaz
Vets: Davin Hu, Gary Sidhu, Joshua Wang, May Guan, Max Wahl, Myah Sisson, Samuel Lin, Sherry Han, and Veronika Scherer
Rookies: Cameron Lee, Cindy Sha, Delon Chan, Julia Berka, Kiana Sato-Klemm, Marcelo Daniel Rosales Velasquez, Rachel Tang, and Ysabelle Tumaneng
Staff Update: Onwards and Upwards for Elise Le Brun!
We bid a fond farewell to the School’s Student Engagement Officer, Elise Le Brun who leaves us on April 9th to take on the role of Manager, Student Engagement at Langara College. Elise joined UBC Kin four years ago in a shared position with the Centre for Student Involvement and Careers and has grown KIN’s Student Engagement portfolio by leaps and bounds, and has guided hundreds of KIN students in their undergraduate journey through participating in high-impact and transformative experiences like mentorship, orientations, and student government.
In her role as SEO, Elise is committed first and foremost to students. A few of her recent accomplishments include working with her colleagues in Indigenous Studies, Elder Gail Sparrow, and Debra Sparrow to embed connections with leading and learning on Musqueam Land into key events, expanding transfer student transition programming, and providing career conversations to KIN students.
First and foremost, Elise is a community builder. Elise was recently nominated by her KIN colleagues and selected for the 2019-2020 Emerging Leader Award in the Faculty of Education. This award reflects her teamwork, her pro-active relationship building, and her commitment to inclusive environments. Elise has been an innovator, an open collaborator, a coach and mentor to many of her colleagues as well as to the students, over the past four years. She will be missed by us all. We thank her for her many contributions to the School, for her dedication to the student body and for nurturing and growing the KIN Mentorship Program. Good luck Elise!