Research Methods

The purpose of this unit is to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to examine and conduct different types of research typically found in the broad area of sport and exercise science. The unit will facilitate your ability to understand published research in your chosen field and thus will underpin the study of other units on your course. In addition, this unit will provide you with practical experiences that will help you with the design and data analysis aspects of your own research including your MSc dissertation. It is assumed that you have a basic understanding of the research process and quantitative analyses as a result of completing undergraduate research design/methods.
Using current and relevant research, this unit aims to…
1. Develop your advanced knowledge and understanding of the research process including the utility, strengths and limitations of different types of designs and statistical analyses
2. Develop your advanced skills and confidence for selecting and conducting common statistical analyses and interpreting the output.
3. Facilitate your ability to read, understand and critically evaluate published research in your chosen field.
4. Equip you with the knowledge and skills to collect and analyse data for your own research projects

Metabolic Health

 The key aims of this unit are:

·    To develop an advanced understanding of how physical activity and nutrition contribute to the aetiology, prevention and treatment of adverse metabolic health conditions, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

·    To gain an awareness of the complex interrelationships between obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors.

·    To develop the practical skills to assess a range of measures related to physical activity, nutrition and metabolic health, and a critical understanding of the use of these methods.

·    To formulate appropriate evidence-based recommendations for exercise prescription and nutritional advice for metabolic health in relation to the particular client / patient group needs and the environmental setting e.g. clinical versus community-based.

·    To be aware of the relevance of evidence-based physical activity and nutritional recommendations to local and national public health issues and policies, and the challenges associated with implementing these recommendations in real-life settings and with specific NHS target populations groups e.g. the elderly and children.

This unit is supported by staff research in the area of nutrition and its effects on health parameters, housed within the research institute ISPAR.  A number of peer reviewed journal publications in this area have been produced by unit staff.  In addition the School of SSPA has a number of clinics specialising in exercise and lifestyle management in a range of clinical populations including diabetes 

Placement (Long)

The purpose of this unit is to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to in the application and undertaking of a work-based placement at a subject specific organisation. The unit will facilitate your awareness of the application processes and employability skills required during a postgraduate level work placement. In addition, this unit will promote the development of appropriate verbal and written communications skills with external organisations and/or potential employers. It is assumed that you will secure your own post-graduate level work placement and complete the required hours during the undertaking of this unit.

The unit aims to:

Develop your deep and systematic understanding of the job/placement application process, including your ability to critically evaluate job advertisements, presenting yourself in an appropriate manner for a post-graduate level work placement. 
Promote the development of appropriate verbal and written communications skills suitable for discussion with  placement organisations and/or potential employers.
Allow students to develop skills of reflective practice and critical evaluation.
Enhance awareness of the vocational opportunities available to students in their chosen subject discipline and the associated desirable skills.
Allow students to work autonomously within a professional placement environment, within both individual and team scenarios.

This unit will contribute a minimum of 60 hours of practice based learning.

Behavioural Science And Public Health

This unit introduces you to the discipline of public health and demonstrates the role that behavioural science can play in relation to behaviour change for the promotion of health and prevention of disease and illness.

 Drawing on staff research, this unit will provide you with a critical insight into developing and evaluating the role of theoretically driven and scientifically developed interventions in the remit of facilitating positive health behaviour change.  Moreover, you will acquire a critical appreciation of public health policies, methodologies and epidemiological concepts.

Professional Skills For Health Care Providers

How can theories and principles from behavioural science be applied in practice?

This unit aims to bring alive the academic knowledge base of behavioural science, health psychology and behaviour change to the application of theory to research and practice. Based on the foundations of staff expertise in applied practice this unit aims to provide students with a portfolio of professional skills focusing on two core aspects; (1) communication strategies in healthcare (2) research synthesis. This unit provides students an excellent grounding of the professional skills required within health care research and practice.

Exercise And Nutrition Prescription

Exercise and nutrition prescription in clinical populations includes a variety of additional variables that are not factors for healthy adults.
This unit aims to:

1. Explore how a variety of disease states can benefit from a structured exercise programme and nutritional interventions
2. Examine the interrelationship between a variety of drugs and their consequences on exercise tolerance and measurements taken during exercise
3. Develop students understanding of how a structured exercise and nutritional programme should be informed by the pathophysiology of underlying diseases.
4. Assess the benefits and limitations of an exercise programme in clinical populations.

Practical content on this unit working in the Community Exercise Clinic will contribute to practice based learning hours as required for a professional clinical exercise physiologist.