4HAIE - PA and Health

The scientific activity of the Department of Human Movement Studies of University of Ostrava is concentrated mainly in the laboratories of Human Motion Diagnostic Centre (HMDC) located in new built City Campus of Ostrava.

The Human Motion Diagnostic Centre was established in 2007. Currently, the members of the HMDC have significant scientific competence, they achieve internationally comparable scientific results and thus demonstrate the potential to participate in large international projects. An important characteristic of the HMDC is the long-standing team of motivated scientists in the field of Kinanthropology. The HMDC is unique in the Czech Republic because of its long-standing multidisciplinary focus. The laboratory of Biomechanics and Imaging methods cooperates closely with Exercise Physiology Laboratory, Functional Anthropology Laboratory and Behavioural Laboratory at one location. This unique arrangement enables the successful design of large-scale multidisciplinary prospective studies.

The main objectives of the Human Motion Diagnostic Centre are:

• To expand the frontiers of knowledge in the field of kinanthropology (i.e., the science of human movement);
• to transfer the results of kinanthropological research to the general public and to practical applications beneficial to society;
• provide high professional support for the education of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students;
• collaborate with sports clubs, the commercial sector and other interested parties in the field of physical measurement of body composition, physical abilities and skills testing.

Research activities are particularly focused on investigating the functional and structural relationships between human movement and health and they are included among the main research directions at the University of Ostrava.

Laboratory of Biomechanics and Imaging Methods

In biomechanics, the research is focused on investigating the causes of musculoskeletal injuries in sports and exercise and making subsequent recommendations for their prevention in different age groups of the population. Research in the laboratory is thus concerned with the coordination and variability of human motion during the ontogeny of the human motor system in different stages of the motor learning process. In terms of imaging methods, sonography and magnetic resonance imaging are used. By linking biomechanics and imaging methods, the specific effects of movement biomechanics on the musculoskeletal system can be assessed, for example, associations between gait biomechanics and knee cartilage status, running biomechanics and the Achilles tendon, or abrupt changes in direction during running and anterior cruciate ligament. Laboratory equipment:

• MRI (14,9 M CZK, 10/29/2018)
• System for kinematic and kinetic analysis of human motion
  • Qualisys (52 K CZK, 11/22/2018)
  • Kistler force platforms (CZK 1.18 M, 7/3/2018)
  • EMG Delsys (453 K CZK, 7/3/2018)

Exercise Physiology Laboratory

In exercise physiology, the research focuses on the effects of various physical activities, sports training and nutrition on a person´s physical condition and on various aspects of health in the context of primary prevention. Laboratory equipment:

• Spirometry unit (455 K CZK, 8/27/2018)
• Bicycle ergometer (650 K CZK 6/9/2010)
• Treadmill (890 K CZK, 8/27/2018)
• Treadmill (360 K CZK, 3/3/2017)
• Heart rate variability (4 x 21 K CZK, 11/23/2018)

The Functional Anthropology Laboratory

The research of functional anthropology is focused on somatic parameters to assess the level of physical activity as an important parameter for maintaining the health of an individual. An important part of the research is also the standardization of the methods and instruments used, which is a crucial condition for the correct interpretation of the results obtained. Laboratory equipment:

• DXA (CZK 2.9 M, 08/20/2018)
• InBody (CZK 484 K, 10/27/2015)

Behavioural Laboratory

In behavioural research, the focus is on the study of psychosocial aspects of human behavioural including physical activity, sedentary behaviour or sleep. Research in the laboratory examines how physical activity affects psychological processes, mental health and quality of life of individuals in different age groups. Also of interest are the factors involved in the formation of healthy lifestyle habits, including physical activity, and strategies how best to use psychological knowledge to build motivation and effective interventions to increase the level of physical activity in different target groups.

The LERCO project will be implemented in these new built laboratories. The research facilities are located in a single floor.

Description of R&D success stories

The establishment of the Centre for Human Motion Diagnostics in 2007 helped transform the department with respect to science and research endeavours. The team members began to focus primarily on publishing their research results in internationally peer reviewed journals indexed mainly in the Web of Science database. International collaboration, publication and grant activity of the research team members has increased significantly.

Publication activity

Changes in the dissemination of science and research funding have improved the quality of results. In recent years, team members have focused on publications in the upper quartiles which has led to a significant improvement in the quality of publications and the overall ranking of the department. Importantly, there has been a qualitative growth in publications in journals indexed in Web of Science (WoS) database under the company Thomson Reuters, especially in the first and second quartiles. In 2021, a study was published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, which is in the first decile within the Human Motion Science and Ford Sport Sciences research areas. Multidisciplinary studies are currently being produced, mainly from the outputs of the HAIE project, and are under review by high profile journals. Furthermore, selected publications in the field of Kinanthropology have also been positively assessed in Module 1 of the M17+ science and research assessment methodology over the last three years.

Grant activity

Since 2018 an excellent project from the Operational Programme Research, Development, Education (OP Research, Development, Education) entitled "Healthy Aging in Industrial Environment (HAIE)" has been under implementation. This project is realized in cooperation with two partners: the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ostrava and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and investigates the effects of defined environmental and lifestyle risk factors on the health and ageing of the population in an industrial region. Across two years over 1300 participants from the Moravian-Silesian Region and the South Bohemian Region were screened and underwent testing. Since 2016, several other external research grants have been awarded to the department, for instance, projects of basic research Junior GAČR (Grant Agency of the Czech Republic) or basic research Standard GAČR as well as applied research TAČR (Technology Agency of the Czech Republic) project. The aim of the Junior GAČR project (principal investigator assoc. prof. Farana) was to create and evaluate a musculoskeletal model of the upper limbs, which help enhance understanding of the risk of upper limb injuries. The Standard project of the GAČR (principal investigator assoc. prof. Cipryan) entitled "The effect of low-carbohydrate diet on health, sports performance and related psychological indicators of quality of life (18-08358S) aimed to examine the effect of a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet on health, sports performance, and related psychological indicators of quality of life in healthy individuals in comparison with the group of individuals with regular physical activity and a group of overweight individuals with sedentary lifestyle. Finally, the focus of the TAČR project (principal investigator prof. Elavsky) was to incorporate smart technologies into the care of the elderly to improve their quality of life and reduce the care burden both in informal home care and in residential care facilities. All mentioned projects involved collaboration with international partners, as well as students of the PhD programme in Kinanthropology.

International cooperation

Since 2007, the Human Motion Diagnostic centre has been collaborating with Prof. Joseph Hamill (University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA). This long-term cooperation has resulted in internationally comparable publications in peer-reviewed journals. Professor Hamill is also a successful supervisor of Ph.D. students at University of Ostrava and is one of the members of the departmental board of the Ph.D. program in Kinanthropology. Since 2012, the Human Motion Diagnostic Centre collaborate with Professor Gareth Irwin of Cardiff Metropolitan University, School of Sport, UK. This collaboration has resulted in publications in impact factor journals, invited presentations and awards at international conferences (e.g., the New Investigator Award ISBS 2013 - Taipei, Applied Section Gymnastics, ISBS 2022 - Liverpool). Professor Irwin is also a successful supervisor of Ph.D. students at OU and is a member of the Ph.D. departmental board. Additional collaborations include other international experts, namely dr. Freedman-Silvernail (Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Science, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA), dr. Strutzenberger (University of Salzburg, AT) and dr. Exell (Department of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Porthsmounth, UK). The Exercise Physiology Laboratory continues in successful collaboration with professor Paul Laursen from Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand (SPRINZ), Auckland University of Technology, NZL. Assoc. prof. Cipryan has also initiated cooperation with prof. Hofmann of the Institute of Sport Science, University of Graz, AT. Professor Hofmann among others serves as well as a consultant for the PhD programme of the department. In the area of imaging methods, a collaboration has been established with leading institutions in this field. Namely the University of Oulu, FIN, where the world leaders in the field prof. Nieminen and dr. Casula are based, and with the Medical University of Vienna, AT, where the long-term collaborator dr. Juráš is based. This fusion has led to a unique collaboration and integration of biomechanical analysis and MRI imaging methods, now at the department´s disposal. This enables to provide more detailed answers to questions of the occurrence and causes of injury and opens up considerable opportunities for multidisciplinary research. In the domain of behavioural health, prof. Elavsky collaborates with leading experts from Penn State University, prof. Sy-Miin, who is an expert in the analysis of longitudinal intensive data such as dynamical systems modelling.

To cover VP4 activities, the existing department´s facilities will be used and further enhanced with the necessary equipment to expand the R&D activities and bring the Centre among the top R&D hubs in Europe:

Item	Purchase price	Date of the purchase	Use for VP4 activity
1. Laboratory of Biomechanics and Imaging Methods
Instrument equipment: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)	14.9 M CZK	10/29/2018	HA1
System for kinematic and kinetic analysis of physical motion: Qualisys	52 K CZK	11/22/2018	HA1
System for kinematic and kinetic analysis of physical motion: Kistler force platforms	1.18 M CZK	07/03/2018	HA1
System for kinematic and kinetic analysis of physical motion: EMG Delsys	453 K CZK	07/03/2018	HA1
2. Exercise Physiology Laboratory
Instrument equipment: Spirometric unit	455 K CZK	08/27/2018	HA1
Instrument equipment: Bicycle ergometer	650 K CZK	06/09/2010	HA1
Instrument equipment: Treadmill	90 K CZK	08/27/2018	HA1
Instrument equipment: Treadmill	360 K CZK	03/03/2017	HA1
Instrument equipment: Heart rate variability	4 x 21 K CZK	11/23/2018	HA1
3. Functional Anthropology Laboratory
Instrument equipment: DXA	2.9 M CZK	08/20/2018	HA1
Instrument equipment: InBody	484 K CZK	10/27/2015	HA1