Title of Project

The effect of exercise on bone mineral density in adolescents with low motor competence.

Chief Supervisor

Professor Beth Hands

Other Supervisors

Dr Fleur McIntyre

Project Outline

The Adolescent Movement Program is designed to build physical fitness and movement skills in teenagers with movement difficulties.  Participants attend the clinic for 90 minutes twice a week.

The specific aims of this project are:

I.  To determine if bone mineral density (BMD) differs between adolescents with and without low motor competence (LMC).  As adolescents with low motor competence are less likely to participate in high-intensity weight-bearing physical activity we hypothesise that bone strength will be lower in those with LMC compared to those with normal to high motor competence (HMC). 

2. To assess if BMD changes in children with LMC after participating in a 12 week strength and resistance training program. We hypothesise that measurable changes in bone strength will be observed in the group with LMC who participate in the exercise program compared to group with LMC who do not participate and the HMC group.

3. To compare dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and peripheral quantitative computer tomography (pQCT). Measurements of BMD are possible using both methods. We hypothesise that pQCT offers the advantage of three dimensional/geometry-based peripheral analysis with more accurate BMD values, assessment of fracture risk, exposure to less radiation, shorter duration and easy accessibility.

Suitable for

Essential qualifications

Undergraduate degree in Exercise Science, Health and PE, Preventive Health, Physiotherapy or similar.

Essential skills

Background knowledge and/or interest in relevant areas such as health promotion, motor development

Additional skills

Proficiency with Statistical packages (e.g. SPSS)

Contact

Professor Beth Hands beth.hands@nd.edu.au or phone:
+61 8 9433 0206