Faculty of Humanities
School of Professional Social Sciences
Department of Biokinetics, Sport and Leisure Sciences
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
The aim of this six month study was to compare the implications of a stress management exercise programme on psychophysiological and biochemical parameters, psychological stress levels, medical care costs and work absenteeism on 131 members of the South African Correctional Services Department who volunteered for the study. Group A followed an individualized cardiovascular and circuit training programme for a fifty minutes duration, three times per week and one psychological progressive muscular relaxation session per week. Group B only received one psychological progressive muscular relaxation session per week. The Control group continued with their daily activities. Group A showed significant favourable changes in body mass, percentage body fat, bent knee sit-ups, trunk flexibility, physical work capacity, resting diastolic and systolic blood pressure, triglycerides and low density lipoprotein concentrates (LDL-C) and uric acid levels, as well as reduced psychological stress levels, medical care costs (54,73%) and absenteeism (54,24%). Group B had a significant reduction in trunk flexibility, physical work capacity, total sources and total symptoms of stress and an increase in LDL-C. The Control group showed significant increases in body mass, percentage body fat, systolic blood pressure, TC, fasting glucose levels, total sources of stress and absenteeism with significant decreases in physical work capacity and vulnerability to stress. Results suggest that a stress management exercise programme on South African Correctional Services personnel can make a valuable contribution to the reduction of psychological stress levels, medical care costs, work absenteeism and improvement of their health profile.
Contact person: Prof PE Krüger.
The aim of this research project was to understand the causative factors and the mechanisms by which they interact in order to prevent stress fractures in female infantry trainees in future. Both extrinsic and intrinsic factors were investigated. The potential extrinsic risk factors investigated included the training block programme and the physical training programme. The former showed that intense training was carried out from 08h00 to 16h25 for a period of 12 weeks and that the majority of the 56 periods of drill occurred in the first four weeks of training. Three physical training (PT) periods of forty minutes were conducted weekly as well as one period weekly at the swimming pool. Additionally mixed training of male and female recruits took place, thus forcing female infantry trainees to increase their stride length during drill. The intrinsic factors were also investigated. Here the body composition, muscle strength and skeletal alignment were a concern. The female infantry trainees had a mean percentage of Body Fat of 31.1% and a mean waist–hip ratio that was lower than the age related mean. Both the mean quadriceps muscle strength and the mean hamstring muscle strength were below the gender related norm. In both limbs the Q-angle – a physical measurement of the angle formed by lines representing the pull of the quadriceps muscles and the axis of the patellar tendon - of the female infantry trainees was larger than the acceptable norm. In conclusion, the following four interventions should be revisited to reduce the risk for stress fractures in female infantry trainees: the mixed training of male and female recruits; ensuring that short recruits are placed in the front part of the squad during drill; ensuring that a scientifically based physical training programme is followed and have a pre-selection where intrinsic risk factors are identified.
Contact person: Prof PE Krüger.
|
