Research Project 6

School children, Activity levels and Relationships to chronic Disease

Researchers from the Hospital for Sick Children were interested in evaluating the habitual physical activity of a cross section of children/adolescents in Toronto schools, to serve as a healthy control group for their patients with chronic diseases such as cystic fibrosis, juvenile arthritis, neuromuscular disease, and congenital heart disease. Researchers guided the students in the accurate completion of a questionnaire called the HAES (Habitual Activity Estimation Scale) as well as collected information on hand grip (strength) and vertical jump (power).

Data collected at Crescent will be added to a growing database comprised of data from children in southern Ontario, to supply the norms for future research studies in pediatric exercise science.

Dr. Greg Wells is a scientist at the Toronto General Hospital and The Hospital for Sick Children. He is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto’s Department of Anesthesia/Faculty of Medicine and also an instructor at University of Toronto’s Department of Physiology. Dr. Wells also teaches at the Canadian Sport Centre’s National Coaching Institute. His research, teaching and clinical practice is focused on improving health and performance under extreme conditions such as respiratory and muscle diseases including cystic fibrosis.