Research at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences

Research at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences

Our research on physical activity, health and well-being covers the whole human life cycle, from early childhood to old age. Our aim is to generate new research knowledge to promote physical activity, well-being and health at different stages of life and to achieve the benefits of physical activity at the individual and societal levels.

Research for individual and societal well-being

Physical activity, health and well-being is one of the six strategic core fields of research at the Ģ��ֱ��. Our research focuses on identifying and understanding the multifaceted nature of concepts such as health and wellness, and how to advance them. These issues are vital in an ageing society that is plagued by more prevalent physical inactivity and increased incidence of chronic diseases. To address these global issues, our work covers the entire lifespan, from children to the oldest old.

We have a unique research infrastructure that enables us to study the links between physical activity and health, from performance and function to cellular and molecular mechanisms. Digitalisation brings new opportunities to our work. We embrace digitalisation by constantly updating our methods, and we use modern techniques such as AI to innovate in the field.

Multidisciplinary research in a broad collaborative network

Our research is multidisciplinary. Collaboration with psychology, social sciences, education and economics enables us to research and promote well-being in a holistic way. In addition to other universities, we work closely with businesses and other stakeholders such as hospitals, sports clubs and third sector organisations. We work together to develop new technologies, collect research data and create new analytical solutions.

We are always looking for partners for collaborative projects, and our team are also happy to consider commissioned research projects – this includes building custom equipment or carrying out experiments at our facilities. We actively participate in collaborative funding proposals and have worked with companies and other organisations successfully in projects funded by Business Finland, the EU and other investors.

Multidisciplinary research areas

We conduct research in four multidisciplinary areas.
Find out more about our research, our teams and projects, and our researchers through these four areas.

Physical activity, wellbeing and behaviour change across the life-span

Links between physical activity and health

Neuromuscular function and adaptation

Active aging

Integrating diverse disciplinary insights on wellbeing

JYU.Well is an interdisciplinary community of wellbeing researchers at the Ģ��ֱ��. JYU.Well promotes collaboration and a crossdisciplinary approach to wellbeing among researchers, educators and specialists from various fields.

Learn more about JYU.well

The faculty conducts research in several disciplines

Physiotherapy research focuses on the effectiveness and significance of motor rehabilitation. Research in this area is conducted in national as well as international collaborations. The research investigates the muscles, cartilage and bones as they relate to the functioning of the musculoskeletal system. The possibilities for guidance, learning and technology in rehabilitation are also studied, for example, with regard to online technologies and gamification. Research into teaching and guidance in physiotherapy mainly addresses teachers’ expertise as well as the guidance given to people of different ages in various distant and contact teaching settings. We seek to develop evidence-based physiotherapy as part of multiprofessional rehabilitation.

Gerontological research aims at producing knowledge to promote the health and functional capacity of older people. The purpose is to enable an active, full life at different ages. Major research areas include staying active at an older age, the functional capacity, life course, and physical activity of older people as well as the biological and psychological mechanisms of aging.

Research on the Biology of physical activity aims to produce knowledge about the functional and adaptation mechanisms of the neuromuscular system related to motoric performance and training effects. A focal research area deals with the impact mechanisms of physical activity on the occurrence of obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. This field also includes broad-based applied research carried out in collaboration with, for example, companies in sport and wellness technologies as well as with different sports organisations. Research related to the physical fitness of military personnel is carried out in collaboration with the Finnish Defence Forces.

The research on physical education examines school PE, teacher education for PE and health education, motivation for physical activity, and motor learning as well as physical activity behaviour at different stages of life. Research areas in the social sciences of sport include civic activities in sport, physical activity behaviours in the population, physical activity in the course of life, change in the physical activity culture, environmental policy relative to physical activities, physical activity in youth culture, the planning and management of physical activities, and competitive and top-level sports.

Sports and exercise medicine studies various connections between physical activities and health problems and seeks to promote people’s health, functional capacity and wellbeing. An essential aim of projects in this field is to increase knowledge about the impact mechanisms of physical activity and about practical methods for preventing and treating health problems. Research is focused on both the advantages and disadvantages of physical activity.

Sport and Exercise Psychology concerns itself with understanding the psychological factors that underlie physical activity, sport performance and well-being outcomes; and with leveraging this evidence base to develop, evaluate and implement interventions. This includes interventions to help people start and maintain a physically active lifestyle, to help athletes achieve peak performance, and to improve overall well-being.

Research in adapted/applied physical activity draws on many basic sciences and can therefore be based on, for example, educational, psychological, physiological or sociological approaches. Many areas of exercise-related research, such as medicine, physiotherapy or health sciences, come very close to the content of applied physical activity research when it is aimed at people with disabilities and long-term illnesses, and their physical activity behaviour.

Adapted physical activity research is based on adaptation theory, which focuses on different physical activity environments, physical activity, services and the empowerment of people with disabilities. The field of research is therefore very broad and the subject of research depends largely on the researcher's own interests and research possibilities.

Health promotion research is focused on wellbeing, health and health-related inequalities, health behaviour and health literacy among children and adolescents. It also covers health education at school and teacher education along with instructional research for lifestyle changes as well as contextually oriented and community-based health promotion activities.

GEREC – Gerontology Research Center

GEREC is a collaborative effort in ageing research run jointly by the Ģ��ֱ�� and Tampere University. At the Ģ��ֱ��, GEREC is coordinated by the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences. More than 30 researchers from the Faculty are involved in the activities of the research centre and, researchers from other faculties are also involved.

GEREC aims to produce research knowledge to promote active ageing, well-being, health and functional capacity of older people. GEREC researchers are actively involved in the societal debate and decision making on ageing.

Doctoral Education

The Ģ��ֱ��'s 18 doctoral programmes have a total of around 1 400 doctoral researchers. During their training, doctoral researchers gain in-depth knowledge of their field of research to enable them to apply scientific research methods independently and critically and to generate new scientific knowledge

The Doctoral School in the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Science is led by Vice-Dean Taina Rantanen.

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Research at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences

Research for individual and societal well-being

Multidisciplinary research in a broad collaborative network

Multidisciplinary research areas

Integrating diverse disciplinary insights on wellbeing

The faculty conducts research in several disciplines

Physiotherapy

Gerontology

Social sciences of sport

Biology of physical activity

Physical education

Sports and exercise medicine

Sport and Exercise Psychology

Adapted Physical Activity

Health promotion

GEREC – Gerontology Research Center

Doctoral Education