Leuven, Belgium – November 14, 2023 – KU Leuven, one of Europe’s leading research universities, recently hosted CIDEFES member António Palmeira as one of the judges for the PhD defense of Koen Van Meervelt. During his visit, Palmeira took the opportunity to strengthen his network with Gert Vande Broek and the esteemed research team from the Leuven Centre of Sport Sciences.
The thesis entitled “Towards a contextual perspective on coach behavior: Investigating athletes’ expectations and coach dynamics” was successfully defended by Koen Van Meervelt. His groundbreaking research delved into understanding the impact of contextual factors on coach behaviors and their effects on athletes’ performance and well-being.
During his visit, Palmeira engaged in fruitful discussions with Gert Vande Broek, a distinguished researcher at KU Leuven’s Leuven Centre of Sport Sciences. Their conversations centered around current trends in sports psychology research and potential avenues for future collaboration. The meeting further solidified their commitment to advancing knowledge in this field through joint efforts.
The Leuven Centre of Sports Sciences is renowned for its cutting-edge research and innovative contributions to various fields related to sports performance and athlete well-being. The collaboration between António Palmeira and Gert Vande Broek is expected to yield significant breakthroughs in understanding how contextual factors shape coach behavior and subsequently influence athletes’ expectations, performance, and overall dynamics within a team.
About Leuven Centre of Sport Sciences: The Leuven Centre of Sport Sciences at KU Leuven is dedicated to conducting high-quality interdisciplinary research in sports sciences. With a focus on athlete performance optimization, well-being, injury prevention, and talent development, the center collaborates with national and international partners to advance knowledge in these critical areas.
The DE-PASS (Determinants of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Home • DE-PASS | COST ACTION CA19101 (depass.eu)) writing retreat held in Viana do Castelo from October 18-20, 2023, brought together researchers and experts in the field of physical activity behaviours. This collaborative effort resulted in the creation of a groundbreaking manuscript titled “Selecting a Core Measures Set for Determinants of Physical Activity Behaviours in 9-12 old Children: a DE-PASS study,” which is now ready to be submitted to a prestigious Q1 journal.
The retreat was attended by several members from CIDEFES , including António Palmeira, António Silva, and Eduarda Sousa-Sá. They were joined by colleagues from institutions such as CIFI2D (Sara Pereira), CIAFEL (José Carlos Ribeiro), University of Oslo (Mekdes Gebremariam) and Amsterdam UMC (Judith Jeslma).
Over the course of three intense days, these experts engaged in focused discussions and shared their invaluable insights on determinants of physical activity behaviours among children aged 9-12. The retreat facilitated an environment conducive to collaboration, allowing participants to draw upon each other’s expertise and experiences.
The resulting manuscript offers comprehensive research findings that shed light on a method to select core measures for understanding physical activity behaviours in children. By exploring various determinants such as environmental factors, social influences, and individual characteristics, this study aims to provide essential knowledge that can inform interventions promoting physical activity among children.
The DE-PASS writing retreat in Viana do Castelo has undoubtedly proved to be a pivotal event, fostering collaboration among leading researchers and generating groundbreaking research. The anticipated publication of the manuscript will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on the field of physical activity behaviours and pave the way for future advancements in promoting healthy lifestyles among children.
