THP111 The Female Athlete: Health and Performance (Autumn 2024)

Introduction

During the last decades there has been increasing attention, interest, and research towards topics concerning female athletes, health, and performance. However, knowledge and new evidence within this area must be communicated to coaches and other practitioners working within women’s sport to improve female athletes’ participation and performance.

In this course, students will gain knowledge related to female elite- and recreational athletes’ health and performance. The course explores the complex domain of female athletes’ health, encompassing the interrelations between physiology, psychology, exercise, and performance. Students will learn about the physiological, psychological, hormonal, anatomical, and biomechanical aspects of the female body, and understand the various factors that influence female athletes’ health and performance. They will also learn about coaching and communication that will enable them to guide female athletes in making informed decisions about their health and performance goals.

The course is suitable for students in sport and exercise science, physical activity and health, physiotherapy, or nursing studies, trainers/coaches and health personnel aiming to increase their knowledge about female athletes’ health and performance.

Learning outcomes

After completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• recognize the development of female athletes’ participation in sport and exercise in a historical and sociological perspective

• identify the physiological, psychological, hormonal, anatomical and biomechanical aspects that impact female athletes, and how this may affect health and performance

• identify measures to facilitate participation in sport and exercise for different minority groups, including athletes with disabilities, and ethnical- and sexual minorities

• recognize nutritional concerns, including disordered eating behaviors and low energy availability/relative energy deficiency (REDs)

• identify the fundamental principles of training, recovery, injury prevention, and performance monitoring

• recognize fundamental coaching and communication techniques within the field of female athlete’s health, exercise, and performance

Learning methods and activities

Online teaching is built on eight modules. The modules consist of written text and video clips, including mandatory quizzes at the end of each module. The students are encouraged to create discussion groups.

Work requirements

• All module components must be completed. The modules can be completed at the students’ own pace within the semester, but the next module will not open before the current module is passed. The online learning platform "Canvas" will automatically control the progress.

• At the end of every module, the student must answer a quiz about the current topic. The quiz will be evaluated with pass/fail.

• All quizzes must be passed in order to take the final home exam.

Assessment/exam

The final home exam consists of an extensive multiple-choice exam via WISEflow (max 120 min). Evaluated to pass/fail.

Core literature

Core literature for Fall 2024.