School of Kinesiology & Health Studies Graduate Theses
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Item (Un)Holy Hauntings: The Experiences of LGBTQ+ People Who Have Disaffiliated From Non-Affirming Protestant Churches in Canada(2024-08-29) Wedlake, Grace; Kinesiology and Health Studies; King, SamanthaThis dissertation explores how Canadian LGBTQ+ people make sense of their experiences after leaving the non-affirming Protestant church. Drawing on 23 semi-structured interviews with participants from across Canada, I trace the multiple impacts of the non-affirming church on LGBTQ+ disaffiliates as they reimagine their lives outside of and in resistance to the cisheteronormative structure of the church. Shaped by a queer theoretical lens and bringing together the insights of trauma theory and affect theory, I reveal how participants continue to feel the teachings of the church in deeply embodied and emotional ways. I demonstrate how church discourses around gender and sexuality invisibilise possibilities for LGBTQ+ disaffiliates concerning who they can be and how they can envision their lives, producing and reinforcing distrust and shame in their bodies, feelings, and intuition. I further explore how the morals, values, and beliefs of LGBTQ+ disaffiliates come into conflict with the teachings of the church in a way that compels them to leave, reassess their faith, and evaluate the redeemability and benefit of the church in broader society, especially as they have become more aware of the church’s colonial legacies. Following and expanding upon Espen Gilsvik’s (2023a) concept of phantoms of faith, I argue that LGBTQ+ people carry with them the (un)holy hauntings of the church in their post-disaffiliation everyday lives. These hauntings are most pronounced in the moments of fracture where they diverge from the church’s teachings that have been ingrained within them.Item Assessment of Peripheral and Central Hemodynamics During Leg Exercise With "Blood Flow Restriction"(2024-08-29) Mladen, Stuart P.S.; Kinesiology and Health Studies; Tschakovsky, Michael“Blood flow restriction” (“BFR”) is a type of exercise training where a pneumatic cuff is applied to the proximal portion of an exercising limb. In “BFR”, cuff inflation to 40% of an individual’s arterial occlusion pressure (AOP; cuff pressure which fully occludes limb arterial flow at rest) is assumed to reduce exercising muscle blood flow. However, no study has validated this assumption. Therefore, we sought to determine whether pneumatic cuff inflation at the proximal thigh impairs exercising leg blood flow and total cardiovascular circuit flow (cardiac output), and whether the blood flow impairment is dependent on the magnitude of the applied cuff pressure. Eighteen healthy young participants (9 Female) performed two-legged knee flexion/extension exercise at 25% peak work rate with bilateral pneumatic cuffs applied to the proximal thigh at 0% (CTL), 20% and 40% AOP. Leg blood flow (Doppler and echo ultrasound) and central cardiovascular responses (finger photoplethysmography) were measured during rest and exercise. Leg blood flow values were doubled to account for both exercising legs. Resting leg blood flow was lower in 40% vs. CTL (P<.001) and 20% AOP (P=.002). Resting cardiac output was higher in 20% AOP vs. CTL (P=.001) and 40% AOP (P=.005). During exercise, both 20% and 40% AOP reduced exercising leg blood flow compared to CTL (P<.001). The reduction in blood flow at 40% AOP was greater than at 20% AOP (P<.001). However, the magnitude of the leg blood flow restriction by 40% AOP was progressively reduced from 37.4% to 15.9% across the five-minute exercise bout due to an increase in calculated vascular conductance (P<.001). In early exercise, 40% AOP significantly reduced cardiac output compared to CTL (P<.001) and 20% AOP (P<.001). By steady-state exercise, there were no significant differences in cardiac output between cuff pressures (all P>.129). In conclusion, "BFR" at 20% and 40% AOP restricts limb blood flow but not total circuit flow during steady-state exercise. The blood flow impairment was significantly attenuated across the exercise bout due to compensatory vasodilation. This compensatory effect on the magnitude of “BFR” may have implications for the degree of muscle adaptations that occur following “BFR” training.Item On a Knee-to-Know Basis: How Racialized Immigrants Navigate ACL Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine(2024-08-28) Seow, Kaitlyn; Kinesiology and Health Studies; King, SamanthaThis thesis explores the experiences of first- and second-generation racialized immigrant women with sports medicine rehabilitation in Canada and the United States. Based on interviews with nine participants who have sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), this work reveals how factors such as social and cultural capital, trust, and health literacy shape how people navigate and manage athletic injury. Although ACL injury has been widely researched, the focus of extant literature is on biomedical advancements and psychological issues pertaining to the injury. There is minimal research on patient experiences through a critical, qualitative lens and even less about the specific experiences of racialized immigrants. By making these experiences visible and identifying barriers to care and recovery, this study can inform efforts to improve this population's access to quality sports medicine. It may also contribute to more broadly inclusive initiatives within healthcare systems.Item Knowledge to Action in the Parasport Context: Engaging Sport Administrators in the Development and Implementation of Knowledge Tools Related to Classification(2024-08-12) Lawson, Janet Alexis; Kinesiology and Health Studies; Latimer-Cheung, AmyClassification is an essential, yet often misunderstood aspect of sport for persons with disabilities (i.e., parasports). The studies comprising this dissertation were conceptualized and co-produced with knowledge users from the parasport community to advance our empirical understanding of classification and provide practitioners with tools for its management. A systematic scoping review and online search of resources that support learning about classification was conducted in Study 1. Coaches’ and classifiers’ roles during classification, athletes’ perspectives on classification, and the influence of classification on athletes’ participation in parasport were the most researched topics. Webpages reviewed were of relatively low quality and seldom provided information or instruction on intra- and inter-personal aspects of classification, indicating the need for additional educational resources. This study constitutes the Knowledge Synthesis phase of Knowledge Creation. In Study 2, we conducted semi-structured interviews with six parasport administrators. Findings show that on-the-job experiences are administrators’ primary means of learning about classification and underscore the need for formalized training which accounts for the organizational context of the sport. This study constitutes the Knowledge Inquiry phase of Knowledge Creation. Knowledge related to classification was synthesized and deliberated upon following the AGREE II protocol for recommendation development in Study 3. Eight individuals with experience undergoing or facilitating international classification and/or relevant academic expertise drafted seven evidence-informed recommendations for classification management. Feedback on the clarity, comprehensiveness, and fit of the recommendations within parasport was solicited from external knowledge users via an online survey. This study constitutes the Knowledge Product/Tool Development phase of Knowledge Creation. Finally, implementation of the evidence-informed recommendations described above was undertaken by two national sport organizations in Study 4. Using a collective cases study approach, we operationalized readiness for change as a framework to guide the implementation process and identified limited financial and human resources as a factor which restricted implementation. This study represents the initial phases of the Action Cycle. This dissertation is the first comprehensive investigation of administrators’ roles in managing parasport classification and offers readers recommendations for how to improve practices related to classification education and management while highlighting the complexities of navigating the parasport system.Item Advancing qualified exercise professionals' abilities to work with persons with disabilities: Developing a disability-specific competency-based framework using a co-production approach(2024-08-01) Walters, Alexandra Jennifer; Kinesiology and Health Studies; Latimer-Cheung, Amy; Tomasone, JenniferPersons with disabilities (PWDs) face many barriers to full and effective participation in exercise. Support from qualified exercise professionals (QEPs) can alleviate some of the barriers to exercise often experienced by PWDs. However, many QEPs may not receive formal, standardized training about exercise for PWDs, and many QEPs do not feel equipped to provide safe, welcoming, and inclusive exercise experiences for PWDs. Implementing a disability-specific competency-based framework for QEPs is a first step to increase QEPs’ abilities to facilitate PWDs’ quality exercise experiences. Accordingly, the overarching objective of this dissertation was to co-produce a disability-specific competency-based framework for QEPs in Canada. A co-production approach was adopted in all four studies to collaborate with relevant partners from the outset. Studies 1 and 2 aimed to identify what disability-specific abilities are required of QEPs. An environmental scan of exercise provider training materials from community-based exercise programs (CBEPs) for PWDs in Canada was performed to identify the competency elements delivered in training materials at onboarding. A scoping review of disability-specific learning opportunities for QEPs was performed to identify competency elements delivered to QEPs and identify modes of delivery. Findings from these studies highlight the emphasis on knowledge provision, compared to skills development and attitudes training, in existing training content. Findings in Study 2 also identified the scarce inclusion of PWDs in the creation of training content. Using semi-structured interviews, Study 3 explored the lived experiences of PWDs when working with QEPs. Findings identified PWDs’ needs, preferences and expectations when working with QEPs. Findings from all three studies informed the co-production of a draft disability-specific competency-based framework in Study 4. The aim of Study 4 was to concede on a draft disability-specific competency-based framework for QEPs using a consensus-based approach. A framework structure, including scope and purpose statement, were outcomes of Study 4. The results of this dissertation have far-reaching implications including guiding future disability-specific curriculum development for QEPs, and advancing QEPs’ abilities to work with PWDs in a way that supports quality experiences in exercise.