Description
The project seeks to strengthen bilateral relations between research institutions in Norway and Latvia working in social and health care sector. The foreseen outcomes will be a strengthened research capacity and increased application of research results: the production of four internationally refereed scientific publications, one scientific publication co-authored by one or more researchers from Norway and Latvia, and two scientific publications. The researchers will develop and implement innovative interdisciplinary education approaches addressing challenges of health-related participation in education for children with disabilities. This project will focus on exploring the health behavior of children with disabilities including physical skills and psychological, and social correlates. The set of qualitative and quantitative indicators will be developed at the national level, yet applicable at the international level, to identify areas in which health promotion interventions should be implemented. The project outcomes will provide significant positive contribution to children with disabilities wellbeing and overall health of the society in long term. The Norwegian School of Sport Science will contribute in the project in qualitative research and studies with their scientific knowledge, experience. The project will increase competence level of human resources in both countries, Latvia and Norway, which will raise the potential for high added value product development leading to scientific evidence based knowledge contributing economical increase.
Summary of project results
The researchers aimed to develop and implement innovative interdisciplinary education approach addressing challenges of health related participation in education process for children with disability. The project outcomes include nine international peer reviewed scientific publications. During the final project period researchers had nine presentations at the international conferences. Six students (four graduates and three undergraduates) developed their graduation research works about the project results. Synergy activities with the scholarship project included visits of academic and research staff representatives to/from Latvia. Latvia academy of Sport Education (LASE) initiated new collaboration activity “Interdisciplinary seminar about innovative technologies in health care” for young researchers and students from different HEIs in Latvia that was organised on February 1, 2017. A prototype device was validated as well as an algorithm for predicting activity levels for children with disabilities in real time for feedback purposes was developed. Also, the study course on innovative technologies to monitor and measure physical fitness level was developed and will be included in the study program at the LASE on 2018. The research project outcomes - Interdisciplinary model for comprehensive physical activity management and the final prototype predicting activity levels for children with disabilities in real time for feedback were applied in two additional projects: 1) International project “Campabilities Baltics, 2017” funded by the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation and CIEE. Both instruments will be used for monitoring physical activity capacity and potential in children with visual impairment from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The project activities took place in August 2017. 2) Project “Healthy Walk” funded by the University of Latvia Donor “Mikrotīkls” Ltd. The instruments and prototype is used to monitor implementation of the intervention of interval-walking training method for persons with Type 2 Diabetes. The project implementation time is from April 2017 – June, 2018. 3) International project „Cultural opening“ funded by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research in Germany, partner countries - Germany, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Serbia, Hungary and Slovakia, the interdisciplinary measurement instrument and prototype were used to measure health variables of different social groups (e.g., persons with and without disability across different age range).
Summary of bilateral results
The obtained combined results from involved partners (including synergy project) strengthened bilateral relations between research institutions in Norway and Latvia. The innovative interdisciplinary Model addressed challenges of health related participation in daily physical activity for children with disability. Inter -professional collaborative approach used in the research project provided the involved students and researchers with knowledge and experience. The research process involving specialists with different professional background communication and decision-making enabled all partners a synergistic influence of grouped knowledge and skills. Elements of collaborative practice were addressed including responsibility, communication, cooperation, while maintaining autonomy and mutual trust and respect among involved researchers. Also, blending research cultures from different countries and research fields contributed a very high dissemination level and international promotion (16 presentations in international conferences, including four panel and/or key-note presentations) of the project outcomes.