Some Research Highlights
Fitness apps: the positive and negative wellness outcomes
NUI Galway’s Horizon project NUI Galway’s Regenerative Medicine Institute has launched a €7.45 million Horizon project to develop ground-breaking and innovative scientific and engineering platforms for the production of advanced cellular therapeutics to treat osteoarthritis and other major diseases. Cellular therapies are being tested for conditions including degenerative diseases, immune and inflammatory disorders, and cancer. These revolutionary therapies offer great promise for patients and practitioners and may finally open the door to new and effective treatments which up to now have been unavailable. According to Frank Barry, Professor of Cellular Therapy at REMEDI (NUI Galway), the adoption of best-in-class manufacturing protocols is still the most serious obstacle facing the cell therapy industry: “The only way the field can progress is through the widespread adoption of highly automated production and testing protocols. AutoCRAT addresses these gaps and will be a game-changing innovation.”
A study carried out by the J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics at NUI Galway has examined how fitness apps can affect user well-being. The study, carried out on 272 people involved in cardio-intense activity, focused on identifying how the social features of fitness apps predict the type of passion one has for physical exercise, and what the resulting positive and negative implications are for the person’s well- being. Researchers indicated that people who use fitness apps while giving support and encouragement to other exercisers, are more likely to have a harmonious passion for their exercise, and lower life stress. In contrast, people who use the app for social recognition are more likely to develop an obsessive passion for physical exercise, and suffer higher life stress in the long run.
Dr Eoin Whelan J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics Lead author of the study
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