Launching Kinesiology in Medical Education

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe a program to incorporate kinesiology into medical education. An institute of kinesiology was established in our Faculty of Medicine, its mission being to develop, teach and apply knowledge about the nature and consequences of regular physical activity. Kinesiology, the science of human motion, was initially offered in the medical curriculum as an optional credit course. Three main points were considered when preparing the subject matter: 1. the fundamentals of kinesiology, 2. its connection with the other subjects in the curriculum, and 3. suggestions from family physicians. At the end of the course the students take a written exam and are asked to evaluate the course.