Browsing by Author "Ojara, Ricky Richard"

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Aerobic exercise protocol for people living with HIV : a logic model approach
(Turkish Journal of Kinesiology, 2025-06-30) Mwebaze, Nicholas; Nsibambi, Constance A. N.; Ojara, Ricky Richard; Chebet, Milton; Rukanga, Julius Ceasor; Opio, Paul; Nabaggala, Elyvania; Lumbuye, Linika; Nahwera, Loyce
There are many challenges that people living with HIV (PLHIV) often face including psychological health challenges such as muscle loss, fatigue, and mental health disorders. Regular physical activity, particularly aerobic exercise, has been shown to improve cardiovascular health, muscle strength, and mental well-being. However, there are not many clear exercise guides with evidence for practitioners and PLHIV to use as a reference while engaging in physical activities. Therefore, a structured and supervised exercise programs were designed tailored to the specific needs of PLHIV was tested and found effective. The study utilized a logic model to design, implement, and evaluate a supervised aerobic exercise program aimed at improving clinical outcomes among PLHIV. The logic model served as a framework to align inputs, activities, and expected outcomes, ensuring a systematic and evidence-based approach. A detailed exercise protocol for 6 days a week was designed for clients to engage in at least 3 days with not less than 2 days of rest in a week. A total of 135 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned 67 to experimental and 67 control group. The experimental group engaged in a five-phase aerobic exercise regimen, including warm-up, endurance training, cool-down, recovery, and flexibility exercises, performed three times per week with music set at 120–150 BPM to guide intensity. The control group was followed-up with weekly phone calls to ensure they don’t feel left out of the study. Clinical outcomes, including immunological markers (CD4 cell count), functional work capacity, and psychological well-being, were assessed before and after the intervention. Results indicated significant improvements with a p-value of < 0.01 in: aerobic capacity, muscle strength, mental health, and immune function among participants in the exercise group compared to controls. These findings suggest that this aerobic exercise protocol is a safe and effective complementary intervention for improving the quality of health in PLHIV. Incorporating supervised exercise programs using this protocol into routine HIV care could enhance long-term health outcomes and overall well-being in this population. This exercise protocol is therefore recommended for use in people living with HIV.
Effect of exercise programme intervention in management of type 2 diabetes mellitus outpatients at Gulu regional referral hospital, Uganda.
(Kyambogo University [unpublished work], 2015-09) Ojara, Ricky Richard
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of aerobic exercise programme on Glycocylated Hemoglobin (HbAlc) in the outpatients from Gulu Regional Referral Hospital (GRRH). 50 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) participated in the study. The programme was done on treadmill and bicycle ergometers, three times a week for 30-60 minutes per session, at 60-75% of the individual's maximum hea1t rate for 8 weeks. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the level of participation in physical activities. Repeated measures t-test (p < 0.05) was used to determine significant differences in HbA 1 c as well as BMI of the patients. The analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 11.0). It was found that the patients did not participate in an organized exercise programme before. After the exercise, there was a significant difference in HbAlc between the experimental and the control group (p= 0.000). There was an average reduction of 2.22% (p=0.000) in HbAlc among the experimental group. However, there was no significant gender difference in HbAlc (p= 0.88). There was significant difference in BMI among the experimental group (p= 0.000). The programme was therefore effective for the T2DM patients. It is recommended that health service providers should assign exercise programmers for diabetes, sensitize patients on the importance of physical exercise in the management of sugar level.
Research designs in sports and health science
(International Journal of Recreation and Sports Science, 2025-10-14) Mwebaze, Nicholas; Mugampoza, Diriisa; Nankwanga, Annet; Nahwera, Loyce; Ojara, Ricky Richard; Lumbuye, Linika; Kamwebaze, Mark
Research design is the heart of a good study in health and sport science, defining how data are collected, analyzed, and interpreted to advance knowledge and practice. This systematic narrative review addresses both quantitative and qualitative research designs commonly employed in these disciplines, describing their methodology characteristics, applications, and drawbacks. Quantitative designs covered are descriptive, correlational, experimental, quasi-experimental, longitudinal, cross-sectional, cohort, case-control, and survey research. Recent examples of sports and health research illustrate how these designs allow causality, prevalence, risk factor, and intervention effectiveness. The review also analyses qualitative designs such as phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, case studies, and narrative research based on how they help to explore lived experiences, social context, and meaning making processes that are pivotal to the understanding of athlete behavior and health outcomes. Furthermore, the review mentions major gaps through the incorporation of mixed methods research that integrates quantitative and qualitative approaches to provide richer analyses. Among some of the emerging new innovative designs like ecological momentary assessment, adaptive trials, and technology-enabled data collection are explained in terms of how they can achieve maximal ecological validity and accuracy. The intersection of data science and digital technologies, such as machine learning and wearable sensors, is seen to be transforming research possibilities, demanding adaptive methodological designs. Research design choice issues in research settings, especially in low-resource settings like in Uganda, are also considered to be culturally acceptable and viable. Ethical issues in sport and health studies, such as participant consent and confidentiality, are also considered. The review concludes with a guide for researchers and practitioners to choose a suitable designs based on their research questions, accessible resources, and norms of ethics. By incorporating current trends and existing frameworks, the paper is a handy reference to construct methodologically rigorous and efficient research in sports and health science.