Dr Sandra Agyapong-Badu PhD

School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences
Research Fellow

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0)121 414 8725
Email: s.agyapong-badu@bham.ac.uk

Address: School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Dr Agyapong-Badu is a chartered physiotherapist with research interests in sedentary behaviour and enabling active living through studies into healthy ageing of the musculoskeletal system. She is currently working on a Dunhill Medical Trust funded project investigating the acute effects of sitting time on psychophysiological stress, psychological and physiological function in older healthy men and women.

Qualifications

BSc Physiotherapy – University of Ghana 2005

MSc Advancing Practice in Physiotherapy - University of Birmingham (2010)

PhD Rehabilitation Sciences (jointly funded by the Ghana Education Trust Fund and the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, 2014)

Biography

Dr Agyapong-Badu graduated from University of Ghana (BSc Hons Physiotherapy in 2005) and obtained an MSc in Advancing Practice Physiotherapy at University of Birmingham (2010). She was then awarded a Ghana Education Trust Fund and University of Southampton, Faculty of Health Sciences studentship for a PhD at the University of Southampton (2014). Following her PhD, she worked for a year as a Research Associate for a Ministry of Defense collaborative project investigating the non-invasive assessment of body composition, based in the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton. During this time she trained fellow researchers in laboratory techniques (ultrasound imaging and measurement of muscle mechanical properties) for assessing musculoskeletal health, as well as acted as a co-advisor for a PhD project to validate ultrasound imaging for assessing body composition.

She took up her present position within the School of Sports, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Birmingham in September 2015.

Teaching

MSc Musculoskeletal Ageing and Health; Maintaining mobility, fitness and function

Research

Research interests:

Sarcopenia and sedentary behaviour in older people
Informing the development, implementation and evaluation of future interventions to reduce sedentary behaviour in older people

Other activities

Research Associate at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, UK (July 2014 – June 2015)
Member of the Society for Research in Rehabilitation (SRR, UK)
Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC, UK)
Chartered Physiotherapist – Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, UK

Publications

Agyapong-Badu S, Warner M, Samuel D, Stokes M (2015) Measurement of ageing effects on muscle tone and mechanical properties of rectus femoris and biceps brachii in healthy males and females using a novel hand-held myometric device. Arch Gerontol Geriatr In Press doi:10.1016/j.archger.2015.09.011

Agyapong-Badu S, Warner M, Samuel D, Narici M, Cooper C, Stokes M (2014) Anterior thigh composition measured using ultrasound imaging to quantify relative thickness of muscle and non-contractile tissue: a potential biomarker for musculoskeletal health. Physiological Measurement 35(2014):2165-2176

Barnes N, Agyapong-Badu S, Walsh B, Stokes M, Samuel D. (2014) Reliability and acceptability of measuring sniff nasal inspiratory pressure (SNIP) and peak inspiratory flow (PIF) to assess respiratory muscle strength in older adults: a preliminary study. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research
26(2):171-176. (doi: 10.1007/s40520-013-0146-2)

Agyapong-Badu S, Samuel, D, Warner, M, Cooper, C. and Stokes, M. (2014) Differences between body mass index and relative thickness of quadriceps muscle and subcutaneous fat as indicators of body composition with healthy ageing. Clinical Rehabilitation, 28(11), 1148. Proceedings from Society for Research in Rehabilitation Winter Meeting, Kings College, London

Agyapong-Badu S, Aird L, Bailey L, Mooney K, Mullix J, Warner M, Samuel D, Stokes M (2013) Interrater reliability of muscle tone, stiffness and elasticity measurements of rectus femoris and biceps brachii in healthy young and older males. Working Papers in Health Sciences; Summer 1(4):1-11. http://www.southampton.ac.uk/wphs/ ISSN 2051-6266 / 20130021

Agyapong-Badu S, Warner M, Samuel D and Stokes M (2012) Effects of ageing on mechanical properties of the rectus femoris in adult males. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 20(Suppl. 1):S233-S234

Barnes N, Agyapong-Badu S, Walsh B, Samuel D and Stokes M (2012) Reliability and acceptability of sniff nasal inspiratory pressure and peak inspiratory flow measurement in adults over 65. Age and Ageing, 41 (Suppl.2):ii83

Agyapong-Badu S, Aird L, Bailey L, Warner M, Samuel D and Stokes M (2012) Reliability of measuring mechanical properties of rectus femoris and biceps brachii in community-dwelling older adults using the MyotonPRO device. Age and Ageing, 41(Suppl. 2):ii2

Bello A.I., Kalu N.H., Adegoke B.O.A. and Agyapong-Badu S (2010) Hydrotherapy versus land-based exercises in the management of chronic low back pain: a comparative study. Journal of Musculoskeletal Research, 13(4):159-165

Olawale O.A., Bello A.I., Appiah-Kubi K.O. and Agyapong-Badu S (2009) Overground walking exercise training reduces blood pressure in adult patients with stroke- a randomized controlled trial. African Journal of Medicine and Medical Series,38(3):279-286

Agyapong-Badu S, Wiredu EK, Kolapo TK (2008) Relationship between standing balance recovery and some clinical attributes in hemiparetic stroke patients. Ghana Journal of Allied Health Sciences,1(2):54-59

View all publications in research portal