Healthy active living

Research groups

• Physical activity and sedentary behaviour from infancy to young adulthood

  Group leader: Dr Lauren Arundell

  Group members: Alfred Deakin Professor Jo Salmon, Alfred Deakin Professor Anna Timperio, Professor Lisa Barnett, Professor Kylie Hesketh, Associate Professor Jenny Veitch, Dr Ana Maria Contardo Ayala, Dr Paddy Dempsey, Dr Katherine Downing, Dr Harriet Koorts, Dr Natalie Lander, Dr Venurs Loh, Dr Emiliano Mazzoli, Dr Susan Paudel, Dr Shannon Sahlqvist, Dr Claudia Strugnell, Dr Simone Verswijveren, Dr Michael Wheeler

  The Physical activity and sedentary behaviour from infancy to young adulthood group focuses on understanding and influencing physical activity (including fundamental motor skills and physical literacy) and sedentary behaviour in the early years of life from infancy through to young adulthood. Health and wellbeing outcomes associated with these behaviours are also a priority, including cognitive development, musculoskeletal health, obesity, and other cardiometabolic risk factors. In particular, we focus on the key transitions during early childhood, into primary school, secondary school and school leavers.

  We design and test ‘real world interventions’ using cost-effective strategies that can be adopted by health, education, or other systems at scale. We work extensively with key stakeholders who represent all levels of government, non-government organisations, education sector, and parent groups. Our group has expertise in health promotion, public health, psychology, implementation science, behavioural epidemiology, human movement sciences, and musculoskeletal health.

  This group covers:

  • Physical activity and sedentary behaviour assessment, patterns and health
  • Understanding how physical activity behaviours change including key transition periods
  • Understanding the influences on physical activity and sedentary behaviour
  • Fundamental movement skills and physical literacy
  • Designing and evaluating programs in early childhood settings, schools, homes and communities to help children and adolescents be more active and less sedentary
  • Implementation and scale up of effective programs in populations.
• Built and natural environments for healthy living

  Group leader: Alfred Deakin Professor Anna Timperio

  Group members: Alfred Deakin Professor Jo Salmon, Professor Lisa Barnett, Associate Professor Jenny Veitch, Dr Kristy Bolton, Dr Venurs Loh, Dr Susan Paudel, Dr Shannon Sahlqvist, Dr Anne Turner, Dr Anthony Walsh

  The Built and natural environments for healthy living group focuses on understanding how the built and natural environments in which people live, work, learn and play can be designed to support opportunities for physical activity via incidental activity, active play, active transport, sport and recreational physical activity, and to shape individual food decisions.

  Elements of the built and natural environment we focus on include urban design and accessibility, community and retail food environments, streetscapes, park design, school grounds and play spaces.

  This group covers:

  • Understanding how neighbourhood attributes and urban design influence active transport and physical activity across the lifespan
  • Investigating the role of parks and greenspace in supporting healthy active living
  • Exploring school and play space design to optimise physical activity
  • Measuring and monitoring opportunities provided by community and retail environments to enable consumers to purchase and consume healthier food and beverages
  • Understanding how we can best empower and support communities to design and implement actions promoting healthy eating and physical activity
  • Determining the role of the environment on individual food and beverage behaviours
  • Evaluating the impact of environmental modifications on active living and food choices.
• Worker health and stress

  Group leader: Dr Luana Main

  Group members: Professor Brad Aisbett, Professor David Dunstan, Dr Natalie Lander, Dr Clint Miller, Dr Patrick Owen, Dr Jamie Tait, Dr Anne Turner, Dr Anthony Walsh

  The Worker health and stress group focuses on understanding the behavioural, physiological, physical and psychological factors that contribute to workers’ physical and mental health and wellbeing, and activity, both within and beyond their job.

  For many people, a particular challenge to their health is sedentary behaviour at work, or the impact that their work has on their physical activity outside their working hours. For these reasons, our research also focusses on workers’ physical activity and sedentary behaviour (including incidental activity), physically demanding tasks, formal exercise training, and engagement with leisure time activity including sport.

  This group covers:

  • Helping workers stay safe, and physically and mentally well to be able to perform at their best
  • Modifying sleep, work-rest schedules or training programs to benefit shift workers’ wellbeing.