Healthy active living

Real-world solutions to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour in the community.

Research focus

This domain focuses on real-world solutions to increase population levels of physical activity and consists of three research groups:

  • Physical activity and sedentary behaviour from infancy to young adulthood
  • Built and natural environments for healthy living
  • Optimising workers’ health.

Researchers in this domain come from a wide range of disciplines including health promotion, education, public health, psychology, epidemiology, human movement and sports science, physiology and endocrinology of stress, musculoskeletal health, motor development, geography, and implementation science.

From pregnancy and early childhood to adulthood, researchers have expertise in:

  • Objective and self-report methods for assessing physical activity and quantification of work demands
  • Behavioural epidemiology and determinants of physical activity
  • Quantitative and qualitative research methods
  • The design of high-fidelity simulations and longitudinal field trials, and
  • Real world ‘scalable’ interventions, including the use of e-health to promote physical activity.

Research projects

Testing physical activity and physical literacy measurement tools for use in schools

Researchers are testing a new website system to help schools measure the necessary skills for children to lead an active life.

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Empowering future teachers to shape healthier, more engaged classrooms

Associate Professor Natalie Lander is on a mission to transform pre-service teacher education programs to create confident, capable, and classroom-ready graduates who drive positive learning and health outcomes for students.

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Boosting toddler health through movement and nutrition – Let’s Grow+

IPAN researchers are developing the next phase of the Let's Grow program to support parents with their toddlers' active play, sedentary/screen time, nutrition and sleep behaviours.

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TransformUs Wellbeing – working together with communities to address childhood obesity

Primary schools in regional Victoria are participating in a trial intervention to prevent childhood obesity by targeting multiple health behaviours.

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Creating tailored physical activity opportunities for vulnerable children through school and sport

One size does not fit all when it comes to physical activity for vulnerable children. Dr Emiliano Mazzoli is exploring ways to provide a more equitable approach.   

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Investigating activity patterns to optimise children’s health

A better understanding of the combined effect of children's movement behaviours throughout the day will lead to the development of new and effective ways to optimise their health.

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Research groups

  • Physical activity and sedentary behaviour from infancy to young adulthood

    Group leader: Dr Lauren Arundell

    Group members: Deakin Distinguished Professor Jo Salmon, Deakin Distinguished Professor Anna Timperio, Professor Lisa Barnett, Professor Kylie Hesketh, Professor Jenny Veitch, Associate Professor Harriet Koorts, Associate Professor Natalie Lander, Associate Professor Claudia Strugnell, Associate Professor Megan Teychenne, Dr Johannes Carl, Dr Ana Maria Contardo Ayala, Dr Paddy Dempsey, Dr Katherine Downing, Dr Jill Hnatiuk, Dr Amanda Machell, Dr Emiliano Mazzoli, Dr Susan Paudel, Dr Shannon Sahlqvist, 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 (including screen time) 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 members: Deakin Distinguished Professor Jo Salmon, Professor Lisa Barnett, Professor Jenny Veitch, Associate Professor Kristy Bolton, Dr Jill Hnatiuk, 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, as well as healthy eating.

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

    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 and wellbeing
    • Understanding how we can best empower and support communities to design and implement actions to promote 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 healthy eating.
  • Optimising workers' health

    Group members: Professor Brad Aisbett, Professor David Dunstan, Dr Clint Miller, Dr Spencer Roberts, Dr Jamie Tait, Dr Anne Turner

    The Optimising workers’ health group focuses on optimising human performance in the workplace; understanding the behavioural, physiological, physical and psychological factors that contribute to workers’ physical and mental health and wellbeing, both within and beyond their job.

    For many people, a particular challenge to their health is the impact of work behaviours and practice on the short and long-term health outcomes.  For these reasons, our research also focusses on quantifying the 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:

    • Quantification of the work demands (e.g. energy expenditure, intensity of work, sedentary time, sleep opportunities)
    • Understanding the cumulative impact of workload on cognitive function and task performance
    • Understanding the impact of the environment on workers’ health and wellbeing
    • Identifying suitable measures for serial monitoring of workers to help them stay safe, and physically and mentally well, to be able to perform at their best
    • 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.