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Aim
To
promote health and well-being through physical activity
and lifestyle
Background
The
work of this group began in 1998 when Prof. Vicki
Lambert was invited to the World Health Organization’s
(WHO) workshop on “Standardising the Measurement of
Physical Activity for Public Health Purposes” to assist
in the development and evaluation of the International
Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).
The
three primary areas of focus of this research group are:
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Measurement and surveillance of physical activity
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Determinants of and barriers to physical activity
within specific target groups
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Evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions
In
addition to the discipline of epidemiology (the
study of factors affecting
the health and illness of populations),
this research group relies on the metabolic discipline
(to provide a mechanistic understanding of the
relationships between physical activity, obesity and
non-communicable diseases), as well as the discipline of
sports medicine (to evaluate the effectiveness of
secondary prevention through lifestyle interventions).
Active collaborations are in place with other
researchers both within South Africa and
internationally. Furthermore, members of this research
group have consulted on behalf of the World Health
Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), USA, the International Union for
Health Promotion and Education, the International Atomic
Energy Agency, and the Oxford Health Alliance,
concerning physical activity, obesity, chronic disease
and related matters, with specific reference to South
Africa and other countries undergoing epidemiological
transition.
Research areas
Research team
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