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Development of an international consortium of accelerometry studies to understand the effects of physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep on long-term health outcomes

Summary

This opportunity will involve working on the development of a large international consortium of accelerometry (wearable motion sensors) studies that examine the effects of physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep patterns on long-term health outcomes (e.g. cardiovascular disease and diabetes).

Supervisor

Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis.

Research location

Camperdown - Charles Perkins Centre

Program type

Masters/PHD

Synopsis

There are still fundamental gaps in our understanding of how physical activity, sleep, and posture influence human health and risk for chronic disease. Some key obstacles to knowledge advancement are: a) reliance on self-reported physical activity measurements that are characterized by large measurement errors; and b) the heterogeneity of methods used in the field. Accelerometers (research grade wearable sensors) allow accurate quantification of physical activity, sleep, and posture to further our understanding of how movement (or lack of it), posture, and sleep can be manipulated to prevent chronic disease. In the era of Big Data, data sharing and pooling is recognised as the future of science.
This PhD and MPhil opportunity will involve working on the development of the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting, and Sleep consortium (Pro PASS). Pro PASS is an international accelerometry and data linkage consortium that examines the effects of detailed physical activity, sleep, and postural patterns on longitudinal health outcomes (e.g. cardiovascular disease and diabetes). Pro PASS is the first consortium of its kind and the largest objective physical activity data consortium. To date, it has included 9 major international cohorts from UK, Australia, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, and Finland involving over 85,000 adult participants.

There will be opportunities for candidate research students to develop their own research project ideas in the above area to suit their specific interests and background. This opportunity is particularly suitable for students with a background on epidemiology, public health, physical activity, or IT.

Additional information

Emmanuel Stamatakis is a Professor of Physical Activity, Lifestyle, and Population Health. He leads a program of research investigating how physical activity and sedentary behaviour influence cardiometabolic health. The above higher degree research opportunity will involve international multi-disciplinary supervisory panels and will offer PhD and MPhil candidates exposure to a versatile and rich study environment.

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Opportunity ID

The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is 2437