Research Team: Prof Gen Healy
Funding Body: MRFF Investigator Grant
Years: 2020-2025
There is now strong evidence that moving more and sitting less is beneficial for chronic disease prevention and management. With multiple influences on these behaviours, scalable, evidence based interventions are needed to support adults to achieve these goals. The aim of this program of research is to see evidenced-based interventions to support adults to sit less and move more embedded into routine practice in clinical and workplace settings. Projects within this program include:
- The implementation and evaluation of an online workplace health and wellbeing initiative supporting desk workers to sit less and move more (BeUpstanding)
- Evaluation of the impact of a sit less, move more intervention on cognitive and cardiometabolic outcomes in working adults with type 2 diabetes
- The translation, implementation and evaluation of a diabetes prevention program delivered through clinical and community centres
- Development on an international data pooling consortium of workplace sit less/move more interventions
This program is addressing key clinical, occupational and public health evidence gaps by generating new knowledge on how to effectively support, at scale, desk workers and adults with, or at risk of, chronic disease to sit less and move more. Findings are helping shape public-, occupational-, and clinical policy and practice both nationally and internationally.
Ultimately, the outcomes from this program are expected to lead to the creation of new norms, where sit less/move more interventions are a routine part of the workplace for desk-based workers, and a routine part of clinical care for people with chronic disease.
