UNITED KINGDOM

 

Primary Investigator:

Professor Rachel Davey

 

 

 

 

 


E-mail: Rachel.davey@canberra.edu.au

Rachel’s research experience focuses on physical activity and exercise for the primary and secondary prevention of chronic disease. Research priorities have been on disease specific topics and cross cutting themes (e.g. community-based public health interventions and reducing health inequalities). Research areas listed below are of particular interest:

  1. physical activity for primary and secondary disease prevention (i.e. CVD, CHD, osteoarthritis, obesity)
  2. physical activity for the elderly (i.e. resistance exercise for the prevention of osteoporosis, chronic back pain, water-therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee and hip and vascular dementia)
  3. ecological approaches to promoting population physical activity
  4. impact of the built environment, urban design and regeneration on health behaviours
  5. community participatory approaches to reducing health inequalities
  6. physical activity patterns in children

Most of the Rachel’s research has been of a multi-disciplinary nature, working with a broad range of academics, health care providers, voluntary organisations and community groups. Her collaborative research has included researchers from the disciplines of:  health psychology, medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, general practice, clinical biomechanics, rehabilitation, gerontology, public health, exercise physiology, geography, urban planning, health economics, exercise science, and medical statistics. Rachel has considerable experience of conducting large randomised controlled trials and in the design and delivery of community-based population interventions. She is Principal Investigator on the UK IPEN study where GIS and survey data from 16 areas (covering a population ~24,000) have been analysed. Data on health and social care utilisation and costs for physical activity participation has also been collected. Findings from this project have helped to inform public health policy.
Rachel was Director of the Centre for Sport and Exercise Research at Staffordshire University, England but has recently joined Canberra University, Australia however, Rachel will continue supporting the UK IPEN programme of work.

The UK IPEN Research Team includes:

Professor Tom Cochrane

Dr Christopher Gidlow

Graham Smith

Jon Fairburn