A RESEARCH centre at University of Limerick has shown it’s got what it takes to get up and go and to get others to do the same.
Researchers in the Physical Activity for Health Research Centre (PAfH) have been awarded the Outstanding Collaboration Award at this year’s President’s Research Excellence and Impact Awards, one of total of 14 awards presented at a special event on campus.
Researchers from PAfH have been instrumental in guiding government policy, affecting behavioural change, and the use of physical activity and exercise as medicine.
Among the PAfH research projects are, Every Move Counts, looking into the development of new national physical activity and sedentary guidelines for Ireland.
ISCycle examines the impact of electric bikes on transport behaviour, physical activity, and the environment, aimed at promoting inclusive ebike uptake and sustainable use.
The UL MedX project offers structured physical activity opportunities to individuals living with cardiac conditions, Type 2 diabetes, or respiratory conditions to become more active.
PARC (Physical Activity Research Collaboration) brings together researchers, policy makers, and practitioners from physical activity in order to develop a systematic method for identifying examples of effective physical activity interventions and effective implementation strategies.
The Active Schools research project delves into the design of school uniforms, which currently are not conducive for pupils to engage in physical activity.
Collaborators include government departments, HSE, Sport Ireland, national governing bodies of sport, local authorities, local sports partnerships, UL Hospitals Group, as well as academics worldwide.
Reacting to the award win, Professor Catherine Woods, chair of the Physical Activity for Health Research Centre, said: “I think the acknowledgment first and foremost is massive. The acknowledgment within our own institution of the excellence and the excellent work that members of PAfH are doing.”
“I think also what it does is it galvanises our commitment to ensuring that physical activity is underpinned by excellence in research, by excellence in teaching and inter-professional education, and by excellence in terms of capacity building and reaching out to our local community.”
