Significant funding for physical activity research in the Fibrobesity programme

The Ministry of Education and Culture has awarded three-year funding for ODL Department of Sports and Exercise Medicine in close cooperation with the University of Oulu. The title of the funded study is Longitudinal associations between objectively measured and perceived Residential Environmental features, individual Physical Activity behavior patterns and health - population-based Northern Finland Birth Cohort studies 1966 and 1986 (REPACT) and the total amount of funding awarded is approximately EUR 400 000.

The REPACT aim is to study the longitudinal associations between perceived and objectively measured diversity (biodiversity, geodiversity, weather) of the residential environment and individual physical activity and sedentary behavior profiles, cardiovascular and mental health during lifecourse.

The study will pool the data from the Northern Finland Birth Cohorts 1966 and 1986 with extensive longitudinal questionnaire and clinical and genomic data, self-reported and accelerometer measured physical activity and sedentary behavior, perceived and objective spatial, longitudinal GIS-based data on natural and built residential environment (ecodiversity, greenness, roads, population, land use, sports facilities) and register based health data across the lifespan.

“Our findings will support sustainable, evidence-based decision-making, healthy city planning and land use and effective population level interventions to promote physical activity”, states the Project leader and Professor of Health Exercise Raija Korpelainen (ODL Exercise Clinic, Research Unit of Population Health (PopH) at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu).

The now received funding will provide continuity and strengthen greatly the previous research, such as the RECIPE project.

Last updated: 6.4.2023