Category: Featured Blogs

“Getting Ireland Active” – Application of a systems approach to increase physical activity in Ireland using the GAPPA framework.

A recent I-PARC publication explores how pragmatic methods were used to enable stakeholders across various sectors on the island of Ireland to explore the current good practice and future actions needed for physical activity promotion. One aim of the I-PARC is to understand and aid the enabling context for increasing population levels of physical activity.…
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Does the Olympic Games increase population physical activity?

Author: Prof Niamh Murphy, Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Waterford Institute of Technology As the Tokyo Olympic Games began, a small celebration was taking place amongst physical activity researchers as the medical journal, the Lancet, published an issue dedicated to physical activity. One of the papers in the series was…
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The Lancet: Experts call for urgent action to improve physical activity worldwide

Editorial: PA is an essential human need beyond and independent of COVID-19 Worldwide progress to improve physical activity has stalled; overall deaths associated with inactivity remain at more than 5 million people per year. Exercise during lockdown was considered an essential activity by many governments world wide, just as much as food, shelter and seeking…
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Impact of Covid-19 Restrictions on Sport and Recreational Walking- Findings from Q1 Irish Sports Monitor (ISM)

Authors: Brian Doyle (Sport Ireland) Introduction Sport and recreational activities have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant restrictions.  As recently as April 2021, travel was limited to within 5km of your own home whilst sporting organisations, and facilities remained closed. In the context of these challenges the Irish Sports Monitor (ISM) quarter…
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An Integrated Exercise Practitioner in Wexford’s Mental Health Service: A changing landscape

Dr Evan Matthews, Waterford Institute of Technology & Anna Flynn, Sports Active Wexford (Local Sports Partnership) and Wexford Mental Health Services (HSE) on behalf of the Exercise Effect Steering Committee. Internationally, the role of exercise practitioners working as part of multi-disciplinary mental health teams has seen rapid development, reflecting an overall mounting body of evidence…
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The Global Observatory for Physical Activity launch the second set of Country Cards: Ireland and Northern Ireland

            The Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) was established in 2012 after the urgent call to action by the Lancet PA series. GoPA! is a global oragnisation of physical activity researchers, epidemiologists, public health policy markers and practitioners that collates global data on physical activity and health. The main…
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Exercise is Medicine Ireland Webinar Series

“Exercise is Medicine- A Global Health Initiative” The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) co-launched Exercise is Medicine® (EIM) in 2007 with the American Medical Association. Ireland is EIM’s 38th national centre around the world and was established by Dr Matthew Herring (Director) and Dr Brian Carson (Co/Deputy Director), of University of Limerick, in 2019.…
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The I-PARC 2021 Online Conference

This event was funded through the Health Research Board and was co-hosted by the I-PARC team and the Physical Activity for Health Research Cluster at the University of Limerick.     Between the 11th-14th January 2021, I-PARC hosted an online event entitled ‘Collaborative Action for physical activity promotion: opportunities presented by COVID-19’ which consisted of…
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Eight Investments That Work for Physical Activity’ to enable everyone, everywhere, to be physically active

Eight Investments That Work for Physical Activity’ to enable everyone, everywhere, to be physically active On the 10th of November 2020 the 8 investments (#8Investments) that work for physical activity were launched by the International Society for Physical Activity. The release of the #8Investments provides a concise roadmap for investment and action around the world…
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WHO Launch – 2020 Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour

WHO Launch – 2020 Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour On the 26th of November 2020, the World Health Organization launched the guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Four to five million deaths per year could be averted if the global population was more physically active. These global guidelines enable countries to develop…
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