Category: Featured Blogs

Reflections from I-PARC 2023 Conference

The field of physical activity (PA) and sport is gradually growing in terms of knowledge and good practice. There is a clear example of this in the research and actions put into practice in Ireland in recent years. Furthermore, there is a rich collaboration between different experts that allows the creation of a national network.…
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Walk21 Ireland – the 22nd International Walk21 Conference- 19-23 Sept 2022

The Walk21 Conference series is the leading conference on walking and walkability in the world. From London to Sydney, New York to Hong Kong, Bogota and Vancouver, great cities have made their communities better for walking and hosted the conference. Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), in partnership with the Government of Ireland, is proud to…
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Featured Blog – “Barriers and facilitators to implementing community-based physical activity interventions: a qualitative systematic review”

A qualitative systematic review from I-PARC was published in the International Journal for Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity in September 2021. The aim of the review was to report on facilitators and barriers of implementation for interventions which promote physical activity in community-based settings. A secondary aim was to provide recommendations to improve implementation identified…
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“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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