PhD Studentship: Prevalence and Correlates of Physical Activity in People Living with a Chronic Condition

Background         

Physical activity is a ‘wonderdrug’, capable of enhancing physical and mental health at all stages of life, even amongst those with an existing health condition.  As the population ages and medical treatments improve, an increasing number of people are living with a chronic health condition, such as hypertension (high blood pressure) or type 2 diabetes.  In these populations, physical activity is associated with slower disease progression, improved rates of survival and enhanced quality of life.  However, people living with a chronic condition are typically less active than the general population and may face additional barriers to activity due to concerns that it may exacerbate their condition.  At present, evidence to inform the development of interventions and policy to promote physical activity in this population is limited.  To strengthen the evidence and inform policy and practice on this important public health topic, we are offering a fully-funded PhD studentship to conduct research on the prevalence and correlates of physical activity in people living with a chronic condition.

Research methodology

This PhD will entail the analysis of existing data from a number of large-scale epidemiological studies.  It will also include a synthesis of existing evidence on interventions to promote physical activity in this population and preliminary development of a new physical activity promotion intervention.

Training

Appropriate training will be provided depending on the needs and interests of the successful candidate.  This may include training on how to conduct a systematic review or the analysis of large-scale epidemiological data.  Contact Dr Andrew Atkin (A.Atkin@uea.ac.uk) for further details and to discuss your application.

Person specification

This project is suitable for someone with a good first degree (at least 2:1) and preferably a Masters in a related topic area, such as epidemiology, public health, physical activity/exercise science or health science.  Formal training or prior experience of evidence synthesis and/or the analysis of large-scale epidemiological data would be advantageous.

This PhD project is in a Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences competition for funded studentships.  These studentships are funded for 3 years and comprise UK (Home) fees, an annual stipend of £18,622 and £1,000 per annum for research training (RTSG). International applicants may apply but are required to secure additional funding to fund the difference between UK and overseas tuition fees (visit: https://www.uea.ac.uk/study/fees-and-funding/fees for details of Home and Overseas fee rates).

Primary Supervisor: Andrew Atkin

Start Date: October 2024

For more information on this project, please visit https://www.uea.ac.uk/search/courses/

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