Friday 22 November 2019 12:20pm
Associate Professor Kirsten Coppell, EDOR member and public health physician, is part of the award-winning Built Environment and Active Transport to School (BEATS) Research Team, which recently won the University of Otago 2019 Research Group Award.
BEATS is using scientific knowledge to identify and address barriers for adolescents' active transport to school, through a community-academic research partnership. Working with secondary schools in Dunedin and throughout Otago, as well as the Dunedin City Council, findings from BEATS research have been used by multiple government agencies including the Ministries of Health and Transport and the New Zealand Transport Agency.
A recent global report looking at physical activity trends among 11 to 17 year olds has found that nearly 89 per cent of young Kiwis are not active enough, with New Zealand ranking 138 out of 146 countries for activity among teenagers. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends at least one hour of physical activity a day for teenagers.
Read more about BEATS
- BEATS Research Team receives 2019 Otago Research Group Award, University of Otago website, 15 October, 2019
- Beats team wins uni award, ODT, 16 October, 2019
- BEATS research programme
