Skip links menu. Some links may not be available on all pages, for example section navigation may not be available on the home or landing pages.
10,000 Steps was Australia's first ‘whole of community' health promotion physical activity project funded by Queensland Health. In 2001, the Rockhampton region was chosen for a two year trial of the project as the residents showed 'typical' levels of inactivity. During these two years, the 10,000 Steps Rockhampton Project was a collaboration between CQUniversity, the University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, Sports Medicine Australia, and the National Heart Foundation. The initial 10,000 Steps Rockhampton Project was an exemplary model of an effective multi-strategy, multi-sector physical activity project. As a result of the success in Rockhampton, QLD Health has extended its funding to CQUniversity and the project is currently rolling out as a sustainable state wide and beyond initiative. The aim of this program is to increase participation in physical activity through the state and nation with the support of an interactive website: www.10000steps.org.au. The project funding runs until December 2011 and the following CQUni staff are involved in the ongoing implementation and development of 10,000 steps: Kelly Corry, Anetta Van Itallie, Stephanie Hall, Rachael Behan, Kylie Connolly, Cindy Hooker, Corneel Vandelanotte, Mitch Duncan and Prof Kerry Mummery.
Project Title: ManUp - To undertake a comprehensive research project which demonstrates the effectiveness of strategies (including information technology) to support lifestyle risk modification in men (aged 35-54 years) in relation to nutrition and physical activity in an urban or rural setting in Queensland
The ManUp project is a physical activity and nutrition intervention for men aged 35-54 in the Capricon region. It is a collaboration between CQUniversity, University of Western Sydney, Australian e-Health Research Centre, and the CSIRO Centre for Human Nutrition. The intervention is based around the use of information technology (Internet using Web 2.0 applications and mobile phones), as these technologies provide new and innovative methods for delivering health behaviour change interventions. The study is funded by Health Promotion Queensland ($799,656) from 2009 to 2013 and the researchers involved in the project are: Prof Kerry Mummery, Pierre Viljoen, Corneel Vandelanotte, Cristina Caperchione, Mitch Duncan, Prof Gregory Kolt, Prof Anthony Maeder, Mohanraj Karunanithi, Antti Sarela, Ass Prof Manny Noakes (CSIRO Human Nutrition). At CPAS the following staff are also involved in the project: Marcus Ellison (he is the main contact person for the project), Kelly Corry, Kylie Connolly, Anetta Van Itallie and Cindy Hooker.
Project Title: Walk 2.0, Investigating the internal and external validity of Web 2.0 applications in promoting physical activity.
The overall aim of the project is to study the effectiveness of new generation Web 2.0 applications in health promotion. Specifically we seek to test the efficacy of Web 2.0 applications in the attraction, engagement and retention of people who access a publicly available physical activity promotion website (10,000 Steps website), and to assess its effectiveness to change physical activity behaviour. The proposal consists of two studies which seek to achieve the overall aim of the projects - a randomised control trial (RCT) and a ‘real world' ecological trial (ET). The RCT will allow us to study the problem in a rigorous, controlled setting with high internal validity. The ET, by comparison, takes advantage of the unique ‘real world' sample available to the research team through the existing 10,000 Steps website. The study is funded by the National Health and Medical Reseach Council (NHMRC) at $896,350 from 2010 to 2013 and the researchers involved in the project are: Kerry Mummery, Gregory Kolt, Anthony Maeder Corneel Vandelanotte, Mitch Duncan and Cristina Caperchione.
Project Titles: Children, Active Travel, Connectedness and Health (CATCH)
Independent mobility, active travel and children's health (iMTACH)
These projects aim to determine the independent mobility and active travel of a sample of Australian children in a variety of settings (CATCH), as well as aiming to investigate the role of policy interventions in influencing children's independent mobility, active travel and health (iMATCH). The project uses an inter-disciplinary approach to survey children aged 10-13 years old in a series of matched neighbourhoods, based around primary schools, where policy and programs differ but where built and social environments are similar. The research uses an audit of the environmental features of neighbourhoods and policy interventions used, surveys of children and their parents exploring their travel and outdoor play and their attitudes and perceptions towards travel, as well as objective measurement of children's activities using a combined accellerometry and GPS approach. This will be the first national study in Australia of children's behaviours in relation to the built and social environments. The use of a multi-disclipinary team of urban and transport planners, social geographers, and health promotion researchers will lead to an innovative and ground-breaking study that may influence current planning and design policies (www.griffith.edu.au/imatch). The studies are funded by the Australian Research Council (Linkage Projects) from 2010-2013 at $479,000 (CATCH) and $240,000 (iMATCH) and the researchers involved in the project are: Carey Curtis (Curtin University), Brendan Gleeson (Griffith University), Matt Burke (Griffith University), Kerry Mummery (University of Alberta, CQUniversity), Carolyn Whitzman (University of Melbourne), Paul Tranter (University of NSW) and Christine Armit (Moreland Community Health Service) . At CPAS Mitch Duncan and Stephanie Schoeppe are involved with these projects.
Project Title: Workplace Spatial Configurations and Sitting Time: Development of a new measure for use in population health surveys
New evidence indicates that time spent sitting may be a risk factor for ill health independent of physical activity levels. Many Australians are employed in office based forms of employment spending considerable amounts of time in seated activities, partly because workplace configurations promote seating behaviours. Little information exists examining relationships between workplace configurations and sitting from a health perspective. This project will develop an instrument to assess characteristics of workplace configurations that affect sitting and examine the relationship between workplace configurations and sitting time as a risk factor for health. This study is being funded by a CQUniveristy Merit Grant (2010) valued at $23,918 and Mitch Duncan is the principal researcher on this project.
Project Title: Development and Usability testing of a brief video-tailored physical activity intervention for delivery via the internet.
Physical inactivity is one of the leading modifiable causes of morbidity and mortality in Australia. There is a need to develop and evaluate innovative physical activity interventions, which can be made available to large numbers of adults at low cost. The huge popularity of the new internet applications (Web 2.0) provides excellent opportunities for computer-tailored interventions. The proposed study aims to develop and examine the usability of a video-tailored physical activity intervention, delivered via the internet. This study is being funded by a CQUniveristy Merit Grant (2010) valued at $29,950 and the researchers involved are Corneel Vandelanotte and Kerry Mummery.
Project Title: Effects of a standing desk intervention on occupational sitting time and selected cardiovascular risk factors: A pilot study
Physical inactivity is currently one of the leading modifiable causes of morbidity and mortality in Australia, with cardiovascular disease being the most expensive health condition in terms of direct healthcare expenditure. There is evidence that sedentary behaviour in general, and occupational sitting time in particular is related to negative health outcomes in terms of cardiovascular disease, yet there is a lack of intervention research that focuses on this issue. The current research will address this deficiency by studying the effect of a ‘standing desk' workplace-based intervention on sitting time and related cardiovascular disease markers in low-active desk-bound male workers. This study is being funded by a CQUniveristy Merit Grant (2009-2010) valued at $27,182 and the researchers involved are Prof Kerry Mummery, Mitch Duncan, Andrew Fenning, Greg Capern.
Project Title: Internet delivered physical activity interventions for primary and secondary prevention: Increasing website usage and improving behaviour change outcomes.
The purpose of the present research is to explore the utility and effectiveness of internet delivered physical activity behaviour change programs in primary and secondary prevention of chronic disease. The first study will undertake a meta-analytical review to investigate the effectiveness of internet delivered physical activity behaviour change interventions to-date and the effect of moderators within the interventions. The second study will examine predictors of website usage within a current publicly accessible physical activity website aimed at primary prevention. The results of the first two studies will guide the development of an internet delivered physical activity behaviour change program specific to individuals diagnosed with Type II diabetes. This study will examine the effectiveness of the program in producing and sustaining physical activity behaviour change and the effect of factors within the website design on physical activity behaviour change and website usage. The combined outcome of these studies will provide a better understanding of the effectiveness of internet delivered physical activity behaviour change programs for primary and secondary prevention and factors within internet delivered programs which influence website usage. The researchers involved are: Cally Davies, Corneel Vandelanotte, Cristina Caperchione, Prof Kerry Mummery.
Project Title: Build it and they will come? An analysis of the impact of the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships in Scarborough, Western Australia on sport development
It is commonly believed that major sporting events should provide ongoing benefits, including increased participation in the sport in question and physical activity in general. This is becoming an increasingly important aspect of hosting a major sporting event. The Australian Surf Life Saving Championships (ASLSC) were held in Kurrawa, Queensland from 1995 - 2006. From 2007 - 2009, the event was held in Scarborough, Western Australia which provides an opportunity to study the interactions between an event and sport in terms of legacy. Evidence to measure the impact of the event on sport development will be gathered from organisational and event statistics, a member survey, and in-depth interviews. The researchers involved are: Danya Hodgetts, Mitch Duncan, Prof Kerry Mummery.
Project Title: Developing and Evaluating Smartphone Applications to Improve Health Behaviours and Chronic Disease Self-Management.
The world is in the midst of a wireless communication revolution. Mobile phones are now more prevalent than computers or internet access across the globe; and they are becoming increasingly intelligent, evolving into smartphones, essentially mini-computers that can capture, store and process information. A growing number of smartphone applications related to health behaviour change are appearing, however there is limited research published investigating their effectiveness. Therefore the purpose of this present thesis is to iteratively, design, develop and evaluate smartphone applications, in terms of their effectiveness to improve various health behaviours. This thesis uses both qualitative and quantitative methods to (i) evaluate the design and usability of the 10,000 Steps ‘iStepLog' application, (ii) investigate the effect of the 10,000 Steps ‘iStepLog' application on members' physical activity and self-monitoring behaviours, and (iii) evaluate the effectiveness of the ‘Glucose Buddy' smartphone application to improve glycemic control and self-management in adults with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. The researchers involved are: Morwenna Kirwan, Prof Kerry Mummery, Corneel Vandelanotte, Mitch Duncan and Veronica Mills.
Project Title: Are Free-range Kids Healthier? Associations of Independent Mobility and Active Travel with Health and Social Factors in Children.
Independent mobility and active travel can be an important source of the recommended daily dose of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity necessary for children's health. Evidence shows that children who walk or cycle to school accumulate higher levels of physical activity and are less likely to be overweight compared to those who do not actively travel to school. However, limited evidence is available regarding associations of active travel to other destinations, and independent mobility with physical activity, as well as correlations of both independent mobility and active travel with other health and social factors. This PhD will address these research gaps by conducting four cross-sectional analyses to investigate associations of children's independent mobility and active travel to various destinations with levels of physical activity sedentary behaviour, weight status and neighbourhood social capital. The PhD will utilise data collected as part of the larger Australian projects Independent Mobility, Active Travel and Children's Health (iMATCH) and Children's Activity, Travel, Connectedness and Health (CATCH). The researchers involved are: Stephanie Schoeppe, Mitch Duncan, Prof Kerry Mummery, Prof Carey Curtis, Matthew Burke, Carolyn Whitzman, Paul Tranter and Christine Armit.
CQUniversity CRICOS Provider Codes: QLD-00219C; NSW-01315F; VIC-01624D
