Click on this [LINK] to read the online version.

Or read the pdf below.

Click this [LINK] to read the online version.

Or read the pdf below.

How do you explain your current research/job to friends and family?

Women engage in significantly lower levels of physical activity (PA) due to structural, social, and environmental barriers that are intertwined and perpetuated throughout the life cycle. Our work consists of analysing these inequalities from a socio-ecological and intersectional perspective in Madrid, exploring the influence of access to exercise resources in PA levels, and how this association may be modified by gender, age, socioeconomic status and women’s perceptions. Based on qualitative and quantitative evidence, we will develop an index to assess access to physical activity resources in urban environments for women at different stages of life.

What inspired you to pursue a career in research? What drives you to continue in this path?

My motivation for research stems from a statement we often hear in the field of PA: ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way.’ This presupposes that physical activity depends solely on individual willpower, but evidence has shown that the answer to this question is much more complex. There are structural, social and environmental barriers that limit the population, especially women, throughout their lives. After studying a Physical Activity and Sports Sciences degree and Sports Management Master, and from a gender and socio-ecological perspective, my research seeks to reduce gender inequalities in access to and participation in physical activity, and, consequently, to have a positive impact on the health of the population.

How do you envision your research impacting public health policies or practices?

The research has clear implications for public policies aimed at reducing gender inequalities in physical activity. A tool for monitoring physical activity deserts could be developed, with a special emphasis on those environments that facilitate access to exercise for women, as well as the need for strategies to reduce gender inequalities in the promotion and practice of physical activity. Policy briefs could also be published and disseminated to make this knowledge accessible. I recommend a good strategy for communicating results, differentiating between the target audience (public entities, stakeholders, athletes, the general public, etc.) in order to use different strategies.

What is your #1 piece of advice for emerging early career researchers?

My advice to those starting out in research is to be patient and learn to enjoy the process. An academic career is a marathon, not a sprint. If you find meaning in each stage – reading, analysing, writing, debating – you will build a solid and sustainable foundation. Constant curiosity, daily discipline, and maintaining the non-professional activities you enjoy are the keys to relish a career in research.

Interested in connection with Paula? Check out her LinkedIn.

Click this [LINK] to read the online version.

Or read the pdf below.

The Ageing Special Interest Group (SIG) of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA) invites nominations for two Publication Awards recognizing impactful research that advances solutions to improve physical activity and/or nutrition for healthy ageing.

These awards aim to highlight research that contributes to interventions, programs, strategies, or actionable approaches, rather than research that solely documents problems.

Awards are given to the author team of the publication.

Two awards will be presented:

• Outstanding Publication (2025): For papers published in 2025
• Outstanding Publication (Past 5 Years): For papers published between 2020–2024

Recipients will be featured in the SIG newsletter and one member of the team will also be awarded an annual membership with ISBNPA.

Nominations due: April 27, 2026

Submit applications to: ageing_sig@isbnpa.org

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

1. The publication must be a peer-reviewed publication with a focus on solutions to improve physical activity and/or nutrition among middle-aged or older adults, or strategies that support healthy ageing.
2. Any study design is eligible, provided the focus is on interventions, programs, strategies, or actionable approaches.
3. At least one author must be a member of the Ageing SIG.
4. The nominating author must hold active membership in the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
5. Publications may be self-nominated or nominated by colleagues.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on two criteria:

1. Quality of the Research

Reviewers will consider:

• Scientific rigor and methodological quality
• Innovation or contribution to advancing solutions for healthy ageing
• Strength and clarity of the evidence presented

2. Impact of the Publication

Reviewers will consider evidence that the publication has contributed to advancing research, policy, or practice related to healthy ageing.

Applicants should provide evidence demonstrating the impact of the work where possible. Impact may include, but is not limited to:

• Influence on policy or guidelines
• Implementation or uptake in programs or services
• Scaling or adaptation of the intervention
• Influence on subsequent research
• Citations or scholarly influence
• Media engagement or public dissemination
• Partnerships with communities, practitioners, or organizations

Application Requirements

Applications should include:

1. Completed application form
2. Full citation of the publication
3. PDF of the publication
4. Short statement (maximum 400 words) including:
5. Description of the solution
   Briefly describe the intervention, program, strategy, or actionable approach addressed in the publication.
6. Quality of the research
   Describe the scientific strengths and contribution of the research.
7. Impact of the publication
   Describe the impact of the work and provide evidence demonstrating this impact where possible.

Click on this [LINK] to read the online version.

Or read the pdf below.

What is a paper you recently published? What excited you about the question you answered?

In a recent study, we wanted to know whether intensity, volume, or duration of physical activity measured using accelerometers is more relevant for longevity. Specifically, we looked at all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. We found that the intensity of physical activity may be more important than the volume or duration for longevity. Including activities of higher intensity into daily routine may optimise health. We also investigated whether it matters if the most active minutes are spread throughout the day or performed in a single, continuous session. We found that accumulating intense activity in bouts was linked to better health outcomes than performing the same activity sporadically. What excited me about this work was that it shows how very simple choices in daily life, such as taking a purposeful 5-minute brisk walk after lunch or during a commute, rather than just moving a little bit here and there, may make a difference for long-term health. Based on these findings, turning such activities into regular habits might be a valuable way to support health over time, even though we did not study habit formation directly.

Fabian Schwendinger, Denis Infanger, Eric Lichtenstein, Timo Hinrichs, Raphael Knaier, Alex V Rowlands, Arno Schmidt-Trucksäss, Intensity or volume: the role of physical activity in longevity, European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, Volume 32, Issue 1, January 2025, Pages 10–19, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwae295

How do you explain your current research/job to friends and family?

I tell them that I’m a researcher who uses data from activity trackers to understand how signals from everyday life can be used to support healthier ageing and to identify opportunities to prevent heart disease earlier and more effectively.

Given unlimited funding, what would your dream research project be?

If I had unlimited funding, I’d love to lead a research project that combines established and upcoming wearable sensors to identify individuals at risk of cardiovascular disease and combine this with a targeted, individualised intervention to deliver the right behavioural or clinical support at the right time, when risk is rising, capacity is changing, or intervention is most likely to be effective.

What is your #1 piece of advice for emerging early career researchers? (And why do you say that?)

There are two pieces of advice, I think are important, but early career researchers often tend to forget.

1) Take regular breaks, not just when you feel exhausted. Stepping away now and then helps you stay clear-headed, motivated, and effective over the long term.

2) Allocate more energy to activities that move you closer to your sense of purpose and long-term direction and, if possible, be selective about commitments that absorb time without meaningfully contributing to your growth or goals.

Interested in connecting with Fabian or checking out his recent work?

Linkedin

Google Scholar

Click on this [LINK] to read the online version .

Or read the pdf below.

Rethinking Malnutrition in Oncology: Considerations for Patients Living with Overweight or Obesity

When

March 25, 2026, 1600 UTC

Who:

Speakers:

Shelly Coe

Tracy Crane

Moderators:

Emily Hill

SIG Leaders

Cindy Forbes and Jordan Curry

Abstract

Malnutrition remains a pervasive yet under‑recognized challenge in oncology, particularly among individuals living with overweight or obesity. Although clinical guidelines endorse universal malnutrition screening, most existing tools were designed to identify undernutrition and frequently fail to detect risk in higher‑BMI patients whose body weight may mask nutritional decline. This webinar will explore opportunities to address malnutrition screening and intervention in an effort to improve outcomes for those living with cancer and overweight or obesity and will provide valuable insights, practical takeaways, and real-world applications you can take into your own work. Our first speaker, Dr. Shelly Coe, will highlight major gaps in commonly used screening methods, underscoring inconsistent study designs, heterogeneous reference standards, and limited evidence supporting tools that rely heavily on weight‑based indicators and demonstrating the need for combined approaches that integrate subjective and objective measures beyond BMI alone.

Our second speaker, Dr. Tracy Crane, will share evidence from her ongoing clinical trials to highlight emerging approaches exploring the role diet may have in helping to identify those at risk of malnutrition and to enhance treatment efficacy and reduce side effects, with the ultimate goal to improve health and quality of life for this population.

The design, development, and implementation of community-based physical activity programs for mental health

When

April 13, 2026, 14:00 UTC (NOTE: UPDATED TIME)

Who:

Speakers: (NOTE: UPDATED SPEAKERS, 2026-04-07)

Joseph Firth, University of Manchester

Gareth Jones, Sheffield Hallam University

Matt Waugh, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Moderators:

Victoria Whiteford, University of British Columbia

SIG Leaders:

Jacinta Brinsley, Masha Remskar

Abstract

Research examining the relationship between physical activity and mental health has grown substantially in recent years, demonstrating the beneficial role that physical activity can have in the prevention, management, and treatment of mental health concerns. As this evidence base expands, there is increasing recognition of the need to shift focus toward translating evidence into practice. To do so requires the design, development, and effective implementation of programs within community settings. This emphasises the need for multidisciplinary collaboration. This timely webinar will explore a variety of community-based physical activity interventions for mental health with a focus on the design, development, and effective implementation of such programs.