A new organization aimed at connecting researchers who focus specifically on the health impact of sedentary behavior recently debuted. Titled the Sedentary Behaviour Research Network, the group was created to foster collaboration between sedentary behavior researchers, provide a method for cataloging research on the topic and advocate for public policies that promote active lifestyles.
In a post yesterday on Obesity Panacea, Travis Sanders, a PhD student in exercise physiology in Ottawa, Canada, discussed the motivation for creating the Sedentary Behaviour Research Network and how the organization, which is free to join, hopes to advance the science of sitting. He writes:
Research into the health and societal impact of sedentary behaviour has exploded in the past 5 years. What’s more, this research is taking place in a range of academic disciplines ranging from psychology and sociology to medicine and ergonomics. One downside to such a multi-disciplinary field of study is that researchers don’t currently have a way to connect with one another. For example, we physiologists talk to other physiologists, and sociologists talk to other sociologists, but there is very little interaction between physiologists and sociologists studying different aspects of sedentary behaviour. If we are really going to improve our understanding of sedentary behaviour or advocate for evidence-based public policy, there needs to be a way to bring these researchers together. Hence, the Sedentary Behaviour Research Network.
Previously: Understanding the impact of sedentary behavior on children’s health, Series looks at the physiology of sedentary behavior and Stanford hosts conference on the science of sedentary behavior
