Fully Funded PhD: Understanding the health benefits of exercise and physical activity and how physical activity can be used as a driver for change.

Manchester is a city at the forefront of promoting physical activity, sport, leisure, and health to its people. With a diverse population, it is recognised that physical activity is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and the key to promoting physical activity is to understand the different needs and interests of all. It is of particular importance to improve population health in the most disadvantaged of our communities.

Manchester Active are a not-for-profit organisation established and overseen by Manchester City Council, which works to inspire and encourage people to lead a more active lifestyle. Their mission across the city is to “work with the whole sport, physical activity and health sector to encourage and inspire all Mancunians to move more each day.”

You will work alongside Manchester Active to interrogate their large dataset from people who have engaged with their physical activity services. The study will help to understand the demographics of the data and identify the pockets of poor provision in Manchester and understand those who are / are not engaging in rehabilitation services. This will allow us to develop new and novel methods of delivery.

Project aims and objectives
This project will work in collaboration with MCR Active to interrogate the data they hold on people engaging with community physical activity services. It will map the Greater Manchester physical activity landscape to identify pockets of poor provision and help signal the need for investment into area / boroughs of poor uptake. The overall aim will be to identify areas of poor provision and work with local communities to design and develop interventions suitable to their needs. You will work in the world-class facilities at The Institute of Sport, part of the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences.