Technology and the measurement of health

Our team are experts in developing digital health interventions that provide feedback to the public about their health and our research is exploring methods of objectively assessing physical activity and movement.

Technology has been revolutionising our society for centuries. The recent integration of digital health technology into modern life (e.g. smartphones and physical activity trackers) has led to an increased effort to apply these technologies to health improvement.

Our internationally renowned team of experts are employing cutting-edge, innovative methods to understand how to best utilise technology to increase physical activity and reduce time sedentary in the population. Our team is at the forefront of shaping how best to use these technologies within national health policy and practice.

Theme leads

Dale Esliger

Dr Dale Esliger

Reader in Digital Health

James Sanders

Dr James Sanders

Senior Research Associate in Digital Health for Lifestyle Medicine

Research spotlight

2023

  • Ahmadi MN, Hamer M, Gill JMR, Murphy M, Sanders JP, Doherty A, Stamatakis E. Brief bouts of device-measured intermittent lifestyle physical activity and its association with major adverse cardiovascular events and mortality in people who do not exercise: a prospective cohort study. The Lancet Public Health, 2023. DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(23)00183-4

  • Thomas JJC, Daley AJ, Esliger DW, Kettle VE, Coombe A, Stamatakis E, Sanders JPAccelerometer-Measured Physical Activity Data Sets (Global Physical Activity Data Set Catalogue) That Include Markers of Cardiometabolic Health: Systematic Scoping Review. J Med Internet Res, 2023. DOI: 10.2196/45599

  • Kingsnorth AP, Moltchanova E, Thomas JJ, Whelan ME, Orme MW, Esliger DW, Hobbs M. Interchangeability of Research and Commercial Wearable Device Data for Assessing Associations With Cardiometabolic Risk Markers. Journal for the Measurement of Physical Behaviour, 2023. DOI: 10.1123/jmpb.2022-0050

  • Sanders JP, Gokal K, Thomas JJ, Rawstorn JC, Sherar LB, Maddison R, Greaves CJ, Esliger D, Daley AJ and Snacktivity Investigators. Development of a Mobile Health SnacktivityTM App to Promote Physical Activity in Inactive Adults (SnackApp): Intervention Mapping and User Testing Study. JMIR Formative Research, 2023. DOI: 10.2196/41114

2021

  • Sanders JP, Biddle SJ, Gokal K, Sherar LB, Skrybant M, Parretti HM, Ives N, Yates T, Mutrie N, Daley AJ and Snacktivity Study Team. ‘Snacktivity™’to increase physical activity: Time to try something different?. Preventive Medicine, 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106851

  • Snacktivity™ to promote physical activity. Funded by NIHR. Led by Amanda Daley.

  • The health benefits of Snacktivity™. Led by Jonah Thomas.

  • Measuring Engagement with mHealth tools: A systematic review of methodologies – Led by James Sanders.

  • ADAPTIVE: Context-aware ADAptive Physical acTivity interVEntions using model predictive control – Led by James Sanders.