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Being physically inactive and overweight has meant that in the UK we have a lot of people that have diseases which could be prevented. Diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, depression, and certain types of cancer can be reduced if we lead physically active and healthier lifestyles. This will mean that we will live longer, need to visit the doctor less and ultimately save the NHS a lot of money.

Technology has been blamed a lot for this problem however it is integral to our daily life. We all need technology and use it in many different ways so we can’t just tell people not to use it to become more active. Therfore as researchers we are now exploring how we can still use technology as much as we like but in a way that encourages us to be active, eat healthily and live longer.

My specific area of research is based on smartphone technology and physical activity apps. The average person unlocks their phone around 160 times per day. This is really important to know as it means we can deliver health messages and encouraging messages about taking part in activity through the phone because everyone will see it! I am also very interested in the types of physical activity apps people like to use and why they prefer using them for exercise rather than giong to the gym.

My typical day consists of catching up with any e mails I need to that are related to my research such as responding to particpants questions, networking with important people involved in technology and Public Health. I conduct some of my research through Facebook and Twitter so have specific pages on these sites I have to check each day. I use social media to reach audiences who communicate this way frequently. I ask them specific questions related to their physical activity levels, how they use smartphone apps to help them become active, and how they like using this method to become more active and healthier. This is a great way to recruit research participants from around the world as well which you cannot do face to face. I have recently finished an online survey about using smartphone apps for health and physical activity and have reached 981 people this way from around the world!

Once I have collected my data I have to analyse it and make sense of it all. The data I am collecting will be important in helping to inform the government and those who design the guidelines around how much physical activity we need to do. It will help them to make decisions on how we can use technology to help inactive and obese individuals become healtier.