Public lecture: Fitness vs Physical Activity vs Physical Inactivity:

Event Details

Date:

Friday, 29 June 2012

Time:

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Room:

219

UQ Location:

Human Movement Studies Building (St Lucia)

Event category(s):

Full Description:: Aerobic fitness is a powerful predictor of all cause morbidity and mortality. It is objective and can be easily measured. In exercise science the term “physical activity” is used to describe low-intensity, non-structured movement. This is separate to ‘exercise” that should be designed to improve fitness.

In this presentation I will examine the evidence for the benefits of exercise vs physical activity on health outcomes. In addition, I will compare the more recent data around inactivity and health. It will be concluded that fitness is still the most important factor determining good health and I will argue that more emphasis needs to be placed on fitness at all levels of public health.

About the presenter: Jeff is a Professor of Exercise Science in the School of Human Movement Studies at the University of Queensland. In addition he is Leader of the Exercise and Oxidative Stress Research Group and Director of the NH&MRC Centre for Clinical Research in Cardiovascular, Metabolic and Kidney Diseases based at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. Jeff’s research interests centre around the roles of exercise, oxidative stress and antioxidants in health and disease. He uses animal models for more mechanistic studies and human trials for clinical questions. He has published over 150 articles and five book chapters.