Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Public lecture to explore ‘the Biggest Public Health Problem in the 21st Century’
Internationally renowned physical activity expert Steven Blair, a Retired Professor from the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina, will deliver his free public lecture at Leeds Beckett’s Headingley Campus on Thursday 2 February at 6pm. To book a ticket for the lecture please click here.
Speaking ahead of the lecture, Steven explained: “Sedentary habits are highly prevalent in most countries of the world; for example in the U.S. approximately 25-35% of adults are inactive, meaning that they have sedentary jobs, no regular physical activity program, and are generally sedentary around the house and yard. Given that sedentary and unfit individuals are at approximately a higher risk for many health conditions than those who are moderately active and fit, the risk of inactivity is high.
“Over the past few decades we have largely engineered out the need for physical activity at home, on the job, and during leisure time out of the daily lives of most people in industrialised societies. In this lecture I will consider how we can address the major public health problem of physical inactivity, by considering and evaluating societal, environmental, and individual approaches to making physical activity more common for more people, more of the time.”
Jim McKenna, Professor of Physical Activity and Health at Leeds Beckett, added: “We are delighted to welcome Steven to Yorkshire and are privileged to hear from one of the world’s leading authorities on physical activity and public health. His research has consistently helped to direct what has become a global movement about promoting physical activity to improve health, wellbeing and performance and to reduce illness. His visit follows hard on the heels of launching our new alliance (the Yorkshire and Humber Physical Activity Knowledge Exchange) for promoting these messages across the region.”
Steven N. Blair is a Retired Professor from the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. His research examines the role of physical activity on all-cause mortality; in preventing or reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and type 2 diabetes; and in promoting independent and quality of life in older adults.
Steven is a fellow in the American College of Epidemiology, Society for Behavioural Medicine, American College of Sports Medicine, American Heart Association, and American Kinesiology Academy, and was elected to membership in the American Epidemiological Society. He is a past president of the American College of Sports Medicine, National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity, and the American Kinesiology Academy. He has delivered lectures to medical, scientific, and lay groups in 48 states and 50 countries. He has published more than 700 papers and chapters in scientific literature, and is one of the most highly cited exercise scientists with more than 50,000 citations to his body of work.