Sedentary Behavior and Health: Concepts, Assessments, and Interventions

About Weimo Zhu

Weimo Zhu PhD is currently a tenured full professor in the department of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His major area of research is in kinesmetrics (i.e. measurement and evaluation in kinesiology). Dr. Zhus primary research interests are the study and application of new measurement theories (e.g. item response theory) and models to the field of kinesiology. His research works have earned him international recognition. He is the editor in chief of the Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport and a fellow of the American Academy of Kinesiology American College of Sports Medicine and Research Consortium of SHAPE America. He is a member of the Fitnessgram/Activitygram Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the editorial board for various academic journals and serves on the executive committees of several national and international professional organizations. Dr. Zhu was the chair of the Measurement and Evaluation Council of SHAPE America. Currently Dr. Zhu is examining the application of advanced measurement and statistical techniques to several measurement issues in public health. A practical application of Zhus theoretical work has been in the assessment of physical activity and sedentary behavior and he is exploring a new idea and technologies to solve the problems raised. Neville Owen PhD is head of the Behavioural Epidemiology Laboratory at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC) senior principal research fellow adjunct professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Queensland honorary professorial fellow in the School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne and adjunct professor in medicine at Monash University. He was foundation professor of Human Movement Science and inaugural head of the School of Human Movement at Deakin University (1995-99) and director of the Cancer Prevention Research Centre at the University of Queensland (2002-11). His research deals with the prevention and management of diabetes heart disease and cancer through identifying health consequences environmental determinants and behavior-change strategies for physical inactivity and sedentary behavior. Owen has published more than 450 peer-reviewed papers and the book Physical Activity and Behavioral Medicine with James F Sallis. Thomson Reuters (2015) identified him as a highly cited researcher and among the worlds most influential minds in the social sciences. He has been supported by grants from the NHMRC since 1992 including two grants for five-year programs (Physical Activity and Public Health; Sitting Less and Moving More: Population Health Research to Understand and Influence Sedentary Behaviour) and a grant from Centres of Research Excellence (Sitting Time and Chronic Disease Prevention: Measurement Mechanisms and Interventions).