Fiona Bull BEd MSc PhD
Professor of Physical Activity and Public Health
Co-Director of the British Heart Foundation National Centre for Physical Activity and Health
Contact details
Room: QQ.0.03
Phone: +44 (0)1509 226384
Fax: +44 (0)1509 226301
Email: F.C.L.Bull@lboro.ac.uk
Background
Professor Fiona Bull is Co-Director of the School's British Heart Foundation National Centre for Physical Activity and Health and is Professor of Physical Activity and Public Health. Her qualifications include a PhD in Physical Activity and Public Health from the University of Western Australia (1997), MSc in Sports Science from Loughborough University (1990) and a BEd (Hons) from Exeter University (1988).
Prior to joining Loughborough in 2004, Dr Bull worked at the U.S. Department of Health and Social Security in the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization in Geneva and in both the School of Public Health and the School of Human Movement and Exercise Science at the University of Western Australia. At CDC her work included developing the research agenda on physical activity and the environment, and ongoing work on measurement of physical activity, (specifically the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, IPAQ). In addition, she was lead investigator assessing global burden of disease attributable to inactivity for the 2002 World Health Report. Dr Bull's work at the World Health Organization focused on the development the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) as part of the STEPS Global Surveillance system. She led a 9 country GPAQ validation study.
At Loughborough Dr Bull leads the Physical Activity and Health Research and Teaching Group, and is Co Director of the BHF National Centre for Physical Activity. Teaching activities include both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, postgraduate supervision and international teaching on Physical Activity and Public Health courses.
Dr Bull continues to play an active role in international work specifically around the comparison and measurement of physical activity, the development of national policy on physical activity and the establishment of the Global Alliance on Physical Activity in 2005. Nationally Dr Bull has received research funding from Sport England, Department of Health and the British Heart Foundation for various ongoing research projects including evaluation of the National Well@Work Project. For more details about the work of the BHF National Centre for Physical Activity and Health see http://www.bhfactive.org.uk/ and http://www.globalpa.org.uk.
Research Interests
Dr Bull's research interests include the epidemiological evidence supporting the relationship between physical activity and health, including dose response; population health measures of physical activity and international comparability; intervention research on physical activity in youth and adults; and global and national advocacy and national policy and action on physical activity. She also has an active role in professional development running one day workshops and short courses on physical activity, health promotion and evaluation
Selected Recent Research Projects and Sources of Funding
Engineering and Physical Science Research Council, UK.
iConnect - Impact of Constructing Non-motorised Networks and Evaluating Changes in Travel): a study evaluating the changes in travel, physical activity and carbon emissions with Sustrans' Connect2 project. 2008-2013.
Living Streets, UK. Evaluation of the active transport programme. – 2008-2011.
The Ramblers, UK. Evaluation of the Ramblers Walk4Life Project. 2009-2010.
Wellcome Trust, UK. Is the built environment associated with physical activity? A feasibility study for the Four Hundred Area Study (Project FAST). 2010-2014.
British Heart Foundation. National Evaluation of Worksite heath promotion intervention:
‘Well @ Work.’ 2005-2007.
Selected Publications
Bull FC, Milton K. A process evaluation of a "physical activity pathway" in the primary care setting. BMC Public Health 2010, 10:463 [doi:10.1186/1471-2458-10-463].
Milton K, Bull FC, Bauman A. Reliability and Validity Testing of a Single-Item Physical Activity Measure. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2010. published online May 19, (doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2009.068395).
Oja P, Bull FC, Fogelholm M, Martin BW. Physical activity recommendations for health: what should Europe do? BMC Public Health, 2010; 10:10 [doi 10.1186/1471-2458-10-10].
Titze S, Giles-Corti B, Knuiman MW, Pikora TJ, Timperio A, Bull FC et al. Associations between intrapersonal and neighborhood environmental characteristics and cycling for transport and recreation in adults: Baseline results from the RESIDE study. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 2010, 7(4) 423-431.
Bauman A, Ainsworth BE, Bull F, Craig CL, Hagstromer M, Sallis JF, et al. Progress and pitfalls in the use of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) for adult physical activity surveillance. Journal of Physical Activity & Health, 2009; Vol 6, (No. Suppl 1), p. S5-S8.
Bauman A, Bull F, Chey T, Craig C, Ainsworth B, Sallis J, et al. The International Prevalence Study on Physical Activity: results from 20 countries. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2009; Vol 6, (No. 1), p. 21. (doi 10.1186/1479-5868-6-21).
Bull FC, Maslin TS, Armstrong T. Global physical activity questionnaire (GPAQ): 9 country reliability and validity study Journal of Physical Activity & Health, 2009; Vol 6, p.790-804.
Daugbjerg S, Kahlmeier S, Racioppi F, Martin-Diener E, Martin B, Oja P, Bull, FC. Promotion of physical activity in the European region: Content analysis of 27 national policy documents. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 2009; Vol 6, p. 905-917.
Sallis JF, Bowles HR, Bauman A, Ainsworth BE, Bull FC, Craig CL, et al. Neighborhood Environments and Physical Activity Among Adults in 11 Countries. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2009; Vol 36, (No. 6), p. 484-490. (doi 10.1016/j.amepre.2009.01.031).
Yates T, Davies M, Gorely T, Bull F, Khunti K. Effectiveness of a Pragmatic Education Program Designed to Promote Walking Activity in Individuals With Impaired Glucose Tolerance. Diabetes Care, 2009; Vol 32, (No. 8), p. 1404-1410.
Shilton T, Bauman AE, Bull FC, Sarmiento O. Effectiveness and challenges in promoting physical activity globally. Editors: McQueen DV and Jones CA Global Perspectives on Health Promotion Effectiveness. International Union for Health Promotion and Education. Paris, France. In press 2007.
Cutt H, Giles-Corti, B. Bull FC, Knuiman M. Understanding dog owners' increased levels of physical activity: results from the RESIDE study. Accepted American Journal of Public Health 2007.
Yates T, Khunti K, Bull FC, Gorely T, Davies M. The role of physical activity in the management of impaired glucose tolerance: a systematic review. Accepted Feb 2007. Diabetologia
Giles-Corti B, Cutt H, Timperio A, Pikora TJ, Bull FC, Kuiman M., Bulsara M, Van Niel K, Shilton T. Development of a reliable measure of walking within and outside the local neighbourhood: The RESIDE project. Preventive Medicine. 2006: 42; 455-459.
Bull FC, Pratt, M. Shephard, R.J. Lankenau, B. Implementing national population based action on physical activity - challenges for action and opportunities for international collaboration. Promotion and Education. 2006 13 (2)127-132.
You can view a fuller publications list on the University Publications Database.
External Activities
Selected External Research-Related Roles
Chair, Global Advocacy on Physical Activity (GAPA) The Advocacy Council of the International Society for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH): Global initiative (www.globalpa.org.uk) (2004 – ongoing).
Chair, Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Group – Established to write the new UK Physical Activity Guidelines (2009 -ongoing).
Expert Advisor on Toolkit development for the “Implementation of 2010 Global Physical Activity Recommendations”, World Health Organisation, Geneva (October-November 2010).
Chair, Development of Global Physical Activity Recommendations. Committee of the World Health Organisation (2009-2010).
Core faculty for International Short Course on Physical Activity and Public Health: Australia; Mexico, SE Asia; Canada; South Africa, India.
Selected Invited Conference Keynote and Speaker Presentations
The Toronto Charter for Physical Activity: A Global Call for Action. Closing Plenary at the 3rd International Congress on Physical Activity and Health, Toronto, May 8th 2010.
Promotion of Physical Activity: from policy to action. Thai Health Physical Activity National Symposia Health Siam City Hotel, Bangkok 3 December 2010.
Promotion of Physical Activity: Global progress, Local action. Annual National Physical Education and Recreation Scientific Meeting Pataya Thailand Dec 1st 2010.
Physical Activity Interventions-Evaluation: Critical review of best practice Health Enhancing Physical Activity European Network Annual Meeting. Olomouc Czech Republic November 22-24 2010.
National Workplace Project (Well@Work): Evaluation. 33nd International Symposium of Sports Sciences: Best Practices on Physical Activity and Sports. Physical Fitness Research Center (CELAFISCS) and the Health State Secretary of São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil. October 7-t9 2010.
The Use of Questionnaires to Measure PA level in the Population – and bit beyond. 33nd International Symposium of Sports Sciences: Best Practices on Physical Activity and Sports. Physical Fitness Research Center (CELAFISCS) and the Health State Secretary of São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil. October 7-t9 2010.
National Physical Activity Guidelines. THINK TANK Scientific Meeting, Nova International, Newcastle UK Sept 15-16 2010.