While kinesiology research is clear about the benefits of physical activity, applying that information can be challenging for individuals and health professionals alike.

“Physical inactivity is a complicated problem that does not have a simple solution,” says Professor of Kinesiology Philip Wilson.

Two Brock University Spring/Summer courses, KINE 2P08 Research Design in Kinesiology and KINE 2P41 Health and Physical Activity Promotion, aim to help students understand, evaluate and implement health and wellness information.

In KINE 2P08, students will learn how to assess knowledge claims by exploring how research is conducted.

The course explores the steps in designing and implementing a research project, including putting forth hypotheses, collecting and analyzing samples, listing variables and abiding by ethics requirements.

Also central to the course is the idea that respect and justice underpin ethical decision-making in research. Scholars, Wilson says, must ask also who they burden when doing research with a specific group.

“We have to allow people to choose to participate, and they have the right to choose to withdraw at any time,” he says. “At the same time, there should be some benefit to the participants.”

With a solid understanding of the research process, students will be better positioned to critically assess health claims .

“For example, there is no evidence whatsoever that says targeted fat loss is possible in specific areas of the body, commonly known as spot reduction, via exercise alone. There is no evidence to support 10,000 steps a day as the benchmark for health promotion,” Wilson says.

Yet these common beliefs persist in the health and fitness industry.

Students will also examine claims like these in KINE 2P41, exploring how evidence translates into public health guidance and where it falls short.

Wilson says that while there is extensive evidence that exercise offers metabolic benefits and cardiorespiratory benefits, scaling that information into a public health framework and changing the health of large populations is challenging.

He points to high-intensity interval training (HIIT) as an example of tension between data and application.

“From a public health strategy lens, HIIT is very demanding. When something is demanding, it typically has a negative effect on uptake,” Wilson says.

Commonly recommended daily step goals present a similar issue.

“The widely promoted 10,000-step target was actually the Japanese name of the first pedometer,” he says. “Evidence suggests more realistic thresholds, including 7,500 to 8,500 step range for a healthy adult and a step range of 4,500 to 5,000 for those living with chronic disease.”

Students in KINE 2P41 explore how behaviour can be changed through policy, which Wilson says can be difficult to enforce, and how environmental factors — from weather to street connectivity, pathways, sidewalks and lighting — shape activity levels.

While incentives may also work in the short term, Wilson says physical activity is a lifetime commitment.

“Move more, stop less and repeat forever,” he says.