Physical activities in rural communities

The aim of this one-year study is to to determine physical activity in rural areas. Queensland Health is concerned about the rise in chronic diseases among Queenslanders and the benefits of physical activity in the prevention and management of diseases such as diabetes type 2 and cardio-vascular disease.

Queensland Health is committed to addressing this issue and wish to identify interventions that will promote physical activity. The current situation however is that very little is known about the levels or patterns of physical activity in rural areas. The study will consider what people do, what opportunities there are for people to undertake physical activity and what the barriers to undertaking physical activity are.

The study will consider a range of age groups and people from different cultural backgrounds in six different Queensland shires each with different size towns and shire populations and each with different occupational make ups. The output of the study will be recommendations for interventions and CRRAH will endeavour to participate in further studies which will look at implementing the recommendations.

Project Leader:  Dr Rob Eley

Consortium Partners:  Centre for Rural and Remote Area Health, Centre for Australian Indigenous Knowledges (USQ); School of Human Movement Studies, Healthy Communities Research Centre, Rural Clinical Division (UQ); Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre; Carbal Medical Service.

Funding: Queensland Health AUD164,893 (over 12 months).

Media reports: 

Research project to examine physical activities in rural areas.

Research challenges rural Queenslanders to get active.