Dr. Justin Aunger
ESR 3
Research Subject: Intervention to reduce sitting time in older adults pre-surgery
Beneficiary: University of Birmingham (UoB)
Supervisory Team: Dr. Carolyn Greig and Prof. Anna Whittaker
PhD Update: Awarded PhD in Nov 2019
Biography:
Justin is of British/American origin, and has studied health sciences during a Liberal Arts and Sciences degree at University College Maastricht in the Netherlands, with a specific focus on the role of physical activity and sedentariness on health.
During his PhD, he has completed a systematic review of interventions to reduce sedentary behaviour in older adults, which is now published in Maturitas. Currently he is delivering a study to older adults with osteoarthritis. Severe osteoarthritis causes many sufferers to require a hip or knee replacement in order to improve their quality of life and reduce pain. Individuals waiting for hip or knee replacements are often highly sedentary, thus it is pertinent to assess whether reducing their sedentariness may aid in improving post-operative outcomes.
Justin and his supervisory team developed and is delivering the first study assessing the feasibility of an intervention to reduce sedentary behaviour in n=45 older adults ≥60 years undergoing hip and knee replacement surgeries. It is also the first to assess whether such an intervention could work in a prehabilitative context prior to surgery. The results of this study will help inform the design of a definitive trial.
Publications:
- Interventions targeting sedentary behaviour in non-working older adults: a systematic review. Aunger, J.A., Doody, P. and Greig, C.A., 2018. Maturitas. DOI: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2018.08.002
- Perceptions and Factors Influencing Eating Behaviours and Physical Function in Community-Dwelling Ethnically Diverse Older Adults: A Longitudinal Qualitative Study. Asamane EA, Greig CA, Aunger JA, Thompson JL. Nutrients [Internet]. 2019 May 29 [cited 2019 Jun 3];11(6):1224. DOI: 10.3390/nu11061224
- Physical Activity and Nutrition INfluences in Ageing: Current Findings from the PANINI Project. Whittaker, A.C., Asamane, E.A., Aunger, J.A., Bondarev, D., Cabbia, A., Doody, P.D., Gensous, N., Iadarola, B., Ramsey, K.A., Rodrigues, B. and Tahir, M.R., 2019. Advances in Geriatric Medicine and Research, 1(1). DOI: 10.20900/agmr20190005
In Press:
- Frailty Levels in Geriatric Hospital paTients (FLIGHT) - The prevalence of frailty amongst geriatric populations within hospital ward settings: A systematic review protocol. Doody, P., Aunger, J.A., Asamane, E.A., Greig, C.A., Lord, J.M., Whittaker, A.C., 2019. BMJ Open
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Video:
To listen to Justin introduce his research please listen to our You Tube channel