Dr Alexandra Dobell PhD, BSc (Hons), AFHEA

Department of Applied Health Sciences
Research Fellow

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0)121 414 6353
Email: a.dobell@bham.ac.uk
Twitter: @AlexDobell

Address: Institute of Applied Health Research
Murray Learning Centre
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT

Dr Alexandra Dobell is a research fellow in the Institute of Applied Health Research. She currently works across the NIHR funded EPIC study and as a Research Site Manager for the NAP SACC study.

Qualifications

PhD in Early Childhood Physical Activity and Fundamental Movement Skill Interventions, University of Derby, 2022
AFHEA, Advance HE, 2021
BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science, Coventry University, 2019

Biography

Alexandra is interested in research that improves and promotes early childhood health and wellbeing.

Her current role within the NAP SACC study includes research site management of the randomised controlled trial to improve nutrition and physical activity outcomes for children attending nursery settings. She also works as a researcher on the EPIC Food study, a policy translation study to improve the use and implementation of the school food standards and school food plan in secondary schools in the UK.

She has recently completed her PhD in Early Childhood Physical Activity and Fundamental Movement Skill Interventions at the University of Derby, which uses a socio-ecological perspective and approach to improve health outcomes.

Alexandra has worked in physical activity research with children for over 6 years, including collaboration projects with VU Amsterdam, Coventry University, and University of Derby. She also has undergraduate and postgraduate teaching experience of four years.

Teaching

Small group teaching within MDS College.
Master’s Student dissertation advisor.

Research

Research interests

Childhood physical activity and obesity

Motor development and fundamental movement skills

Physical activity measurement using accelerometery

Current projects

Other activities

Scholar’s Programme PhD Tutor, The Brilliant Club (June 2020-present).

Publications

Dobell, A., Pringle, A., Faghy, M.A., Roscoe, C.M.P. (2021). Educators Perspectives on the Value of Physical Education, Physical Activity and Fundamental Movement Skills for Early Years Foundation Stage Children in England. Children, 8(5), 338.

Dobell, A., Pringle, A., Faghy, M. A., & Roscoe, C. M. P. (2020). Fundamental Movement Skills and Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity Levels during Early Childhood: A Systematic Review. Children, 7(11), 224. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/8/5/338

Dobell, A., Eyre, E. L. J., Tallis, J., Chinapaw, M. J. M., Altenburg, T. M., Duncan, M. J. (2019). Examining accelerometer validity for estimating physical activity in pre‐schoolers during free-living activity. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. 29, 1618– 1628. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13496

Duncan, M. J., Dobell, A., Caygill, C. L., Eyre, E., Tallis, J., (2019). The effect of acute caffeine ingestion on upper body anaerobic exercise and cognitive performance. European Journal of Sport Science, 19(1), 103-111.

Duncan, M. J., Dobell, A., Noon, M., Clark, C. C. T., Roscoe, C. M. P., Faghy, M. A., Stodden, D., Sacko, R., Eyre, E. L. J. (2020). Calibration and Cross-Validation of Accelerometery for Estimating Movement Skills in Children Aged 8-12 Years. Sensors, 20(10). h

Duncan, M. J., Eyre, E. L. J., Cox, V., Roscoe, C. M. P., Faghy, M. A., Tallis, J., Dobell, A. (2020). Cross‐validation of Actigraph derived accelerometer cut‐points for assessment of sedentary behaviour and physical activity in children aged 8‐11 years. Acta Paediatrica. 109, 1825– 1830.

Altenburg, T. M., de Vries, L., op den Buijsch, R., Eyre, E., Dobell, A., Duncan, M., & Chinapaw, M. J. M. (2022). Cross-validation of cut-points in preschool children using different accelerometer placements and data axes. Journal of Sports Sciences, 0(0), 1–7.

View all publications in research portal