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Canadians are bombarded with healthy living messages on a daily, even hourly basis. From radio and television advertisements to promoted posts and shared information on social media, we are told varying messages on how we all can take control of our own health. But are these messages really working? Are people actually becoming more physically active?
This is the basis of Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation professor Dr. Tanya Berry's current research, and is something that has caught the eye of the Federal Government of Canada.
The Canada Research Chairs (CRC) is a program of the Federal Government of Canada that recruits and retains the world's best researchers. Acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field, Tier II CRCs are for exceptional emerging researchers. Originally named a Tier II CRC in Physical Activity Promotion in 2010, Dr. Berry has been renewed for another five-year term - something she is very excited about.
"Being a Canada Research Chair allows me to devote the majority of my time to an area that I love and truly believe in: health promotion generally and specifically, physical activity."
Most Canadians know being active is good for them, yet most are not active enough to reap the health benefits. Trying to change people's health behavior, however, is one of the biggest challenges.
"Attempts are often unsuccessful because behaviours tend to be governed by people's initial or 'gut' reaction to a message, which arises automatically, independent of logical thought," says Berry. "Understanding how people automatically associate exercise with concepts like health, fitness or appearance and weight loss may unlock the secret to helping them adopt and maintain healthy, active lifestyles."
Working with a strong group of graduate students and collaborators, Berry and her team study how people process health-promotion messages at both the conscious and automatic levels; how their reaction to these messages influence their decision to be physically active or not; and how best to promote health in our increasingly busy media environment.
"We want to measure automatic thought processes in relation to physical activity and see whether they can be changed. Our findings will help us design more effective exercise programs to increase physical activity and benefit the lives of Canadians."
With her work being nationally and internationally recognized by the research community, as the Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity, Dr. Berry is able to help increase the profile of not only her research but of the entire Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Alberta.
"The CRC provides tremendous support to both the researcher, and her/his host Faculty," says Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation Dean Kerry Mummery. "As one of Canada's leading Faculties of Physical Education, in one of Canada's leading research-intensive universities, Tanya's CRC helps provide support and focus on important research in the area of physical activity and health."
"This is a great accomplishment for Tanya. Renewal is a rigorous external review process that highlights the importance of her work, and its prominence on the world scale. In addition to acknowledging Tanya's success, this is a tremendous feather in the Faculty's cap as well."
The Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation has two Canada Research Chairs on staff - Dr. Tanya Berry, Tier II Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Dr. Kerry Courneya, Tier I Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity.
Dr. Tanya Berry's lab: Lira Yun, Kim Curtain, Maxine Myre, Elaine Ori, Laura Watson (co-supervised with Wendy Rodgers), Kim McFadden (co-supervised with Wendy Rodgers) and Sarah Evans