Nicole E. Blackburn

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Lecturer at University of Ulster

Background Exercise referral schemes (ERS) are an effective strategy for increasing physical activity (PA) in older adults. Behavioural self-management strategies (SMS) may augment the maintenance of PA and associated benefits in this population, resulting in preservation of the functional capacity and prevention of disability over the long-term....

Background Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Guidelines recommend that all CHD patients should be offered cardiac rehabilitation (CR) which includes exercise programmes, education, and ongoing support within both clinical and community settings. CR programmes reduce the risk of death and illness, b...

Background Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Guidelines recommend that all CHD patients should be offered cardiac rehabilitation (CR) which includes exercise programmes, education, and ongoing support within both clinical and community settings. CR programmes reduce the risk of death and illness, b...

We acknowledge an error in the BMI data in our publication [...]

Background Sedentary behavior (SB) is a determinant of health in older adult people. Educational level is a primary driver of health disparities and is demonstrated to be a reliable measure of socioeconomic position. We aimed to examine the associations between educational level and self-reported along with device-measured SB in older adults living...

Purpose Enjoyable group-based physical activity programmes provide an engaging opportunity for older adults to experience healthy ageing promotion. To understand the programme delivery context, we explored how exercise instructors seek to make their existing sessions enjoyable. Methods A semi-structured interview guide was used to qualitatively in...

Breast reconstruction using the latissimus dorsi (LD) flap following mastectomy is an important management option in breast cancer. A common complication following LD flap, which is often ignored, is shoulder dysfunction. Fear avoidance stemming from the belief that movement will worsen symptoms or cause injury, may impact further on dysfunction or...

Background: This study details the within-trial economic evaluation and long-term economic model of SITLESS, a multi-country, three-armed randomized controlled trial comparing a combined intervention of exercise referral schemes (ERS) enhanced by self-management strategies (SMS) against ERS alone and usual care (UC). Methods: A cost-utility anal...

In previous research, older adults reported they preferred enjoyable exercise programmes. The aim of this systematic review is to identify the components of enjoyable group-based physical activity interventions for older adults. Eleven electronic databases were searched in May 2021. Inclusion criteria were: Community-dwelling, ≥60 years of age, gro...

The distribution of physical activity bouts through the day may provide useful information for assessing the impacts of interventions on aspects such as physical function. This study aimed to investigate the associations between physical activity fragmentation, tested using different minimum physical activity bout lengths, with physical function in...

Human movement behaviours such as physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) during waking time have a significant impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in older adults. In this study, we aimed to analyse the association between self-reported and device-measured SB and PA with HRQoL in a cohort of community-dwelling older adults...

Background Consumption of unhealthy foods may have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explored how dietary fat intake was impacted in a sample of the UK public who were social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Data were collected from a UK COVID-19 online survey. Fat intake was measured using the Dietary Instrument for...

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic, with associated pressures on healthcare services and workforce, had implications for final year Diagnostic Radiography students completing their training and transitioning into employment. The aim of this study was to explore their experience as novice practitioners starting work and integrating into the workfo...

Improving the capacity for physical activity interventions to maintain behavior change is a key public health concern and an important strategy for the health and independence of older adults. Ways of ensuring effective maintenance of physical activity levels in older adults are unclear. This study includes the objective measure of moderate-to-vigo...

School-based interventions are promising for targeting a change in obesity-related behaviours in children. However, the efficacy of school-based interventions to prevent obesity remains unclear. This review examined the effectiveness of school-based interventions at changing obesity-related behaviours (increased physical activity, decreased sedenta...

The main aim of this study was to assess the criterion validity of the Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ) to measure SB in community-dwelling older adults using thigh-measured accelerometry as the criterion method. 801 participants (75.6 ± 6.1 years old, 57.6% females) provided valid thigh-based accelerometer data (activPAL/Axivity) and complet...

Background: Aerobic capacity (AC) in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) is often reduced, mainly due to low confidence levels towards physical activity (PA). The main objective of this study was to estimate the association between PA level and AC (measured as peak of oxygen consumption, VO 2peak) in adults with CHD. Methods: A total of 183...

Background: The SITLESS programme comprises exercise referral schemes and selfmanagement strategies and has been evaluated in a trial in Denmark, Spain, Germany and Northern Ireland. The aim of this qualitative study was to understand the implementation and contextual aspects of the intervention in relation to the mechanisms of impact and to explor...

Purpose: eHealth and mHealth approaches are increasingly used to support cancer survivors. This review aimed to examine adherence, acceptability and satisfaction with Internet-based self-management programmes for post-surgical cancer rehabilitation and to identify common components of such interventions. Methods: Nine electronic databases were s...

Physical activity is an important determinant of health in later life. The public health restrictions in response to COVID-19 have interrupted habitual physical activity behaviours in older adults. In response, numerous exercise programmes have been developed for older adults, many involving chair-based exercise. The aim of this systematic review w...

Social relationships are central to the health and well-being of older adults. Evidence exploring the association of physical activity (PA) with social isolation and loneliness is limited. This study uses a path analysis to investigate the longitudinal association between loneliness and social isolation with PA using the Irish Longitudinal Study on...

Patterns of physical activity (PA) may be associated with physical function independently of total volume. The study aim was to explore associations of PA fragmentation (PAF) and function in ≥65-year-old European adults (SITLESS study: n=1360). The ActiGraph wGT3X+ accelerometer was worn for seven consecutive days at the dominant hip. PAF was asses...

The study aim was to explore associations between sedentary behavior (SB) bouts and physical function in 1360 community‐dwelling older adults (≥65 years old). SB was measured using an ActiGraph wGT3X + accelerometer for seven consecutive days at the dominant hip and processed accordingly. Various SB bout lengths were assessed including: 1‐ to 9‐min...

Introduction Regular moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is associated with improved mental health, but the evidence for the effect of reducing sedentary behaviour (SB) or increasing light PA (LPA) in older adults, is lacking. Using isotemporal substitution (IS) models, the aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of substituting SB...

Accurately measuring older adults’ physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) using accelerometers is essential, as both are important markers of health. This study aimed to highlight how steps taken during data processing may affect key hip-based accelerometry outcomes in older adults, using a selection of baseline accelerometry data (n =...

Background: Evidence suggests that sedentary behaviour (SB) is associated with poor health outcomes. SB at any age may have significant consequences for health and well-being and interventions targeting SB are accumulating. Therefore, the need to review the effects of multicomponent, complex interventions that incorporate effective strategies to r...

The present study aimed to assess the association between sedentary behavior and sarcopenia among adults aged ≥65 years. Cross-sectional data from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health were analyzed. Sarcopenia was defined as having low skeletal muscle mass and either a slow gait speed or a weak handgrip strength. Self-reported sedentary beha...

Background Sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA) are important determinants of health in older adults. This study aimed to describe the composition of accelerometer-measured SB and PA in older adults, to explore self-reported context-specific SB, and to assess socio-demographic and functional correlates of engaging in higher levels of...

Research has found that social relationships are central to the health and well-being of an aging population. Evidence exploring the association between physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) with social isolation and loneliness is limited. This study uses objectively measured PA and SB (ActiGraph®) and self-reported measures of lonelin...

Introduction SITLESS is a randomised controlled trial determining whether exercise referral schemes can be enhanced by self-management strategies to reduce sedentary behaviour and increase physical activity in the long term, in community-dwelling older citizens. The intervention is complex and requires a process evaluation to understand how impleme...

The systematic review investigated the effectiveness of active travel (AT) interventions on physical activity and fitness in primary school children. The review assessed intervention effectiveness, design, complexity, and study quality. Searches were conducted in five databases on 30/08/2018. Studies with an AT intervention compared to an inactive...

Objective Reducing sedentary behaviour (SB) might improve the health of older adults. However, we know little about how objectively measured SB impacts on self-rated health in older adults. We aimed to explore the associations between objectively measured SB and self-rated health in English older adults. Results A random sub-sample of older adults...

Introduction Promoting physical activity (PA) and reducing sedentary behaviour (SB) may exert beneficial effects on the older adult population, improving behavioural, functional, health and psychosocial outcomes in addition to reducing health, social care and personal costs. This paper describes the planned economic evaluation of SITLESS, a multico...

Introduction Current evidence suggests that patients who have latissimus dorsi (LD) breast reconstruction following mastectomy for breast cancer can experience long-term shoulder dysfunction. However, as there is no standardised assessment or follow-up period within the literature, findings are conflicting. This research aimed to investigate the im...

Dyad interview schedule. (DOCX)

Focus group topic guide. (DOCX)

SPSS survey dataset. (SAV)

Qualitative coding trail. (DOCX)

Background: Older adults are the fastest growing segment of the world's population. Recent evidence indicates that excessive sitting time is harmful to health, independent of meeting the recommended moderate to vigorous physical activity (PA) guidelines. The SITLESS project aims to determine whether exercise referral schemes (ERS) can be enhanced...

Breast reconstruction using the latissimus dorsi (LD) flap following mastectomy is an important management option in breast cancer. However, one common, but often ignored, complication following LD flap is shoulder dysfunction. The aim of this critical review was to comprehensively assess the musculoskeletal impact of LD breast reconstruction and e...