International Physical Activity and the Environment Network (IPEN) Adolescent study

The IPEN Adolescent study is a large international study that collected comparable data from 15 countries across 6 continents on built environments and physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour and obesity. The IPEN Coordinating Center is now supported by the Australian Catholic University, Mary Mackillop Institute for Health Research (The Behaviour, Environment and Cognition Research Program).

Adolescence is the time of steepest decline in PA. The potential effects of the built environment on physical activity are even less understood in youths than adults. By gathering data from 15 countries, IPEN Adolescent can more accurately assess the strength of association of built environment features with PA, sedentary behaviour, and weight status in adolescence. IPEN Adolescence has three primary aims:

1. Assess the relationship between the actual and perceived built environment and device measured physical activity and sedentary time in adolescence.
2. Assess the relationship between the actual and perceived built environment and self-reported walking/cycling to/from school and participation in physical activity.
3. Assess the relationship between the actual and perceived features of the built environment and overweight/obesity in adolescence.

The ultimate goal of IPEN Adolescent is to stimulate and guide actions toward more activity-supportive environments around the world to support adolescents' physical activity.

Please visit the main IPEN website for more detail about IPEN Adolescent.

Funding Acknowledgement: The IPEN Adolescent study was funded by the US National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL111378) from 2012 to 2017. The NIH grant funded the Coordinating Center based at UC San Diego (Initially at San Diego State University) as well as data collection in several countries. Most countries were supported by internal grants.

Investigators by country

AUSTRALIA
*Jo Salmon [email protected]
Jenny Veitch [email protected]
Anna Timperio [email protected]
Ester Cerin [email protected]

BANGLADESH
*Zaki Islam [email protected]

BELGIUM
*Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij [email protected]
Delfien Van Dyck [email protected]

BRAZIL
*Rodrigo Reis [email protected]
Akira Hino akira_[email protected]

CZECH REPUBLIC
*Josef Mitáš [email protected]
Karel Frömel [email protected]
Jan Dygryn [email protected]

DENMARK
*Jens Troelsen [email protected]
Lars Breum Christensen [email protected]
Jasper Schipperijn [email protected]

HONG KONG
*Ester Cerin [email protected]
Poh-chin Lai [email protected]
Anthony Barnett [email protected]

INDIA
*RM Anjana [email protected]
Guha Pradeepa [email protected]
Ranjani Harish [email protected]

ISRAEL
*Mika Moran [email protected]
Orna Baron-Epel [email protected]

MALAYSIA
*Wan Manan [email protected]
Yi Yi Lee [email protected]

NEW ZEALAND
*Grant Schofield [email protected]
*Erica Hinckson [email protected]
Suzanna Mavoa [email protected]
Hannah Badland [email protected]
Ester Cerin [email protected]

NIGERIA
*Adewale Oyeyemi [email protected]
Adetoyeje Oyeyemi [email protected]

PORTUGAL
*Jorge Mota [email protected]
Paula Maria Santos [email protected]
Andreia Pizarro Andreia [email protected]

SPAIN
*Javier Molina-Garcia [email protected]
Ana Queralt [email protected]

US Coordinating Center - Australian Catholic University and UC San Diego
*Jim Sallis [email protected]
Jacqueline Kerr [email protected]
Kelli Cain [email protected]
Terry Conway [email protected]
Carrie Geremia [email protected]
Marc Adams [email protected]
Larry Frank [email protected]
Jim Chapman [email protected]

*Denotes principal investigator

IPEN Adolescent Publications (using international pooled data)

Cain, K.L et al (2021) 'International physical activity and built environment study of adolescents: IPEN adolescent design, protocol and measures', BMJ Open, 11(1). doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046636.

Cerin, E et al. (2014) 'Repeatability of self-report measures of physical activity, sedentary and travel behaviour in Hong Kong adolescents for the ihealt(h) and IPEN- adolescent studies', BMC Pediatrics, 14(1). doi:10.1186/1471-2431-14-12

Cerin, E et al. (2017) 'Reliability of self-report measures of correlates of obesity related behaviours in Hong Kong adolescents for the ihealt(h) and IPEN adolescent studies', Archives of Public Health, 75(1). doi:10.1186/s13690-017-0209-5.

Van Dyck, D. et al. (2022( 'Associations of accelerometer measured school- and non-school based phsyical activity and sedentary time with body mass index: IPEN adolescent study', International Journal of behavioual Nutrition and Phsyical activity, 19(1). doi:10.1186/s12966-022-01324-x.