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What do we do in the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences? Our research

The Durham University Department of Sport and Exercises leads research to help reduce inequalities, promote social justice and ensure better health and wellbeing within and through sport, exercise and physical activity.

 

View our short video to learn more about our research areas.

Read more about our research themes

Research and Impact

Our research is designed to make a positive impact on people’s lives. All our research is led in a way to address inequalities, promote social justice, and ensure better health and wellbeing through sport, exercise and physical activity.

We seek to address physical inactivity and health inequalities in terms of female health, childhood obesity, disability, and sports participation. We fight to establish the Sustainable Development Goals as a new focus for global and national sport policies and work to shape UK Government policy on women football fans, addressing  inequalities. We advise the UK Chief Medical Officers’ on physical activity and disability; design and promote more effective and inclusive physical activity referral systems, and target health inequalities. We challenge sedentary behaviour messages for being ableist, and create new messages that are inclusive. We provide an evidence-base for strategies to advance athlete health for sports performance and wellbeing, engaging with professional and community sport, industry and global networks.

FSSH International Brochure

The Faculty of Social Sciences and Health has an extensive global collaboration in research and education with partners across the world, promoting Social Science solutions to the world’s greatest challenges.

The stories presented in our International Brochure demonstrate sustained and positive engagement with international partners, particularly around work with social justice in society and the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Our eight departments have funded research projects on every continent.
Find out more in our International Brochure
Abstract blue illustration with web around a globe

Behind the research

  • Our staff

    Our staff hold pivotal research and leadership roles with incredible institutions such as; Durham Research Methods Centre, Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, and Durham Institute of Medical Humanities.

    The reception room at Maiden Castle
  • Our funding

    We are supported in our research by a range of generous funders, including the ESRC, Wellcome Trust, AHRC, NIHR, Leverhulme Trust, The British Academy, the World Health Organisation, The FA, HelpAge, Sport England, Disability Rights UK, and The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.

    A student practising cricket indoors

Our staff

Our staff hold pivotal research and leadership roles with incredible institutions such as; Durham Research Methods Centre, Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, and Durham Institute of Medical Humanities.

The reception room at Maiden Castle

Our funding

We are supported in our research by a range of generous funders, including the ESRC, Wellcome Trust, AHRC, NIHR, Leverhulme Trust, The British Academy, the World Health Organisation, The FA, HelpAge, Sport England, Disability Rights UK, and The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.

A student practising cricket indoors

In our research, we value lived experiences, co-production, patient and public involvement, working with the media, outreach teams, museums and artists.

To ensure our research is effectively shared, and that it does make a difference, we also work with regional, national, and global organisations. Just a few of these organisations have included County Durham Sport, The Football Association, Sport England, Kick It Out, Sport UK, UK Food Poverty Alliance, UKActive, Women in Sport, The Office for Health Involvement and Disparities, Disability Rights UK, and The World Health Organisation.
Learn more about our impactful research
Rowers on the River Wear