Research Area Active Mobility
Welcome to the BMK-endowed professorship for Active Mobility: Physical Activity in Leisure and Daily Life!
Active mobility means travelling using your muscle strength. The most common forms are walking and cycling. Active mobility is the key to the mobility transition and is good for health, improves the quality of life and protects the environment.
We research the conditions and effects of active mobility in the population using reliable and valid methods. These range from systematic reviews, cohort studies, and the development, implementation, and evaluation of participatory intervention programs.
Specific questions that we pursue are:
- What are the determinants of active mobility in leisure time and everyday life, especially for children and adolescents?
- What are the perspectives of consumers and suppliers in alpine urban destinations in Tyrol regarding active mobility?
- What are the effects of active mobility on psycho-social, motor and health outcomes?
- How can measures to promote active mobility in everyday life as well as in alpine urban tourism destinations be implemented to have a wide and long-lasting reach?
Our research is interdisciplinary and internationally oriented. Framework models and theories on which we base our work are, for example, the socio-ecological model, implementation models, psychological behaviour change theories and pedagogical theories and concepts. Diversity, especially sex/gender, is a cross-cutting topic in our work to counteract social discrimination and inequalities.
Through the systematic development and transfer of knowledge, we form a central competence hub at the interface between research, society and economy. We communicate scientific results to decision-makers outside the university and raise awareness of the relevance and urgency of promoting sport, physical activity and active mobility in society. We are happy to be available as a contact and advice centre for political decision-makers and interest groups. Our mission is supported by multipliers and ambassadors whom we train at our faculty.
We look forward to inquiries about cooperation and open applications!
Beck, F., Marzi, I., Renninger, D., Demetriou, Y., Engels, E. S., Niermann, C., & Reimers, A. K. (2023). Associations of parents’ and adolescents’ active travel behavior across various destinations – a sex/gender analysis. BMC Public Health, 23(1), 522.
Brindley, C., Hamrik, Z., Kleszczewska, D., Dzielska, A. M., Mazur, J., Haug, E., Kopcakova, J., Marques, A., Altenburg, T., Demetriou, Y., & Bucksch, J. (2023). Gender-specific social and environmental correlates of active travel to school in four European countries: the HBSC Study. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1190045.
Englert, P., Andrä, C., & Demetriou, Y. (2023). The Concept of Moving School and Its Practical Implementation in Bavarian Higher Secondary Schools. Children, 10(8), 1395.
Marzi, I., Beck, F., Engels, E., Renninger, D., Demetriou, Y., & Reimers, A. K. (2023). Adolescents' travel behavior in Germany: Investigating transport mode choice considering destination, travel distance, and urbanization. Journal of Transport Geography, 112, 103694.
Peralta, M., Demetriou, Y., Popovic, S., Gardasevic, J., Masanovic, B., Martins, J., Gouveia, É. R., Tsiatsos, T., Douka, S., Jarani, J., & Marques, A. (2023). Healthy fitness zone prevalence and age-specific fitness profile of young people in seven European countries in 2022: the EUFITMOS project. American Journal of Human Biology.
Renninger, D., Bachner, J., García-Massó, X., Molina-García, J., Reimers, A. K., Marzi, I., Beck, F., & Demetriou, Y. (2023). Motivation and Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction in Active Travel to Different Destinations: A Cluster Analysis with Adolescents Living in Germany. Behavioral Sciences, 13(3), 272.
Tristram, C., Reimers, A. K., Renninger, D., Beck, F., Demetriou, Y., & Marzi, I. (2023). Parental perspectives on the decision-making process on transport mode choice in adolescents: a qualitative study with mothers and fathers [Original Research]. Frontiers in psychology, 14.
Research projects of the area will be available soon.
June 21st 2023
Univ.-Prof. Dr Yolanda Demetriou is a guest at the ORF “Hallo Tirol” radio show and talks about the importance of motivation and infrastructure to promote active travel in Innsbruck
May 29th 2023
Univ.-Prof. Dr Yolanda Demetriou explains in an interview with the daily newspaper “Die Presse” why it must become easier to use the car less
May 20th 2023
University principal Univ.-Prof. Dr Veronika Sexl welcomes the new BMK-endowed professor Yolanda Demetriou
Sport scientist Univ.- Prof. Dr Yolanda Demetriou took up the new BMK-endowed professorship for active mobility: exercise in leisure time and everyday life at the Institute for Sport Science at the University of Innsbruck on May 20. Together with numerous cooperation partners, she will develop new solutions for sustainable mobility at the interface of health, climate and economy.