Introduction
For over 10 years, Mette Toftager has immersed herself in researching physical activity and public health. Her passion lies in health promotion, understanding health behavior, and fostering healthy lifestyles for diverse population groups, including children, adolescents, and their families.
As an Associate Professor at the University of Southern Denmark, Mette actively contributes to the World Playground Research Institute.
Mette: “In my research, I focus on epidemiology, monitoring, and evaluation methods. I am particularly interested in examining the factors influencing physical activity and health. This involves exploring both the physical environment and social context, and developing effective measurement approaches.”
Current Work
At the moment, Mette’s work centers on comparing self-report and device-based measures of physical activity among children and adolescents. Utilizing devices like wearable motion sensors allows for a more detailed measurement of movement, compared to relying solely on individual reports.
According to Mette, “Measuring physical activity is challenging due to its complex nature. To monitor and evaluate interventions designed to improve children’s health and behavior (such as modifying the physical environment when building a new playground), it’s essential to have accurate measurements or, at the very least, be aware of what is being measured (and not measured) using the various methods available.”
Future Research Plans
In the upcoming months, Mette will delve deeper into exploring the connection between physical activity and health.
Mette elaborates, “In collaboration with international partners, we at the World Playground Research Institute are working on developing an evaluation framework for assessing the impact of playground use on the health of children, families, and communities.”
We look forward to the outcomes of this collaborative project, anticipating valuable insights capable of shaping the future of playground design.
Explore some of Mette’s previous work in our article database:
- Intervention Effects on Adolescent Physical Activity in the Multicomponent SPACE Study: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
- Schoolyard upgrade in a randomized controlled study design – How are school interventions associated with adolescents’ perception of opportunities and recess physical activity
- Objectively measured differences in physical activity in five types of schoolyard area
- Effect of a school environment intervention on adolescent adiposity and physical fitness
