PhD student: Jaime López García
Title : Importance of the activity intensity distribution for health across the lifespan
Supervisors: Séverine Sabia, Eivind Aadland
Doctoral school: ED 393 Epidemiology and Biomedical Information Sciences, Université Paris Cité
Promotion : 2026
Funding : European commission, Horizon Europe (HORIZON) Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Thesis abstract : Research on the association between physical activity measured by accelerometer and health has mainly focused on measurements of time spent in categories of physical activity intensity (sedentary, light, moderate to vigorous), ignoring the continuum of energy expenditure. This oversimplification of the actual distribution of activity intensity could mask differences in health at different thresholds of physical activity intensity. The aim of this project is to describe physical activity across the lifespan by examining the entire intensity spectrum rather than specific categories of intensity level. Using innovative statistical analyses and multiple data sources covering ages from 3 to over 80, the project will examine how age shapes the distribution of physical activity intensity and whether the association between the distribution of physical activity intensity and health differs between age groups.
