Projects and Collaborations

Outline: Project to develop and validate the English language version of a questionnaire for the quantification of symptoms and consequences of diastasis rectus abdominis.

Partners: Led by PPARG associate Grainne Donnelly in association with PPARG Director Dr Mills in partnership Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, and with research Spanish team (Monterrat Rejano-Campo, Victoria Vicente-Campos, Laura Fuentes-Aparicio)

Outline: A scoping review regarding the role of communication styles of healthcare professionals on maternal weight and healthy pregnancy outcomes.

Project led by Chloe Williamson of Edinburgh University, with Edinburgh University colleagues: Graham Baker, Linda Bauld and Rebecca Reynolds, with PPARG Directors Mills and De Vivo.

Outline: An international collaboration to conduct a Delphi study on professional opinions regarding returning to running post childbirth and the design of a training programme.

Project Led by R. Deering and S. Christopher, with G. Donnelly, E. Brockwell, De Vivo and Mills of PPARG, in collaboration with M. Davenport, S. Dufour, L. Forner, A. Olson, and I. Moore

Outline: A project to establish the impact of different training modalities on key health, physical, psychosocial markers in menopausal women

Project let by PhD student Paulina Ungurianu, supervised by Dr Mills of PPARG and Dr Lucina Howland (CCCU).

Outline: Group developed to further knowledge and reach of the psychological issues involved in societies engagement and acceptance of physical activity behaviour during pre-conception, pregnancy and post-natal periods.  
 
Partners: Led by PPARG directors in partnership with Kings College London, City, University of London, Aston University, University of Stirling, Newcastle University, Leeds Trinity University and The University of Manchester. 
 
Funded: British Psychological Society (BPS), Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology (DSEP). 

Outline: Development of an evidenced based infographic resource for medical, health and fitness professionals to support women returning to running postnatally. Project led by PPARG associate members (Donnelly & Brockwell), in collaboration with directors (Mills & De vivo), and additional authors (Rankin & Goom).

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1. As part of a collaboration between ukactive’s This Mum Moves programme and Sport England’s Join the Movement campaign, ukactive with PPARG co-director Dr De Vivo developed a new website showcasing approved online workouts for antenatal and postnatal women.
2. PPARG directors Dr Mills and Dr De Vivo were invited onto the UK Chief Medical Officers (CMO) Physical Activity “expert rapid review” service for public and professional materials and resources - During and After Pregnancy.

Outline: Development of first national guidelines for Physical Activity for Women after childbirth. The Directors of PPARG both chaired and contributed expertise to this Expert Working Group that created these new guidelines and infographic.

Partners: Project led by Dr Charlie Foster, University of Bristol.

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Outline: This Mum Moves is an initiative that aims to support pregnant women and new mothers to stay active by providing healthcare professionals (specifically midwives and health visitors) with the training and resources to facilitate the delivery of clear, consistent and confident messages regarding physical activity engagement as part of routine care.

Partners: Project led by ukactive, in partnership with PPARG directors, Institute of Health Visiting (iHV), Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), Pelvic Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy (POGP), and Best Beginnings charity, and Aston University, with local delivery partners the London Borough of Bexley and National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine (Sheffield).

Funded: Sport England

Find out more by checking out the website or reading the report

Outline: Mums' Zone is a holistic health and wellbeing intervention targeting inactive mums at risk of poor mental health.

Partners: Project led by Get Berkshire Active & Places Leisure, partnership with Slough Borough Council, Wokingham Borough Council.

Funded: The Sports Council Trust

Find out more by checking out the website or reading the report

Outline: An ongoing body of work to update Pregnancy and Postnatal physical activity content across a range of resources (handbook/factsheets/ website). These resources provide health professionals with the tools and information required to encourage, motivate and educate patients about the wide range of health benefits of physical activity.  

Partners: Project led by Health Education and Improvement Wales, British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine, in collaboration with Movement for Movement, endorsed by The Royal College of General Practitioners and Royal College of Nursing. 

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Outline: Pregnancy and post-partum physical activity module authored by co-director of PPARG Dr DeVivo, to educate and train the health and social care workforce.

Partners: Programme led by Health Education England (HEE)  in partnership with the NHS and professional bodies that support patient care and ukactive.

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Outline: Three research projects conducted utilising advanced echocardiography techniques in females with term preeclampsia, obese pregnancy and gestational diabetes. Additional work has investigated the reversal of postpartum cardiovascular dysfunction in an animal model of preeclampsia.

Partners:St George’s University Hospital, London UK; Department of Cardiology and Nephrology, Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), Berlin, Germany; University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

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Outline: Project to embed physical activity in the UK undergraduate healthcare and medicine curriculums. Pregnancy and Postnatal slide set of this resource updated by PPARG directors.

Partners: Multi- partner project led by Ann Gates.

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Outline: Supporting women to stay active throughout pregnancy and beyond, by providing expertise & advice, changing culture & challenging policy

Partners:PPARG Director Dr De Vivo is co-founder and CEO, alongside Sally Kettle. PPARG Director Dr Mills is a Trustee and co-founder.

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PPARG Directors (De Vivo & Mills) are listed contributors on both the pregnancy and postnatal resources of the Moving Medicine project 

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