Sex and gender in health in a changing climate

Project description

Gender and sex dimensions have been overlooked in the question of how physical activity affects health in older adults when air quality is poor and ambient temperatures are high. Sex differences in the responses of males and females to physical activity are known. Similarly, gender differences in terms of how and where men and women typically engage in physical activity, and what type, are reported. These sex and gender differences likely have implications for health that need to be explored.

Research aim

We investigate gender and sex dimensions in physical activity and its health effects amid climate change and population ageing. We describe how gender and sex affect physical, emotional and social activity experiences. Further, we quantify how they affect cardiorespiratory and mental health responses to physical activity and environmental exposures, and incorporate identified gender and sex dimensions into urban planning policies and physical activity guidelines.

Purpose

The project addresses multiple research gaps with clinical and public health relevance. Specifically, it explores the combined rather than individual health effects of both physical activity and environmental exposures. It puts older adults in the spotlight, rather than young adults, and focuses on all sexes and genders. Finally, the project incorporates expertise from the general public and researchers by deploying multiple methods, thus providing a 360-degree perspective.