Professor John Reilly

Physical Activity and Health

Personal statement

I joined the University in 2011 as John Anderson Research Leader and Professor of Physical Activity & Public Health Science. I was formerly Professor of Paediatric Energy Metabolism at the University of Glasgow.

My research work focuses on: prevention of child and adolescent obesity worldwide; the consequences of obesity and low physical activity in children and adolescents globally; the development and consequences of sedentary behaviour during childhood and adolescence globally; global monitoring of physical activity , sedentary behaviour and sleep in children and adolescents. I have been involved in a range of national and international Knowledge Exchange projects, including the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance www.activehealthykids.org, WHO Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity (ECHO) https://www.who.int/end-childhood-obesity/en/ WHO Guideline Development Group on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep for the under 5’s https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/311664 • Chair of the UK Health Departments physical activity guidelines update for the Under 5’s https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/physical-activity-guidelines

Current Knowledge Exchange projects include:

FitBack Scotland- development of a system for national monitoring physical fitness in children and adolescents https://www.actify.org.uk/fitbackscot - Towards a Sustainable Monitoring System to Address the Physical Fitness Crisis in Scottish Children: FitBack Scotland (scottishinsight.ac.uk)

Active Healthy Kids Scotland Report Cards on COVID-19 Impacts (2024; funded by the ESRC -IAA) and Active Healthy Kids Scotland Report Card (2026) www.activehealthykidsscotland.co.uk

Early Childhood Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Sleep in Malawi: Impact Activities from Current Research and Co-creation of Future Research Plans with Stakeholders in Malawi. International Science Partnerships –Scottish Funding Council Funded 2024-25.

Publications

I have almost 400 peer-reviewed papers with an h index (December 2024) of 93 (Web of Science) and 103 (Google Scholar). Recent publications include the following:

https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2024-108984

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-024-02104-2

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2824006

https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-024-01650-2 h

https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2023-0711.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2024.03.006

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2024.100869

https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdae022

https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2023-0679

https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/apaq/aop/article-10.1123-apaq.2023-0131/article-10.1123-apaq.2023-0131.xml

https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114523000387

https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.12628

Expertise

Back to staff profile

Area of Expertise

has expertise in:

childhood obesity: aetiology; diagnosis; prevention; treatment; consequences
objective measurement of physical activity and sedentary behaviour
longitudinal (birth cohort) studies, in particular with ALSPAC and GMS in the UK
systematic reviewing: evidence appraisal, and evidence - based guideline development
Physical activity and sedentary behaviour interventions in children and adolescents

Publications

Back to staff profile

Publications

Associations between 24-hour movement compositions and cardiometabolic health in children and adolescents: a five-part compositional analysis using data from the International Children’s Accelerometery Database (ICAD): Marshall Zoë A, Runacres Adam, Hallal Pedro Curi, Jago Russ, Kwon Soyang, Northstone Kate, Pate Russell R, Puder Jardena, Reilly John J, Sardinha Luis B, Wedderkopp Niels, Van Slujis Ester; BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine Vol 11 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2025-002568
Risk factors for eating disorder symptoms at 15 years of age : a 9-year longitudinal cohort study: Hanson Louise N, Adamson Ashley J, Basterfield Laura, Reilly John J, Janssen Xanne, Pearce Mark S, Boothroyd Lynda G, Evans Elizabeth H; Appetite Vol 214 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2025.108149
Associations between sedentary behaviour and fine and gross motor skills in 3‐ to 4‐year‐olds : a secondary data analysis from Sunrise International Study pilot studies: Kwofie Nana A, Suherman Adang, Florindo Alex A, Staiano Amanda, Ha Amy S, Okely Anthony D, El Hamdouchi Asmaa, Pham Bang Nguyen, Draper Catherine E, Tanaka Chiaki, Koh Denise, Kim Dong Hoon, Webster E Kipling, Guan Hongyan, Tang Hong Kim, Reilly John J, Chong Kar Hau, Löf Marie, Tremblay Mark S, Hossain Mohammad Sorowar, Munambah Nyaradzai, Cross Penny L, Wickramasinghe Pujitha, Kim Thanh Van, Janssen Xanne; Child: Care, Health and Development Vol 51 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.70092
Geocultural differences in pre-schooler sleep profiles and family practices : an analysis of pooled data from 37 countries: Zhang Zhiguang, Abdeta Chalchisa, Chelly Mohamed Souhaiel, del Pozo-Cruz Jesús, Draper Catherine E, Engberg Elina, Florindo Alex, Germana Leyna, Ghofranipour Fazlollah, Guan Hongyan, Ha Amy Sau-Ching, Hamdouchi Asmaa E l, Tang Hong K, Hossain Mohammed Sorowar, Jambaldorj Bayasgalan, Kim Dong Hoon, Koh Denise, Kontsevaya Anna, Löf Marie, Lubree Himangi, Jáuregui Alejandra, Munambah Nyaradzai, Mwase-Vuma Tawonga, Oluwayomi Aoko, Pham Bang Nguyen, Reilly John J, Staiano Amanda E, Suherman Adang, Tanaka Chiaki, Tanui Stephen, Teo Wei-Peng, Tremblay Mark S, Turab Ali, Užičanin Edin, Veldman Sanne L C, Webster E Kipling, Wickramasinghe V Pujitha, Widyastari Dyah Anantalia, Okely Anthony; SLEEP Vol 48 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsae305
Enhancing fundamental motor skills through active play : a systematic review and meta-analysis of educational contexts: Ramos-Munell Javier, Gallardo-Gómez Daniel, Álvarez-Barbosa Francisco, Alfonso-Rosa Rosa M, Reilly John J, Okely Anthony, del Pozo-Cruz Borja, del Pozo-Cruz Jesús; European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, pp. 1-21 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293x.2025.2487929
Associations between sedentary behavior and motor competence in 3- to 4-year-olds : a systematic review: Kwofie Nana A, Janssen Xanne, Reilly John J; Journal of Motor Learning and Development Vol 13, pp. 36-58 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1123/jmld.2023-0079

More publications

Teaching

Back to staff profile

Teaching

I teach on the BSc Sport & Physical Activity degree, mainly in the Physical Activity & Health classes (e.g. Sports Nutrition), and supervise students doing mini-research projects in 3^rd year and larger research dissertation projects in 4^th year.

Research

Back to staff profile