Dr Silvia Costa – a Lecturer in Physical Activity and Public Health based within the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences – will be delivering Finding your Feet: The importance of early childhood for the development of a healthy lifestyle on Tuesday 19 May.
In this lecture, she will explain why early childhood is an influential period in life to develop a healthy lifestyle, focusing on diet, sedentary behaviour and physical activity. Dr Costa will consider current physical activity and dietary guidelines, the evidence which shows how active young children are and what their diets consist of, as well as the importance of adopting this lifestyle in early years in order to successfully live a healthy lifestyle as an adult.
An overview of current evidence regarding the influence of early education and childcare settings on young children’s physical activity and dietary habits will also be presented, and Dr Costa will point out some practical resources that both early years practitioners and parents can access to promote healthy physical activity and dietary habits for young children.
Dr Silvia Costa graduated from the Sport Sciences School of Rio Major in 2007 with a BSc in Fitness and Health. She then joined º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ in 2008 to undertake an MRes in Human Biology, followed by a PhD focusing on the objective measurement of physical activity in children aged 2-3 years old.
After taking positions at the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (University of Cambridge) and the Institute of Child Health (University College London), Dr Costa returned to º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ in 2018 as a Lecturer.
Her research primarily focuses on the influence of childcare for the development of obesity and health behaviours. On a broader scale, she is interested in how practices and policies within environments that young children are exposed to can influence their health behaviours and ultimately improve their growth and development.
This event will take place online at 5.30pm on 19 May. It is free to watch, and those who are interested can register their place and receive joining instructions by emailing Alison Stanley at A.Stanley@lboro.ac.uk.