Mark A Tully
Biographic Data
| ID | 1562237 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mark A Tully |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mark A |
| FAMILY NAME | Tully |
| SIGNATURE | TULLY M A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Ulster |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9710-4014 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 47 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 13 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 47 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1992 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Healthy young adult relationships (Hyar)
The onus for educating and supporting young people in navigating romantic relationships often falls on professional youth work organizations; yet, evidence relating to healthy young adult relationship (HYAR) education programmes delivered within these settings remains limited. The present study sought to capture youth work professionals' views as part of a research programme focused on developing HYAR education resources for young people. Eleven …
Impact of Covid-19 Lockdown on Intimate Partner Violence Prevalence Amongst Pregnant Women in Northern Ireland
Purpose Pregnancy has been posited as a period of unique vulnerability for Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) victimisation. This brief report examined the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on IPV victimisation during pregnancy by measuring post implementation changes in rates, with comparisons to the same period in non-lockdown years. Methods Secondary data analysis of the Northern Ireland Maternity System (NIMATS) database containing pregnancy presentat…
School-based mental health interventions
School examinations and assessments in the school setting can cause increased anxiety and may lead to the development of mental health issues. Early intervention has been suggested to combat stress and mental health issues in adolescents. The present study investigated the feasibility of implementing the multi-component R.E.A.C.T. (Reducing Exam Anxiety through Activity and Coping Techniques) intervention, an educational and physical activity-bas…
Misaligned or misheard? Physical activity and healthy eating messaging to ethnic minority communities during the Covid-19 pandemic
This mixed-methods study identified physical activity (PA) and healthy eating messages produced during the COVID-19 pandemic and explored how they were received by UK ethnic minority communities. A scoping review of research and grey literature identified categories of PA and healthy eating messaging targeted at ethnic minorities. Individual and group interviews were conducted, audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using inductive thematic ana…
Prevalence of daily family meals among children and adolescents from 43 countries
Prevalence studies about family meals, including large and representative samples of children and adolescents on this topic, are scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was twofold: first, to determine the prevalence of daily family meals in large and representative samples of school-going children and adolescents from 43 countries, and second, to identify the sex, age, socioeconomic status (SES), family structure, immigrant status and parental …
Is education level, as a proxy for socio-economic position, related to device-measured and self-reported sedentary behavior in European older adults? A cross-sectional study from the Sitless project
Background Sedentary behavior (SB) is a determinant of health in older adult people. Educational level is a primary driver of health disparities and is demonstrated to be a reliable measure of socioeconomic position. We aimed to examine the associations between educational level and self-reported along with device-measured SB in older adults living in Europe and the association of mentally active and passive SB domains with the educational level …
Relationship of the Sitless intervention on medication use in community-dwelling older adults
The findings suggest that an exercise-based program enhanced by SMS to reduce SB might influence medication use for acute conditions but there is a need to further investigate effects on long-term medicine use in older adults
Development and modelling of a school-based mental health intervention
The lack of effective school-based interventions for addressing mental health issues and psychological well-being in young people, particularly those with stakeholder involvement, for reducing test anxiety in adolescents has caused a call for interventions to be developed through the process of co-production with the key stakeholders, i.e. teachers and students. The purpose of this paper is to present the development and modelling of a coproduced…
The association of physical multimorbidity with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in England
BACKGROUND: Suicide is one of the most important causes of deaths in the United Kingdom, and the numbers are currently increasing. AIM: There are numerous identified determinants of suicidality, and physical multimorbidity is potentially important but is currently understudied. Thus, this study aims to investigate the association of physical multimorbidity with suicidality. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey…
Young People’s Understanding of Coercive Control in Northern Ireland
Coercive control and related research have progressed significantly in the past number of years, with an ever-growing evidence base adding to its construct. However, currently there is a lack of evidence on young people's knowledge and understanding of coercive control. We included a module of questions in the 2020 Northern Ireland Young Life and Life and Times survey ( n = 2,069) with the aim of capturing baseline measurable data on understandin…
The Relationship between Social Support Correlates and Feelings of Loneliness among Male UK Recreational Anglers
The benefits of access to blue spaces (exposure to aquatic environments) have been well reported. One common activity conducted in these spaces is recreational angling. Studies have shown that several correlates are associated with recreational angling, including a lower incidence of anxiety disorders compared to non-anglers. What is currently unknown is how measures of social support relate to feelings of loneliness in this population. The aim o…
Understanding adolescent mental health and well-being
There has been an increasing prevalence of mental health issues among adolescents. Early interventions in the school setting have been identified as a way to help reduce and prevent these issues. However, the input of key school stakeholders is largely neglected within the intervention development process. This study aims to address this deficit by exploring student and teacher perspectives on adolescent mental health and the barriers and facilit…
Changes in Health-Related Behaviours and Mental Health in a UK Public Sample during the First Set of Covid-19 Public Health Restrictions
Public health restrictions, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, have had potentially wide-ranging, unintended effects on health-related behaviours such as diet and physical activity and also affected mental health due to reduced social interactions. This study explored how health-related behaviours and mental health were impacted in a sample of the UK public during the first set of COVID-19 public health restrictions. Two online surveys were ad…
Fishing Participation, Motivators and Barriers among UK Anglers with Disabilities
Green social prescribing, which includes the referral of patients to nature-based activities, could exacerbate inequalities between people with disabilities and people without. Research suggests fishing could be more inclusive relative to other outdoor sports. To understand if fishing is an inclusive sport, and the potential benefits and barriers to prescribing fishing, the present study compared participation, motivators and barriers to fishing,…
Public Understanding of Coercive Control in Northern Ireland
Coercive control is characterised by negative behaviours which intimidate, threaten, and humiliate a person or restrict a person's liberty. In addition to being a known risk factor for experiencing other forms of violence, research has linked coercive control to symptoms of psychological distress and suicidality. In the UK, coercive and controlling behaviours within intimate and familial relationships have been legislated as offending behaviours.…
Alcohol use and mental health during Covid-19 lockdown
Changes in Sitting Time, Screen Exposure and Physical Activity during Covid-19 Lockdown in South American Adults
The worldwide prevalence of insufficient physical activity (PA) and prolonged sedentary behavior (SB) were high before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Measures that were taken by governments (such as home confinement) to control the spread of COVID-19 may have affected levels of PA and SB. This cross-sectional study among South American adults during the first months of COVID-19 aims to (i) compare sitting time (ST), screen exposure, moderat…
Covid-19 Confinement and Sexual Activity in Spain
Restrictions of free movement have been proven effective in tackling the spread of COVID-19 disease. However, sensitive populations submitted to longer periods of restrictions may experience detrimental effects in significant areas of their lifestyle, such as sexual activity. This study examines sexual activity during the COVID-19 confinement in Spain. A survey distributed through an institutional social media profile served to collect data, wher…
Designing Age-Friendly Communities
The World Health Organization and the United Nations have increasingly acknowledged the importance of urban green space (UGS) for healthy ageing. However, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like India with exponential ageing populations have inadequate UGS. This qualitative study examined the relationships between UGS and healthy ageing in two megacities in India. Participants were recruited using snowball sampling in New Delhi and Chennai …
Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Loneliness and Social Isolation
The COVID-19 global pandemic and subsequent public health social measures have challenged our social and economic life, with increasing concerns around potentially rising levels of social isolation and loneliness. This paper is based on cross-sectional online survey data (available in 10 languages, from 2 June to 16 November 2020) with 20,398 respondents from 101 different countries. It aims to help increase our understanding of the global risk f…
Associations between Physical Activity, Sitting Time, and Time Spent Outdoors with Mental Health during the First Covid-19 Lock Down in Austria
Measures implemented to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 have resulted in a decrease in physical activity (PA) while sedentary behaviour increased. The aim of the present study was to explore associations between PA and mental health in Austria during COVID-19 social restrictions. In this web-based cross-sectional study (April-May 2020) moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sitting time, and time spent outdoors were self-reported before a…
Older Adults’ Experiences of a Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Intervention
When designing and implementing interventions, key components enhancing social interaction, enjoyment and continuity should be in place in order to successfully promote sustained behaviour change
Consequences of physical inactivity in older adults
Correlates of symptoms of anxiety and depression and mental wellbeing associated with Covid-19
Covid-19 Confinement and Health Risk Behaviors in Spain
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a world pandemic due to COVID-19. In response, most affected countries have enacted measures involving compulsory confinement and restrictions on free movement, which likely influence citizens' lifestyles. This study investigates changes in health risk behaviors (HRBs) with duration of confinement. An online cross-sectional survey served to collect data about the Spanish adult population regarding …
Public Understanding of Coercive Control in Northern Ireland
Coercive control is characterised by negative behaviours which intimidate, threaten, and humiliate a person or restrict a person's liberty. In addition to being a known risk factor for experiencing other forms of violence, research has linked coercive control to symptoms of psychological distress and suicidality. In the UK, coercive and controlling behaviours within intimate and familial relationships have been legislated as offending behaviours.…
Hidden” Social Networks in Behavior Change Interventions
We investigated whether “hidden” (or unobserved) social networks were evident in a 2011 physical activity behavior change intervention in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Results showed evidence of unobserved social networks in the intervention and illustrated how the network evolved over short periods and affected behavior. Behavior change interventions should account for the interaction among participants (i.e., social networks) and how such interact…
Direct healthcare costs of sedentary behaviour in the UK
BACKGROUND: Growing evidence indicates that prolonged sedentary behaviour increases the risk of several chronic health conditions and all-cause mortality. Sedentary behaviour is prevalent among adults in the UK. Quantifying the costs associated with sedentary behaviour is an important step in the development of public health policy. METHODS: National Health Service (NHS) costs associated with prolonged sedentary behaviour (≥6 hours/day) were esti…
Exploring lay views on physical activity and their implications for public health policy. A case study from East Belfast
Demand response to improved walking infrastructure
Perceptions of exercise among people who have not attended cardiac rehabilitation following myocardial infarction
Perceptions of exercise among nonattenders of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) were explored using semi-structured interviews. Analysis indicated that participants did not recognize the cardiovascular benefits of exercise, and perceived keeping active through daily activities as sufficient for health. Health professionals were perceived to downplay the importance of exercise and CR, and medication was viewed as being more important than exercise for p…
The Defeat of a Congressman and Other Parables of Modern India
The Defeat of a Congressman and Other Parables of Modern India
India and the developments in the Soviet Union
India
Randomised controlled trial of home-based walking programmes at and below current recommended levels of exercise in sedentary adults
Objectives: To determine, using unsupervised walking programmes, the effects of exercise at a level lower than currently recommended to improve cardiovascular risk factors and functional capacity. Design: 12 week randomised controlled trial. Setting: Northern Ireland Civil Service; home-based walking. Participants: 106 healthy, sedentary 40 to 61 year old adults of both sexes. Interventions: Participants were randomly allocated to a walking progr…
Perceptions of exercise among people who have not attended cardiac rehabilitation following myocardial infarction
Perceptions of exercise among nonattenders of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) were explored using semi-structured interviews. Analysis indicated that participants did not recognize the cardiovascular benefits of exercise, and perceived keeping active through daily activities as sufficient for health. Health professionals were perceived to downplay the importance of exercise and CR, and medication was viewed as being more important than exercise for p…
P38 The impact of urban renewal on engagement in physical activity in a socio-economically disadvantaged population
Background Most adults in Europe lead sedentary lives; their physical inactivity is associated with a rising prevalence of obesity and is considered to contribute significantly to health inequalities. A recent NICE (2006) review concluded that, “there is an urgent need to conduct research into the effectiveness of environmental interventions, particularly within socially excluded sectors of the population who have the highest prevalence of physic…
How many steps/day are enough? for adults
Physical activity guidelines from around the world are typically expressed in terms of frequency, duration, and intensity parameters. Objective monitoring using pedometers and accelerometers offers a new opportunity to measure and communicate physical activity in terms of steps/day. Various step-based versions or translations of physical activity guidelines are emerging, reflecting public interest in such guidance. However, there appears to be a …
Physical activity and the rejuvenation of Connswater (Parc study)
The Connswater Community Greenway provides a significant opportunity to achieve long-term, population level behaviour change. We argue that urban regeneration may be conceptualised meaningfully as a complex intervention comprising multiple components with the potential, individually and interactively, to affect the behaviour of a diverse population. The development and implementation of our comprehensive evaluation framework reflects this complex…
A lesson in business
The Physical Activity Loyalty card (PAL) scheme is potentially cost-effective from both a healthcare and employer's perspective but further research is warranted to reduce uncertainty in our results. It is based on a sustainable "business model" which should become more cost-effective as it is delivered to more participants and can be adapted to suit other health behaviors and settings. This comes at a time when both UK and US governments are enc…
Validity of the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) in assessing levels and change in moderate-vigorous physical activity and sedentary behaviour
Levels of agreement with objective measurements indicate the GPAQ is a valid measure of MVPA and change in MVPA but is a less valid measure of current levels and change in SB. Thus, GPAQ appears to be an appropriate measure for assessing the effectiveness of interventions to promote MVPA
Exploring lay views on physical activity and their implications for public health policy. A case study from East Belfast
Individual factors and perceived community characteristics in relation to mental health and mental well-being
Self-rated health was associated with both mental health and mental well-being. Of the individual social capital explanatory variables, 'social connections' was more important for mental well-being. Although similarities in the explanatory variables of mental health and mental well-being exist, socio-ecological interventions designed to improve them may not have equivalent impacts in rich and poor neighbourhoods
Hidden” Social Networks in Behavior Change Interventions
We investigated whether “hidden” (or unobserved) social networks were evident in a 2011 physical activity behavior change intervention in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Results showed evidence of unobserved social networks in the intervention and illustrated how the network evolved over short periods and affected behavior. Behavior change interventions should account for the interaction among participants (i.e., social networks) and how such interact…
Demand response to improved walking infrastructure
Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a physical activity loyalty scheme for behaviour change maintenance
ISRCTN17975376 (Registered 19/09/2014)
Time to ‘re-think’ physical activity promotion for young people? Results from a repeated cross-sectional study
Knowledge did not appear to be an important predictor of PA in young people. Consequently, threshold based messaging containing recommended minimum PA guideline information may not be appropriate for this age group. Re-branding PA promotion to include the use of humour may offer a new direction for public health messaging based around fun and enjoyment
Study protocol
The HULAP study has been designed and implemented by a multi-disciplinary team and integrates differing methodologies to purposefully impact on policy and practice on healthy ageing in high and low-middle income countries. It has particular strengths in its combination of objective and self-reported measures using validated tools and the integration of GPS, accelerometer and GIS data to provide a robust assessment of 'spatial energetics'. The str…
Brief Standing Desk Intervention to Reduce Sedentary Behavior at a Physical Activity Conference in 2016
Objectives. To examine the impact of environmental restructuring on attendees at a physical activity conference when provided with standing tables and given point-of-decision prompts (PODPs; e.g., health messages). Methods. This randomized controlled trial took place at the Health-Enhancing Physical Activity Europe 2016 conference in Belfast, United Kingdom, September 2016. We randomly allocated 14 oral sessions to either the intervention group (…
Direct healthcare costs of sedentary behaviour in the UK
BACKGROUND: Growing evidence indicates that prolonged sedentary behaviour increases the risk of several chronic health conditions and all-cause mortality. Sedentary behaviour is prevalent among adults in the UK. Quantifying the costs associated with sedentary behaviour is an important step in the development of public health policy. METHODS: National Health Service (NHS) costs associated with prolonged sedentary behaviour (≥6 hours/day) were esti…
Consequences of physical inactivity in older adults
Correlates of symptoms of anxiety and depression and mental wellbeing associated with Covid-19
Covid-19 Confinement and Health Risk Behaviors in Spain
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a world pandemic due to COVID-19. In response, most affected countries have enacted measures involving compulsory confinement and restrictions on free movement, which likely influence citizens' lifestyles. This study investigates changes in health risk behaviors (HRBs) with duration of confinement. An online cross-sectional survey served to collect data about the Spanish adult population regarding …
Hand-Washing Practices among Adolescents Aged 12–15 Years from 80 Countries
The objectives were to (1) assess the prevalence of hand-washing practices across 80 countries and (2) assess frequency of hand-washing practice by economic status (country income and severe food insecurity), in a global representative sample of adolescents. Cross-sectional data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey 2003-2017 were analyzed. Data on age, sex, hand-washing practices in the past 30 days, and severe food insecurity (i.e.…
Changes in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Response to Covid-19 and Their Associations with Mental Health in 3052 US Adults
The COVID-19 pandemic altered many facets of life. We aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19-related public health guidelines on physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior, mental health, and their interrelations. Cross-sectional data were collected from 3052 US adults 3-8 April 2020 (from all 50 states). Participants self-reported pre- and post-COVID-19 levels of moderate and vigorous PA, sitting, and screen time. Currently-followed public hea…
The Association Between Sedentary Behavior and Sarcopenia Among Adults Aged ≥65 Years in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
The present study aimed to assess the association between sedentary behavior and sarcopenia among adults aged ≥65 years. Cross-sectional data from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health were analyzed. Sarcopenia was defined as having low skeletal muscle mass and either a slow gait speed or a weak handgrip strength. Self-reported sedentary behavior was assessed as a continuous variable (hours per day) and also as a categorical variable (0- 2 …
Medicine (38 works) · Psychology (26 works) · Environmental health (20 works) · Physical Activity and Health (17 works) · Gerontology (16 works) · Psychiatry (16 works) · Psychological intervention (15 works) · Public health (14 works) · Demography (13 works) · Population (13 works)