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/s12966-024-01650-2h
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://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114523000387
https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.12628
Prize And Awards
- Research Excellence Award
- Recipient
- 2024
- Research Excellence Award
- Recipient
- 2023
Publications
- 2026 Active Healthy Kids Scotland Report Card
- Bardid Farid, Reilly John, Carballo Mia, Tomaz Simone A, Craig Leone C A, Robertson Jenni, Inchley Joanna, Stewart Cameron
- (2026)
- Active Healthy Kids Scotland
- Bardid Farid, Reilly John, Carballo Mia, Paul David
- (2026)
- Probability of meeting the restrained sitting guideline in early childhood : an international cross-sectional study
- Spring Katherine E, Webster E Kipling, Beyl Robbie A, Abdeta Chalchisa, Aoko Oluwayomi Abolade, Bayasgalan Jambaldorj, Byambaa Ankhmaa, Chelly Mohamed Souhaiel, Chia Michael, Del Pozo-Cruz Jesus, Draper Catherine, Engberg Elina, Ghofranipour Fazlollah, Guan Hongyan, Ha Amy S, El Hamdouchi Asmaa, Zarghani Najmeh Hamzavi, Hossain Mohammad Sorowar, Jáuregui Alejandra, Koh Denise, Kontsevaya Anna, Löf Marie, Lubree Himangi, Mwase-Vuma Tawonga, Reilly John J, Tanaka Chiaki, Teo Wei-Peng, Turrab Ali, Uzicanin Edin, Veldman Sanne, Okely Anthony D, Katzmarzyk Peter T, Staiano Amanda E
- Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2026.04.018
- Movement behaviour and active play space standards : a review of early childhood education frameworks in the United Kingdom
- Phillips Sophie M, Jones Dan, Howells Kristy, Bardid Farid, Reilly John J, Tucker Patricia
- International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy Vol 20 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s40723-026-00172-7
- Temporal associations of physical activity volume, intensity, and timing with sleep in preschool‐aged children
- Huang Wendy Yajun, Feng Jie, Sit Cindy Hui‐Ping, Reilly John J, Khan Asaduzzaman
- Journal of Sleep Research Vol 35 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.70162
- Evaluating school-based obesity prevention interventions in 6- to 12-year-old children : a scoping review of all reported outcomes and expert consultation
- Altenburg Teatske M, de Vries Lotte W, Grooten Iris J, van 't Hooft Janneke, van Deutekom Arend W, Roseboom Tessa, van den Akker Erica, Duncan Michael, Ekelund Ulf, Reilly John J, Reilly Lisa, Stafleu Annette, Standage Martyn, Chinapaw Mai J M, Harrington Deirdre M
- Obesity Reviews (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.70125
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 3rd year and larger research dissertation projects in 4th year.
Research Interests
See Personal Statement above for Research Interest.
A number of recent research projects have been included in news articles in The Conversation- links below
https://theconversation.com/obesity-is-more-common-than-you-think-heres-why-131341
https://theconversation.com/why-fidgeting-could-be-good-for-your-childs-health-122346
Professional Activities
- Active Healthy Kids Scotland at Summer of Sport
- Contributor
- 8/7/2026
- Children need to ‘move more, sleep more and use screens less’
- Contributor
- 17/6/2026
- Move for Brain Health: Insights from the 2026 Active Healthy Kids Scotland Report Card
- Speaker
- 16/6/2026
- Picture (Not) Taken: The Impact of COVID-19 on Childhood Physical Activity and Health in Scotland
- Contributor
- 2/6/2026
- Stories from Strathclyde: Celebrating our work with children and young people
- Participant
- 15/5/2025
- Activity and diet policies “almost certainly” mitigated pandemic effect
- Contributor
- 8/5/2025
Projects
- Providing Accessible Local Data on the True Prevalence of Childhood Obesity
- Reilly, John (Principal Investigator) Bardid, Farid (Co-investigator) Stewart, Ryan (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2026 - 23-Jan-2026
- Interactive Dashboard for Better Public Health Insights: Active Healthy Kids Scotland
- Stewart, Ryan (Principal Investigator) Bardid, Farid (Principal Investigator) Reilly, John (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2026 - 14-Jan-2026
- Investigating 24-hour movement behaviours in young people with Intellectual Disabilities in Scotland
- Muirhead, Fiona (Principal Investigator) Bardid, Farid (Co-investigator) Crawford, Megan (Co-investigator) Donnachie, Craig (Co-investigator) Reilly, John (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2025 - 01-Jan-2026
- 24-hour Movement Behaviours, Child Development, and Families in the Early Years: Active Healthy Families
- John, Jessica (Researcher) Bardid, Farid (Principal Investigator) Reilly, John (Co-investigator) Henderson, Marion (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2028
- Move for brain health: Active Healthy Kids Scotland Report Card
- Bardid, Farid (Principal Investigator) Reilly, John (Co-investigator) Carballo, Mia (Researcher)
- 01-Jan-2025 - 01-Jan-2026
- Digital Childhood: Reducing Health Risks of Screen Time in Early Childhood in Europe
- Reilly, John (Principal Investigator) Bardid, Farid (Co-investigator)
- 30-Jan-2025 - 29-Jan-2026
Contact
Professor
John
Reilly
Physical Activity and Health
Email: john.j.reilly@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 4235