Centre staff
Dr Robert Copeland
Principal research fellow
Phone 0114 225 5635
E-mail r.j.copeland@shu.ac.uk
Research interests/current work
Major research interests focus on the role of exercise/physical activity in the treatment and prevention of childhood obesity. Current work portfolio focuses on the development of sport psychology programmes for the corporate arena, workplace wellness and athlete support.
Profile
Dr Robert Copeland is a principal research fellow with over 12 years experience of working within research, consultancy and practice. Robert's specific area of expertise is sport and exercise psychology, with his current research and consultancy portfolio focusing on designing physical activity and behavior change interventions in public health, specifically obesity.
Robert's PhD focused on exercise as a psychological therapy in obese adolescents during which he delivered over a thousand sessions of exercise counselling with overweight and obese adolescents and continues to hold this as his main focus of research. Robert has also worked within a wide range of sports including professional golf, football, tennis and snooker and is sport psychologist to Steve Peat current UCI men's downhill mountain bike world champion. Robert has also worked with chief executives and senior manager's applying proven sports psychology techniques to a business environment. Robert has expertise in work-placed/corporate wellness, exercise referral systems and phase IV cardiac rehabilitation. Recent consultancy work includes; NHS Sheffield, UCI world cycling, NHS Barnsley, BMBC, Durham County Sports Partnership, PMPGenesis, Euro-pro tour golf, World Snooker, Tees Valley Sport and RARE creative. Robert is an accredited member of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Science in Sport and Exercise psychology.
Selection of current research grants held
A randomised controlled trial and cost-effectiveness evaluation of 'booster' interventions to sustain increases in physical activity in middle-aged adults in deprived urban neighbourhoods. Health Technologies Assessment. £1.2million. Site Principal Investigator (2009 - )
Effectiveness of a physical activity behaviour change programme for overweight individuals and their families in nine deprived areas of Barnsley. NHS £1.1million. Principal Investigator (2009 - )
Evaluation of Sheffield - Let's Change for Life. A healthy community's challenge fund programme. Department of Health. £175,000. Principal Investigator (2008 - )
The use of a biological marker, 5-HT2C genotype, as a predictor of motivation, adherence and weight loss in participants of an obesity intervention programme. BIAL. £35,000. Co-investigator (2007 - )
Selected publications since 2005
Hind, D., Scott, E.J., Copeland, R.J., Breckon, J.D., Crank, H., Walters, S.J., Brazier, J.E., Nicholl, J., Cooper, C. and Goyder, E. (2010) A randomised controlled trial and cost-effectiveness evaluation of 'booster' interventions to sustain increases in physical activity in middle-aged adults in deprived urban neighbourhoods. BMC Public Health, 10:3
Dalton, C.F., Breckon, J.D., De Silva, N., Copeland, R.J., Hall, A.J., Kesterton, S.W. and Reynolds, G.P. (2010). [Poster presentation]. Polymorphisms in serotonin and dopamine receptor genes influence weight loss, motivation and eating behaviours. 'Behind and Beyond the Brain'. The 8th Bial Symposium with a theme of 'Intuition and Decision-making'. Casa do Medico, PortoBIAL, Portugal.
Stanniford, L.J., Breckon, J.D., Copeland, R.J. and Hutchison, A., (Under review) Key Stakeholders perspectives towards childhood obesity treatment: a qualitative study.
Stanniford, L.J., Breckon, J.D., and Copeland, R.J (Under review). Treatment of Childhood Obesity: A Systematic Review.
Daley, A. J., Copeland, R. J., Wright, N. P., and Wales, J. K. (2008). 'I can actually exercise if I want to; it isn't as hard as I thought': A qualitative study of the experiences and views of obese adolescents participating in an exercise therapy intervention. Journal of Health Psychology, 13. 810-819.
Copeland, R. J., Daley, A. J., Wright, N. P., and Wales, J. K. (2006). Lower limb versus aerobic ratings of perceived exertion in clinically obese adolescents. Journal of Sport Sciences. 25, 61
Daley, A. J., Copeland, R. J., Wright, N. P., Roalfe, A., and Wales, J. K. (2006). Exercise therapy as a treatment for psychopathologic conditions in obese and morbidly obese adolescents: A randomized, controlled trial. Paediatrics, 118, 2126-2134
Crank, H, Bourke, L., Rosario, D., Daley, A.J., Copeland, R.J., Saxton, J.M. (2009). Prostate patients' experiences of an exercise research trial: [Abstract] A qualitative study.
Copeland, R. J., Crowley, H., and Anderson (2009). What is the current evidence for the effectiveness of physical activity interventions in the UK. [Oral Presentation]. Northumberland County Sports Partnership Regional Assembly.
Copeland, R. J., Crowley, H., and Anderson (2009). Physical activity interventions and provision. County Durham. [Oral Presentation].
Copeland, R. J., (2008). Exercise, behaviour change and childhood obesity. UK convention on the treatment and prevention of childhood obesity: [Oral Presentation] Leeds Metropolitan University.
Copeland, R. J., Daley, A. J., Wright, N. P., and Wales, J. K. (2008). Exercise as a psychological therapy. [Oral presentation] Faculty of Health and Wellbeing Conference. Millennium Galleries. Sheffield.
Copeland, R. J., (2008). Tackling child and adolescent obesity. Evidence, policy and practice. [Oral presentation] Sheffield.
Copeland, R. J., Daley, A. J., Wright, N. P., and Wales, J. K. (2006). Children's Exercise Trials: UK and Overseas: Protocol for: Sheffield obesity trial (SHOT): [Oral presentation] Obesity and Health, Manchester.
Copeland, R. J., Daley, A. J., Wright, N. P., and Wales, J. K. (2006). Exercise therapy as a treatment for psychopathologic conditions in obese and morbidly obese adolescents: A randomized controlled trial. [Oral presentation] UK convention on the treatment and prevention of childhood obesity: Leeds Metropolitan University.
Daley, A. J., Copeland, R. J., Wright, N. P., and Wales, J. K. (2005). Protocol for: Sheffield obesity trial (SHOT): A randomised controlled trial of exercise therapy and mental health outcomes in obese adolescents. BMC Public Health [Electronic Resource], 5, 113
Copeland, R. J., Daley, A. J., Wright, N. P., and Wales, J. K. (2005). Psychological and fitness characteristics of obese and morbidly obese adolescents. [Abstract] British Society of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes.
