Prof
Sarahjane
Belton
Academic biography
Sarahjane is Professor of Health and Physical Activity in the School of Health and Human Performance at Dublin City University. She has held a number of leadership roles within the School, including Head of School (2019–2022) and Programme Chair for Physical Education (2008–2012 and 2015–2019).
Sarahjane’s research focuses on education, health, and behaviour change, with a particular emphasis on the design, implementation and evaluation of evidence-based interventions that support wellbeing across the lifespan. Her earlier work centred on childhood physical activity and health, examining areas such as physical literacy, physical activity and fitness, motivation and attitudes, physical competence, and health literacy. She has extensive experience in developing and evaluating physical and health literacy education programmes from early childhood through adolescence, and has led or contributed to several national initiatives including Y-PATH (Youth – Physical Activity Towards Health), Kids Active, LifeLab, and Moving Well Being Well.
Building on this foundation in education and intervention science, Sarahjane’s research now also focuses on rehabilitation in chronic illness. Her current work examines how education, behaviour change, and self-regulation approaches can support rehabilitation and self-management among adults living with long-term conditions. In particular, she is interested in the role of autonomic function in chronic illness and the development of rehabilitation interventions that support recovery, participation, and improved quality of life.
Sarahjane collaborates widely with national agencies and interdisciplinary research teams. She has published textbooks and peer-reviewed research, and has presented her work at numerous national and international conferences.
Sarahjane graduated with a degree in Physical Education and Mathematics from the University of Limerick in 2001. After a year teaching physical education at second level, she completed her PhD in Physical Activity and Health at the University of Limerick in 2006. She lectured in Physical Education at St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra (2006–2007) before joining the School of Health and Human Performance at Dublin City University in 2007.
Research interests
Key Research Interests: Physical and Health literacy in adolescents; Rehabilitation programmes for chronic illness; Intervention development and evaluation
Sarahjane is an Associate Professor of Physical Education at the School of Health and Human Performance at DCU. Sarahjane researches in the field of childhood physical activity and health, encompassing all related aspects from physical activity and fitness, motivation and attitudes, to fundamental movement skill abilities. Much of her work centres on developing and evaluating physical literacy and health literacy intervention programmes, from pre-school level up to post primary. She lead on, and been involved in, the development, evaluation and dissemination of many national youth school based physical and health literacy interventions including Y-PATH (Youth-Physical Activity Towards Health), Moving Well Being Well, Kids Active, and LifeLab, has collaborated with many national agencies in this endeavour, and has published numerous text books and papers in this field. Sarahjane is also interested in the role of autonomic dysfunction in a range of chronic illnesses, and the development of rehabilitation intervention programmes targeting recovery from the perspective of autonomic function.