Tiago Barreira

Associate Professor, Exercise Science, Falk College of Sport & Human Dynamics Link

Faculty Affiliate, Aging Studies Institute
Faculty Affiliate, Center for Aging and Policy Studies

CAPS Biography:

My research contributes to CAPS signature theme of health and well-being. As an expert in measurement and evaluation. I have collaborated on studies investigating step cadence and physical intensity among older adults and that association with cardiometabolic risk. I have worked extensively with objective measurement of physical behaviors (i.e., physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep), more specifically in the use of pedometers and accelerometers. In my research, I have focused on four aspects related to physical behavior measurement: (1) establishing validity and reliability of evidence of physical behavior measurement methods/tools (i.e., questionnaires, pedometers, accelerometers), (2) determining how to use the measurement tools to obtain reliable and accurate information on behavior patterns, (3) the use of measurement tools as a motivation to promote healthier lifestyles, and (4) investigating the relationship between human behavior and cardiovascular disease risk factors. My work in the area includes developing an automated algorithm for the detection of sleep with waist-worn accelerometers and accelerometer data processing for numerous projects, publication of sleep time norms for the U.S. population, and several collaborative studies that measure physical behaviors across the lifespan.