rofessor，Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation - Academic Programs

Associate Dean International，Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation - Faculty Affairs

Email：jc.spence@ualberta.ca

Education Background

Career Background

l 2016-2019: Vice Dean, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta.

l 2015-2016: Interim Vice Dean, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta.

l 2011-present: Professor, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta.

l 2010-2015: Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta.

l 2004-2011: Associate Professor, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta.

l 2001-2004: Assistant Professor, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta.

l 1998-2001: Senior Research Associate, Alberta Centre for Well-Being, Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, University of Alberta.

l 1997-1998: Research Coordinator, Alberta Centre for Well-Being, Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, University of Alberta.

l 1996-1997: Research Associate, Alberta Centre for Well-Being, Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, University of Alberta.

Research

Dr. Spence has expertise in the area of behavioural medicine and research methods. His research focuses on both the benefits and determinants of physical activity and how physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour are related to health. Dr. Spence has studied the broad social determinants (e.g., SES) and population physical activity patterns. More recently, he has focused on (a) factors that impact mobility and active transportation; and, (b) the role of policy initiatives such as national strategies for promoting physical activity. Dr. Spence has a strong background in physical activity measurement, meta-analysis, and ecological models of behaviour and health.

Featured Publications

Behavioural correlates of active transport among Canadian adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: The Canadian national active transportation Survey, 2021

John C. Spence, Ashley McCurdy, Christine Cameron, Guy Faulkner

Journal of Transport & Health. 2024 May; 10.1016/j.jth.2024.101797

Effectiveness of the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit: A scoping review

John C. Spence, Amie Mangan, Allison Sivak

Canadian Journal of Public Health. 2024 April; 115 10.17269/s41997-024-00861-1

Challenges and competencies relevant to physical activity specialists in navigating mental health contexts: A scoping review

McCurdy, A., Kim, Y.-B., Lamboglia, C., Lindeman, C., Mangan, A., Faulkner, G., Rodgers, W., & Spence, J. C.

Kinesiology Review. 2024 January; X 10.1123/kr.2023-0020

Continuous-time modeling of the multivariate relationships between physical activity levels and stationary time in preschool-aged children: An investigation of the ActivityStat hypothesis

Lamboglia, C. G., Ruissen, G., Kuzik, N., Carson, V., & Spence, J. C.

Journal of Activity, Sedentary and Sleep Behaviors, . 2023 December; 2 10.1186/s44167-023-00039-z

Support for active transport policy initiatives among Canadian adults: The Canadian National Active Transportation Survey

McCurdy, A., Faulkner, G., Cameron, C., Costas Bradstreet, C., & Spence, J. C.

Active Travel Studies. 2023 November; 3 (2):Article 8 10.16997/ats.1450

Predicting family physician physical activity electronic medical record inputs

Lindeman, C., Golonka, R., Klein, D., Stickland, M., & Spence, J. C.

Preventive Medicine. 2023 October; 10.1016/j.ypmed.2023.107702

Investigation of movement-related behaviors and energy compensation in people living with liver disease: A scoping review

Lamboglia, C. A., McCurdy, A. P., Kim, Y.-B., Lindeman, C., Mangan, A., Sivak, A., Mager, D., & Spence, J. C.

Journal of Sports Sciences. 2022 June; 40 (12):1299-1307 10.1080/02640414.2022.2065087

Ambient air pollution and movement behaviours: A scoping review

Kim, Y.-B., McCurdy, A. P., Lamboglia, C. G., Hakimi, S., Kuzik, N., Lee, E.-Y., Lindeman, C., Sivak, A., & Spence, J. C.

Health & Place. 2021 October; 72 10.1016/j.healthplace.2021.102676

The use of a non-refundable tax credit to increase children’s participation in physical activity in Alberta, Canada

Stearns, J. A., Veugelers, P., McHugh, T.-L., Sprysak, C., & Spence, J. C

Journal of Physical Activity and Health. 2021 June; 18 (9):1067–1073 10.1123/jpah.2020-0217

Determinants of physical activity among adults in the United Kingdom during the COVID‐19 pandemic: The DUK‐COVID study

Spence, J. C., Rhodes, R. E., McCurdy, A., Mangan, A., Hopkins, D., & Mummery, W. K.

2021 May; 26 10.1111/bjhp.12497

Potential impact of autonomous vehicles on movement behavior: A scoping review

Spence, J. C., Kim, Y.- B., Lamboglia, C. G., Lindeman, C., Mangan, A. J., McCurdy, A. P., Stearns, J. A., Sivak, A., Wohlers, B., & Clark, M. I.

2020 January; 58 (6):e191-e199 10.1016/j.amepre.2020.01.010

Challenging the Dual-Hinge Approach to Intervening on Sedentary Behavior

Spence, J. C., Rhodes, R. E., & Carson, V.

American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2016 December; 52 (3):403–406 10.1016/j.amepre.2016.10.019

Active Canada 20/20: A physical activity plan for Canada

Spence, J. C., Faulkner, G., Costas-Bradstreet, C., Duggan, M., & Tremblay, M. S.

Canadian Journal of Public Health. 2015 January; 106 (8):e470–e473

Toward a comprehensive model of physical activity

140. Spence, J. C., & Lee, R. E.

Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 2003 January; 4 (1):7-24