Elisa Habluetzel Esposito: A Moving Passion for Helping People Move
Biography
Elisa is a postgraduate student at South East Technological University (SETU), Waterford. She has a bachelor's degree in Sport and Exercise Science and a research master’s degree in Human Movement Science. Her current research project focuses on promoting physical activity among people diagnosed with cancer in Ireland. Elisa is passionate about getting people active with approaches that are sustainable in real-world settings. When she is not busy reading papers or talking with people about promoting exercise, she enjoys hiking in the Irish countryside. She boosts her mental energy by lifting weights and releases stress by going to Muay-Thai lessons.
Moving in the countryside
I grew up in a small town in Italy, much like the countryside towns you pass while traveling across Ireland: 6,000 inhabitants, a modest city centre, a handful of family-run shops, a few good restaurants, and a single sports centre. My parents owned a house in the countryside, surrounded by woods and fields. This gave me the freedom to move around and explore, climb trees, crawl under bushes, and play with a variety of farm animals. Participating in sports was more challenging as any activity occurred at the town’s sports centre, 10 km away. Luckily, my parents managed to juggle their schedules and get me there twice a week.
Moving to a big city
Following my passion for movement, I decided to pursue a Bachelor’s in Sport and Exercise Science in a city an hour from my hometown. University life, combined with moving to a larger urban area, marked a significant shift. Aside from studying human anatomy and physiology, I had access to a wide range of sports, including judo, rugby, and baseball. This opportunity-rich context made me grasp the influence of environmental factors on physical activity participation.
Moving to another country
After working for a year as a PE teacher and gym instructor, my interest in how the interplay between individual and external factors shapes physical activity behaviour led me to pursue a Research Master’s. To make the most of it, I decided to move to the Netherlands, one of the leading countries in sport and exercise research. Over two years, I gained a deeper understanding of movement behaviour and the complexities of designing research studies. At the same time, I was struck by the gap between the scientific evidence on the rehabilitative potential of exercise and the current levels of physical activity among clinical populations. Concerned by this disparity, I was driven to start researching practical ways to get individuals more active in their communities.
Moving to Ireland
When the REACH (Resources for Exercise and Active Living) project was advertised on the SETU website, it immediately caught my attention. The use of self-management resources to increase the number of active individuals resonated with my past experiences, particularly the reality that many, especially those in small towns and rural areas, must rely on their initiative to stay physically active. This project presented a unique opportunity to bridge the evidence-practice gap of the benefits of exercise for people with cancer and their actual physical activity levels. Doing so by providing a service that is sustainable beyond the research phase was the cherry on the cake, the reason to move again. The day I arrived in Ireland, I was welcomed by a rare sunny sky. Once I began researching available exercise resources, I could acknowledge that online information is overwhelming, and community services are sparse. It became clear that people should be given an appropriate amount of knowledge about exercise, as well as the right resources to be physically active, depending on the support available to them.
Moving people
To be able to develop resources that answer the support needs of people affected by cancer in Ireland, we are currently conducting a survey to understand their engagement in physical and daily activities, their awareness of exercise benefits, and the social and physical resources available to them. The survey is open to all those who received a cancer diagnosis and is accessible via the project website. The project goes beyond developing resources for the individual. As the name indicates, it aims to reach as many people as possible. To achieve this, I am engaging with community stakeholders, including local sports partnerships and cancer support centres, to determine the most effective way to disseminate the resources without adding unnecessary burden on providers. Once we collectively identify the most practical delivery strategy, we will test resources efficacy and their feasibility in the community.
Moving forward
After the resources and their dissemination are tested, our goal, with the help of policymakers and stakeholders across the country, is to establish a service that provides free, accessible exercise education and support to individuals affected by cancer. This time I will stay to help others move more, in all communities across the Republic of Ireland, in urban and rural areas, in big cities and small towns.
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