Home>Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences>Centre for Health, Activity and Wellbeing



What is CAWR

The Centre for Health, Activity and Wellbeing Research (CAWR) is Cardiff Metropolitan’s newest research centre. Located within the School of Sport and Health Sciences, and the University’s Health and Human Performance Global Academy, it draws from staff, research interests and expertise from across the School and the University as a whole. We are interdisciplinary in our perspective and adopt collaborative, co-production centred working practices. Having strong links with other university based research centres and organisations from across Wales, the UK and internationally, it aims to be the ‘go to’ Centre for health, activity and wellbeing research in Wales.


CAWR's Vision

Adopting a contemporary approach to problem solving we work together with communities and special populations to improve health and wellbeing locally, nationally and internationally.


CAWR's Scope

In line with the current and far-reaching health and wellbeing agenda in our society, CAWR aims to address some of society’s biggest challenges. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (2015) and the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act (2015) our paramount to our focus, and our specific areas of interest include:

  • Prevention, treatment and management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs)

  • Physical inactivity

  • Mental health and quality of life

  • Physical health and its education across the lifespan

  • Overweight/obesity

  • Prevention, treatment and management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs)


CAWR's Approach:

To address these challenges the CAWR aims to:

  • Develop innovative solutions

  • Adopt sustainable, inclusive, life course approaches

  • Assume a socio-ecological perspective

  • Use systems-based approaches for health improvement/health and wellbeing

  • Adopt inclusive, multi- and inter-disciplinary approaches with co-production at their core.


CAWR's Director

The Director of CAWR is Professor Diane Crone. Diane has extensive experience of applied, pragmatic research in the area of health and wellbeing, and specifically physical activity and art interventions for mental health improvement.

She joined the university in 2019 and brings with her a wealth of experience leading research and evaluation across the UK and internationally. She is passionate about ensuring research and its outcomes are both collaborative and directly influence policy and practice in our communities.

At the launch of CAWR she stated: "Our ambition is to be the ‘go to’ Centre for the development of health, activity and wellbeing research in Wales.”