Dr Nicola McWhannell | University of Chester

Senior Lecturer

Nicola joined the department in January 2011 having previously completed her PhD at Liverpool John Moores University.

Nicola is a qualified teacher and has spent 3 years teaching Physical Education at secondary level on the Wirral. Nicola teaches in the PE and sports pedagogy and physiology areas at undergraduate level on the BSc Sport and Exercise Sciences degree programme and teaches across the modules on the BSc Physical Education degree programme. Her research is largely based on physical activity, body composition and bone mineral density in children and children’s fundamental movement skills.

External Roles

Nicola has reviewed papers for European Physical Activity Review and Perceptual Motor Skills

Nicola's teaching areas include all PE and Sport Pedagogy at undergraduate level and exercise physiology at undergraduate level. Nicola teaches on the followng modules:

Introduction to the Physiology of Exercise (Level 4)
Introduction to Sports Coaching and Pedagogy (Level 4)
Introduction to the Pedagogy of Physical Education (Level 4)
Sports Coaching and Pedagogy (Level 5)
Pedagogy of Physical Education (Level 5)
Teaching and Learning in Physical Education (Level 5)
Experiential Learning in Applied Sport Science (Level 5)
Research Methods in PE and Sport and Pedagogy (Level 5)
Measurement and Evaluation Issues in Sport and Exercise Physiology (Level 5)
Applied Sports Coaching and Pedagogy (Level 6)
Practical Pedagogy of PE (Level 6)
Exercise in Health and Disease (Level 6)
Research methods: dissertation (Level 6)

Nicola also supervises dissertation students at Level 6 across both of these areas.

Research interests

Physical activity and body composition in children
Physical activity promotion and intervention
Fundamental movement skills
Body composition of elite rugby league and handball players

Selected publications

Füssenich L., Boddy L., Green D., Graves L., Foweather L., Dagger R., McWhannell, N., Henaghan J., Ridgers N., Stratton G., Hopkins N. (2016). Physical activity guidelines and cardiovascular risk in children: a cross-sectional analysis to determine whether 60 minutes is enough. BMC Public Health. DOI

McWhannell, N., Henaghan, JL., Foweather, L., Doran, DA., Batterham, A.M., Reilly, T., et al. (2008). The effect of a 9-week physical activity programme on bone and body composition of children aged 10-11 years: an exploratory trial. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 29, (12), 941-7.

Graves LE, Batterham AM, Foweather L, McWhannell N, Hopkins ND, Boddy LM, Gobbi R, Stratton G (2013, Epub ahead of print) Scaling of Peak Oxygen Uptake in Children: A Comparison of 3 Body Size Index Models. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

Hopkins, N., Stratton, G., Tinken, T., Ridgers, N., Graves, L., McWhannell, N., et al. (2011). Seasonal Reduction in Physical Activity and Flow-Mediated Dilation in Children. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 43(2), 232-8.

Hopkins, N.D., Green, D.J., Tinken, T.M., Sutton, L., McWhannell, N., Cable, N.T., et al. (2010) Does brachial artery flow-mediated dilation scale to anthropometric characteristics? European Journal of Applied Physiology, 110(1):171-6.

Hopkins, N.D., Green, D.J., Tinken, T.M., Sutton, L., McWhannell, N., Thijssen, D.H., et al. (2009). Does conduit artery diameter vary according to the anthropometric characteristics of children or men? American Journal of Physiology. Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 297(6), H2182-7.

Hopkins, N.D., Stratton, G., Tinken, T.M., McWhannell, N., Ridgers, N.D., Graves, L.E., et al. (2009). Relationships between measures of fitness, physical activity, body composition and vascular function in children. Atherosclerosis, 204(1), 244-9.

All publications by year

2018

McWhannell, N., Foweather, L., Graves, LEF., Henaghan, JL., Ridgers, ND., Stratton, G. (2018). From Surveillance to Intervention: Overview and Baseline Findings for the Active City of Liverpool Active Schools and SportsLinx (A-CLASS) Project. The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(4), 582. DOI

2017

McWhannell, N., Triggs, C., Moss, S. (2017). Perceptions and measurement of playtime physical activity in English primary school children: The influence of socioeconomic status. European Physical Education Review. DOI

2016

2015

Moss SL, McWhannell N, Michalsik LB, Twist C (2015). Anthropometric and physical performance characteristics of top-elite, elite and non-elite youth female team handball players. Journal of Sports Sciences, 33(17): 1780-9. DOI

2013

2011

Hopkins, N., Stratton, G., Tinken, T., Ridgers, N., Graves, L., McWhannell, N., et al. (2011). Seasonal Reduction in Physical Activity and Flow-Mediated Dilation in Children. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 43(2), 232-8.

2010

Hopkins, N.D., Green, D.J., Tinken, T.M., Sutton, L., McWhannell, N., Cable, N.T., et al. (2010) Does brachial artery flow-mediated dilation scale to anthropometric characteristics? European Journal of Applied Physiology, 110(1):171-6.

2009

Hopkins, N.D., Green, D.J., Tinken, T.M., Sutton, L., McWhannell, N., Thijssen, D.H., et al. (2009). Does conduit artery diameter vary according to the anthropometric characteristics of children or men? American Journal of Physiology. Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 297(6), H2182-7.

Hopkins, N.D., Stratton, G., Tinken, T.M., McWhannell, N., Ridgers, N.D., Graves, L.E., et al. (2009). Relationships between measures of fitness, physical activity, body composition and vascular function in children. Atherosclerosis, 204(1), 244-9.

2008

Foweather, L., McWhannell, N., Henaghan, J., Lees, A., Stratton, G., & Batterham, A.M. (2008). Effect of a 9-wk. after-school multiskills club on fundamental movement skill proficiency in 8- to 9-yr.-old children: an exploratory trial. Perceptual Motor Skills, 106(3):745-54.

Henaghan, J., McWhannell, N., Foweather, L., Cable, N.T., Batterham, A.M., Stratton, G., et al. (2008). The effect of structured exercise classes and a lifestyle intervention on cardiovascular risk factors in primary schoolchildren: an exploratory trial (The A-CLASS Project). Pediatric Exercise Science, 20(2):169-80.

Published abstracts

McWhannell N, Henaghan JL, Foweather L, Graves, LEF, Reilly T, Stratton G. (2011). The effect of structured and lifestyle physical activity interventions on body fat and physical activity in 9-11year old children: The A-CLASS Project. The 16th Annual Congress of the European College of Sports Science, Book of Abstracts.

BSc (Hons), PhD, QTS