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Professor Timo Jaakkola has focused his research on physical education since the beginning of his career. Over the years, his research has expanded from motivational factors of PE education to include the study of physical activity, motor skills, and the measurement of motor skills and physical condition.  

Experimental research of physical activity in the school environment  

Professor Jaakkola is currently planning an intervention study to comprehensively increase the physical activity of schoolchildren during the school day. 

“My goal is to implement a whole-of-school approach physical activity intervention in schools. The aim is to influence physical activity in various ways throughout the school day, including academic lessons, PE classes, breaks, and extracurricular activities, and to analyse the impact of these changes on the well-being of schoolchildren."  

In another planned research project, Professor Jaakkola and his colleagues will analyse extensive research data collected since 1976. The long-term follow-up study will clarify how physical condition in childhood and adolescence and physical activity throughout life are related to illness, sick leave and wellbeing in late middle age.  

Professor Jaakkola is leading the research of physical condition in the SchoolWell project, which is funded by the Research Council of Finland and studies the comprehensive wellbeing of schoolchildren in the Finnish school context.   

The polarisation of children’s physical activity is a worrying trend   

Jaakkola is particularly concerned about the polarisation of physical activity among children and adolescents.  

“We have a growing number of children and young people who exercise very little. The amount of exercise they do reduces significantly from the age of seven to 15. Only a small proportion of 15-year-olds fulfil the physical activity recommendations.”   

Well-being factors are also becoming polarised, with children facing increased health and social challenges. According to Jaakkola, this is not only because physical activity has decreased, but also because of excessive screen time.  

“Physical activity is a great tool to promote well-being. It creates situations in which children and adolescents can challenge themselves and be part of social groups.”  

Through the means of research, Jaakkola aims to understand why children are so inactive and how they can be motivated to be more active.  

“My research is driven by a desire to understand and influence – to find solutions that will increase children’s physical activity and well-being.”  

Timo Jaakkola has served as a lecturer in sport pedagogy at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences since 2003, becoming an associate professor in 2020. He has written a great deal of teaching material, including research-based theory books and practical textbooks for physical education and teacher training in PE. In his teaching, he has identified key research areas that he will pursue in his professorship, commencing on 1 September 2025.  

Further information:  

Professor Timo Jaakkola 
Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, Ģ��ֱ�� 
timo.jaakkola@jyu.fi, +358 40 805 3949