Richard Larouche

Richard (he/him) is an Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Lethbridge where he holds the Board of Governors Research Chair in Physical Activity Epidemiology. He is currently the Principal Investigator of a 17-country study that aims to develop and validate the app-based Global Adolescent and Child Physical Activity Questionnaire (GAC-PAQ). His research interests include active transportation, physical activity, outdoor play, independent mobility, sustainability, and climate change. Richard is the Editor of the book Children’s Active Transportation, published by Elsevier in 2018. 

He has published over 110 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, delivered over 150 presentations, and obtained over $3.2 million in competitive research funding. In 2019, he cycled across Canada to raise funds for research on Alzheimer’s disease. Richard is also a competitive long-distance runner, hiker, and advocate for planetary health and social justice.

Education:

• PhD, University of Ottawa, 2013
• MSc, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, 2009
• BSc, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, 2007

Experience:

Dr. Richard Larouche has 20 years of experience through various professional practices, such as being a founding member and Board of Directors member of Outdoor Play Canada. the list below provides examples of his professional memberships and work:

• North American Representative on the Board of Directors of the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance
• Scientific Review Committee member, Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada
• Editorial Board member, Journal of Physical Activity & Health

He is also a member of the following associations:

• International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
• International Society for Physical Activity and Health
• Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology

Teaching Experience:

His teaching experiences expands over 10 years through the following areas of specialization:

• Public Health
• Research methods
• Kinesiology

Courses taught:

• HLSC 3260 Research in the Health Sciences
• HLSC 3002 Health Promotion
• PUBH 2000 Population Health
• PUBH 5000 Applied Public Health Research Methods

Research Focus: 

His areas of current research include:

• Active transportation
• Physical activity
• Outdoor play
• Independent mobility
• Sustainability
• Climate Change

Current and Recent Grants:

• Board of Governors Research Chair in Physical Activity Epidemiology (2025-2030), University of Lethbridge
• Development and validation of the Global Adolescent and Child Physical Activity Questionnaire (GAC-PAQ): A multi-country study across six continents (2022-2027), Canadian Institutes of Health Research
• Tracking independent mobility and movement behaviours during childhood: A multi-site longitudinal study (2019-2024), Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

Research Contributions: 

• Larouche R, Neves de Oliveira S, Rostami Haji Abadi M, et al. (2026). Content validation of the Global Adolescent and Child Physical Activity Questionnaire (GAC-PAQ) in low-, middle-, and high-income countries across six continents. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 15, 101074.
• Larouche R, Duffy RT, Larsen K, Bélanger M, Brussoni M, Faulkner G, Gunnell K, Tremblay MS. (2026). Social-ecological correlates of children’s outdoor playtime and their interaction with gender: a national longitudinal study. Environmental Research, 292, 123625.
• Campos-Garzon P, Koen L, Aubert S, Sarmiento OL, Tremblay MS, Larouche R. (2026). Active transportation surveillance in children and adolescents: a global review using Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance Global Matrix 4.0 data. Journal of Transport & Health, 49, 102341.
• Rostami Haji Abadi M, Sadia F, Moore SA, Tremblay MS, & Larouche R. (2026). Inclusion of children with chronic diseases or disabilities in studies assessing measurement properties of physical activity questionnaires: a literature review. Journal of Physical Activity & Health, 23, 585-599.
• Rostami Haji Abadi M, Kwaghbo N, Onyeso OK, (…) & Larouche R. (2025). Psychometric properties of physical activity questionnaires for children and adolescents: an updated systematic review. Sports Medicine, 55, 2225-2301.
• Lee E-Y, Park S, Kim Y-B, Liu H, Mistry P, Nguyen K, Oh Y, James ME, Lâm S, de Lannoy L, Larouche R, Manyanga T, Morrison S, Prince SA, Ross-White A, Vanderloo LM, Wachira L-J, Tremblay, MS. (2025). Ambient environmental conditions and active outdoor play in the context of climate change: A systematic review and meta-synthesis. Environmental Research, 283, 122146.
• Larouche R, Rostami Haji Abadi M, Aubert S, et al. (2024). Development and validation of the Global Adolescent and Child Physical Activity Questionnaire (GAC-PAQ) in 14 countries: Study protocol. BMJ Open, 14: e082275.
• Larouche R, Kleinfeld M, Charles Rodriguez U, et al. (2023). Determinants of outdoor time in children and youth: a systematic review of longitudinal and intervention studies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20, 1328.
• Larouche R, Charles Rodriguez U, Nayakarathna R, Scott DR (2020). Effect of major life events on travel behaviours: a scoping review. Sustainability, 12 (24), 10392.

Awards and Recognitions

• Early Career Investigator Prize, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2022-2023
• Outstanding Trainee Award, CHEO Research Institute, 2015