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Dr Charlotte Kerner
Senior Lecturer in Sport Health and Exercise Sciences

Heinz Wolff 211

Summary

Dr Charlotte Kerner is a Senior Lecturer in Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences whose research examines the social and psychological factors influencing physical activity and body image.

Her early work focused on motivation for physical activity participation, particularly among young people, and explored how pedagogical environments can support engagement in physical activity. This research also examined the relationships between physical activity environments and body image outcomes.

Dr Kerner’s more recent research explores the role of digital technologies, including health and fitness social media (e.g. Instagram and TikTok) and wearable technologies, in influencing body image, exercise motivation, and health behaviours across different populations.

Her current work focuses particularly on the social, behavioural, and psychological implications of GLP-1 medications. Recent publications examine social media representations of GLP-1 medications on TikTok, while current projects explore how GLP-1 medications may influence body image and physical activity behaviours.

Her emerging research interests also include visible differences and appearance-related experiences, including exploring conceptual links with body image and body functionality theory, and the place of physical activity in the lives of those living with visible differences

Qualifications

PhD- Physical Activity and Physical Education Psychology - University of Bedfordshire - 2015

PgCert - Physical Activity and Well-being. University of Bedfordshire- 2009

BSc (Hons) Sports Studies. De Montfort University - 2008

Responsibility

  • Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences (Physical Education, Coaching and Social Issues) Programme Leader

Newest selected publications

Kerner, C. (2026) '“A chronic headache and a couple of wonky eyes”: Understanding how strabismus relates to body image and body functionality. A thematic analysis of autoethnographic narratives'. Journal of Health Psychology, 0 (accepted, in press). ISSN: 1359-1053 Open Access Link

Journal article

Kerner, C. and Prescott, A. (2026) 'A Descriptive Content Analysis of Weight Loss Injectables on UK TikTok: #Mounjaro'. European Journal of Health Communication (EJHC), 7 (1). pp. 31 - 47.Open Access Link

Journal article

Beddoe, A., Hings, R. and Kerner, C. (2025) '“Making Choices for Yourself”: A Qualitative Visual Methods Study on Adolescent Boys’ Autonomy in Physical Activity'. Journal of Adolescent Research, 0 (ahead of print). pp. 1 - 38. ISSN: 0743-5584 Open Access Link

Journal article

Bell, C., Cocks, A., Hills, L. and Kerner, C. (2025) 'The relationship between social media, exercise motivation and exercise behaviour in physically active men'. Journal of Health Psychology, 31 (1). pp. 183 - 198. ISSN: 1359-1053 Open Access Link

Journal article

Bell, C., Cocks, A., Hills, L. and Kerner, C. (2024) 'Active and passive social media use: Relationships with body image in physically active men'. New Media and Society, 27 (12). pp. 6453 - 6471. ISSN: 1461-4448 Open Access Link

Journal article
More publications(23)