Bonnie Furzer

A sport-based mental health intervention for children at risk of mental illness

We know that sport, when the appropriate environment is provided, can be an enriching experience for children – with many physical and mental health benefits.

The Stride Program

Young adults, aged 18-24 years, are currently experiencing the highest rates of mental health challenges relative to the general population.

Exercise and Gender Services for Young People

Trans and gender diverse young people are at very high risk for poor mental health, self-harming, and suicide attempts.

Physical activity interventions for the promotion of mental health outcomes in at-risk children and adolescents: a systematic review

Many young people are exposed to risk factors that increase their risk of mental illness. Physical activity provision is an increasingly popular approach to protect against mental illness in the face of these risk factors. We examined the effectiveness of physical activity interventions for the promotion of mental health outcomes in at-risk children and adolescents.

The implementation of exercise therapy within hospital-based mental healthcare: Delphi study

The physical health comorbidities and premature mortality experienced by people with mental illness has led to an increase in exercise services embedded as part of standard care in hospital-based mental health services. Despite the increase in access to exercise services for people experiencing mental illness, there is currently a lack of guidelines on the assessment and triage of patients into exercise therapy.

A scoping review of trans and gender diverse children and adolescents’ experiences of physical activity, sport, and exercise participation

This study investigated the potential of using SARS-CoV-2 viral Increasing young people's physical activity, along with their motivation and confidence to be active, is widely advocated for supporting desirable health outcomes. Trans and gender diverse (henceforth; trans) young people experience significant physical activity-related barriers compared to cisgender (i.e., an individual for whom gender identity and sex presumed at birth are in alignment) peers.

Reliability of Fitness Assessments in Children With Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties

Examine the reliability of field-based fitness assessments in school-aged children with emotional or behavioral difficulties (EBD). Understanding the impact of fitness on physical activity participation for children with EBD is limited by our ability to reliably measure it.

The Stride program: Feasibility and pre-to-post program change of an exercise service for university students experiencing mental distress

Rates of mental illness are disproportionately high for young adult and higher education (e.g., university student) populations. As such, universities and tertiary institutions often devote significant efforts to services and programs that support and treat mental illness and/or mental distress. However, within that portfolio of treatment approaches, structured exercise has been relatively underutilised and greater research attention is needed to develop this evidence base.