Child Physical Activity, Health and Development

Early influences on children’s health significantly impact their health and development throughout life.

Physical activity has many health benefits for young children, including developing healthy bones, maintaining a healthy weight, and improving cognitive and social-emotional development. Yet, not all young children achieve the recommended three hours of daily physical activity, most don’t get 60 minutes of energetic play per day and two thirds have more than the recommended 60 minutes per day of sedentary leisure screen time.

Our Child Physical Activity, Health and Development team works to uncover the best environments, policies and programs to improve children’s physical activity levels, health and development to support lifelong health and wellbeing. Our vision is that every child has the opportunity and support to be physically active for their individual health and well-being.

Our research draws on the skills and experience of the research team’s multi-disciplinary backgrounds to engage with stakeholders and deliver high quality research, policy, programs and training for children, parents and educators to support physically active and healthy childhoods. We provide research training and experience for undergraduate and post-graduate students who are interested in pursuing a career in child health and development, health promotion or population health.

The team works across a range of PLAY Spaces and Environments (PLAYCE) for children’s physical activity, health and development) projects which are listed below. The Play Active Program  is our flagship project which commenced in 2019. The project is developing, implementing and evaluating early childhood education and care (ECEC) specific physical activity related policy and programs.

Team Highlights

• Andrea Nathan completed the 2021 Emerging Leaders program.
• In December 2020 the Play Active Program was launched by the Hon Simone McGurk (MLA. Minister for Child Protection; Women's Interests; Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence; Community Services).Play Active is a joint initiative with sector-wide partners including Goodstart Australia, Nature Play Australia, Australian Childcare Alliance, Minderoo Foundation-Collaboration for Kids, Cancer Council WA, WA Department of Health, WA Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, The University of Western Australia, Queensland University of Western Australia and University of Southern Denmark. Play Active receives funding from a NHMRC Partnership Grant (#1152086).
• The PLAYCE Cohort study is following up over 2000 children from early childhood (2-5 years) to primary school to understand how children’s movement behaviours (physical activity, sedentary time and sleep) change over time and the impact on children’s health and development.
• Phoebe George was awarded a PhD scholarship (Australian Government RTP Scholarship) to investigate the influence of blue and green spaces on young children’s health and development.
• A/Prof Hayley Christian was awarded the 2020 WA Young Tall Poppy Scientist of the Year.
• A/Prof Hayley Christian was a Consensus Committee Member for the Commonwealth Department of Health ‘24-hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years’
• A/Prof Hayley Christian is a Senior Research Fellow at The University of Western Australia
• Emma Adams was awarded a UWA Research Training Program Stipend and a Graduate Women Research Scholarship to investigate the effects of dog ownership and dog walking on family physical activity and mental wellbeing