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Exploring variation in beach environments and physical activity by neighbourhood socioeconomic status in Perth, Australia

Beaches are important settings for physical activity, with their quality (safety, amenities, aesthetics) influencing how well they support health. The quality of beaches may differ across neighbourhoods, with higher socioeconomic status neighbourhoods having disproportionately better access to beaches. This study examined the attributes of and activities taking place in beaches by neighbourhood socioeconomic status.

Restricting outdoor advertising of unhealthy food: can Australia's food category-based classification system be applied consistently?

Most outdoor food advertising (e.g. billboards and bus stops) features foods that are considered unhealthy. The most important technical challenge when designing policies to restrict unhealthy outdoor food advertising is defining 'unhealthy food'. To date, most restriction policies have used nutrient profiling models (i.e. foods are classified according to their nutritional composition) to determine which foods and beverages may be advertised. In Australia, state governments have endorsed a food category-based classification system, with no prescribed nutrient limits, which may create ambiguity when multiple users are identifying food advertisements to be restricted. 

Temptation at the school fence: a qualitative exploration of the impact of external food outlets on the school community

Retail food outlets are commonly located in close proximity to schools, providing students with opportunities to purchase and consume food enroute to or from school. These outlets are typically unhealthy and disproportionately clustered near schools, and this trend has been increasing over time. While quantitative studies have established associations between school food environments and adolescent dietary behaviours, little is known about how school personnel perceive and experience their impacts.

Exploring preferences for interventions to increase active school transportation among children and adolescents in Australia

The observed decline in children's active school transport (AST) across numerous countries over recent decades necessitates targeted, multi-level interventions to reverse this trend. However, data on young people's preferred AST interventions is lacking. This study aimed to explore children's preferences for AST interventions and assess differences between AST users and non-users among primary and secondary school students.

Dog ownership, dog walking, and physical function in mid-older adults: Findings from the HABITAT cohort study

To examine the longitudinal effects of dog ownership and dog walking on self-reported and objective measures of physical function in mid- to older-aged adults.

The impact of a dog-facilitated mobile physical activity intervention on children’s social–emotional development: a randomized controlled trial

Dog ownership has been suggested to be positively associated with children's physical, social, and emotional development. This study investigated the effect of a mobile health dog-facilitated physical activity intervention on young children's social-emotional development and attachment to the family dog.

Where are preschoolers active in childcare centers? A hot-spot analysis using GIS, GPS and accelerometry data

This study investigated where preschool children were more or less active in outdoor play areas in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centers using a novel method of combined device-measured physical activity, spatial data and on-site audit data.

Meeting the Australian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years is associated with better social-emotional development in preschool boys

24-hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years promote that achieving all three-movement behaviour (sleep, sedentary behaviour and physical activity) recommendations is important for child health and development. We examined the association between meeting all, none and combinations of the Australian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years and social-emotional development in 1363 preschool (2-5 years) boys (52%) and girls.

Educators’ Barriers and Facilitators to Physical Activity Policy Implementation in the Childcare Setting: Qualitative Findings From the Play Active Project

We explored childcare educators’ perceived barriers and facilitators to policy implementation in order to inform the development and implementation of an early childhood education and care (ECEC) specific physical activity policy. This study was part of the Play Active (2019-2023) project which aimed to develop, implement and evaluate evidence-based physical activity policy to improve physical activity levels in children attending ECEC.

Is early childhood development impeded by the birth timing of the younger sibling?

This study investigated whether the timing of birth of the younger siblings was associated with the risk of the older siblings’ developmental vulnerability in early childhood.