Search the site

A study protocol for a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a dog-facilitated physical activity minimal intervention on young children's physical activity, health and development: the PLAYCE PAWS trial

Pet ownership brings many health benefits to individuals. In children developmental benefits can extend to improved self-esteem, better social competence and decreased loneliness. The majority of households with children own a dog, however only a small proportion of children gain the benefits of dog ownership through dog walking and play. There are few intervention studies investigating the impact of dog-facilitated physical activity in children. The PLAYCE PAWS study aims to test a minimal-contact intervention through the use of mobile health ("mhealth") strategies, i.e. text (SMS) messages, to parents to encourage their children to walk and play with their dog more, and evaluate the impact on children's overall physical activity and development.

Understanding obesity among companion dogs: New measures of owner's beliefs and behaviour and associations with body condition scores

The findings provide a method for assessing a wide range of factors that may be associated with obesity among companion dogs

Children's neighbourhood physical environment and early development: an individual child level linked data study

The neighbourhood physical environment has a weak but significant association with early childhood development

Exploring stakeholders' perceptions of the acceptability, usability, and dissemination of the australian 24-hour movement guidelines for the early years

This study examined stakeholders' perceptions regarding the acceptability, usability, and dissemination of the Australian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines

Nature play and fundamental movement skills training programs improve childcare educator supportive physical activity behavior

Both the Nature play and fundamental movement skills professional development programs were effective in improving educators’ self-efficacy to engage children

Shade coverage, ultraviolet radiation and children’s physical activity in early childhood education and care

The provision of shade, particularly through natural forms such as tree canopy, is an important sun protection strategy and enabler of outdoor time

Longitudinal effects of dog ownership, dog acquisition, and dog loss on children’s movement behaviours: findings from the PLAYCE cohort study

Regular physical activity is important for children's physical and mental health, yet many children do not achieve recommended amounts of physical activity. Dog ownership has been associated with increased physical activity in children, however, there have been no longitudinal studies examining this relationship.

Association between preschooler outdoor play and home yard vegetation as measured by high resolution imagery: Findings from the PLAYCE study

Outdoor play in the home yard is an important source of physical activity for many preschoolers. This study investigated if home yard size and vegetation are related to preschooler outdoor play time.

Adaptations to scale-up an early childhood education and care physical activity intervention for real-world availability — Play Active

Adaptations for scale-up are ubiquitous but are rarely described in detail. Adaptations may be a key reason for the "scale-up penalty" which is when there is a reduction in intervention effect size following scale-up. The Play Active intervention consists of a physical activity policy for early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, with accompanying implementation support strategies.

The moderating role of parent perceptions in relationships between objectively measured neighbourhood environment attributes and pre-schooler's physical activity: Findings from the PLAYCE study

We examined the moderating effects of parent perceptions of the neighbourhood environment on associations between objectively measured neighbourhood environment attributes and physical activity among pre-schoolers. The number of neighbourhood parks was positively associated with pre-schooler energetic play when parents had above average perceptions of access to services.