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Research
The community food environment and its association with diet, health or weight status in Australia: A systematic review with recommendations for future researchThis study systematically reviewed Australian literature to determine if an association exists between geospatial exposure to food outlets and diet, health or weight status. Recommendations for future research are provided.
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Adherence to Indonesia's Dietary Guidelines Among Lactating Women: Insights for Policy and PracticeThis study investigated adherence to Indonesia's Dietary Guidelines (IDG) among lactating women, examining related factors and association with nutrient intake adequacy, maternal and infant biomarkers, body mass index, and growth. Participants were lactating women (n = 220) from urban and rural West Java, Indonesia. Dietary intake (via 3-day weighed food records), anthropometry and blood samples were assessed. Adherence was evaluated using a scoring system tailored for IDG and adapted from the Healthy Eating Index to assess intake of food groups, sugar, salt, fat, water, coffee, and breakfast habits.
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Models of school breakfast program implementation in Western Australia and the implications for supporting disadvantaged studentsA substantial body of literature points to the educational and social benefits of school breakfast programs. Most high-income countries provide free or subsidized school breakfasts to support disadvantaged children. Australia does not have a nationally-funded school meal program. Instead, charitable organizations offer school breakfast programs on a voluntary basis, often with funding support from state/territory governments.
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The impact of weather on time allocation to physical activity and sleep of child-parent dyadsPrevious studies showed that unfavourable weather conditions discourage physical activity. However, it remains unclear whether unfavourable weather conditions have a differential impact on physical activity in children compared with adults.
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Built Environments And Child Health in WalEs and AuStralia (BEACHES): a study protocolChildhood obesity and physical inactivity are two of the most significant modifiable risk factors for the prevention of non-communicable diseases. Yet, a third of children in Wales and Australia are overweight or obese, and only 20% of UK and Australian children are sufficiently active.
News & Events
Healthway supports innovative mental health, physical activity research at The KidsThe Kids Research Institute Australia and The University of Western Australia researchers have been awarded more than $1 million in funding from Healthway, for projects to improve the mental health of LGBTQA+ young people, encourage early physical activity in childcare centres and create healthier local environme
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Causal Impact of Physical Activity on Child Health and DevelopmentThe relationship between physical activity and child health and development is well-documented, yet the extant literature provides limited causal insight into the amount of physical activity considered optimal for improving any given health or developmental outcome.
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Interventions to Improve Child Physical Activity in the Early Childhood Education and Care Setting: An Umbrella ReviewEarly childhood education and care (ECEC) services are a key setting to support improvements in the physical activity of young children. This umbrella review gathered and synthesised systematic review evidence of the effectiveness of interventions in the ECEC setting on the physical activity levels of children aged 0–6.
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Active transport research priorities for AustraliaTo advance active transport, robust policy-relevant evidence is needed to understand how to change behaviour and to support decision-making by policy makers and practitioners. Currently, however, priority research questions that are most critical for advancing active transport have not been identified.
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Effects of dog ownership on children’s social-emotional development: findings from the PLAYCE cohort studyDog ownership is common in families with children and could play a role in children's social-emotional development. This study used longitudinal data on dog ownership and changing dog ownership to investigate their effects on young children's social-emotional development.