Enhancing learning capacity and academic outcomes using novel game technology in primary school children with developmental disabilities. Childhood inattention has been linked with poor academic outcomes and reduced social inclusion. In children with developmental disabilities improving poor attention skills is essential. The project aims to provide a novel and engaging evidence-based intervention program delivered as a portable, interactive game accessible in rural and urban communities.
Attentional mechanisms in the relationship between sleep disruption and academic outcomes in Australian school children. This project will assess the impact of sleep problems on attention and academic performance in primary school children. The project will investigate typically developing children and children with developmental disorders over 18 months. The research will advance knowledge of the interplay between sleep, attention and learning across development.
Moving from policy to practice: a randomised trial of an implementation intervention to facilitate the adoption of a statewide healthy canteen policy. This project will test the effectiveness of an intervention in supporting schools to implement a healthy canteen policy mandated by the New South Wales Government. The trial could provide a model for supporting schools to implement school health or education policies which seek to improve the wellbeing of students.
Prospective predictors of body image attitudes and dieting beliefs during first years of school: Providing guidance for prevention. Although it is recognised that body dissatisfaction is a risk factor for the development of a wide range of mental health problems, little is known about its early development. There is a distinct increase in body dissatisfaction and dieting awareness during early school years. However, there has not been an exploration of a wide range of family, media, peer and sch ....Prospective predictors of body image attitudes and dieting beliefs during first years of school: Providing guidance for prevention. Although it is recognised that body dissatisfaction is a risk factor for the development of a wide range of mental health problems, little is known about its early development. There is a distinct increase in body dissatisfaction and dieting awareness during early school years. However, there has not been an exploration of a wide range of family, media, peer and school adaptation variables as predictors of body image and weight change behaviours in both girls and boys. This project will examine prospective predictors of body image and related variables in five to seven years old children. Findings will inform development of prevention interventions to assist parents and schools provide a positive body image and eating environment for Australian children.Read moreRead less
Addressing risk factors of overweight and obesity among adolescents in out-of-home care: The Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) study. The health risk of overweight and obesity when adolescents are placed in out-of-home care has been largely ignored. This project will be the first to evaluate a healthy eating and physical activity obesity prevention/intervention program designed specifically for vulnerable and disadvantaged adolescents living in out-of-home residential care.
Determinants of children's physical activity and sedentary behaviour: a follow-up study from early childhood. This project investigates changes in preschool children's physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and influences on these changes, during the important period of transition to school. It will provide important information on how we might assist children to be more active, thereby avoiding the detrimental health and social outcomes of inactivity.
Understanding influences on physical activity and sedentary behaviour from preschool to preadolescence. While promotion of optimal levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviours during childhood is important for health, much remains unknown in this field. This study will extend an existing cohort of children, recruited at ages three to five years and followed up at six to eight years by reassessing these children at nine to eleven years. Novel additions to the cohort include long term foll ....Understanding influences on physical activity and sedentary behaviour from preschool to preadolescence. While promotion of optimal levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviours during childhood is important for health, much remains unknown in this field. This study will extend an existing cohort of children, recruited at ages three to five years and followed up at six to eight years by reassessing these children at nine to eleven years. Novel additions to the cohort include long term follow-up spanning preschool to preadolescence, application of an ecological framework, and collection of objective neighbourhood data using a Geographical Information System. Findings will provide important information for policy and interventions focused at the individual, family and neighbourhood level, to improve physical activity and sedentary behaviour levels across childhood.Read moreRead less
Providing children with a healthy start to life: promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviours during early childhood. Early childhood (0-5 yrs), when health behaviours develop and may track into later life, represents promise as a time to positively impact physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Yet study of these behaviours in 3-5 yr olds is only emerging, and is almost non-existent in younger children. This project aims to understand predictors of these behaviours using a s ....Providing children with a healthy start to life: promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviours during early childhood. Early childhood (0-5 yrs), when health behaviours develop and may track into later life, represents promise as a time to positively impact physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Yet study of these behaviours in 3-5 yr olds is only emerging, and is almost non-existent in younger children. This project aims to understand predictors of these behaviours using a suite of longitudinal studies, including objective measures, and will commence as early as 3-mths of age. It will study strategies for promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviours during early childhood, by investigating mechanisms of behaviour change in existing interventions to inform new strategies with potential to provide children with a healthy start to life.Read moreRead less
Selling The Punt: An interdisciplinary analysis of the extent and impact of sports wagering marketing strategies in Australia. Sports wagering is the fastest growing segment of the gambling market in Australia. Despite widespread concern about the impact of marketing strategies on the risky consumption of wagering products by young men and adolescents, research and policy has failed to keep up with this rapidly growing industry. This study will provide: detailed information about the range of ma ....Selling The Punt: An interdisciplinary analysis of the extent and impact of sports wagering marketing strategies in Australia. Sports wagering is the fastest growing segment of the gambling market in Australia. Despite widespread concern about the impact of marketing strategies on the risky consumption of wagering products by young men and adolescents, research and policy has failed to keep up with this rapidly growing industry. This study will provide: detailed information about the range of marketing strategies used to sell sports wagering in Australia; important qualitative insights into the impact of these marketing strategies on gambling behaviours; and, recommendations for a comprehensive public health approach to help counter the potential long and short term risks associated with sports wagering marketing.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100803
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,094.00
Summary
Impact of screen time on preschoolers’ social skills and cognitive function. This project aims to determine how the quantity and nature of screen time interacts with parental co-participation to affect pre-schoolers’ social skills and cognitive functioning. Seventy per cent of pre-schoolers exceed current screen time guidelines and this causes considerable concern among Australian parents. This project will assist in evaluating how much, and which types, of screen time have benefits for social ....Impact of screen time on preschoolers’ social skills and cognitive function. This project aims to determine how the quantity and nature of screen time interacts with parental co-participation to affect pre-schoolers’ social skills and cognitive functioning. Seventy per cent of pre-schoolers exceed current screen time guidelines and this causes considerable concern among Australian parents. This project will assist in evaluating how much, and which types, of screen time have benefits for social skills and cognitive functioning. It will also provide insights into the ways parents may best support these outcomes. Findings are expected to provide evidence for policy development and inform programs to support healthy behaviours to give young children the best start in life.Read moreRead less