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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. 

Dog Ownership, Physical Activity, and Mental Health in Mid-to-Older Aged Adults: Findings From the HABITAT Cohort Study

Dog ownership is a potential strategy for maintaining physical activity levels and supporting healthy aging. This study examined longitudinal effects of dog ownership and dog walking on physical activity and mental health in mid-to-older aged adults. 

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.

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.

An anti-junk food ad from a sports commercial break reduced junk food consumption inclinations, yet junk food ads had minimal to no impact

In Australia, there are concerns that unrestricted junk food advertising during sports broadcasts increases short-term junk food consumption among viewers. Therefore, the present study aimed to estimate the impact of junk food and anti-junk food advertising on consumption inclinations.

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.

Introducing the Cochrane Nutrition & Physical Activity Thematic Group

Improving nutrition and physical activity is a global health priority. Within Cochrane’s new production model, Thematic Groups (TG) with specialist content and review methods expertise have been established. The purpose of TGs is to support the development and dissemination of high-quality evidence syntheses on priority issues.

Investigating the walkability of primary, secondary and K-12 schools across metropolitan Perth, Western Australia

Having a walkable built environment is important to encourage active school transport. The aim of this study was to measure the walkability of all Perth, Western Australian schools and investigate whether differences in walkability exist by school type, socioeconomic status and/or subregion. 

Physical Activity-Related Practices and Psychosocial Factors of Childcare Educators: A Latent Profile Analysis

Limited research investigates early childhood education and care (ECEC) educators' involvement in promoting physical activity. The aim was to identify distinct profiles based on physical activity-related practices and psychosocial factors in ECEC educators and examine how they relate to the amount of time allocated to children's physical activity. A secondary analysis of educator-reported survey data from the Play Active study was undertaken.