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Research

Regular exercise can be beneficial for people living with a severe mental illness. By better understanding the perspectives and challenges of adults with severe mental illness who are engaged in exercise, we can enhance the design and implementation of exercise programs to better support their mental health and recovery.

Research

There is currently limited data regarding the physical activity behaviors of trans and gender diverse people (including binary and non-binary identities; henceforth trans). The aim of this review was to synthesize the existing literature in this area, with a focus on physical activity behaviors as they relate to health (e.g. health benefits, risks of adverse health outcomes). 

Research

Many young people are exposed to risk factors that increase their risk of mental illness. Physical activity provision is an increasingly popular approach to protect against mental illness in the face of these risk factors. We examined the effectiveness of physical activity interventions for the promotion of mental health outcomes in at-risk children and adolescents.

Research

Overweight and obesity in children continues to increase. Yet, the role of active transport, namely walking, in mitigating these trends remains unclear. This study examined the cross-sectional association between walkability and children's Body Mass Index (BMI) and how this varies by socio-economic and lifestyle characteristics.

News & Events

Embrace @ The Kids Research Institute Australia's Co-Directors Professor Ashleigh Lin and Professor Helen Milroy have welcomed the release of a new WA government mental health research strategy.

News & Events

More than 80,000 Australian children are expected to benefit as 700 childcare centres across the country trial a new program aimed at boosting declining physical activity levels.

Research

Physical activity is crucial for young children's health and development. Many young children do not meet the recommended 3 hours of daily physical activity, including 60 min of energetic play. Early childhood education and care (ECEC/childcare) is a key setting to intervene to improve children's physical activity. The Play Active programme is a scalable evidence-informed ECEC-specific physical activity policy intervention with implementation support strategies to improve educators' physical activity-related practices.

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Physical literacy development in early childhood, viewed by many as the foundation for lifelong physical activity engagement, is significantly influenced by parents. Our aim was to explore parents' understanding of physical literacy and gain insight into their perspectives on physical literacy promotion.

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Children with neurodevelopmental, emotional, or behavioural challenges participate in lower levels of physical activity (PA) and subsequently have poorer physical and mental health outcomes. We sought to determine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a multi-component physical literacy program for children with neurodevelopmental, emotional, or behavioural challenges.

Research

Trans individuals face elevated health risks and socio-environmental challenges, influencing their engagement in health-protective behaviors (e.g. exercise and nutrition). Despite these challenges, there is a significant gap in understanding the specific eating and exercise experiences of Australian trans adults, including barriers to healthy behaviors and healthcare experiences. This study aims to address this gap by exploring these experiences, informing targeted interventions and healthcare practices to improve health outcomes.

Research

Physical inactivity is a leading contributor to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Almost 500 million new cases of preventable noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) will occur globally between 2020 and 2030 due to physical inactivity, costing just over US$300 billion, or around US$ 27 billion annually (WHO 2022). Active adults can achieve a reduction of up to 35% in risk of death from cardiovascular disease. 

News & Events

WA Governor Chris Dawson invites further youth mental health research

Embracing the Mind is hosted by Embrace senior researchers Dr Alix Woolard and Dr Karen Lombardi.

Research

We examined risk of intellectual disability and other neuropsychiatric outcomes in children of mothers with and without schizophrenia, bipolar or depression.

Research

Investigation of this rare mixed lineage leukemia cytogenetic abnormality aims to provide further evidence of the genetic changes that underpin this leukemia.

Research

We begin to bridge this knowledge gap by assessing evidence on social gradients in indigenous health in Australia.

Research

There is accumulating evidence that autistic traits (AT) are on a continuum in the general population.

Research

We explored trends in six developed countries in three types of indicators of child maltreatment for children younger than 11 years,...