Purpose: Indigenous youth in settler nations such as Australia, Canada, United States, and New Zealand, are susceptible to poor mental health due to complex inter-generational systemic inequities. SMART Indigenous Youth’s (SIY) purpose is to embed a land-based active living intervention into Indigenous school curricula to improve youth mental health.

Methods: SIY is part of the SMART Platform, a citizen science and mobile health initiative for active living surveillance. SIY is a mixed-methods 5-year longitudinal community trial that embeds a culturally appropriate land-based active living intervention into school curricula. In year-1 (2019), 93 Indigenous youth citizen scientists (YCSs) aged between 13-18 years at baseline engaged with researchers for 8 consecutive days using a custom-built smartphone app, which captured quantitative active living and mental health data. From this cohort 20 YCSs formed the citizen scientist council, which participated in baseline focus groups. School Principals became educator citizen scientists to provide data on school policies and programs. Thereafter, each school initiated separate 4-month (winter term) land-based active living programs that were specific to their culture, community, geography and language. Follow-up focus groups were conducted with the citizen scientist council to evaluate the impact of the intervention. Moreover, during the 4-month intervention period, youth and educator citizen scientists engaged with researchers in real-time using their smartphones to provide their perception of the initiative.

Findings: Baseline focus groups analyses depicted an overarching theme of the importance of Indigenous culture, identity, history, and language. Follow-up focus group analyses showed that land-based activities such as canoeing and setting traps played a role in improved youth mental health by providing them a sense of purpose and identity. Evidence also indicated that land-based active living facilitated more outdoor time, better peer relationships, and even improved educator wellbeing. 

Conclusions: Land-based active living can play a critical role in improving Indigenous youth mental health. SIY highlights not only the importance of linking active living with culture, but also indicates the potential of leveraging citizen-owned ubiquitous tools in implementing interventions in rural communities.

Purpose: Physical activity (PA) levels among adolescents are low globally. Active school commuting (ASC) was associated with higher levels of PA in several country-specific studies. This study examined associations of ASC with time spent in PA and sedentary behaviour (SB) among adolescents from 82 countries.

Methods: The Global School-based Student Health Survey data from 288,082 adolescents (mean age 14.3 [SD 1.43] years, 49% girls), collected between 2007 and 2016, were analysed. Students aged 11-17 years were asked how many days per week they were physically active, walked or bicycled to and from school, and how much time they spent sitting on an average day. Sufficient PA was defined as achieving activities ≥60 minutes/day, high SB as leisure-time sitting for ≥3 hours/day, and ASC as active travelling on ≥3 days/week. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationships, and the results are presented in odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results: The prevalence of sufficient PA was 15.6% (boys: 18.9%; girls: 12.1%), while that of high SB was 29.5% (boys: 29.1%; girls: 29.9%). The prevalence of ASC was 44.9% (boys: 46.2%; girls: 43.6%). The analysis showed that adolescents who used ASC ≥3 days/week had over double the odds to attaining sufficient PA (OR: 2.18, 95% CI: 2.06-2.31), after adjusting for a set of covariates and mutually for PA and SB. Adolescents who reported ASC ≥3 days/week had 13% lower odds of reporting high SB (0.87, 0.83-0.90). There were no apparent gender differences in the association estimates. The estimated OR of PA and ASC was 2.66 (2.40-2.94) in low-income countries, 2.32 (2.22-2.42) in lower-middle-income countries, 2.11 (2.02-2.20) in upper-middle-income countries, and 1.84 (1.75-1.93) in high-income countries. The analysis provided relatively lower estimates of association between SB and ASC, which decreased with the increase of country’s income.

Conclusions: ASC is strongly associated with higher levels of PA and moderately associated with lower SB in adolescents of both genders. The estimates of association decreased with the increase of country’s income. Promoting ASC should be encouraged to increase PA among adolescents around the globe.

Purpose: We examined the association between the school policy, social and physical environment and change in adolescent physical activity (PA) and explored how sex and socioeconomic status modified potential associations. Methods: Data from the GoActive study were used for these analyses. Participants were adolescents (n=1765, mean age±SD 13.2±0.4y) from the East of England, UK. Change in longitudinal accelerometer assessed moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was the outcome. School policy, social and physical environment features (n=267) were exposures. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator variable selection method (LASSO) was used to determine exposures most relevant to the outcome. Exposures selected by the LASSO were added to a multiple linear regression model with estimates of change in min/day of MVPA per 1-unit change in each exposure reported. Post-hoc analyses, exploring associations between change in variables selected by the LASSO and change in MVPA, were undertaken to further explain findings. Results: No school policy or physical environment features were selected by the LASSO as predictors of change in MVPA. The LASSO selected two school social environment variables (participants asking a friend to do physical activity; friend asking a participant to do physical activity) as potential predictors of change in MVPA but no significant associations were found in subsequent linear regression models for all participants. In the post-hoc analyses, for every unit increase in change in participants asking a friend to do PA and change in a friend asking participants to do PA, an increase in MVPA of (β (95%CI)) 2.78 (1.55, 4.02) and 1.80 (0.48, 3.11) min/day was predicted respectively. Conclusions: The school social environment appears an important influence on physical activity during adolescence. Further exploration of how friendships during adolescence may be leveraged to support effective PA promotion in schools is warranted.

Purpose: The aims of this cross-sectional, mixed-methods study were i) to quantitatively evaluate the home environmental characteristics associated with screen time (mainly television viewing) in pre-school children and ii) to qualitatively explore parents’ perceptions of their children’s screen-related sedentary and eating behaviours. The study contributes to our understanding of the mediating influence of home environmental factors on children’s screen time.

Methods: Children’s screen time (television viewing) and home environmental characteristics (demographic, behavioural and physical) were reported by parents of 332 children aged 3-5 years using validated questionnaires. These quantitative data were analysed using bivariate and multivariate binary logistic regression. An online deliberation platform was used to qualitatively explore 54 of these parents’ attitudes and perceptions about their children’s screen time behaviours. The qualitative data were thematically analysed.

Results/findings: The quantitative, multivariate analysis showed that the home environmental characteristics positively associated with children’s television viewing were: parents own television viewing (OR 1.66, 95%CI 1.09-2.52, p=0.017), parents allowing their children to eat snacks while watching television (OR 2.66, 95%CI 1.17-6.06, p=0.019) and less outdoor play time (OR 2.03, 95%CI 1.05-3.93, p=0.035). The qualitative analysis highlighted parental concerns about the addictive nature of screen behaviours and that screen time should be limited. Positive aspects to screen time were also noted, for example, its use as a safe ‘babysitter’. Although some parents perceived that eating while watching television may result in mindless and/or overeating, others believed that if they offer healthy snacks, such as fruit and vegetables, television viewing does not negatively affect their children’s diet.

Conclusion: The quantitative and qualitative results of this study enhance our understanding of the home environmental factors associated with television viewing and parents’ perceptions of the effects of screen time on the sedentary and eating behaviours of their children. These data can be used to inform interventions aimed at addressing increasing screen time exposure in young children.

Purpose: To analyze the association between moderate physical activity, sedentary bahavior, executive function, Beta waves, motor competence, cardiorespiratory fitness, age and sex in preschool children. Methods: 107 preschool children, of both sex (51,4% female), 4,4 ± 0,78 years-old, from João Pessoa-PB, Brazil, were analyzed.  The executive function was assessed by Go/No Go (Early Years Toolbox). To analyze the Beta waves of the prefrontal cortex, a portable eletrocefalogram with four channels (Muse Interaxon®, Toronto, Ontário, Canadá) was used. Brainwave activity was recorded using a smartphone app during one minute (opened eyes) and the Beta wave of channel AF7 was considered. Pysical activity and sedentary time were assessed by accelerometers (Actigraph®, WGTX3), used during seven consecutive days and considered the time in minutes/day for each behavior. Motor competence was measured by the product of tasks that represent three domains (locomotor, stability and manipulative). The sum of the Z-scores of each task was calculated. Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured by the 20m Shuttle run test, adapted for children from three to five years old, and the number of completed laps was considered. Age and sex were parents-reported. To analyze the possible associations between the variables, a Machine Learning Network Analysis was used. Three Centrality indicators were used (Betweenness, Closeness and Strengh). The analyzes were done in Jasp statistic software. Results: Executive function was positively associated with cardiorespiratory fitness (r = 0.250) and age (r = 0.318), and weak and negatively associated with moderate physical activity (r = - 0.117). The Centrality values showed that sex had higher values of Betweenness, Closeness and Strengh, but age and fitness also presented higher values of Closeness and Strengh. Conclusion: Older children with higher cardiorespiratory fitness have greater executive function.

Purpose: Physical activity declines rapidly during adolescence. Active travel accounts for a substantial proportion of physical activity. Replacing short car trips with walking or cycling would further increase active travel, resulting in physical activity and sustainability gains. This study examined adolescent travel behaviours on single-mode journeys and the potential to replace short trips made by private vehicle with walking or cycling.

Methods: Data from the Victorian Integrated Survey of Travel and Activity (VISTA) were used. Overall, 2,846 adolescents completed a 24-hr travel diary (82% weekdays; 18% weekends), of which 77% recorded ≥1 trip and formed the analytical sample (n=2192, mean age 14.7±1.6y, 48.6% female). All trips were categorised as active travel (walking or cycling), public transport (public bus, train, tram) or private vehicle (taxi, vehicle as driver or passenger). Single- and multi-mode trips were extracted. Trips within walkable (<1.5km) and cycleable (<5km) distances were examined separately to determine the proportion of trips that could feasibly be substituted.

Results: A total of 8981 trips were reported (3204 single- and 5777 multi-mode with public transport). Single-mode trips were made by 2184 individuals; average distance was 6±12.5km; 35.4% were made by active travel, 13.1% by public transport and 51.3% by private vehicle. Of single-mode trips made by private vehicle (1642 trips), 170 trips (10%) were within a walkable and 822 (50%) within a cycleable distance. Most single-mode trips within a walkable (82.9%) and cycleable (51.4%) distance were by active transport.

Conclusions: Private vehicle travel accounted for one in two single-mode trips, 10% of which were within a walkable and 50% within a cycleable distance and therefore able to be feasibly substituted for active travel. This represents 26% of all single-mode journeys made by private vehicle. While active transport is high, there appears to be considerable opportunity to substitute trips made by private vehicle for active modes of transport, assuming the built environment supports walking and cycling. Next steps are to examine the feasibility of replacing private vehicle trips within multi-modal journeys involving public transport and to examine the correlates of these short trips. 

Purpose: There are limited data on children’s consumption of snacks in conjunction with community-based organized sports. This study aimed to document physical activity (PA) and the nutritional quality of team snacks during organized sports practices with existing healthy snack policies.

Methods: Children (3-10 years) participating in YMCA basketball and soccer teams in Indianapolis, Indiana (U.S.) were examined.  ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometers were worn during two practices.  Time spent in PA intensity levels was determined using age-appropriate cut-points.  The brand (e.g., Pepperidge Farm), product (e.g., Goldfish Baked Snack Crackers), flavor (e.g., cheddar), size (e.g., 1.0 oz), and characteristics (e.g., reduced fat) of team snacks were documented at two practices for each team.  The Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR) software was used to determine snack type and caloric content.

Results:  88 children (5.0 ± 1.7 years) from 32 teams (n=11 basketball and n=21 soccer) participated in this study.  Children spent 27% of practice in sedentary behavior (SB) and 46% of practice in moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA (MVPA) (average practice time was 49.9 ± 4.8 minutes).  Preschool age children (3-5 years) spent more than twice as much time in SB than 6-10 year-olds (34% vs. 14%).  Girls spent more time in SB than boys (33% vs. 24%) and less time in MVPA than boys (40% vs. 49%).  Snacks were provided at 63% of preschool age practices.  Preschool age children were provided a salty snack or dessert/sweet snack at 45% of practices and a juice or sugar-sweetened beverage at 40% of practices.  Snacks were provided at 15% of 6-10 year-old practices.  6-10 year-olds were provided a salty snack or dessert/sweet snack at 12% of practices and a juice or sugar-sweetened beverage at 8% of practices.  When snacks were provided, a total of 3.3 ± 1.6 snack items were given to preschool age children (averaging 287.4 ± 146.9 kilocalories) and a total of 3.3 ± 1.0 snack items were given to 6-10 year-olds (averaging 274.4 ± 138.2 kilocalories). 

Conclusions: Despite engaging in low levels of PA during organized youth sports programs, children are often provided with high-calorie snacks that fail to meet healthy nutritional policies.