Publications by authors named "Anthony Okely"

Little is known about differences in physical activity among children from urban and rural areas in low-to middle-income countries and some previous investigations revealed disparities in physical activity levels among children and adolescents residing in urban and rural environments. We aimed to: (i) assess the proportion of preschool-aged children (3.0-4.

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Building on the evidence from the first paper in this Series highlighting the fundamental importance of healthy and nurturing environments for children's growth and development in the next 1000 days (ages 2-5 years), this paper summarises the benefits and costs of key strategies to support children's development in this age range. The next 1000 days build on the family-based and health-sector based interventions provided in the first 1000 days and require broader multisectoral programming. Interventions that have been shown to be particularly effective in this age range are the provision of early childhood care and education (ECCE), parenting interventions, and cash transfers.

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Following the first 1000 days of life that span from conception to two years of age, the next 1000 days of a child's life from 2-5 years of age offer a window of opportunity to promote nurturing and caring environments, establish healthy behaviours, and build on early gains to sustain or improve trajectories of healthy development. This Series paper, the first of a two-paper Series on early childhood development and the next 1000 days, focuses on the transition to the next 1000 days of the life course, describes why this developmental period matters, identifies the environments of care, risks, and protective factors that shape children's development, estimates the number of children who receive adequate nurturing care, and examines whether current interventions are meeting children's needs. Paper 2 focuses on the cost of inaction and the implications of not investing in the next 1000 days.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Regular participation in sports is beneficial for physical and mental health, but some sports environments may contribute to mental health issues among participants.
  • - Elite sports organizations have guidelines for psychological safety, but these do not always apply to recreational sports, leading to a demand for specific mental health guidelines in that context.
  • - A study using the Delphi technique gathered insights from 21 experts to identify key areas for mental health guidelines in community sports, resulting in 13 statements focused on promoting positive mental health and clarifying the roles of community sport organizations and governance.
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  • The study aimed to improve global surveillance of child and adolescent movement behaviors (like physical activity and screen time) by gathering expert opinions through a Delphi method involving 62 participants.
  • Experts ranked important items in categories like funding, capacity building, and methods, with a consensus on key priorities such as increased public funding and standard protocols for measures.
  • The findings highlighted common priorities across different income countries and initiatives, but there was no agreement on the use of private funding for surveillance.
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  • The prevalence of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep among 3- and 4-year-old children globally is unclear, highlighting the need for consistent data.
  • This study analyzed data from 14 cross-sectional studies across 33 countries to determine how many children met WHO guidelines for physical activity, screen time, and sleep over recent years.
  • Only 14.3% of the 7017 children studied met all the guidelines, with no significant differences found between countries with varying income levels regarding adherence to these health recommendations.
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Article Synopsis
  • - The WHO recommends tailored physical activity guidelines for various countries to better fit the needs of specific underactive populations, including those with chronic conditions, disabilities, and older adults, as these groups face unique barriers to movement.
  • - A scoping review examined physical activity guidelines from multiple countries and regions, analyzing recommendations for the aforementioned populations and identifying deficiencies in alignment with WHO standards.
  • - The review found that many countries lack specific guidelines for individuals with chronic conditions and disabilities, with 46% not providing targeted advice for these groups, resulting in a significant gap in meeting WHO recommendations.
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Issue Addressed: Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) is an important setting to promote healthy eating and physical activity. Between 2017 and 2018, The Eat Smart Play Smart (ESPS) resources were disseminated to OSHC services across New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the awareness and usability of ESPS to support OSHC healthy eating and physical activity practices.

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Background: To meet the World Health Organization goal of reducing physical inactivity by 15% by 2030, a multisectoral system approach is urgently needed to promote physical activity (PA). We report the process of and findings from a codesigned systems mapping project to present determinants of PA in the context of urban New South Wales, Australia.

Methods: A participatory conceptual mapping workshop was held in May 2023 with 19 participants working in education, transportation, urban planning, community, health, and sport and recreation.

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Background: Children's physical activity and screen time behaviours impact their physical health and well-being. In Australia, less than half of children meet daily physical activity recommendations and only one-third meet daily screen time recommendations. Nearly half a million Australian school children aged 5-12 attend Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) weekly, activities undertaken at OSHC play a key role in meeting these recommendations.

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Issue Addressed: Munch & Move is a New South Wales (NSW) Ministry of Health program offering family day care (FDC) educators training to support children's healthy behaviours. This study examined educators' nutrition, physical activity and screen time practices and relationships between Munch & Move training and professional development (PD) on these practices.

Methods: NSW FDC educators (n = 186) completed an online survey from July 2020-June 2021.

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As technology continues to advance, it is important to understand how website-based tools can support quality improvement. Website-based tools refer to resources such as toolkits that users can access and use autonomously through a dedicated website. This review examined how website-based tools can support healthcare professionals with quality improvement, including the optimal processes used to develop tools and the elements of an effective tool.

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Background: Fundamental motor skills (FMS) and physical fitness (FIT) play important roles in child development and provide a foundation for lifelong participation in physical activity (PA). Unfortunately, many children have suboptimal levels of PA, FMS, and FIT. The Active Learning Norwegian Preschool(er)s (ACTNOW) study investigated the effects of a staff-led PA intervention on FMS, FIT, and PA in 3-5-year-old children.

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Background: There is limited evidence from globally diverse samples on the prevalence and correlates of meeting the global guideline of 180 minutes per day of total physical activity (TPA) among 3- to 4-year-olds.

Methods: Cross-sectional study involving 797 (49.2% girls) 3- to 4-year-olds from 17 middle- and high-income countries who participated in the pilot phases 1 and 2 of the SUNRISE International Study of Movement Behaviours in the Early Years.

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There is some, albeit inconsistent, evidence supporting sex differences in preschoolers' motor competence (MC), with these observations not uniform when analyzed by age, and cultural groups. Thus, this study examined sex differences across ages in 3- to 5-year-old children's MC. A cross-country pooled sample of 6241 children aged 3-5 years (49.

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Surveillance of health-related physical fitness can improve decision-making and intervention strategies promoting health for children and adolescents. However, no study has comprehensively analyzed surveillance/monitoring systems for physical fitness globally. This review sought to address this gap by identifying: (1) national-level surveillance/monitoring systems for physical fitness among children and adolescents globally, (2) the main barriers and challenges to implementing surveillance/monitoring systems, and (3) governmental actions related to existing surveillance/monitoring systems.

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Background: This study examined the proportion of Iranian children who met the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years. Additionally, it investigated the feasibility and acceptability of the methods to be used in the SUNRISE study.

Methods: This pilot study was conducted among 83 children aged 3 and 4 years in preschools and health care centres in Iran, in 2022.

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Background: In the behavioral sciences, conducting pilot and/or feasibility studies (PFS) is a key step that provides essential information used to inform the design, conduct, and implementation of a larger-scale trial. There are more than 160 published guidelines, reporting checklists, frameworks, and recommendations related to PFS. All of these publications offer some form of guidance on PFS, but many focus on one or a few topics.

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Introduction: Limited data on 24-hour movement behaviors of children aged 5-8 years exist globally. We describe the prevalence and sociodemographic associations of meeting physical activity (PA), sedentary recreational screen time (ST), and sleep guidelines among children from 11 jurisdictions in the US-Affiliated Pacific region.

Methods: Cross-sectional representative data from 1192 children aged 5-8 years living in the US-Affiliated Pacific region were drawn from the baseline 2012-2014 Children's Healthy Living Program.

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Background: Preliminary studies (e.g., pilot/feasibility studies) can result in misleading evidence that an intervention is ready to be evaluated in a large-scale trial when it is not.

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Background: Preschools may provide opportunities for children to engage in physical activity (PA), to benefit their health, although little is known when concerning low-income preschoolers. This study aimed (1) to describe time spent in PA among low-income children during preschool hours and (2) to analyse how many children meet the PA recommendations during preschool hours.

Methods: A total of 204 low-income preschoolers (4.

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Purpose: The International Study of Movement Behaviors in the Early Years (SUNRISE) was conducted in Tunisia to assess the proportion of preschoolers who met the World Health Organization guidelines for physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep. The study also evaluated the feasibility of the methods for the SUNRISE study.

Methods: Five kindergartens were recruited from urban and rural areas in Tunisia.

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