Healthy together Victoria and childhood obesity study: effects of a large scale, community-based cluster randomised trial of a systems thinking approach for the prevention of childhood obesity among secondary school students 2014-2016.

Background: Healthy Together Victoria (HTV) was a Victorian Government initiative that sought to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity through targeting chronic disease risk factors including physical activity, poor diet quality, smoking, and harmful alcohol use. The intervention involved a boosted workforce of > 170 local-level staff in 12 communities; employed to deliver system activation around health and wellbeing for individuals, families and communities. A cluster randomised trial (CRT) of a systems thinking approach to obesity prevention was embedded within HTV.

Relationship between "Blue Space" Proximity and Children's Weight Status, Health Behaviors, and Health-Related Quality of Life among a Sample of Regional Victorian Primary School Children.

Access to green space ( parks and gardens) has been associated with child health and wellbeing, whereas blue space ( coasts, lakes, and rivers) is understudied. Our aim was to determine whether proximity to the coast was associated with primary school children's weight status, modifiable health-related behaviors, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Exploratory cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the Whole of Systems Trial of Prevention Strategies for Childhood Obesity (WHOSTOPS) study, to estimate gender-specific differences in weight and behaviors across four bands of distance from the coast (<5 km, 5 to <25 km, 25 to <50 km, ≥50 km).