David Revalds Lubans

The University of Newcastle, Australia · Priority Research Centre in Physical Activity and Nutrition

Background: Physical fitness in childhood and adolescence is associated with a variety of health outcomes and is a powerful marker of current and future health. However, inconsistencies in tests and protocols limit international monitoring and surveillance. The objective of the study was to seek international consensus on a proposed, evidence-infor...

Objectives This study aimed to identify and synthesize online information/resources related to resistance training provided by governing bodies of the ten most popular youth sports in Australia. Design A scoping review. Methods The top 10 organised out-of-school sports were eligible for the review. A systematic search of national sporting organis...

Objectives : This study aims to examine associations between changes in physical education, anxiety, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and muscular fitness (MF) in adolescents. Methods : Participants were Finnish students (baseline: n = 1,147; 11.27 [0.32] years). Data were collected over 4 years (2017–2021). CRF was assessed with the 20 m shuttle r...

Background : This study aimed to identify patterns of overall, team, and individual sport participation and examine the prospective associations between these patterns and loneliness in young people. Methods : We analyzed data from 4241 young people, from waves 3 (8–9 y) to 9 (20–21 y) of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. We conducted...

Background Cognitive and mental health problems are highly prevalent in adolescence. While higher levels of physical fitness may mitigate these problems, there is a lack of long-term follow-up studies on the associations of physical fitness from childhood with cognition and mental health in adolescence. Objective We investigated the associations o...

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...

Objective To examine the acute and chronic effects of reducing prolonged sedentary time (ST) with physical activity (PA) on cognitive and brain health. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, and ProQuest Dissertation and Theses. Eligibility criteria Randomised contr...

Background Teachers are recognized as ‘key agents’ for the delivery of physical activity programs and policies in schools. The aim of our study was to develop and evaluate a tool to assess teachers’ capability, opportunity, and motivation to deliver school-based physical activity interventions. Methods The development and evaluation of the Capabil...

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a form of interval training that alternates periods of high-intensity activity with periods of low-intensity activity or rest. HIIT has consistently ranked in the top five fitness trends around the globe and has gained popularity as a time-efficient form of exercise. School-based HIIT has emerged as a prom...

Background Physical activity that strengthens muscles and bones at least three times per week are recommended, but few adolescents meet this target. The aim of our study was to adapt and evaluate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the Resistance Training for Teens (RT4T) program in Danish lower secondary schools. Methods Developed and eva...

Background In this paper we outline the protocol for an implementation-effectiveness trial of ecofit, a multi-component mHealth intervention aimed at increasing participation in resistance and aerobic physical activity using the outdoor built environment (i.e., outdoor gyms) and social support. We have previously demonstrated the efficacy and effec...

Background The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of the ActTeens Program on physical activity and health-related physical fitness among adolescents in Brazil. Methods The “ActTeens Program” was conducted using a cluster-randomized controlled trial during 24-week school term. The sample consisted of 317 adolescents (52.7% girls; 13.61 ± 0...

Over the last 4 decades, physical activity researchers have invested heavily in determining “what works” to promote healthy behaviors in schools. Single and multicomponent school-based interventions that target physical education, active transportation, and/or classroom activity breaks effectively increased physical activity among children and yout...

Introduction Students' experiences in physical education (PE) can shape future physical activity (PA) behaviors. PE enjoyment is associated with PA; however, the relationship between PE enjoyment and fitness has not been extensively investigated. The aim of this study was to examine if changes in PE enjoyment were associated with changes in cardior...

Background Motor competence and executive functions co-develop throughout childhood and adolescence, and there is emerging evidence that improvements in motor competence may have cognitive benefits in these populations. There is a need to provide a quantitative synthesis of the cross-sectional, longitudinal and experimental studies that have examin...

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/mo...

INTRODUCTION & AIMS The complex nature of children’s and adolescents’ participation in physical activity (PA) makes it difficult to measure. Questions have been used in Australia for many decades to subjectively monitor PA and sedentarism, however there is no consensus on which are the best. Since better data is needed to more accurately determine...

Physical activity participation is critical for optimal physical, psychological, and cognitive health in children and adults living with congenital heart disease (CHD). Majority of the general population are not sufficiently active, and with the added psychological, physical, and socioeconomic barriers faced by individuals with CHD, it is unsurpris...

Objectives To investigate the effectiveness of a school‐based multiple health behaviour change e‐health intervention for modifying risk factors for chronic disease (secondary outcomes). Study design Cluster randomised controlled trial. Setting, participants Students (at baseline [2019]: year 7, 11–14 years old) at 71 Australian public, independen...

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 pu...

Objective To examine the associations between muscular strength and mental health. Design We used baseline data of 91 cognitively healthy older adults (71.69 ± 3.91 years old, 57 % women) participating in the AGUEDA randomized controlled trial. Methods Muscular strength was assessed using both objective (i.e., handgrip strength, biceps curl, squa...

Background Globally, just one in five adolescents meet physical activity guidelines and three-quarters of the school day is spent sitting. It is unclear which types of school-based interventions strategies increase physical activity and reduce sedentary time among adolescents, or how these interventions are implemented influences their effectivenes...

Background: Few mobile health resistance-based physical activity interventions have targeted community-dwelling adults. "Ecofit" is a multicomponent intervention that promotes resistance and aerobic activities using smartphone technology, outdoor gyms, and social support. This study evaluated process evaluation outcomes of the ecofit randomized co...

Background Few studies have examined the relationship between motor skill competence and device-measured physical activity in large samples and none have used non-linear modelling. This study assessed the linear and non-linear associations between motor skill competence and physical activity in children using pooled data from eight studies. Method...

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. Risk of Generalizability Biases (RGBs, a set of external validity biases) represent study features that influence estimates of effectiveness, often inflating estimate...

This two-phase study involved the design, development, and evaluation of netball-specific high-intensity interval training sessions (Netball-HIIT) for use with netballers of varied ages and abilities. In Phase 1 (2020), a systematic analysis of netball GPS data from 30 netball players and gameplay video footage (10 h) was conducted, followed by the...

Purpose To compare the strength of associations between different indices of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and brain health outcomes in children with overweight/obesity. Methods Participants were 100 children aged 8–11 years. CRF was assessed using treadmill exercise test (peak oxygen uptake [V̇O2peak], treadmill time, and V̇O2 at ventilatory th...

Background To determine rates of compliance (i.e., supervised intervention attendance) and adherence (i.e., unsupervised physical activity completion) to high-intensity interval training (HIIT) among insufficiently active adults and adults with a medical condition, and determine whether compliance and adherence rates were different between HIIT and...

Introduction In Australia, only 22% of male and 8% of female adolescents meet the muscle-strengthening physical activity guidelines, and few school-based interventions support participation in resistance training (RT). After promising findings from our effectiveness trial, we conducted a state-wide dissemination of the ‘ Resistance Training for Tee...

Introduction Efficacious programmes require implementation at scale to maximise their public health impact. TransformUs is an efficacious behavioural and environmental intervention for increasing primary (elementary) school children’s (5–12 years) physical activity and reducing their sedentary behaviour within school and home settings. This paper d...

This study evaluated the effect of the Dads And Daughters Exercising and Empowered (DADEE) program on daughters’ social-emotional well-being when delivered by trained facilitators. Fathers (n = 158; Mage = 41.95 ± 5.32 years; 86% Australian born) and daughters (n = 193; Mage = 8.35 ± 1.85 years) from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, were rand...

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 pu...

Background: There has been an increase in the number of studies examining the effect of acute and chronic physical activity on academic outcomes in children and adolescents in the last two decades. We aimed to systematically determine the acute effects of physical activity on academic outcomes in school-aged youth and to examine possible moderator...

Background Physical activity has been suggested as a protective factor against psychiatric symptoms. While numerous studies have focused on the magnitude of physical activity’s effect on psychiatric symptoms, few have examined the potential mechanisms. Objective The current review aimed to synthesize scientific evidence of the mechanisms through w...

Purpose Our study explored the mediating effect of sleep‐related variables on older adolescents' mental health in the context of a school‐based physical activity intervention. Methods We evaluated the Burn 2 Learn (B2L) intervention using a cluster randomized controlled trial, which included two cohorts. Participants for this sub‐study were from t...

Background The primary aim of our systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the effect of resistance training on academic outcomes in school-aged youth. Methods We conducted a systematic search of six electronic databases (CINAHL Complete, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, Ovid MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus and EMBASE) with no date restrictions. Studies were...

Importance: Childhood obesity is a risk factor associated with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mental disorders later in life. Investigation of the parallel effects of a defined exercise program on cardiometabolic and mental health in children with overweight or obesity may provide new insights on the potential benefits of exercise on...

Schools are key settings for the promotion of students' physical activity, fitness, and motor competence. The purpose of our study was to investigate the efficacy of a 5‐month‐long intervention program that aimed to increase students' motor competence and health‐related fitness during school days. We conducted a quasi‐experimental study with 325 Fi...

Teachers’ behavior is a key factor that influences students’ motivation. Many theoretical models have tried to explain this influence, with one of the most thoroughly researched being self-determination theory (SDT). We used a Delphi method to create a classification of teacher behaviors consistent with SDT. This is useful because SDT-based interve...

Background: Emerging evidence indicates that the provision or experience of "variety" may be an important determinant of physical activity behavior. Variety refers to diverse endeavors, opportunities, or tasks and, in the context of physical activity, has been examined as a feature of an activity or environment (i.e., variety support) and an exper...

Physical activity (PA) is an effective and evidence-based intervention for the promotion of mental health, and prevention and treatment of mental health problems. However, little is known regarding the impact of contextual factors that may optimise the mental health benefits of PA. Contextual factors are the qualitative characteristics of PA that i...

Background The failure to scale-up and implement physical activity (PA) interventions in real world contexts, which were previously successful under controlled conditions, may be attributed to the different criteria of stakeholders and scientists in the selection process of available interventions. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate...

Physical activity is important for children’s health. However, evidence suggests that many children and adults do not meet international physical activity recommendations. Current school-based interventions have had limited effect on physical activity and alternative approaches are needed. Context, which includes school setting, ethos, staff, and s...

Background: Lifestyle risk behaviours are prevalent among adolescents and commonly co-occur, but current intervention approaches tend to focus on single risk behaviours. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the eHealth intervention Health4Life in modifying six key lifestyle risk behaviours (ie, alcohol use, tobacco smoking, recreational sc...

Importance: Understanding the mechanisms by which physical activity is associated with a lower risk of psychiatric symptoms may stimulate the identification of cost-efficient strategies for preventing and treating mental illness at early life stages. Objective: To examine neurobiological, psychosocial, and behavioral mechanisms that mediate asso...

Background A healthy lifestyle program that appeals to, and supports, overweight and obese New Zealand (NZ) European, Māori (indigenous) and Pasifika men to achieve weight loss is urgently needed. A pilot program inspired by the successful Football Fans in Training program but delivered via professional rugby clubs in NZ (n = 96) was shown to be ef...

Purpose The purpose of this research was to develop, implement, and test the efficacy of a theory-driven, evidence-informed peer leadership program for elementary school students (Grade 6 and 7; age 11–12 years) and the Grade 3/4 students with whom they were partnered. The primary outcome was teacher ratings of their Grade 6/7 students’ transformat...

People with a Fontan circulation are at risk of neurodevelopmental delay and disability, and cognitive dysfunction, that has significant implications for academic and occupational attainment, psychosocial functioning, and overall quality of life. Interventions for improving these outcomes are lacking. This review article discusses current intervent...

Introduction: In Australia, 45% of adults meet the aerobic recommendations, and only 9%-30% meet the resistance training guidelines. Given the lack of at-scale community-based interventions promoting resistance training, the aim of this study was to assess the impact of an innovative mHealth intervention on upper- and lower-body muscular fitness,...

Background Leadership is a valuable skill that can be taught in school, and which may have benefits within and beyond the classroom. Learning to Lead (L2L) is a student-led, primary school-based leadership program whereby older ‘peer leaders’ deliver a fundamental movement skills (FMS) program to younger ‘peers’ within their own school. Aim The ai...

Introduction: The relationship between physical activity (PA) intensity and executive functions in older adolescents remain poorly understood. This study aimed to examine the associations between PA intensity, volume, attentional control, and working memory, and the moderating effects of sex, in older adolescents. Method: We analyzed baseline da...

Objectives: This consensus statement from Sports Medicine Australia and the Australian Psychological Society aims to provide guidance to practitioners on the ways that physical activity can be promoted to maximise benefits to mental health. Methods: Following the Clinical Consensus Statement protocol, an expert group comprised of eight members w...

The provision of variety has been posited to influence motivation in physical education. Therefore, the aim of this 3-phase study was to design and evaluate a brief scale to assess ratings of variety-support in physical education. In Phase 1, 20 experts were invited to review the developed items of the Perceived Variety-Support in Physical Educatio...

The aim of our systematic review and meta-analysis was to quantitatively synthesise the effects of school-based peer-led interventions on leaders’ academic, psychosocial, behavioural, and physical outcomes. Eligible studies were those that: (i) evaluated a school-based peer-led intervention using an experimental or quasi-experimental study design,...

Background Whole-of-school programs have demonstrated success in improving student physical activity levels, but few have progressed beyond efficacy testing to implementation at-scale. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the scale-up of the ‘Internet-based Professional Learning to help teachers promote Activity in Youth’ (iPLAY) intervention i...

Background Mobile app-based interventions have the potential for wide-reach and therefore may be a useful tool in up-scaling physical activity interventions. In larger-scale interventions, face-to-face assessments are less cost-effective, and researchers often rely on surveys or activity trackers to assess outcomes. However, there is limited eviden...

Background: Achieving system-level, sustainable ‘scale-up’ of interventions is the epitome of successful translation of evidence-based approaches in population health. In physical activity promotion, few evidence-based interventions reach implementation at scale or become embedded within systems for sustainable health impact. This is despite the va...

Background Past Physical Activity Report Cards have indicated a minority of Australian children and young people are sufficiently active. The purpose of this paper is to summarise grades across 10 indicators of the 2022 Australian Physical Activity Report Card, to assess physical activity behaviours and supports. Methods A development team consist...

Although well-evidenced in older adults, the effects of exercise on the hippocampus in youth are relatively unknown. This study examined the impact of a 6-month school-based physical activity intervention on hippocampal metabolism in adolescents using magnetic resonance spectroscopy. A subset of lower fit older adolescents [N = 56, 61% female, 16.1...

Objectives: We investigated the efficacy of teacher-delivered high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with Indigenous narrative options on the mental health of school students in low-mid socioeconomic areas, compared to standard curriculum physical education practice. Methods: A cluster-randomised controlled trial was conducted in eight schools...

Background The measurement of physical fitness has a history that dates back nearly 200 years. Recently, there has been an increase in international research and surveillance on physical fitness creating a need for setting international priorities that could help guide future efforts. Objective This study aimed to produce a list of the top 10 inte...