Rachel A Jones

• University of Wollongong

Background Obesity‐related behaviours such as physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep, screen time and diet often cluster in children. There is limited evidence on the clustering of movement behaviours among young children from low‐ and middle‐income countries. This paper reports how 24‐h movement behaviours cluster in Mongolian preschool chi...

Background Encouraging healthy eating and physical activity in children has long-term benefits for their health and development, however many do not meet the requirements for fruit and vegetable consumption, or physical activity. Experiential learning (EL) has been shown to improve children’s healthy eating and physical activity-related knowledge,...

Background Canada, Australia, the World Health Organization and other countries have released 24-hour movement guidelines for the early years which integrate physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep, focusing on supporting children to achieve a healthy 24-hour day. The guideline evidence synthesis, however, highlighted the dearth of high-q...

Background Early childhood education services (ECE) continue to be a key setting to promote physical activity and limit sedentary behaviour. Thus, the aim of this study was to (1) provide an updated systematic review of correlates of physical activity and sedentary behaviour among children in ECE settings and (2) discuss changes in physical activit...

Background : There is a lack of evidence regarding 24-hour movement behaviors of young children from low- and middle-income countries. This study examined Mongolian preschoolers’ adherence to the World Health Organization’s guidelines for physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep; their associations with health indicators, and the feasibilit...

Background This systematic review examined the effectiveness of experiential learning interventions for improving children’s physical activity knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours. It also aimed to identify intervention characteristics that resulted in the greatest impact. Methods Four databases: Education Research Complete, Scopus, Web of Science...

Issue addressed: Dietary intake and physical activity behaviours of many Australian children are not meeting recommendations, particularly for those living in socioeconomically disadvantaged circumstances. This study aimed to design and assess the feasibility and acceptability of a suite of narrative videos and text messages focused on healthy eat...

This study aimed to examine associations between gross motor skills and executive functions (EF) in a large sample of Australian preschool-aged children. Of 566 children (mean age = 3.2 ± 0.4 years, 51.2% girls), locomotor, object control, and total skill competence were significantly associated with visual spatial working memory and inhibition ( p...

There is ongoing interest in free-flowing routines in early childhood education and care settings (ECEC), however little is known about educators’ perceptions of free-flowing routines. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of educators regarding free-flowing routines. A focus group and five semi-structured interviews were...

Background Childcare centres are important environments for promoting physical activity and healthy eating. Blended approaches to professional learning may help overcome existing challenges for educators in promoting these behaviours. This study aimed to test the effect of a blended professional learning program on healthy eating and physical activ...

Healthy eating and active living interventions targeting parents of young children could have benefits for both children and parents. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of two remotely delivered healthy eating and active living interventions delivered at scale to parents, in increasing parent vegetable and fruit consumption (pre-...

BACKGROUND Parents are the primary decision makers of the foods prepared and offered to children. There is a strong association between parent and child fruit and vegetable intakes. Healthy eating and active living interventions targeting parents of young children could have benefits for both children and parents, however there is currently limited...

Background In 2018, the Australian Government updated the Australian Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for Children and Young People. A requirement of this update was the incorporation of a 24-hour approach to movement, recognising the importance of adequate sleep. The purpose of this paper was to describe how the updated Austral...

Background Few translational trials have provided detailed reports of process evaluation results. Objective This study reported on findings from a mixed methods process evaluation of a large translational trial comparing 2 remotely delivered healthy eating and active living interventions with an active control, targeting parents of young children....

BACKGROUND Few translational trials have provided detailed reports of process evaluation results. OBJECTIVE This study reported on findings from a mixed methods process evaluation of a large translational trial comparing 2 remotely delivered healthy eating and active living interventions with an active control, targeting parents of young children....

Experiential learning is the process where learners create meaning from direct experience. This systematic review aimed to examine the effects of experiential learning activities on dietary outcomes (knowledge, attitudes, behaviors) in children. Four databases: Education Research Complete, Scopus, Web of Science and PsychINFO were searched from dat...

This translation study assessed the effectiveness of two remotely delivered healthy eating and active living interventions for parents of 2- to 6-year-old children in improving child fruit and vegetable intake, non-core food intake, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, screen time, and sleep. Parents (n = 458) were recruited to a partially ran...

The aim of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Movement Environment Rating Scale (MOVERS), using data from 13 early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. Test-retest reliability was calculated using ICCs, percentage agreement and weighted Kappa. Internal consistency was examined using Cronbach’s alpha. To examine...

Background The extent to which income setting or rural and urban environments modify the association between sleep and obesity in young children is unclear. The aims of this cross-sectional observational study were to (i) describe and compare sleep in South African preschool children from rural low-income (RL), urban low-income (UL) and urban high-...

The home learning environment is a potential correlate of childhood obesity and obesity-related factors. We examined relationships between the home learning environment and weight status and the home learning environment and dietary intake, in a sample of 303 preschool-aged children from Australia. We measured their height and weight, and their par...

Objectives The early childhood education and care (ECEC) environment has a significant role to play in the promotion of physical activity and reduction of sedentary behaviour in young children. Educators may be an important social factor influencing children's physical activity and sedentary behaviour, however limited evidence exists on this relati...

ECEC-based physical activity (PA) interventions have reported modest changes; however, those that are underpinned by theory seem to report more favorable outcomes. To date, no ECEC-based PA interventions have been underpinned by professional development-focused theories, despite professional development being a consistent component in such interven...

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of an embedded after-school intervention, on promoting physical activity and academic achievement in primary-school-aged children. Methods: This 6-month, 2-arm cluster randomized controlled trial involved 4 after-school centers. Two centers were randomly assigned to the intervention,...

This study aimed to investigate the extent to which preschool children meet guidelines for screen time (<1 h/day) and sleep (10-13 h/24-h) and explored home factors that affect these behaviors. Parents of preschoolers across income settings in South Africa (urban high-income n = 27, urban low-income n = 96 and rural low-income n = 142) completed a...

Purpose: To assess physical activity (PA) and determine the proportion of preschoolers meeting PA recommendations in different income settings in South Africa. Methods: Preschoolers from urban high-income (UH), urban low-income (UL), and rural low-income (RL) settings wore an ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer for 7 days. PA variables of interest inc...

Background: Parents are key decision makers and role models in establishing and maintaining healthy behaviours in their children. Interventions involving parents have been shown to be more effective than those that do not, but there are barriers to participation. Efficacy trials have previously been conducted on two such parent-focussed healthy ea...

Background: To examine the relationship between attributes of early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings and children's physical activity and sedentary behavior. Methods: Cross-sectional study involving 490 children aged 2-5 years from 11 ECECs. The ECEC routine, size of the outdoor environment, and time spent in the outdoor environment...

Background: Participation in adequate levels of physical activity during the early years is important for health and development. We report the 6-month effects of an 18-month multicomponent intervention on physical activity in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings in low-income communities. Methods: A cluster randomised controlled t...

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings have a pivotal role in the promotion of physical activity for young children, and thus, the number of ECEC-based physical activity interventions has exponentially increased in the last two decades. The aim of this study was three-fold: (1) to discuss some of the similarities and differences in ECEC...

Introduction: Research has not been conducted on physical activity in early child education and care (ECEC) settings in low-income, rural communities in South Africa. This study aimed to describe the physical activity environment of these settings and identify child and contextual factors associated with physical activity in these settings. By und...

Aim: Gross motor skills are important for children's health and development. Delays in these skills are a concern for healthy developmental trajectories and therefore early identification of delay is important. This study screened for gross motor delay in children from low-income communities and investigated potential risk factors associated with...

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore factors which mediated or moderated the effect of the Time2bHealthy online program for parents of preschool-aged children on body mass index (BMI) change. Study design: Mediation and moderation analyses of data from a two-arm parallel randomised controlled trial. Methods: Randomisation was condu...

Background: Australian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years were recently developed. To maximize the uptake of the guidelines, perceptions of key stakeholders were sought. Methods: Thirty-five stakeholders (11% Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent) participated in focus groups or key informant interviews. Stakeholders included...

Background: Limited research reports on the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), sleep, and gross motor skills (GMS) in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to (1) describe BMI, PA, SB, sleep duration, and GMS proficiency in South African preschool children and (2) i...

This study explored parental engagement, child BMI and secondary outcomes from the social media component of an online healthy lifestyle program for parents of preschool-aged children. Intervention group participants received access to an online program and Facebook group. Data were collected at baseline and 3- and 6-months follow-up. Facebook usag...

Background: The early years of life are critical for motor and cognitive development. A better understanding is needed on the associations between the control and development of motor and cognitive tasks. Aim: This study aimed to examine the association between gross motor skills and cognitive development in toddlers. Study design: Cross-sectiona...

Quality interactions are crucial for children’s learning and development. Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centers have the opportunity to support children’s learning and development, yet the quality of interactions and influences on the quality of interactions in outdoor environments is not known. Research findings: this study assessed th...

Objective The study aimed to investigate the relationship between physical activity, gross motor skills and adiposity in South African children of pre-school age. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting High-income urban, and low-income urban and rural settings in South Africa. Participants Children (3–6 years old, n 268) were recruited from urban...

Intentional teaching practices of early childhood education and care (ECEC) educators have a profound influence on children’s learning and health. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between educator intentionality and pre-schoolers physical activity. Objectively measured physical activity (Actigraphs) was measured on 225 preschool...

Objectives: No studies have investigated gross motor skill (GMS) proficiency of preschool-aged children across different income settings in South Africa. Research from high-income countries suggests that children from low-income settings display poorer GMS proficiency compared to higher-income peers. This study aimed to (1) describe GMS proficienc...

BACKGROUND E-Health obesity programs offer benefits to traditionally-delivered programs and have shown promise in improving obesity-related behaviors in children. OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of a parent-focussed internet-based healthy lifestyle program for preschool-aged children, who are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight, on child...

Background Electronic health (eHealth) obesity programs offer benefits to traditionally delivered programs and have shown promise in improving obesity-related behaviors in children. Objective This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a parent-focused, internet-based healthy lifestyle program for preschool-aged children, who are overweight or at o...

Objectives: Gross motor skills (GMS) are a vital component of a child's development. Monitoring levels and correlates of GMS is important to ensure appropriate strategies are put in place to promote these skills in young children. The aim of this study was to describe the current level of GMS development of children aged 11-29months and how these...

THIS ARTICLE AIMS TO DESCRIBE the level of implementation (LOI) of the Jump Start study, and examine the relationship between LOI changes and the support types provided to early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres. Direct observations were conducted in 21 ECEC centres at six months and 12 months after the start of the intervention. Each cen...

Background: There is an absence of studies exploring different goal-setting appraches and none which have examined the use of proxy goal-setting by parents for their children. Aim: To explore how proficient parents are in setting health behaviour goals for their children according to SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-fr...

Objectives: Physical activity can be promoted by high levels of gross motor skills. A systematic review found a positive relationship in children (3-18 years) but only few studies examined this in younger children. The aim of this study was to examine the association between gross motor skills and physical activity in children aged 11-29 months....

Background: In 2017, the Australian Government funded the update of the National Physical Activity Recommendations for Children 0-5 years, with the intention that they be an integration of movement behaviours across the 24-h period. The benefit for Australia was that it could leverage research in Canada in the development of their 24-h guidelines...

Purpose: To examine the validity of wrist acceleration cut-points for classifying moderate (MPA), vigorous (VPA) and moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) physical activity. Methods: Fifty-seven children (5-12y) completed 15 semi-structured activities. Three sets of wrist cut-points (>192mg, >250mg, >314mg), previously developed using Euclidian norm minus...

Background: The use of parent-focused internet-based programs for the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity has shown promise but there is an acknowledged gap in parent-focused interventions which target the early childhood stage. Methods: The aim of this study is to determine the efficacy of Time2bHealthy - an online healthy lifestyle p...

THE EARLY CHILDHOOD SECTOR within Australia has experienced significant changes over the past decade. During this period the quantity of early childhood research has also escalated. However, educators continue to remain cautious about the value of research as it is currently operationalised and its potential application. Establishing collaborative...

Autism Spectrum Disorder affects up to 2.5% of children and is associated with harmful health outcomes (e.g. obesity). Low levels of physical activity and high levels of sedentary behaviors may contribute to harmful health outcomes. To systematically review the prevalence and correlates of physical activity and sedentary behaviors in children with...

Risk of bias a for papers reporting sedentary behavior outcomes. a 1 = strong quality/low risk of bias, 2 = moderate quality/risk of bias, 3 = weak quality/high risk of bias. (DOCX)

Data extraction table for the sedentary behavior papers. (XLSX)

Risk of bias a for papers reporting physical activity outcomes. a 1 = strong quality/low risk of bias, 2 = moderate quality/risk of bias, 3 = weak quality/high risk of bias. (DOCX)

Completed PRISMA checklist. (DOCX)

Data extraction table for the physical activity papers. (XLSX)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the childcare environment and physical activity and sedentary behavior of toddlers and preschoolers. A total of 68 toddlers (1.0–2.9 years) and 233 preschoolers (3.0–5.9 years) were recruited from 11 childcare services in 2013 within the Illawarra and Shoalhaven region of NSW, A...

Background: Although physical activity during pregnancy may be beneficial, the prenatal period is a vulnerable time for decreasing physical activity levels and increasing sedentary time. Methods: This longitudinal cohort study measured physical activity using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) in singleton, pregnant women in the s...

Introduction The benefits of regular physical activity for children are significant. Previous research has addressed the quantity and quality of children's physical activity while in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings, yet little research has investigated the social and physical environmental influences on physical activity in these...

Purpose. The purpose of this research was to collect data to inform intervention strategies to optimise body composition in South African preschool children. Methods. Data were collected in urban and rural settings. Weight status, physical activity, and gross motor skill assessments were conducted with 341 3–6-year-old children, and 55 teachers and...

The aim of this study was to report patterns of sitting, standing and physical activity (PA) and compliance with Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations for sedentary behavior (SB) and PA among children aged 1 to 5 years at childcare, and examine sociodemographic variations. Sitting, standing and PA time was assessed using an activPAL inclinome...

Introduction: To examine the validity and accuracy of wrist accelerometers for classifying sedentary behavior (SB) in children. Methods: Fifty-seven children (5-8y and 9-12y) completed a ~170min protocol including 15 semi-structured activities and transitions. Nine ActiGraph (GT3X+) and two GENEActiv wrist cut-points were evaluated. Direct obser...

\textbf{INTRODUCTION}$: To examine the validity and accuracy of wrist accelerometers for classifying sedentary behavior (SB) in children. $\textbf{METHODS}$: Fifty-seven children (5-8y and 9-12y) completed a ~170min protocol including 15 semi-structured activities and transitions. Nine ActiGraph (GT3X+) and two GENEActiv wrist cut-points were evalu...

Internationally, childhood obesity is a major public health concern. Given the established difficulties in treating obesity, designing and evaluating effective obesity prevention interventions are research priorities. As parents play a crucial role in establishing positive health behaviours in children, they are a key target for child obesity preve...

Background Participation in regular physical activity (PA) during the early years helps children achieve healthy body weight and can substantially improve motor development, bone health, psychosocial health and cognitive development. Despite common assumptions that young children are naturally active, evidence shows that they are insufficiently act...

OBJECTIVES: To validate activPAL3™ (AP3) for classifying postural allocation, estimating time spent in postures and examining the number of breaks in sedentary behaviour (SB) in 5-12 year-olds. DESIGN: Laboratory-based validation study. METHODS: Fifty-seven children completed 15 sedentary, light- and moderate-to-vigorous intensity activities. Direc...

Objectives: To validate activPAL3™ (AP3) for classifying postural allocation, estimating time spent in postures and examining the number of breaks in sedentary behaviour (SB) in 5-12 year-olds. Design: Laboratory-based validation study. Methods: Fifty-seven children completed 15 sedentary, light- and moderate-to-vigorous intensity activities....

Background Effective broad-reach interventions to reduce childhood obesity are needed, but there is currently little consensus on the most effective approach. Parental involvement in interventions appears to be important. The use of eHealth modalities in interventions also seems to be promising. To our knowledge, there have been no previous reviews...

Background Despite the benefits of physical activity during pregnancy, the physiological and psychological changes that occur during this unique period may put women at greater risk of being sedentary. Lifestyle and environmental transitions have left black South African women at increased risk of physical inactivity and associated health risks. Th...

Background: To validate the activPAL3 algorithm for predicting metabolic equivalents (TAMETs) and classifying MVPA in 5- to 12-year-old children. Methods: Fifty-seven children (9.2 ± 2.3y, 49.1% boys) completed 14 activities including sedentary behaviors (SB), light (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activities (MVPA). Indirect calorimetry...

Background: This study reports energy expenditure (EE) data for lifestyle and ambulatory activities in young children. Methods: Eleven children aged 3 to 6 years (mean age = 4.8 ± 0.9; 55% boys) completed 12 semistructured activities including sedentary behaviors (SB), light (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activities (MVPA) over 2 labor...

Objectives: This study aimed to validate SenseWear Mini software algorithm versions 2.2 (SW2.2) and 5.2 (SW5.2) for estimating energy expenditure (EE) in children. Design: Laboratory-based validation study. Methods: 57 children aged 5-12 y completed a protocol involving 15 semi-structured sedentary (SED), light-intensity (LPA), and moderate- t...

Objective: To systematically review the correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior among children in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services. Appropriate levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior are important to promote in ECEC services. Methods: A systematic search of 8 databases identified 27 studies published...

Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to provide an update of the evidence on the efficacy of gross motor development interventions in young children (0–5 years) from 2007 to 2015. Methods Searches were conducted of six electronic databases: PUBMED, Medline (Ovid), ERIC (Ebsco), Embase, SCOPUS and Psychinfo. Studies included any child...

This study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of a gross motor skill program for toddlers. An 8-wk. skills program in which children practiced three skills was implemented for 10min. daily in two randomly designated childcare centers. Two other centers served as the control group. Recruitment and retention rates were co...

Objectives: Educator-led programs for physical activity and motor skill development show potential but few have been implemented and evaluated using a randomized controlled design. Furthermore, few educator-led programs have evaluated both gross motor skills and physical activity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate a gross motor skil...

AimTelephone health behaviour change interventions have shown potential as a medium for change. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a telephone behaviour change program on weight and physical activity. It was hypothesised that participants would achieve significant improvements in body mass index (BMI) and physical act...

Single sex after-school physical activity programs show potential to prevent unhealthy weight gain. The aim of this study was to assess the acceptability and potential efficacy of single-sex after-school physical activity programs for overweight and at-risk children from low-income communities. 7-month, 2-arm parallel-group, RCT, conducted at an el...

Gross motor skills are the building blocks for physical activity and are associated with a range of positive health outcomes. To date, no known interventions have been implemented in toddlers (<3 years). The aim of this study was to to examine the feasibility, acceptability and potential efficacy of a gross motor skill development program for child...

Objective: To discuss the considerations and challenges in adapting an early childhood physical activity intervention previously implemented in high-income settings for low-income settings within Australia. Methods: In 2015/16 40 low-income early childhood education and care (ECEC) services within NSW, Australia, will participate in a multi-compon...

Abstract This study examined the validity of current Actical activity energy expenditure (AEE) equations and intensity cut-points in preschoolers using AEE and direct observation as criterion measures. Forty 4-6-year-olds (5.3 ± 1.0 years) completed a ~150-min room calorimeter protocol involving age-appropriate sedentary behaviours (SBs), light int...

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) originates in childhood and early identification of risk factors provides an early intervention opportunity. The aim was to identify children at higher risk using a CVD risk score, developed from factors known to cluster in childhood. Risk was scored as very high (≥97.5th centile), high (≥95th), moderate (≥90th) or thre...

Purpose: This study aimed to establish whether the peak plantar pressures generated by overweight and obese school-age children during walking were associated with their objectively measured physical activity. Methods: Physical activity levels of a subset of 73 overweight/obese children from a randomized controlled trial (mean ± SD: age, 8.3 ± 1...

Objective To examine associations of volumes and bouts of sedentary behavior (SED) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with individual and clustered cardio-metabolic outcomes in overweight/obese children.Methods Cross-sectional data from 120 overweight/obese children (8.3 ± 1.1 years, 62% girls, 74% obese) with SED and MVPA assessed u...

This study examined the classification accuracy of the activPAL, including total time spent sedentary and total number of breaks in sedentary behavior (SB) in 4- to 6-year-old children. Forty children aged 4-6 years (5.3 ± 1.0 years) completed a ~150-min laboratory protocol involving sedentary, light, and moderate- to vigorous-intensity activities....

Evaluate the predictive validity of ActiGraph energy expenditure equations and the classification accuracy of physical activity intensity cut-points in preschoolers. Forty children aged 4-6 years (5.3±1.0 years) completed a ∼150-min room calorimeter protocol involving age-appropriate sedentary, light and moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical acti...

Examine the predictive validity of the activPAL™ metabolic equivalents equation, develop an activPAL™ threshold value to define moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activities, and examine the classification accuracy of the developed moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activities threshold value in 4- to 6-year-old children. A sample of fort...

Pediatric obesity continues to be a major public health concern. Once established it is difficult to treat, therefore well-designed and evaluated prevention interventions are vitally important. Schools have an important role in the prevention of childhood obesity, however, their involvement can be limited by a number of constraints and barriers, wh...