Sjaan R Gomersall

• BPhysio (Hons), PhD
• Research Associate at The University of Queensland

Background: Health professionals play a crucial role in promoting physical activity, but the impact of physical activity behavior change training on preprofessional health students is underresearched. This systematic review examined the impact of such training for preprofessional health students. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Scien...

Purpose: To quantitatively synthesize published evidence on the association between 24-hour movement behavior composition with adiposity in children and adolescents aged 3-18 years. Methods: Systematic literature searches were conducted in five electronic databases to identify papers published between January 2015 and January 2024. A machine lea...

Background : The movement behaviors of LGBTQA+ young people, who encounter specific health, and other, challenges are not well understood. This systematic review examines the 24-hour movement behaviors of LGBTQA+ young people compared with population estimates of meeting the 24-hour movement guidelines. Methods : Seven electronic databases were sea...

Objective The objective of this study was to compare the effects of novel, time-efficient, low-volume combined aerobic and resistance high-intensity interval training (C-HIIT), and current exercise guidelines (210 min/week of combined moderate-intensity continuous training (C-MICT)), with waitlist control (CON) on glycaemic control in people with t...

Background: Clinical placements may provide an appropriate setting for health professional students to learn and apply skills for supporting clients to improve their physical activity. Methods: A mixed methods study was conducted with pre-professional health students completing clinical placement at one of two interprofessional community clinics. S...

Aim To explore short-term barriers and enablers to maintaining behaviour changes in adults with type 2 diabetes who had completed a lifestyle behaviour change program. Methods Focus groups with 44 participants identified barriers and enablers at the end-of-program (n = 8 groups: anticipated); and, 1-month post-program (n = 6 groups: experienced)....

Background: Physical inactivity is recognized as a global health challenge. Attachment theory may provide insight into individual physical activity (PA) patterns, informing the development of PA interventions to promote the maintenance of behavior change. This study investigated the associations between attachment orientation and why and how indiv...

Background This cross‐sectional study aimed to understand the need and desire for a diabetes prevention program within the Y (formerly YMCA: Young Men's Christian Association) of the Greater Brisbane region, Queensland, Australia. Methods An anonymous online survey was distributed (March–April 2023) by The Y Queensland targeting adults within the...

This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the effectiveness of physical activity interventions on undergraduate students’ mental health. Seven databases were searched and a total of 59 studies were included. Studies with a comparable control group were meta-analysed, and remaining studies were narratively synthesized. The included studies s...

Purpose: Physical activity is an important modifiable determinant of health. There has been a historical aversion to movement in people with myasthenia gravis (MG) due to the pathophysiology of the disease, however, research suggests engagement in physical activity is safe and does not exacerbate symptoms. There are currently no studies investigat...

Introduction COVID-19 and related travel and social restrictions caused significant stress for university students in Australia and globally. Learning quickly moved online and many students (particularly international students) were separated from social and economic support. This study examined the impact of the pandemic from pre-pandemic (2019) t...

Introduction. The World Health Organisation's (WHO) framework on health behaviours and educational outcomes (EO)outlines that this relationship has a variety of influencing factors at different levels of influence. However, few studies have explored university students’ perceptions of multiple health behaviours and their relationships with EO. Ther...

Objectives Using a multi‐ethnic Asian population, this study assessed adherence to prescribed home exercise programs, explored factors predicting adherence, and evaluated whether home exercise adherence was associated with physical activity. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted in 68 older adults (aged ≥65 years) from two geriatric out...

Background Pedometers have been shown to be effective for increasing physical activity, however the potential additional effects of activity trackers, and their added capacity to simultaneously modify sedentary behaviour, has not been thoroughly explored. This study aimed to explore the comparative effectiveness of two activity trackers and a pedom...

Purpose Exercise interventions can increase physical activity and wellbeing of people living with/beyond cancer. However, little is known about maintenance of physical activity in this population ≥ 6 months post-exercise intervention, when theoretical evidence suggests behaviour maintenance occurs. Study aims are to (i) systematically review mainte...

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of morning versus evening exercise on weight loss, cardiometabolic health, and components of energy balance. Methods: A total of 100 inactive adults with overweight or obesity were randomized to morning exercise (AMEx; 06:00-09:00), evening exercise (PMEx; 16:00-19:00), or wait-li...

The objective of this study was to investigate changes in sedentary and active behaviors when previously inactive adults start exercising in the morning or evening. One-hundred adults with overweight or obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m²) were recruited for a 12-week intervention and randomized to one of three groups: (i) morning exercise (AMEx; 0600–0900); (...

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...

Background In the absence of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the benefits of therapeutic exercise programs involving children with bronchiectasis, we undertook a pilot RCT to evaluate the effects of a play-based therapeutic exercise program on fundamental movement skill (FMS) proficiency. The effects of the program on cardiorespiratory fitne...

Adherence to prescribed exercise poses significant challenges for older adults despite proven benefits. The aim of this exploratory descriptive qualitative study was to explore the perceived barriers to and facilitators of prescribed home exercise adherence in community-dwelling adults 65 years and older. Three focus groups with 17 older adults ( M...

People with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are at a greater risk of cardiovascular disease than the general population. Both non‐modifiable (age) and modifiable (low aerobic fitness, high body fatness) factors are separately predictive of cardiovascular risk, although they often occur concomitantly. This study aimed to examine the (1) association between ag...

Background: This study aimed to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), and educational outcomes (EO) in first-year university students in Australia. Method: Participants (N = 80) engaged in 3 data collection points (semesters 1, 2, and 3) that included self-reported and devi...

We aimed to describe behaviour change techniques (BCT) used in trials evaluating computerised cognitive training (CCT) in cognitively healthy older adults, and explore whether BCTs are associated with improved adherence and efficacy. The 90 papers included in a recent meta-analysis were reviewed for information about adherence and use of BCTs in ac...

Sharper Minds is a stepped care package designed by the researchers in collaboration with students and UQ Health Care providers to increase awareness and use of mental health prevention strategies among first year university students. The package was 'soft launched' in 2021, and this report presents findings from the pilot evaluation. The pilot ado...

Background: This scoping review analyzed research about how music activities may affect participants' health and well-being. Primary outcomes were measures of health (including symptoms and health behaviors) and well-being. Secondary measures included a range of psychosocial processes such as arousal, mood, social connection, physical activation or...

Background Bronchiectasis is a major contributor to respiratory morbidity and healthcare utilization in children. Children with bronchiectasis exhibit low levels of physical activity (PA) and poor fundamental movement skills (FMS) may be a contributing factor. However, there are no data on FMS’s in this population. The current study assessed FMS pr...

Background: To improve compliance and adherence to exercise, the concept of temporal consistency has been proposed. Before- and after-work are periods when most working adults may reasonably incorporate exercise into their schedule. However, it is unknown if there is an association between the time-of-day that exercise is performed and overall phy...

Purpose To seek physiotherapists’ perspectives on patient adherence to exercise prescription for falls prevention/risk reduction in the Singapore setting. Method Three focus groups with physiotherapists (n = 16) were conducted. An inductive thematic analysis was performed to identify main themes by four independent researchers. Results Three main...

Physical activity has many physical, mental, and social health benefits. Interventions can be successful at helping people initiate participation, but there is a lack of evidence about the ability of these interventions to help adults maintain their physical activity. This systematic review and meta‐analysis aims to address this evidence gap. We in...

Background: The International Society for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH) is a leading global organization working to advance research, policy, and practice to promote physical activity. Given the expanding evidence base on interventions to promote physical activity, it was timely to review and update a major ISPAH advocacy document-Investmen...

The aim of this study was to investigate short- and long-term compensatory effects on dietary intake following high intensity interval training (HIIT) compared with usual care moderate intensity continuous training (MICT) during and following a cardiac rehabilitation program. This study investigates secondary outcomes of a clinical trial. Ninety-th...

Objective To systematically review available evidence focusing on the relationship between physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), and educational outcomes (EO), among university students. Method: Articles published in English and up to April 2019 were eligible to be included in the review if they examined associations between either PA or...

Importance: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is recognized as a potent stimulus for improving cardiorespiratory fitness (volume of oxygen consumption [VO2] peak) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the feasibility, safety, and long-term effects of HIIT in this population are unclear. Objective: To compare HIIT with mo...

Background : Sport has been identified as one of the 7 best investments for increasing physical activity levels across the life span. Several questions remain on how to effectively utilize youth sport as a strategy for increasing physical activity and improving health in youth. The purpose of this paper is to identify the main research priorities i...

Purpose: To determine longitudinal change in sedentary behavior in children with cerebral palsy (CP) from 1.5 to 12 years. Methods: Ninety-one children, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I to III, who participated in a large longitudinal cohort study were participants. Longitudinal change was analyzed in objectively measu...

Objectives The objectives of this review were to (a) determine the effectiveness of combined group and home exercise programmes on falls risk factors and falls in community‐dwelling older adults at risk of falling compared to no exercise controls; and (b) explore adherence and the behaviour change techniques employed in delivering these interventio...

Objective This study aimed to investigate the effect of exercise intensity on visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and liver fat reduction in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) over 3 months and the maintenance of improvements over 12 months. Methods Forty‐two participants with CAD were randomized to three sessions/week of either 4 × 4‐minute hi...

This study evaluated the validity of two wheelchair-mounted devices—the Cateye® and Wheeler—for monitoring wheelchair speed and distance traveled. Speed estimates were validated against a calibrated treadmill at speeds from 1.5 to 10 km/hr. Twenty-five wheelchair users completed a course of known distance comprising a sequence of everyday wheelchai...

This study evaluated the test–retest reliability of a questionnaire assessing five domains of sedentary behaviour, and compared an overall indicator of sitting time with measures obtained by a multi-domain questionnaire, among adults living in Brazil. Data from two different studies carried out in Pelotas, Brazil, were used. Study A: evaluated 7-da...

Background: Despite an overwhelming body of evidence showing the benefits of physical activity (PA) and exercise for cancer survivors, few survivors meet the exercise oncology guidelines. Moreover, initiating, let alone maintaining exercise programs with cancer survivors continues to have limited success. The aim of this trial is to evaluate the i...

Background Differences in how shift workers accumulate physical activity (PA) while at work and in leisure time, on days when they are working at night, during the day, or on non-work days, are largely unexplored. The aim of this study was to improve understanding of physical activity patterns in two groups of shift workers, and to measure variatio...

Background Exercise interventions are typically delivered to people with cancer and survivors via supervised clinical rehabilitation. However, motivating and maintaining activity changes outside of the clinic setting remains challenging. This study investigated the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of an individually-tailored, text message-en...

Background The last few years have seen renewed interest in use-of-time recalls in epidemiological studies, driven by a focus on the 24-h day [including sleep, sitting, and light physical activity (LPA)] rather than just moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). This paper describes four different computerised use-of-time instruments (ACT24, PAR,...

Background The time of day that people exercise could have an influence on the efficacy of exercise for weight loss, via differences in adherence and/or physiological adaptations. However, there is currently no evidence to support an optimal time of day for exercise to maximise efficacy. Purpose To examine the feasibility and acceptability of pres...

Abstract This Supplement aims to raise awareness and knowledge of how time use surveys may be applied to studying health behaviours such as physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and eating. This commentary provides an overview and discussion of the papers in this Supplement about time use and health research, and considers possible future directi...

Objectives: Estimates of adults' moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) based on self-report are generally higher than estimates derived from criterion measures. This study examines a possible explanation for part of this discrepancy: the cutpoint bias hypothesis. This hypothesis proposes that inter- and intra-individual variability in ener...

Objective: A recent Apple Watch® activity-monitoring innovation permits manual wheelchair users to monitor daily push counts. This study evaluated the validity of the Apple Watch® push count estimate. Design: Criterion validity. Setting: Southern Finland and Southeast Queensland, Australia. Participants: Twenty-six manual wheelchair users from Finl...

Background Bronchiectasis is a major contributor to respiratory morbidity and health care utilization in children and youth. Current treatment guidelines for bronchiectasis recommend participation in regular physical activity (PA) to improve aerobic fitness and quality of life (QoL). However, no previous study has assessed physical activity and sed...

The 2018 AHKA Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Young People was developed using synthesised data from a number of national and state/territory based surveys. The AHKA Research Working Group evaluated all the data in order to assign letter grades to each of the 12 indicators using pre-determined criteria and benchmarks and provided...

Introduction Chronic disease in children is increasing, including the prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, cystic fibrosis (CF), bronchiectasis and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of exercise training on health outcomes in children with chronic r...

Biology determines the intensity of an individual's drive to eat and the strength of inhibition of the processes of satiation and satiety. These processes are interpreted in relation to the existence of an obesogenic environment that encourages over consumption. The majority of obesity has a complex multifactorial/polygenic aetiology. This chapter...

Background Chronic diseases are high in truck drivers and have been linked to work routines that promote inactivity and poor diets. This feasibility study examined the extent to which an m-Health financial incentives program facilitated physical activity and healthy dietary choices in Australian truck drivers. Methods Nineteen men (mean [SD] age =...

Introduction The aims of this prospective cohort study were to examine 16-year trajectories of weight and BMI in young adult women who had a healthy BMI in 1996 and determinants of remaining in the healthy BMI category. Methods A total of 4,881 women with healthy BMI at baseline and either healthy, overweight, or obese BMI at 16-year follow-up rep...

Background: Two years on from the inaugural Active Healthy Kids Australia (AHKA) Physical Activity Report Card, there has been little to no change with the majority of Australian children still insufficiently active. Methods: The 2016 AHKA Report Card was developed using the best available national- and state-based physical activity data, which...

Background Activity trackers are increasingly popular with both consumers and researchers for monitoring activity and for promoting positive behavior change. However, there is a lack of research investigating the performance of these devices in free-living contexts, for which findings are likely to vary from studies conducted in well-controlled lab...

Background It has been hypothesised that an ‘activitystat’ may biologically regulate energy expenditure or physical activity levels, thereby limiting the effectiveness of physical activity interventions. Using a randomised controlled trial design, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a six-week exercise stimulus on energy expendit...

Objectives: Wrist-worn accelerometers are convenient to wear and associated with greater wear-time compliance. Previous work has generally relied on choreographed activity trials to train and test classification models. However, validity in free-living contexts is starting to emerge. Study aims were: (1) train and test a random forest activity cla...

Objectives: To examine the effects of overall level and timing of physical activity (PA) on changes from a healthy body mass index (BMI) category over 12 years in young adult women. Patients and methods: Participants in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (younger cohort, born 1973-1978) completed surveys between 2000 (age 22-27...

Objective: This study examined chronic disease risks and the use of a smartphone activity tracking application during an intervention in Australian truck drivers (April-October 2014). Methods: Forty-four men (mean age=47.5 [SD 9.8] years) completed baseline health measures, and were subsequently offered access to a free wrist-worn activity track...

Background: Shifting Gears is a joint Australian, State and Territory funded lifestyle initiative that uses smartphone technology to help truck drivers monitor and self-regulate healthy lifestyle choices. Using a random forest activity classifier for wrist-worn accelerometer data, this study examined the workday sedentary (lying [sleeping] or sitti...

Australia has joined a growing number of nations which have evaluated the physical activity and sedentary behaviour status of their children. Australia received a 'D minus' in the first Active Healthy Kids Australia Physical Activity Report Card. An expert subgroup of the Australian Report Card Research Working Group iteratively reviewed available...

Introduction Consumer-based activity trackers are increasingly being utilised in physical activity and health research. The aim of this study was to explore the free-living validity of the Fitbit One and Jawbone UP compared with accelerometry. Methods Twenty-nine participants (90% female, [mean±standard deviation] 39.6±11 years of age, 26±5 kg/...

Sedentary behavior is continuing to emerge as an important target for health promotion. The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of a self-report use of time recall tool, the Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adults (MARCA) in estimating time spent sitting/lying, compared with a device-based measure. Fifty-eight participant...

The aim of this study was to investigate how previously inactive adults who had participated in a structured, partly supervised 6-week exercise program restructured their time budgets when the program ended. Using a randomised controlled trial design, 129 previously inactive adults were recruited and randomly allocated to one of three groups: a Mod...

Based on self-reported measures, sedentary time has been associated with chronic disease and mortality. This study examined the validity of the wrist-worn GENEactiv accelerometer for measuring sedentary time (i.e. sitting and lying) by posture classification, during waking hours in free living adults. Fifty-seven participants (age=18-55 years 52% m...

To assess the validity of the Past-day Adults' Sedentary Time-University (PAST-U) questionnaire, modified for a university population, compared with activPAL. Participants (n=57, age=18-55 years, 47% female, 65% students) were recruited from the University of Queensland (students and staff). Participants answered the PAST-U questionnaire, which ask...

Abstract Tudor-Locke and colleagues previously assessed steps/day for 1 year. The aim of this study was to use this data set to introduce a novel approach for the investigation of whether individual's physical activity exhibits periodicity fluctuating round a mean and, if so, the degree of fluctuation and whether the mean changes over time. Twenty-...

Background: Like many other countries, Australia is facing an inactivity epidemic. The purpose of the Australian 2014 Physical Activity Report Card initiative was to assess the behaviors, settings, and sources of influences and strategies and investments associated with the physical activity levels of Australian children and youth. Methods: A Re...