Pregnant women's receipt of comprehensive guideline recommended antenatal care for smoking.

INTRODUCTION: Antenatal clinical guidelines recommend antenatal care providers routinely assess smoking status for all pregnant women at the first antenatal visit and, for women who are current smokers, provide cessation support at the first and all subsequent visits. This study aimed to assess women's receipt of comprehensive guideline recommended care for smoking during pregnancy and the maternal and service characteristics associated with such care. METHODS: A telephone survey was conducted with women who were recently pregnant and received antenatal care from public maternity services in one Australian local health district. RESULTS: Of the 514 participants, 9% were smokers when they found out they were pregnant. Of these, 47% continued smoking until giving birth. Almost all participants (96%) were asked about their smoking status at their first antenatal visit. Among pregnant smokers, 76% were asked about their smoking at subsequent visits, 73% were advised to quit, 62% were provided with information or advice to assist quitting, 24% were offered Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and 38% were offered a referral to Quitline. A third of maternal smokers reported receiving all elements of guideline recommended care. No associations were found between maternal and service characteristics and receipt of care for smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Guideline recommended routine assessment and care for smoking in pregnancy may be less than optimal, particularly for smoking cessation interventions with strong evidence of effectiveness - NRT and quit lines. Identification of barriers and implementation of strategies to increase the offer and uptake of these services by women is required. IMPLICATIONS: This study is the first to examine pregnant women's reported receipt of comprehensive guideline recommended care for maternal smoking. The findings indicate that a significant proportion of pregnant women attending public maternity services are not receiving comprehensive care and that many are not being offered evidence based interventions to assist them to quit. Barriers to comprehensive care delivery need to be identified and addressed if the potential for smoking interventions delivered in this setting to impact smoking rates in pregnancy is to be realised.

Antenatal care practices for gestational weight gain: a cross sectional survey of antenatal care providers reported provision and barriers to providing recommended care.

BACKGROUND: Implementation of recommended gestational weight gain (GWG) care by antenatal care providers is poor. It is unclear whether practice implementation and barriers differ between antenatal care provider profession or experience. This study aimed to assesses the provision of and barriers to guideline care for GWG and examine associations with professional discipline and years of experience. METHODS: A cross sectional survey was conducted with antenatal care providers working in three public maternity services in a regional city in Australia. Data were collected on the provision of and barriers (informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework) to recommended GWG care. Data were summarised using descriptive statistics. Associations between health profession characteristics (professional discipline and years providing antenatal care) and GWG care practices and barrier outcomes were assessed using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: 117 antenatal care providers completed the survey (75% participation rate). One quarter (25%) reported that they routinely provided recommended GWG assessment at the first antenatal visit, and 9% at subsequent visits. Only 7% routinely provided recommended advice on GWG, healthy eating and physical activity. Professional discipline or years of experience were not associated with higher odds of GWG practices. Skills, belief about capabilities, belief about consequences and environmental context and resources were barriers to providing care. Medical professionals had higher odds of agreeing that they have been adequately trained to address GWG (OR = 9.14, 95%CI:3.10-26.90) and feel competent in having sensitive conversations with pregnant women about GWG (OR = 8.60, 95%CI:2.29-32.28) than midwives. Midwives had higher odds of agreeing that there are services they can refer pregnant women to for further support (OR = 2.80, 95%CI:1.13-6.91). CONCLUSIONS: The provision of antenatal care for GWG was low, inconsistently provided and did not differ by professional discipline or years of experience. Antenatal care providers report numerous barriers including skills, belief about capabilities, belief about consequences, and environmental context and resources. Barriers to GWG care provision differed by professional discipline, but not years of providing care. The findings demonstrate that the type and prioritisation of practice-change implementation strategies may need to be tailored to address the differential barriers faced by professional groups.

Antenatal care addressing gestational weight gain (GWG): a cross sectional study of pregnant women's reported receipt and acceptability of recommended GWG care and associated characteristics.

BACKGROUND: The Australian Clinical Practice Guidelines for Pregnancy Care recommend that during the first and subsequent antenatal visits all pregnant women are weighed; advised of recommended gestational weight gain (GWG), dietary intake and physical activity; and offered referrals for additional support if needed. The extent to which these recommendations are implemented and women's acceptability of recommended care is unknown. This study examines women's reported receipt and acceptability of guideline care for GWG, and characteristics associated with receipt of such care and its acceptability. METHODS: From September 2018 to February 2019 a telephone survey was undertaken with women who had recently had a baby and received antenatal care from five public maternity services within a health district in Australia. Women self-reported their demographic characteristics, and receipt and acceptability of recommended GWG care. Receipt and acceptability of such care, and their association with the characteristics of women and the maternity service they attended, were examined using descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Of 514 women, 13.1% (95%CI:10.3-16.5) reported that they received an assessment of weight at both their first and a subsequent antenatal visit, and less than one third (30.0%; 95%CI:26.0-33.9) received advice on their recommended GWG range, dietary intake and physical activity. Just 6.6% (95%CI:4.8-9.1) of women reported receiving all assessment and advice components of recommended antenatal care, and 9.9% (95%CI:7.6-12.8) of women reported being referred for extra support. Women who were younger (OR = 1.13;95%CI:1.05-1.21), identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (OR = 24.54;95%CI:4.98-120.94), had a higher pre-pregnancy BMI (OR = 1.13;95%CI:1.05-1.21), were experiencing their first pregnancy (OR = 3.36;95%CI:1.27-8.86), and lived in a least disadvantaged area (compared to mid-disadvantaged area (OR = 18.5;95%CI:2.6-130.5) and most disadvantaged area (OR = 13.1;95%CI:2.09-82.4)) were more likely to receive recommended assessment and advice. Most Aboriginal (92%) and non-Aboriginal (93%) women agreed that recommended GWG care is acceptable. CONCLUSION: Most women perceive antenatal care for GWG as recommended by the Clinical Practice Guidelines as acceptable, but did not receive it. When provided, such care is not delivered consistently to all women regardless of their characteristics or those of the maternity service they attend. There is a need for service-wide practice change to increase routine GWG care in pregnancy for all women.

Long-Term Effectiveness of a Multi-Strategy Choice Architecture Intervention in Increasing Healthy Food Choices of High-School Students From Online Canteens (Click & Crunch High Schools): Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: School canteens are a recommended setting to influence adolescent nutrition due to their scope to improve student food choices. Online lunch ordering systems ("online canteens") are increasingly used and represent attractive infrastructure to implement choice architecture interventions that nudge users toward healthier food choices. A recent cluster randomized controlled trial demonstrated the short-term effectiveness (2-month follow-up) of a choice architecture intervention to increase the healthiness of foods purchased by high school students from online canteens. However, there is little evidence regarding the long-term effectiveness of choice architecture interventions targeting adolescent food purchases, particularly those delivered online. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the long-term effectiveness of a multi-strategy choice architecture intervention embedded within online canteen infrastructure in high schools at a 15-month follow-up. METHODS: A cluster randomized controlled trial was undertaken with 1331 students (from 9 high schools) in New South Wales, Australia. Schools were randomized to receive the automated choice architecture intervention (including menu labeling, positioning, feedback, and prompting strategies) or the control (standard online ordering). The foods purchased were classified according to the New South Wales Healthy Canteen strategy as either "everyday," "occasional," or "should not be sold." Primary outcomes were the average proportion of "everyday," "occasional," and "should not be sold" items purchased per student. Secondary outcomes were the mean energy, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium content of purchases. Outcomes were assessed using routine data collected by the online canteen. RESULTS: From baseline to 15-month follow-up, on average, students in the intervention group ordered significantly more "everyday" items (+11.5%, 95% CI 7.3% to 15.6%; P<.001), and significantly fewer "occasional" (-5.4%, 95% CI -9.4% to -1.5%; P=.007) and "should not be sold" items (-6%, 95% CI -9.1% to -2.9%; P<.001), relative to controls. There were no between-group differences over time in the mean energy, saturated fat, sugar, or sodium content of lunch orders. CONCLUSIONS: Given their longer-term effectiveness, choice architecture interventions delivered via online canteens may represent a promising option for policy makers to support healthy eating among high school students. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian Clinical Trials ACTRN12620001338954, https://anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=380546 ; Open Science Framework osf.io/h8zfr, https://osf.io/h8zfr/.

Assessing the implementation of healthy eating and physical activity policies and practices in Early Childhood Education and Care in New South Wales, Australia: A cross-sectional study.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: Australian children are not meeting the recommended physical activity (PA) and healthy eating (HE) guidelines. Health behaviour practices implemented in community settings such as early education services can improve child's health outcomes and are therefore key to help meet guidelines. This study aimed to measure the implementation of HE and PA policies and practices in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, and to examine their association with service characteristics. METHODS: A random sample of 1122 centre-based ECEC services were invited to a cross-sectional survey measuring HE and PA policy and practice implementation. Regression analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between the service characteristics and implementation of policies/practices. RESULTS: In total, 565 ECEC services completed the survey. Results show that while some practices are implemented, the implementation of practices promoting HE and PA education is low. Practices related to educator training for HE (18%) and PA (13%) were poorly implemented. The implementation of practices such as 'providing educator training around child PA', 'engaging families in activities to increase child PA' and 'encouraging supportive feeding practices' were significantly higher in services located in major cities than regional/remote services. 'Having a PA policy' and the practice of 'limiting the use of screen time' was significantly higher in long day care services than in preschools. The implementation of 'providing educator-led PA', 'providing free play opportunities' and 'having a PA policy' was significantly lower in private not-for-profit community managed services than in private for-profit services. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of various HE and PA policies and practices in regional/remote services, private not-for-profit services and preschools across NSW could be improved. SO WHAT?: Future research should be prioritised towards identifying factors influencing the implementation of these policies and practices to best tailor implementation support efforts for those who need it the most.

Evaluating the scaling up of an effective implementation intervention (PACE) to increase the delivery of a mandatory physical activity policy in primary schools.

BACKGROUND: Physically Active Children in Education (PACE) is an effective implementation intervention for increasing the number of minutes classroom teachers schedule physical activity each week. To date, evaluations of PACE have included a smaller number of schools from only one region in New South Wales Australia. If PACE is to have population-wide benefits we must be able to deliver this support to a larger number of schools across multiple regions. This study aimed to evaluate the scale-up of PACE. METHODS: An uncontrolled before and after study, with 100 schools from three regions was conducted. Participating schools received PACE for approximately 12 months. We assessed the following outcomes: delivery of the evidence-based intervention (EBI) (i.e. minutes of physical activity scheduled by classroom teachers per week); delivery of the implementation strategies (i.e. reach, dose delivered, adherence and indicators of sustainability); and key determinants of implementation (i.e. acceptability of strategies and cost). Data were collected via project officer records, and principal and teacher surveys. Linear mixed models were used to assess EBI delivery by evaluating the difference in the mean minutes teachers scheduled physical activity per week from baseline to follow-up. Descriptive data were used to assess delivery of the implementation strategies and their perceived acceptability (i.e. PACE). A prospective, trial-based economic evaluation was used to assess cost. RESULTS: Delivery of the EBI was successful: teachers increas their average minutes of total physical activity scheduled across the school week by 26.8 min (95% CI: 21.2, 32.4, p < 0.001) after receiving PACE. Indicators for delivery of implementation strategies were high: 90% of consenting schools received all strategies and components (reach); 100% of strategies were delivered by the provider (dose); >50% of schools adhered to the majority of strategies (11 of the 14 components); and acceptability was > 50% agreement for all strategies. The incremental cost per additional minute of physical activity scheduled per week was $27 per school (Uncertainty Interval $24, $31). CONCLUSIONS: PACE can be successfully delivered across multiple regions and to a large number of schools. Given the ongoing and scalable benefits of PACE, it is important that we continue to extend and improve this program while considering ways to reduce the associated cost.

Clustering of smoking, alcohol consumption and weight gain in pregnancy: prevalence, care preferences and associated factors.

BACKGROUND: Smoking, alcohol consumption and weight gain outside recommendations during pregnancy are preventable health risk factors associated with poorer health outcomes for mother and infant. Clustering of these risk factors further increases the risk and severity of outcomes. Limited research has explored the characteristics of pregnant women that are associated with clustering of these risks and women's preferences for receiving support. This paper aimed to determine: (i) the prevalence of clustered preventable risk factors; (ii) associations between maternal characteristics and presence of clustered risk factors; and (iii) women's preferences for receiving care for clustered risk factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken with women who had recently given birth in public maternity services in New South Wales, Australia. Descriptive statistics were used to assess prevalence of clustered risk factors and care preferences. Associations between the presence of clustered risk factors and maternal characteristics were assessed using multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: Of the 514 women who completed the survey, 52% reported one preventable health risk factor and 10% and 2% reported two or three. For women with two or more risk factors, the most common combination was alcohol consumption and gestational weight gain outside of recommendations (50%, n = 30). One characteristic had an association with the presence of clustered risk factors. Most women (77%, n = 46) with clustered risk factors indicated they wanted support for these health risks. Preferences for support addressing some or all risk factors, and whether the support was sequential or simultaneous, were not associated with particular risk factor combinations. CONCLUSIONS: Around one in eight women reported clustered preventable risk factors during pregnancy, most of whom would like support to address these risks. There was only one association between maternal characteristics and clustered risk factors. This suggests a need for antenatal care that is women-centred and caters for a diverse profile of clustered risks and varied preferences for care.

Improving academic and public health impact of Cochrane public health reviews: what can we learn from bibliographic metrics and author dissemination strategies? A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: To facilitate the development of impactful research dissemination strategies, this study aimed to: (i) survey authors of trials included in a sample of Cochrane reviews to describe strategies to disseminate trial findings, and examine their association with academic and policy impacts and (ii) audit academic and policy impact of CPH reviews. METHODS: Authors of 104 trials within identified Cochrane reviews completed survey items assessing the dissemination strategies. Field weighted citation (FWCI) data extracted from bibliographic databases served as a measure of academic impact of trials and CPH reviews. Policy and practice impacts of trials were assessed during the survey of trial authors using items based on the Payback Framework, and for CPH reviews using 'policy mention' data collected via Altmetric Explorer. RESULTS: Among the included trials, univariate (but not multivariable) regression models revealed significant associations between the use of dissemination strategies (i.e. posts on social media; workshops with end-users; media-releases) and policy or practice impacts. No significant associations were reported between dissemination strategies and trial FWCI. The mean FWCI of CPH reviews suggest that they are cited 220% more than other reviews in their field. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive dissemination strategies are likely required to maximize the potential the potential impacts of public health research.

The impact of an e-newsletter or animated video to disseminate outdoor free-play information in relation to COVID-19 guidelines in New South Wales early childhood education and care services: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: State-based Guidelines were issued for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services (caring for children 0-6 years) recommending greater time outdoors and inclusion of indoor-outdoor programs to facilitate social distancing to reduce spread of COVID-19. The aim of this 3-arm randomised controlled trial (RCT) was to examine the impact of different dissemination strategies on increasing ECEC service intentions to adopt recommendations from the Guidelines. METHODS: This was a post-intervention only RCT. A sample of eligible ECEC services in New South Wales (n = 1026) were randomly allocated to one of three groups; (i) e-newsletter resource; (ii) animated video resource; or (iii) control (standard email). The intervention was designed to address key determinants of guideline adoption including awareness and knowledge. Following delivery of the intervention in September 2021, services were invited to participate in an online or telephone survey from October-December 2021. The primary trial outcome was the proportion of services intending to adopt the Guidelines, defined as intention to; (i) offer an indoor-outdoor program for the full day; or (ii) offer more outdoor play time. Secondary outcomes included awareness, reach, knowledge and implementation of the Guidelines. Barriers to Guideline implementation, cost of the dissemination strategies and analytic data to measure fidelity of intervention delivery were also captured. RESULTS: Of the 154 services that provided post-intervention data, 58 received the e-newsletter (37.7%), 50 received the animated video (32.5%), and 46 received the control (29.9%). Services who received the animated video had nearly five times the odds (OR: 4.91 [1.03, 23.34] p = 0.046) than those in the control group, to report having intentions to adopt the Guidelines. There were no statistically significant differences in awareness or knowledge of the Guidelines between either intervention or control services. Development costs were greatest for the animated video. The extent to which the dissemination strategy was viewed in full, were similar for both the e-newsletter and animated video. CONCLUSION: This study found potential for the inclusion of interactive strategies to disseminate policy and guideline information within the ECEC setting, in the context of the need for rapid communication. Further research should explore the added benefits of embedding such strategies within a multi-strategy intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Retrospectively registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) on the 23/02/2023 (ACTRN 12,623,000,198,628).

A cluster randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of a multi-strategy sustainability intervention on teachers' sustained implementation of classroom physical activity breaks (energisers): study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Governments internationally have invested hugely in the implementation and scale-up of school-based physical activity interventions, but have little evidence of how to best sustain these interventions once active implementation support ceases. This study will assess the effectiveness of a multi-strategy sustainability intervention on classroom teachers' sustainment of energisers (short 3-5 min physical activity breaks during class-time) scheduled across the school day from baseline to 12 and 24-month follow-up. METHODS: A cluster randomised controlled trial will be conducted in 50 primary schools within the Hunter New England, Illawarra Shoalhaven, Murrumbidgee and Northern New South Wales (NSW) Local Health Districts of NSW Australia. Schools will be randomly allocated to receive either usual support or the multi-strategy sustainability intervention that includes: centralised technical assistance from a trained project officer; formal commitment and mandated change obtained from school principals; training in-school champions; reminders for teachers; educational materials provided to teachers; capturing and sharing local knowledge; and engagement of parents, carers and the wider school community. The primary trial outcome will be measured via a teacher logbook to determine the between-group difference in the change in mean minutes of energisers scheduled across the school day at 12 and 24-month follow-up compared to baseline. Analyses will be performed using an intention to treat framework. Linear mixed models will be used to assess intervention effects on the primary outcome at both follow-up periods. DISCUSSION: This study will be one of the first randomised controlled trials to examine the impact of a multi-strategy sustainability intervention to support schools' sustainment of a physical activity intervention. The proposed research will generate new evidence needed for the partnering organisations to protect their considerable investments to date in physical activity promotion in this setting and will provide seminal evidence for the field globally. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12620000372987 version 1 registered 17th March 2020. Version 3 (current version) updated 4th August 2023.

Exploratory analysis of a cluster randomized controlled trial of a multi-strategy intervention delivered via online canteens on improving the nutritional quality of primary school students' pre-ordered foods & drinks at recess.

School canteens are a recommended setting to deliver public health nutrition strategies given their wide reach, and frequent use by children. Online canteens, where users (i.e. students or their carers) pre-order and pay for food and drinks online, represent attractive systems to deliver strategies that encourage healthier food choices. There have been few studies exploring the efficacy of public health nutrition interventions in online food ordering environments. Therefore, this study aims to assess the efficacy of a multi-strategy intervention implemented in an online school canteen ordering system in reducing the energy, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium content of students' online recess orders (i.e. foods ordered during the mid-morning or afternoon snack period). This was an exploratory analysis of recess purchases for a cluster randomized controlled trial that initially sought to examine the efficacy of the intervention on lunch orders. A total of 314 students from 5 schools received the multi-strategy intervention (involving menu labelling, placement, prompting and availability) that was integrated into the online ordering system, and 171 students from 3 schools received the control (usual online ordering). Analysis of main outcomes found that the mean energy (difference: -269.3 kJ; P = 0.006), saturated fat (difference: -1.1 g; P = 0.011) and sodium (difference: -128.6 mg; P = 0.014) content per student recess order was significantly lower in the intervention group than the control group at 2-month follow-up. Findings suggest that embedding strategies to encourage healthier choices within online canteen ordering systems can improve the nutrient composition of student recess purchases. These results add to the current evidence base suggesting that interventions delivered via online food ordering systems represent an effective strategy for improving child public health nutrition in schools.

Parent-reported compared with researcher-measured child height and weight: impact on body mass index classification in Australian pre-school aged children.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: Parent-reported data may provide a practical and cheap way for estimating young children's weight status. This study aims to compare the validity and reliability of parent-reported height and weight to researcher-measured data for pre-school aged children (aged 2-6 years). METHODS: This was a nested study within a cluster randomised controlled trial (October 2016-April 2017), conducted within 32 Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services across New South Wales, Australia. Parents of children reported on demographics and child height and weight via a survey. For the same child, height and weight data were objectively collected by trained research staff at the service. We calculated mean differences, intra-class correlations, Bland-Altman plots, percentage agreement and Cohen's kappa coefficient (>0.8 = "excellent"; 0.61-0.8 = "good"; 0.41-0.60 = "moderate"; 0.21 and 0.4 = "fair [weak]"; <0.2 = "poor"). RESULTS: Overall, 89 children were included (mean age: 4.7 years; 59.5% female). The mean difference between parent-reported and researcher-measured data were small (BMI z-score: mean difference -0.01 [95% CI: -0.45 to 0.44]). There was "fair/weak" agreement between parent-categorised child BMI compared with researcher-measured data (Cohen's Kappa 0.24 [95% CI: 0.06 to 0.42]). Agreement was poor (Cohen's kappa <0.2) for female children, when reported by fathers or by parents with a BMI > 25 kg/m2 . CONCLUSION: There was "fair/weak" agreement between parent-reported and measured estimates of child weight status. SO WHAT?: Parent's report of weight and height may be a weak indicator of adiposity at the level of individuals however it may be useful for aggregate estimates.

The efficacy of a multi-strategy choice architecture intervention on improving the nutritional quality of high school students' lunch purchases from online canteens (Click & Crunch High Schools): a cluster randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: High school canteens are an ideal setting for public health nutrition intervention, and choice architecture strategies that facilitate the purchase of healthier foods and beverages from school canteens are recommended by the World Health Organization. The rapid uptake of online lunch ordering within school canteens provides a unique opportunity to implement choice architecture strategies that support healthier food choices with high fidelity. Despite this, no trial has tested the efficacy of choice architecture strategies within an online lunch ordering system on improving the nutritional quality of high school student lunch purchases. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of embedding choice architecture strategies into an online lunch ordering system on the nutritional quality of the school canteen lunch purchases of high school students (aged 12-19 years). METHODS: A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted with nine high schools in one Australian state. Schools were randomized to receive either a 2-month choice architecture intervention (involving menu labelling, prompts, item positioning, and feedback), or usual online ordering. Nutrient quality of online canteen lunch purchases was assessed using routine data collected by the online ordering system. Primary outcomes were the proportion of 'Everyday', 'Occasional', and 'Should not be sold' items purchased, categorized using the state healthy canteen policy. Secondary outcomes were the mean energy, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium content of purchases and the mean weekly revenue from online lunch orders. Linear mixed models were analyzed to assess outcomes. RESULTS: Analysis of the student cohort (Intervention: 4 schools, 656 students; Control: 5 schools, 675 students) showed significant between group differences over time for the intervention group for the mean percentage of online lunch items per student that were 'Everyday' (+ 5.5%; P < 0.001) and 'Should not be sold' (- 4.4%; P < 0.001). There were no between group differences over time in the mean percentage of online lunch items that were 'Occasional'; the average energy, saturated fat, sugar, or sodium content of lunch orders. There was also no difference in mean weekly revenue from high school student online lunch orders (P = 0.23). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that a low intensity, choice architecture intervention embedded within an online ordering system can increase the purchase of healthier food items for high school students in one Australian state without any adverse impact on canteen revenue. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was prospectively registered on Open Science Framework on 23rd October 2020 as osf.io/h8zfr.

School-level factors associated with the sustainment of weekly physical activity scheduled in Australian elementary schools: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to: (1) identify school-level factors associated with the sustainment of weekly physical activity (PA) scheduled in elementary schools following withdrawal of effective implementation support; and (2) determine teacher's perceived usefulness of suggested strategies for sustaining the scheduling of weekly PA. METHODS: A secondary exploratory analysis was employed of data from the intervention arm (n = 31 schools) of a randomised controlled trial. Self-report survey data from 134 classroom teachers in New South Wales, Australia, collected following withdrawal of initial implementation support (follow-up T1) and six-months following completion of support (follow-up T2) were used. The outcomes of sustainment of weekly overall PA and energisers (short classroom PA breaks) scheduled were measured via teachers' completion of a daily activity logbook, with results presented as the difference in mean minutes of PA and energisers scheduled at T1 and T2. An adapted version of the Program Sustainability Assessment Tool (PSAT) was used to measure capacity for program sustainability across seven key domains at follow-up T2. Linear mixed regressions were conducted to evaluate associations between school-level sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., school size, remoteness, and type), teacher-reported school factors (i.e., seven adapted PSAT domains) and the sustainment of PA and energisers scheduled across the school week. Perceived usefulness of 14 proposed sustainability strategies was measured via the teacher survey at follow-up T2 and reported descriptively. RESULTS: No school-level factor was statistically associated with the sustainment of overall weekly PA or energisers scheduled. Teacher-reported factors in two PSAT domains - 'strategic planning' and 'program evaluation' were statistically negatively associated with the sustainment of weekly energisers scheduled (- 6.74, 95% CI: - 13.02; - 0.47, p = 0.036 and - 6.65, 95% CI: - 12.17; - 1.12, p = 0.019 respectively). The proposed support sustainability strategy - 'provision of PA equipment packs that enable energisers or integrated lessons' was perceived useful by the most teachers (85%). CONCLUSIONS: Further research is required to explore additional contextual-specific, and end-user appropriate factors associated with schools' sustainment of weekly PA scheduled. This will help accurately inform the development of strategies to address these determinants and support the sustainment and long-term benefits of school-based health interventions more broadly.

The effectiveness of canteen manager audit and feedback reports and online menu-labels in encouraging healthier food choices within students' online lunch orders: A pilot cluster randomised controlled trial in primary school canteens in New South Wales, Australia.

Online school canteen lunch ordering systems may offer a unique opportunity to support the implementation of school canteen nutrition polices, while delivering behavioural interventions directly to consumers to influence healthy student purchasing. This cluster randomised controlled trial aimed to test the effectiveness of a menu audit and feedback strategy alone, and in combination with online menu labels in encouraging healthier purchasing from an online school canteen ordering system. Five intervention schools received a menu audit and feedback strategy, plus online menu labels; and five control schools received a delayed menu audit and feedback strategy. Data from 19,799 student lunch orders, containing over 40,000 items were included in the evaluation. Outcomes were assessed at baseline (pre-intervention), follow-up 1 (menu audit and feedback vs control), and follow-up 2 (menu audit and feedback plus online menu labels vs menu audit and feedback alone). From baseline to follow-up 1, the menu audit and feedback strategy alone had no significant effect on the proportion of healthy ('Everyday') and less healthy ('Occasional' or 'Should not be sold') items purchased. From baseline to follow-up 2, schools that received menu audit and feedback plus online menu labels had significantly higher odds of students purchasing 'Everyday' items (OR: 1.19; p = 0.019), and significantly lower odds of students purchasing 'Occasional' (OR: 0.86; p = 0.048) and 'Should not be sold' (OR: 0.52; p < 0.001) items. Menu audit and feedback with the addition of online menu labels was effective in increasing the proportion of healthy items purchased relative to menu audit and feedback in isolation. There may be a greater role for online menu labelling as part of a suite of strategies to improve public health nutrition in schools.

Multi-strategy intervention increases school implementation and maintenance of a mandatory physical activity policy: outcomes of a cluster randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To assess if a multi-strategy intervention effectively increased weekly minutes of structured physical activity (PA) implemented by classroom teachers at 12 months and 18 months. METHODS: A cluster randomised controlled trial with 61 primary schools in New South Wales Australia. The 12-month multi-strategy intervention included; centralised technical assistance, ongoing consultation, principal's mandated change, identifying and preparing school champions, development of implementation plans, educational outreach visits and provision of educational materials. Control schools received usual support (guidelines for policy development via education department website and telephone support). Weekly minutes of structured PA implemented by classroom teachers (primary outcome) was measured via teacher completion of a daily log-book at baseline (October-December 2017), 12-month (October-December 2018) and 18-month (April-June 2019). Data were analysed using linear mixed effects regression models. RESULTS: Overall, 400 class teachers at baseline, 403 at 12 months follow-up and 391 at 18 months follow-up provided valid primary outcome data. From baseline to 12-month follow-up, teachers at intervention schools recorded a greater increase in weekly minutes of PA implemented than teachers assigned to the control schools by approximately 44.2 min (95% CI 32.8 to 55.7; p<0.001) which remained at 18 months, however, the effect size was smaller at 27.1 min (95% CI 15.5 to 38.6; p≤0.001). CONCLUSION: A multi-strategy intervention increased mandatory PA policy implementation. Some, but not all of this improvement was maintained after implementation support concluded. Further research should assess the impact of scale-up strategies on the sustainability of PA policy implementation over longer time periods. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12617001265369).

Increased use of knowledge translation strategies is associated with greater research impact on public health policy and practice: an analysis of trials of nutrition, physical activity, sexual health, tobacco, alcohol and substance use interventions.

BACKGROUND: Greater use of knowledge translation (KT) strategies is recommended to improve the research impact of public health trials. The purpose of this study was to describe (1) the research impact of setting-based public health intervention trials on public health policy and practice; (2) the association between characteristics of trials and their research impact on public health policy and practice; and (3) the association between the use of KT strategies and research impacts on public health policy and practice. METHODS: We conducted a survey of authors of intervention trials targeting nutrition, physical activity, sexual health, tobacco, alcohol or substance use. We assessed the use of KT strategies aligned to domains of the Knowledge-To-Action Framework. We defined "research impact" on health policy and practice as any one or more of the following: citation in policy documents or announcements, government reports, training materials, guidelines, textbooks or court rulings; or endorsement by a (non)governmental organization; use in policy or practice decision-making; or use in the development of a commercial resource or service. RESULTS: Of the included trials, the authors reported that 65% had one or more research impacts. The most frequently reported research impact was citation in a policy document or announcement (46%). There were no significant associations between the effectiveness of the intervention, trial risk of bias, setting or health risk and trial impact. However, for every one unit increase in the total KT score (range 0-8), reflecting greater total KT activity, the odds of a health policy or practice research impact increased by approximately 30% (OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.66; p = 0.031). Post hoc examination of KT domain scores suggests that KT actions focused on providing tailored support to facilitate program implementation and greater use of research products and tools to disseminate findings to end-users may be most influential in achieving impact. CONCLUSIONS: Trials of public health interventions frequently have public health impacts, and the use of more comprehensive KT strategies may facilitate greater research impact.

Exploring the effect of a school-based cluster-randomised controlled trial to increase the scheduling of physical activity for primary school students on teachers' physical activity.

BACKGROUND: To determine if a school-based physical activity (PA) intervention that supported primary school teachers to schedule PA during school hours impacted their own PA. METHODS: A 2x2 factorial group cluster-randomised controlled trial was undertaken in 12 Australian primary schools. The nine-month intervention supported classroom teachers to increase scheduled weekly PA for their class via physical education, sport, Energisers and integrated lessons. Teachers' PA (n = 76) was measured at follow-up only using accelerometers (Actigraph GT3X or GT9X). Linear mixed models were used to estimate between-group differences in teachers' mean minutes of sedentary, light, moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) across the school day and during class-time. RESULTS: At follow-up, there were non-significant between-group differences favouring intervention teachers, compared to controls, for light PA (4.9 minutes, 95% CI: -6.3, 16.0; P = .33) and MVPA (0.4 minutes, 95% CI: -10.9, 11.6; P = .94) across the school day; although not favouring the intervention for sedentary behaviour (5.1 minutes, 95% CI: -11.4, 21.7; P = .48). Similar patterns were seen during class-time for light PA and sedentary time, but not for MVPA. CONCLUSIONS: Supporting teachers with the scheduling of PA for their class may impact on their own PA. Fully powered studies are needed to better understand the impact of the intervention on teachers' PA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12616001228471 (http://www.anzctr.org.au/).

The impact of school uniforms on primary school student's physical activity at school: outcomes of a cluster randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Many school-based physical activity (PA) interventions are complex and have modest effects when delivered in real world contexts. A commonly reported barrier to students' PA, particularly among girls, are uniforms that are impractical (e.g. tunic/dress and black leather shoes). Modifying student uniforms may represent a simple intervention to enhance student PA. The primary aim of this trial was to assess the impact of a PA enabling uniform intervention (shorts, polo shirt and sports shoes) on girls' moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and total PA i.e. counts per minute (cpm). METHODS: A cluster randomized controlled trial was undertaken in 42 primary schools in New South Wales, Australia. Schools were randomized on one school day to the intervention group, where students wore a PA enabling uniform (their sports uniform) or a control group, where students wore their usual traditional uniform. Student PA was measured using wrist-worn Actigraph GT3X and GT9X accelerometers. Linear mixed models controlling for student characteristics were used to examine the effects of the intervention.. RESULTS: Of the 3351 eligible students, 2315 (69.1%) had parental consent and 2180 of these consenting students participated (94.2%) of which 1847 (84.7%) were included in the analysis. For the primary aim the study found no significant differences between girls at schools allocated to the intervention relative to the control on change in MVPA (0.76 min, 95% CI - 0.47 to 1.99, p = 0.22) or cpm (36.99, 95% CI - 13.88 to 87.86, p = 0.15). Exploratory analysis revealed small effects for a number of findings, including significant reduction in sedentary activity (- 1.77, 95% CI - 3.40 to - 0.14, p = 0.035) among all students at schools allocated to the intervention, and non-significant improvements in girls' light intensity PA (1.47 min, 95% CI - 0.06 to 3.00, p = 0.059) and sedentary activity (- 2.23 min; 95% CI - 4.49 to 0.02, p = 0.052). CONCLUSION: The findings suggests that the intervention may yield small improvements in some measure of PA and require substantiation in a larger RCT with longer-term follow-up. The inclusion of additional intervention components may be required to achieve more meaningful effects. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was prospectively registered with Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Register ACTRN12617001266358 1st September 2017.

Scale-up of the Physical Activity 4 Everyone (PA4E1) intervention in secondary schools: 24-month implementation and cost outcomes from a cluster randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Physical Activity 4 Everyone (PA4E1) is an evidence-based program effective at increasing adolescent physical activity (PA) and improving weight status. This study aimed to determine a) the effectiveness of an adapted implementation intervention to scale-up PA4E1 at 24-month follow-up, b) fidelity and reach, and c) the cost and cost-effectiveness of the implementation support intervention. METHODS: A cluster randomised controlled trial using a type III hybrid implementation-effectiveness design in 49 lower socio-economic secondary schools, randomised to a program (n = 24) or control group (n = 25). An adapted implementation intervention consisting of seven strategies was developed to support schools to implement PA4E1 over 24-months. The primary outcome was the proportion of schools implementing at least four of the 7 PA practices, assessed via computer assisted telephone interviews (CATI) with Head Physical Education Teachers. Secondary outcomes included the mean number of PA practices implemented, fidelity and reach, cost and cost-effectiveness. Logistic regression models assessed program effects. RESULTS: At baseline, no schools implemented four of the 7 PA practices. At 24-months, significantly more schools in the program group (16/23, 69.6%) implemented at least four of the 7 PA practices than the control group (0/25, 0%) (p < 0.001). At 24-months, program schools were implementing an average of 3.6 more practices than control schools (4.1 (1.7) vs. 0.5 (0.8), respectively) (P < 0.001). Fidelity and reach of the implementation intervention were high (> 75%). The total cost of the program was $415,112 AUD (2018) ($17,296 per school; $117.30 per student). CONCLUSIONS: The adapted implementation intervention provides policy makers and researchers with an effective and potentially cost-effective model for scaling-up the delivery of PA4E1 in secondary schools. Further assessment of sustainability is warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12617000681358 prospectively registered 12th May 2017.