TransformUs was first developed in 2009 to address low levels of physical activity and high levels of sedentary behaviour among Australian primary school children, particularly during school hours. The program focuses on a whole-of-school approach and provides professional learning to classroom teachers to deliver their usual curriculum in active ways (eg, active breaks, active lessons, health lessons, active homework) as well providing a supportive school environment within and outside the classroom. Parents also received newsletters that aligned with the health lessons in the classroom. After a successful RCT which demonstrated reductions in children’s sedentary time, increases in physical activity and lower adiposity and other health markers compared to usual practice, TransformUs was adapted to be offered at-scale to all 1400+ primary schools across the state of Victoria. A hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial was funded to test the real-world effectiveness of the program when delivered in the ‘real world’ as well as determining the implementation of the program at scale. This presentation will focus on the rationale for the research design selected for demonstrating effectiveness and implementation at scale, and the measures used in both studies. Preliminary findings from both trials will also be presented.

Introduction: Physical activity has been highlighted as one of the main determinants of health in school-aged youth. It has been observed that youth spend most of their time in sedentary behaviours during the school day. Therefore, the educational environment is an interesting framework for increasing levels of physical activity (PA). This study reports on the methods and rationale of the MOVESCHOOL study, a whole-school approach to develop a multicomponent intervention programme based on the inclusion of PA during the school day, to evaluate the effects on PA, health, educational and cognitive markers. Methods: For this purpose, a controlled trial will be carried out. It is estimated that 10 schools and around 800 students of 7th, 8th and 9th grade from two Spanish provinces will participate. Five schools will be allocated to the control group and the remaining five to the experimental group. The intervention will last 26 weeks and will consist of three components: 1) inclusion of a methodology of physically active learning in one lesson per week; 2) development of two daily 4-minutes active breaks; and 3) implementation of daily active recess. Before and after the intervention, PA and sedentary time will be assessed through accelerometry, health-related fitness levels through field tests and anthropometry, academic performance through school grades, positive health via questionnaire and cognitive parameters through specific cognition tests. In parallel, a qualitative study will also be carried out, which aims to assess the acceptability and feasibility of the intervention, based on the teachers' perception of the intervention programme. Discussion: This study aims to become a whole-school PA approach of reference at national level with potential to increase levels of PA, reduce sedentary time and, therefore, improve academic performance and wellbeing for their students.

Project Description: This presentation will detail the evaluation of the implementation and impact of the Creating Active Schools (CAS) programme in Bradford. The CAS programme is a complex whole-school approach to physical activity that has been developed, piloted and implemented within 57 primary schools in Bradford, and is now being scaled up across the UK. To do so, we must first understand ‘how it works’ and ‘if it works’, and the nuanced way in which schools adopt such place-based approaches to enhance whole-school physical activity provision. Methods: We have used a mixed-methods approach to understand the initial (9-month) impact of CAS (questionnaires) , its longitudinal implementation within differing primary school contexts and environments (ripple effects mapping), and the overall impact on whole-school physical activity provision (questionnaires) and levels (accelerometry). The purpose of this presentation is to detail the specific methods used to understand implementation and impact of a contemporary whole-school approach, and gain insight into the findings. Results and Learning: Results from the 9-month and 2-year assessment of organisational changes to physical activity provision will be shared alongside the narrative findings of the longitudinal implementation and effectiveness of CAS from the Ripple Effects Maps. Learning from these findings will be detailed to inform future research and practice.

Program Description: Our overarching project goals were to develop and test an implementation strategy to support physically active learning in US elementary schools. Because physically active learning is an evidence-based approach for improving student’s physical activity, our work used a Hybrid Type II approach, meaning we focused on both implementation and effectiveness outcomes. Our effectiveness outcomes included examining student physical activity levels, academics, and behavior. Our implementation outcomes focused on implementation fidelity of physically active learning approaches. In addition, we examined the whole-school approach of physical activity and determinants of teacher implementation behaviors. We used our formative work, implementation planning process, partner input, and the RE-AIM framework to guide evaluation outcomes. The purpose of this presentation is to share perspectives for identifying, prioritizing, and examining outcomes for evaluating school-based physical activity approaches. Impact and Learning From our formative work we learned about the importance of assessing effectiveness outcomes that extend beyond examining physical activity levels of students. These include: 1) academic- (e.g., learning readiness); 2) social emotional- (e.g., social skills); and 3) instruction-related outcomes (e.g., teacher-student relationships). We also learned about the importance of examining the whole-school approach for physical activity to gain a broader understanding about the opportunities provided in schools. To assess implementation, we created a comprehensive fidelity assessment, which included examining the dose, adherence, and quality of using physically active learning approaches. We also focused assessments on teacher-centered drivers of implementation behaviors (e.g., knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and leadership support). Given the numerous outcomes, we organized them using RE-AIM, and leveraged partner input to help prioritize them. Gaining a better understanding of outcomes relevant to school partners, and implementation-related outcomes to help understand why opportunities are implemented (or not) can help advance efforts to expand the use of physical activity approaches provided in schools.