The Healthy Lifestyles program: An innovative implementation model for online interventions to prevent common and emerging risk factors for chronic disease in young Australians

  • Research program: Prevention and early intervention
  • Project status: Current
  • Start date: July 2018
  • Expected end date: December 2024
  • Completion date:
  • Funded by: Paul Ramsey Foundation
  • Lead organisation: University of Sydney

The Health Lifestyles Program aims to reduce the burden of chronic disease by utilising established frameworks for primary and secondary prevention to reduce or delay the risk factors for chronic disease, including alcohol and smoking/vaping, and intervene early where early signs of risk factors have already emerged.The project focuses on young people in secondary school, who are in a critically important developmental ‘window of opportunity’ for changing individual risk and protective factors to prevent chronic disease, before established patterns of behaviour and thinking have occurred. These universal primary preventive interventions will be delivered in the classroom (13-14 year olds), using instructional and skills-based approaches cultivated for other key risk behaviours via the Climate Schools projects.

To reduce chronic disease risk in Australia this project has conducted a cluster randomised controlled trial (80 schools, 8,000 Year 8 students) to evaluate the effectiveness of an online intervention to simultaneously target the Big 6 risk factors (including alcohol and smoking/vaping) for chronic disease among young Australians (The Healthy Lifestyles Program).

Name & Contact Details Role Research Program Location
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Professor Steve Allsop
Tel: 61 (0)8 9266 1606
s.allsop@curtin.edu.au
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Chief Investigator

Alcohol policy and strategies

Perth

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Associate Professor Nyanda McBride
Tel: 61 (0)8 9266 1600
n.mcbride@curtin.edu.au
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Chief Investigator

Prevention and early intervention

Perth

  • Chief Investigator: Maree Teesson, University of Sydney
  • Chief Investigator: Nicola Newton, University of Sydney
  • Chief Investigator: Frances Kay-Lambkin, University of Newcastle
  • Chief Investigator: Katrina Champion, University of Sydney
  • Chief Investigator: Catherine Chapman, University of Sydney
  • Chief Investigator: Louise Thornton, University of Sydney
  • Chief Investigator: Timothy Slade, University of Sydney
  • Chief Investigator: Katherine Mills, Burnet Institute
  • Chief Investigator: Matthew Sunderland, University of Sydney
  • Chief Investigator: Judith Bauer, University of Queensland
  • Chief Investigator: Belinda Parmenter, University of New South Wales
  • Chief Investigator: Bonnie Spring, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
  • Chief Investigator: David Lubans, University of Newcastle
  • Chief Investigator: Leanne Hides, University of Queensland

This project aligns with the following Sustainable Development Goals and Targets:

Gardner, L., A., O'Dean, S., Rowe, A., Hawkins, A., Egan, L., Stockings, E., Teesson, M., Hides, L., Catakovic, A., Ellem, R., McBride, N., Allsop, S., Blackburn, L., Stapinski, L., Freeman, B., Leung, J., Thornton, L., Birrell, L., Champion, K., E. and Newton, N., C. (2024). Research Letter: E-cigarette use and mental health during early adolescence: An Australian survey among over 5000 young people. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 220, (8). doi:10.1177/00048674241267908 [RJ2181] View web page

Champion, K., E., Newton, N., C., Gardner, L., A., Chapman, C., Thornton, L., Slade, T., Sunderland, M., Hides, L., McBride, N., O'Dean, S., Kay-Lambkin, F., J., Allsop, S., Lubans, D., R., Parmenter, B., J., Mills, K., Spring, B., Osman, B., Ellem, R., Smout, S., Whife, J., Stewart, C., McCann, K., Catakovic, A., Hunter, E., Teesson, M. and Health4Life Team, _. (2023). Health4Life eHealth intervention to modify multiple lifestyle risk behaviours among adolescent students in Australia: a cluster-randomised controlled trial. Lancet Digital Health, 5, (5), pp. E276-E287. doi:10.1016/S2589-7500(23)00028-6 [RJ1940] View web page

Parmenter, B., J., Burley, C., Stewart, C., Whife, J., Champion, K., E., Osman, B., Newton, N., C., Green, O., Wescott, A., B., Gardner, L., A., Visontay, R., Birrell, L., Bryant, Z., Chapman, C., Lubman, D., Sunderland, M., Slade, T. and Thornton, L. (2022). Measurement Properties of Smartphone Approaches to Assess Physical Activity in Healthy Young People: Systematic Review. JMIR mHealth and u Health, 10, (10), pp. e39085. doi:10.2196/39085 [RJ1890] View web page

Thornton, L., Brown, H., Osman, B., Stewart, C., Whife, J., Champion, K., E., Gardner, L., A., McBride, N., Allsop, S., Spring, B. and Teesson, M. (2022). Factors associated with adolescents’ engagement with a Healthy Lifestyles app, 206, pp. 56-67. doi:10.1016/j.procs.2022.09.085 [RJ1936] View web page

Thornton, L., Osman, B., Champion, K., E., Green, O., Wescott, A., B., Gardner, L., A., Stewart, C., Visontay, R., Whife, J., Parmenter, B., J., Birrell, L., Bryant, Z., Chapman, C., Lubans, D., R., Slade, T., Torous, J., Teesson, M. and Van de Ven, P. (2022). Measurement Properties of Smartphone Approaches to Assess Diet, Alcohol Use, and Tobacco Use: Systematic Review. JMIR mHealth and u Health, 10, (2). doi:10.2196/27337 [RJ1794] View web page

Teesson, M., Champion, K., E., Newton, N., C., Kay-Lambkin, F., J., Chapman, C., Thornton, L., Slade, T., Sunderland, M., Mills, K., Gardner, L., A., Parmenter, B., J., Lubans, D., R., Hides, L., McBride, N., Allsop, S., Spring, B., Smout, S. and Health4Life Team, _. (2020). Study protocol of the Health4Life Initiative: A cluster randomised controlled trial of an eHealth school-based program targeting multiple lifestyle risk behaviours among young Australians. BMJ Open, 10, (7). doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035662 [RJ1611] View web page

Champion, K., E., Parmenter, B., J., McGowan, C., Spring, B., Wafford, Q., E., Gardner, L., A., Thornton, L., McBride, N., Barrett, E., Teesson, M., Newton, N., C., Chapman, C., Slade, T., Sunderland, M., Bauer, J., Allsop, S., Hides, L., Stapinski, L., Birrell, L. and Mewton, L. (2019). Effectiveness of school-based eHealth interventions to prevent multiple lifestyle risk behaviours among adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Digital Health, 1, (5), pp. e206-e221. doi:10.1016/S2589-7500(19)30088-3 [RJ1504] View web page