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TransformUs Research

TransformUs continues to be evaluated at every stage of its evolution. We have provided a list of our current academic publications at the bottom of the page. Any publication that is freely available to access has an accompanying hyperlink to the publishers website.

Primary

TransformUs was tested in 20 primary schools across Melbourne, Australia (Salmon et al. 2011). After six months, students doing TransformUs had less sedentary time on school days (Carson et al. 2013) and higher physical activity levels at recess (Yildirim et al. 2014) compared to those not doing TransformUs.

There was also some evidence that of the different intervention components, the break-up sitting message had a stronger impact than the move more message (Verswijveren et al. 2022).

85% of teachers reported their students experienced greater concentration and 82% reported improvements to time-on-task after an Active Break (Koorts et al. 2022). 78% of teachers reported their students experienced greater concentration and 79% reported improvements to time-on-task after an Active Lesson (Koorts et al. 2022).

At the conclusion of the project, on school days, students doing TransformUs had a 63-minute reduction in sedentary time and a 5-minute increase in moderate to vigorous activity (Salmon et al. 2023).

Students doing TransformUs had a lower BMI, lower waist circumference and higher Vitamin D levels compared to those not doing TransformUs (Salmon et al. 2023).

TransformUs was found to be cost effective and if extrapolated to the Australian population would result in significant (>600million) health care savings (Brown et al. 2024).

TransformUs was made available to all Victorian primary schools via our website in 2018 (Koorts et al. 2023). Analysis of this work is ongoing, but initial findings have highlighted the importance of school leaders to implementation (Cassar et al. 2020).

Recently, the TransformUs team has created the TAB model, demonstrating the five main purposes of Active Breaks when they are intentionally and meaningfully integrated into teaching and learning (Lander et al. 2024).

Higher Ed

TransformUs Higher Ed was first evaluated in 2018, when active teaching strategies were embedded in a 12-week core unit of an undergraduate primary teaching degree at one Victorian university (Lander et al. 2019).

The program was positively received by the pre-service teachers, their lecturers and key stakeholders (Lander et al. 2020).

The findings were significant, with the pre-service teachers increasing their willingness, confidence and competence to deliver the active teaching strategies and they were more positive about the impact of physical activity on teaching (Lander et al. 2019).

The evaluation was expanded in 2021 to include another two universities (Lander et al. 2023). The program was found to be motivating to both pre-service teachers and lecturers and it strengthened the connection between theory and practice (Lander et al. 2023).

Publications

Brown V, Sheppard L, Salmon J, Arundell L, Cerin E, Ridgers ND, Hesketh KD, Daly RM, Dunstan DW, Brown H, Della Gatta J, Chinapaw M and Moodie M (2024) ‘Cost-effectiveness of reducing children’s sedentary time and increasing physical activity at school: the Transform-Us! intervention’, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 21(15), doi.org/10.1186/s12966-024-01560-3

Carson V, Salmon J, Arundell L, Ridgers ND, Cerin E, Brown H, Hesketh KD, Ball K, Chinapaw M, Yildirim M, Daly RM, Dunstan DW and Crawford D (2013) ‘Examination of mid-intervention mediating effects on objectively assessed sedentary time among children in the Transform-Us! cluster-randomized controlled trial’, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 10(62), doi:10.1186/1479-5868-10-62

Cassar S, Salmon J, Timperio A, Koch S and Koorts H (2020) ‘A qualitative study of school leader experiences adopting and implementing a whole of school physical activity and sedentary behaviour programme: Transform-Us!’ Health Education, 122(3), doi.org/10.1108/HE-05-2020-0031

Koorts H, Timperio A, Lonsdale C, Ridgers ND, Lubans DR, Della Gatta J, Bauman A, Telford A, Barnett L, Lamb KE, Lander N, Lai SK, Sanders T, Arundell L, Brown H, Wilhite K and Salmon J (2023) ‘Scaling up a school-based Intervention to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour in children: protocol for the TransformUs hybrid effectiveness–implementation trial’, BMJ Open, 13(e078410), doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2023-078410

Koorts H, Timperio A, Abbott G, Arundell L, Ridgers ND, Cerin E, Brown H, Daly RM, Dunstan DW, Hume C, Chinapaw MJM, MoodieM, Hesketh KD and Salmon J (2022) ‘Is level of implementation linked with intervention outcomes? Process evaluation of the TransformUs intervention to increase children’s physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour’, International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity, 19(122), doi.org/10.1186/s12966-022-01354-5

Lander NJ, Ayala AMC, Mazzoli E, Lai SK, Orr J and Salmon J (2024) ‘Beyond “brain breaks”: a new model for integrating classroom-based active breaks’, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 95(4), doi.org/10.1080/07303084.2024.2308253

Lander N, Mazzoli E, Essiet IA, Telford A, Ridley K, Symington N and Salmon J (2023) ‘Equipping future teachers with innovative strategies that increase physical activity in the classroom: a hybrid implementation trial across three Australian universities’, Frontiers in Education, 8(1093234), doi:10.3389/feduc.2023.1093234

Lander N, Mazzoli E, Cassar S, Symington N and Salmon J (2020) ‘Embedding active pedagogies within pre-service teacher education: implementation considerations and recommendations’, Children, 2(207), doi:10.3390/children7110207

Lander N, Koorts H, Mazzoli E, Moncrieff K and Salmon J (2019) ‘The feasibility and impact of embedding pedagogical strategies targeting physical activity within undergraduate teacher education: Transform-Ed!’, Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 5(125), doi.org/10.1186/s40814-019-0507-5

Salmon J, Arundell L, Cerin E, Ridgers ND, Hesketh KD, Daly RM, Dunstan D, Brown H, Della Gatta J, Della Gatta P, Chinapaw MJM, Shepphard L, Moodie M, Hume C, Brown V, Ball K and Crawford D (2023) ‘Transform-Us! cluster RCT: 18-month and 30-month effects on children’s physical activity, sedentary time and cardiometabolic risk markers’, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 57:311-319, doi:10.1136/bjsports-2022-105825

Salmon J, Arundell L, Hume C, Brown H, Hesketh K, Dunstan DW, Daly RM, Pearson N, Cerin E, Moodie M, Sheppard L, Ball K, Bagley S, Chinapaw M and Crawford D (2011) ‘A cluster-randomized controlled trial to reduce sedentary behavior and promote physical activity and health of 8-9 year olds: the Transform-Us! study’, BMC Public Health, 11(759), doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-11-759

Verswijveren SJJM, Ridgers ND, MartinFernandez JA, Chastin S, Cerin E, Chinapaw MJM, Arundell L, Dunstan DW, Hume C, Brown H, Della Gatta J and Salmon J (2022) ‘Intervention effects on children’s movement behaviour accumulation as a result of the TransformUs! school and homebased cluster randomised controlled trial’, International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity, 19(76), doi.org/10.1186/s12966-022-01314-z

Yildirim M, Arundell L, Cerin E, Carson V, Brown H, Crawford D, Hesketh KD, Ridgers ND, Te Velde SJ, Chinapaw MJM and Salmon J (2014) ‘What helps children to move more at school recess and lunchtime? Mid-intervention results from Transform-Us! cluster-randomised controlled trial’, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48:271–277, doi:10.1136/bjsports-2013-092466