The Children’s Physical Activity Research Group (CPARG) is dedicated to expanding the body of knowledge on physical activity and its promotion in children and adolescents.
CPARG is dedicated to advancing knowledge on designing and implementing effective programs to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour in children and adolescents. Our works includes children and adolescents with typical development and those with chronic and complex health conditions.
Areas of research interest include:
- Developmentally appropriate, goal-directed physical activity programs designed to increase participation, reduce sedentary behaviour, and improve health and wellbeing in children and young people living with chronic and complex health conditions
- Device-based and self-report measurement of 24-hour movement behaviours
- Interventions that support healthy movement behaviours—including physical activity, reduced sedentary time, and balanced screen use—in infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children (0–5 years)
- How parenting practices, family contexts, and digital media environments shape children’s physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and screen use.
The Screen Use Taxonomy: a new framework for investigating the harms and benefits of screen time among children and adolescents
This project will deliver a new classification system that will help researchers and health professionals collect detailed information on children's screen use behaviours. The classification system will capture the complexity of modern screen engagement by considering the type, purpose, content, and context of screen use. The taxonomy will help us create a new, age-appropriate tool that will be used in a study to find out what aspects of children's screen use is beneficial or harmful to health.
Funding/Grant: NHMRC 2025 Ideas Grant ID: 2048064
Movement Behaviour Questionnaire (MBQ)
The MBQ (Movement Behaviour Questionnaire) platform is a research-based tool developed to help parents better understand their child's 24-hour movement behaviours, including physical activity, screen time, and sleep patterns.
The platform is designed for parents and caregivers who want to learn more about their child's movement and activity patterns through a simple questionnaire.
Links to MBQ measures and resources
- Movement Behaviour Questionnaire Manual: User guide for hard copy administration and scoring (PDF, 433.7 KB)
- Movement Behaviour Questionnaire – Baby Open (MBQ-B) (PDF, 225.4 KB)
- Movement Behaviour Questionnaire – Baby Closed (MBQ-B) (PDF, 293.4 KB)
- Movement Behaviour Questionnaire – Child Open (MBQ-C) (PDF, 244.7 KB)
- Movement Behaviour Questionnaire – Child Closed (MBQ-C) (PDF, 322.6 KB)
Materials for REDCap administration
- Movement Behaviour Questionnaire Manual: User guide for REDCap administration (PDF, 330.6 KB)
- Movement Behaviour Questionnaire - REDCap Data Dictionary (CSV, 75 KB)
If you would like further information about the MBQ email Professor Stewart Trost s.trost@uq.edu.au.
Publications
Trost SG, Terranova CO, Brookes DSK, Chai LK, Byrne RA. Reliability and validity of rapid assessment tools for measuring 24-hour movement behaviours in children aged 0-5 years: the Movement Behaviour Questionnaire Baby (MBQ-B) and child (MBQ-C). Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2024 Apr 23;21(1):43. doi: 10.1186/s12966-024-01596-5. PMID: 38654342; PMCID: PMC11041005.)
Byrne R, Terranova CO, Chai LK, Brookes DSK, Trost SG. Cognitive Testing of Items Measuring Movement Behaviours in Young Children Aged Zero to five years: development of the Movement Behaviour questionnaires for -baby (MBQ-B) and -child (MBQ-C). Child (Basel) 2023, 10(9).
Implementation and scale-up of a consumer co-designed physical activity promotion program for people with moderate-to-profound disabilities (APAP-OMNI)
People with moderate-to-profound disabilities are at higher risk for chronic disease. Although physical activity is known to improve health, there are few programs designed specifically to meet this population’s needs and address barriers such as accessibility, limited professional training, and social sigma.
APAP-OMNI is a co designed physical activity program for people with moderate to profound disabilities. The program is delivered in eight community clinics by trained allied health professionals and evaluated for its effectiveness and ability to be used in real world settings.
Funding/Grant: MRFF 2022 Effective Treatments and Therapies Grant Opportunity
Learn more about the APAP-OMNI project
Development, feasibility and efficacy of a co-designed exercise program for survivors of paediatric sarcoma
Survivors of childhood sarcomas who have had surgery often struggle with everyday movements, making it more difficult to stay active and participate in sports, fitness and recreation. Over time, this can increase their risk of health issues such as obesity, heart disease, and depression.
This study trials a 12-week therapeutic exercise program – designed with families and health professionals – to determine if it is practical, acceptable and effective for improving fitness, movement and daily activity for childhood sarcoma survivors.
Funding/Grant: The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) International 2023
See full details of the study.
Our partner institution projects
CP Movetime
CP Movetime: A wearable sensor and user interface to reduce sedentary behaviours in non-ambulant children and youth with cerebral palsy.
Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often spend more than 96% of their day seated or lying down. Not moving can lead to poor health outcomes. In partnership with children with CP, their families, and health care workers this project will develop and test a technology-based solution using wearable sensors to reduce sedentary behaviours in non-ambulant children and youth with CP in primary health care. Professor Trost will lead the development of a machine learning activity classification algorithm for non-ambulant children with CP enabling allied health practitioners to have accessible, digital and objective daily real-time movement data for their patients, (b) provide the tools for parents and carers to track their own child’s movement throughout the day, and c) enable the implementation of proactive behaviour change interventions to reduce sedentary behaviours.
View the R-based accelerometer processing pipeline needed to apply the model.
Active Strides-CP
Randomized trial of intensive rehabilitation (combined intensive gait and cycling training) for children with moderate to severe bilateral cerebral palsy.
Learn more about Active Strides-CP
School Readiness
4–6-year-old follow-up of randomised trials of neuroprotection and rehabilitation for children at risk of cerebral palsy.
Learn more about the School Readiness project.
Run4Health CP
A multicentre, assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial of 12 weeks of two times weekly Frame Running training versus usual care to improve cardiovascular health risk factors in children and youth with cerebral palsy.
Learn more about Run4Health CP
AusCP MSK
Investigating musculoskeletal health of children with cerebral palsy.
Play Active
Implementation and scale-up of program aimed at boosting physical activity and energetic play for children while they are attending Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC).
CPARG is the Queensland site for the Play Active program.
Move Mentor
MoveMentor - examining the effectiveness of a machine learning and app-based digital assistant to increase physical activity in adults: protocol for a randomised controlled trial.
Learn more about the Move Mentor project
Wearables
Wearable technology for the measurement of post-operative outcomes in children undergoing Ear Nose and Throat surgery.
- Professor Stewart Trost
- Dr Denise Brookes, Operations Manager for CPARG and Senior Research Project Officer (School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences)
- Dr George Thomas, Postdoctoral Research Fellow (School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences)
- Ms Maddy Trost, Project Officer
- Ms Chloe Talbot, Research Assistant
- Andrew Chang, MBQ Platform Developer
- Jerry Chen, MBQ Platform Developer