Recent evidence predicts that by 2030, Ireland will have the highest rate of obesity in Europe. Consequently, there are concerns that health problems associated with this condition will present in childhood. Studies have shown that interventions based on increasing physical activity (PA) levels, reducing sedentary lifestyles and improving nutritional habits all pose protective mechanisms against obesity and its related disorders in youth. Yet, to date, there are no interventions being delivered in Ireland that concurrently target PA, nutritional habits and sedentary time amongst school children. The purpose of this study is to implement and evaluate an intervention that targets PA, nutritional habits and sedentary time in primary school children. 'Project Spraoi' is a school based health promotion intervention, based on 'Project Energize,' which has been in operation in New Zealand since 2004. Measures of PA, nutritional knowledge/behaviours and health parameters including body composition, blood pressure (BP) and fitness will be gathered before and after the programme completion (24 months). For comparative purposes, we will compare these scores to a separate group who will not participate in the intervention and to counterparts partaking in Project Energize, NZ. There is strong evidence that quality multi-component school-based programmes can increase PA, improve weight status and promote healthier dietary habits. Due to the increasing obesity levels, the implementation of such a programme that is rigorously evaluated is warranted in Ireland.

Introduction: The current study analysed the impact of spatial occlusion training on control and pass accuracy in football. Occlusion was achieved using goggles that removed the sight of the lower limbs and football as it was projected towards the participants. Methods: Fifteen skilled male football players were randomly assigned to one of three groups; Occlusion, Practice and Control. Participants were required to control a projected football, before passing it to one of two designated targets, while concurrently identifying a series of randomly generated numbers. Pass direction was determined by a directional arrow that accompanied each number, which coincided with the football release. The study design consisted of a pre-test, training intervention (400 trials), post-test and 2-day retention test. The performance was evaluated via three variables: outcome error, control error and number call error. Results: The results demonstrated a significant decrease in outcome error (p < 0.05) and number call error (p < 0.05) for the Occlusion group from pre-test to post and retention test. No significant decrease was experienced from post-test to retention test (p> 0.05), demonstrating a learning effect. Conclusion: This suggests that reducing visual information during training may have a positive impact on performance once full visual conditions are restored.

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are potent health promotion settings, uniquely positioned to aid societal efforts to combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs). International evidence suggests that health metrics and lifestyle behaviours of higher education students are sub-optimal, yet a dearth of contemporary Irish data exists. This study aimed to examine sex differences in student lifestyle behaviours and identify significant predictors of positive mental health in an Irish HEI setting. An online questionnaire instrument distributed to all registered students (n = 11,261) gathered data regarding a multitude of health and lifestyle domains. Many items were adapted from previous Irish research. Further validated scales included the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Mental-Health Index 5 (MHI-5) and the Energy and Vitality Index (EVI). Self-reported height/body mass were also recorded. In total, 2267 responses were analysed (51.7% female, 48.3% male). Both sexes demonstrated poor sleeping patterns, hazardous drinking and sub-optimal fruit and vegetable intake. The calculated prevalence of overweight/obesity was 38.2%. Both sexes underestimated obesity. Males underestimated and females overestimated overweight. Males displayed riskier behavioural patterns with regard to illicit substances, drinking, and sexual partners. Females reported greater psychological distress. Multivariate linear regression identified 8 variables as predictors of positive mental health, accounting for 37% of the variance in EVI scores. In conclusion, HEI students would benefit from sex-specific multi-level health promotion initiatives to remove macro-level barriers to healthier lifestyles.

Currently, a high percentage of children globally fail to meet the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended daily physical activity (PA) guidelines. The Daily Mile (TDM) is a school-based PA initiative, designed to improve primary school children’s PA behaviour. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the extant TDM implementation process and identify its impact on health-related metrics. Three databases were used to search for articles from the time TDM originated in 2012 until February 2022. The identification and screening process of articles for their ability to meet this review’s eligibility criteria were facilitated by use of PRISMA and Rayyan. Sixteen articles from the initial search (n = 202) were deemed eligible for inclusion. An analysis of these articles identified five common outcome categories that permeated throughout the research articles: (1) cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF); (2) anthropometry and body composition; (3) PA; (4) cognition; and (5) process evaluation. Results presented from the included articles suggests TDM positively impacts markers of a variety of health-related metrics, namely CRF and PA. However, implementation barriers including TDM’s repetitive nature, time constraints associated with competing curriculum demands and inadequate facilities regularly necessitate the adaptation and development of the original TDM format by schools and teachers.

Many Irish primary school children do not meet recommended physical activity (PA) guidelines. The Daily Mile (TDM) is a primary school initiative designed to increase children’s PA output. This study evaluates TDM’s perceived effect on Irish primary school children’s health-related metrics. A mixed-methods study, comprising two data collection phases, used the RE-AIM framework to evaluate TDM. Phase One involved teachers, principals and classroom assistants (n = 191) from TDM-registered schools completing a questionnaire. Two TDM-registered schools participated in Phase Two, where (i) interviews were conducted with each principal, (ii) a teacher sub-sample (n = 4) participated in a focus group, and (iii) a child sub-sample (n = 14) participated in separate focus groups. TDM was perceived to positively impact the markers of children’s health, including their PA behaviour, physical fitness and social well-being. Inclement weather (66.5%) and a lack of time (56.5%) were reported as the top-ranked implementation barriers. Moreover, TDM’s repetitive nature often left children feeling disinterested and resulted in some teachers modifying the initiative to maintain engagement levels. Maintaining the long-term implementation of TDM and its health benefits in primary schools may require bespoke amendments to the original format to preserve children’s engagement.