Teachers from 90 high schools across New South Wales will be upskilled to tackle physical inactivity in students, following a significant National Health and Medicine Research Council (NHMRC) Partnership Program funding success.
Led by University of Newcastle researcher, Professor David Lubans, the evidence-based Resistance Training for Teens program will be provided to staff and students at each school to tackle the chronic issue of adolescent inactivity in year 8 and 9 students. Resistance training is a form of exercise that improves muscle strength and endurance by working against forms of resistance such as free weights, weight machines, resistance bands and body weight.
With less than two per cent of adolescents meeting the recommended physical activity (60 minutes a day achieving raised heartrate) and muscle strengthening (60 minutes 3 times a week of an activity like climbing, swinging, running) guidelines nationally, the three-year project aims to upskill teachers and students to embed the program in the school timetable, providing them with the knowledge, confidence and competence to improve their health into adulthood.
A collaboration between six universities, the NSW Department of Education School Sport Unit, and five NSW local health districts, the study will provide one of three tiers of support to the 90 schools, ranging from training plans to more intensive support and even new fitness equipment.
