This study evaluated the effectiveness of a group parenting intervention designed to strengthen the home learning environment of children from disadvantaged families. Two cluster randomised controlled superiority trials were conducted in parallel and delivered within existing services: a 6-week parenting group (51 locations randomised; 986 parents) for parents of infants (aged 6–12 months), and a 10-week facilitated playgroup (58 locations randomised; 1200 parents) for parents of toddlers (aged 12–36 months). Each trial had three conditions: intervention ( smalltalk group - only ); enhanced intervention with home coaching ( smalltalk plus ); and ‘standard’/usual practice controls. Parent-report and observational measures were collected at baseline, 12 and 32 weeks follow-up. Primary outcomes were parent verbal responsivity and home learning activities at 32 weeks. In the infant trial, there were no differences by trial arm for the primary outcomes at 32 weeks. In the toddler trial at 32-weeks, participants in the smalltalk group - only trial showed improvement compared to the standard program for parent verbal responsivity (effect size (ES) = 0.16; 95% CI 0.01, 0.36) and home learning activities (ES = 0.17; 95% CI 0.01, 0.38) but smalltalk plus did not. For the secondary outcomes in the infant trial, several initial differences favouring smalltalk plus were evident at 12 weeks, but not maintained to 32 weeks. For the toddler trial, differences in secondary outcomes favouring smalltalk plus were evident at 12 weeks and maintained to 32 weeks. These trials provide some evidence of the benefits of a parenting intervention focused on the home learning environment for parents of toddlers but not infants. Trial Registration: 8 September 2011; ACTRN12611000965909 .

This qualitative study involved focus groups with 132 children and 12 parents in primary and secondary schools in metropolitan and regional areas of Victoria, Australia, to explore experiences and perceptions of children's independent mobility. The study highlights the impact of family routines, neighborhood characteristics, social norms and reference points for decision making. Children reported a wider range of safety concerns than parents, including harm from strangers or traffic, bullying, or getting lost. Children expressed great delight in being independent, often seeking to actively influence parents' decision making. Children's independent mobility is a developmental process, requiring graduated steps and skill building.

Effective parenting self-regulation is purported to promote positive parent and child mental health and behavioural outcomes. This study aimed to develop and validate a brief and easy-to-administer measure of parents’ perceptions of their self-regulation related to parenting. In the absence of any specific quantitative means to measure this construct, we developed a 16-item self-report scale in an Australian context for clinical and research use. The scale measures global beliefs about self-efficacy, personal agency, self-management, and self-sufficiency, thought to constitute parent self-regulation perceptions. Based on existing literature, we developed an initial 71-item scale which we subsequently tested in a representative sample of Australian parents (220 mothers, 80 fathers) recruited by random digit telephone dialling. With a strong theoretical framework, confirmatory factor analysis with adequate fit supported a final 16-item, four-factor scale as hypothesised entitled “Me as a Parent” (MaaP). Three-month test–retest reliability was demonstrated with a subset of the sample (n = 126). Further development of the MaaP, its potential for clinical and research use, and future assessment and validation through field-testing is discussed.

The CHOOSE HEALTH Program, a cognitive behavioural (CBT) program designed specifically for the treatment of adolescent overweight and obesity, has demonstrated its effectiveness in the treatment of adolescent overweight and obesity when delivered by psychologists. However, the delivery of effective interventions by a range of health professionals is required to meet the growing need to provide effective treatment to the increasing population of overweight and obese adolescents. Previous research suggests that non-psychologists, such as dieticians, nurses and diabetes educators, can deliver effective CBT based treatments for a range of health disorders, including diabetes and eating disorders. Evidence as to the feasibility of exercise leaders delivering CBT intervention to improve health behaviours is limited, but early trials with older adults appear promising. The current study seeks to evaluate the training of exercise leaders to effectively deliver a CBT intervention aimed at improving health behaviour among overweight and obese adolescents accompanied by a supporting parent. This will be accomplished by the use of a combination of techniques to explore the impact of 1) trainee characteristics, 2) training components and 3) teaching methods on the effective delivery of a CBT intervention. Research suggests that trainee characteristics such as formal education and theoretical orientation have not been well studied and these will be measured via questionnaire. Knowledge of program content and CBT principles will be assessed in post-training questionnaires. Trainees will also be required to demonstrate their intervention skills and implementation of the cognitive behavioural intervention. These practical competencies will be assessed via role-plays conducted in the post-training period, and observation of in-session clinician performance. Evaluation at the training stages will provide direction for future studies and contribute knowledge towards the capacity of exercise leaders and other allied health professionals to effectively deliver a CBT program for the treatment of adolescent overweight and obesity.