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About Healthy Active Learning

Healthy Active Learning is a nationwide initiative that aims to improve the wellbeing of children and young people through healthy eating, drinking and quality physical activity.

It’s a joint government initiative between Sport New Zealand, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education.

Inclusion criteria

We’re recruiting schools from across New Zealand to become intervention and control schools.

Intervention schools

Intervention schools receive support from Healthy Active Learning Advisors and are willing to be part of the evaluation.

Control schools

Control schools do not receive support from Healthy Active Learning Advisors, but are interested in joining the study and willing to be part of the evaluation.

Scope of evaluation

A team of evaluators from 51��ɫ surveyed selected schools for 2 weeks in 2020/2021, 2022/2023 and 2024/2025.

During this time the evaluation team will evaluate the effect Healthy Active Learning has had on:

• school food policy, practices and food availability
• students’ physical activity levels and motivation to be physically active
• students’ engagement and how they are socially connected in the classroom
• teachers’ practices
• whānau-observed changes in tamariki.

How evaluation will take place

The evaluation teams will collect data from a range of different people using multiple methods within the school setting.

All evaluation teams are police-checked and trained to work with children. Their aim is to work with schools to collect data with as little disruption as possible.

Tamariki

Questionnaires will be collected during class time.

The children’s physical activity is collected by a wristwatch over seven days (some children only).

The watch works like a pedometer or step counter. It does not have a GPS tracker to identify where students are, or contain a camera.

Teachers and principals

Questionnaire data is collected at the same time as the children’s where possible. Focus groups take place after school.

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Questionnaires are collected before and after school. Focus groups occur after school (kura in Gisborne only).

School requirements

Schools are be required to:

• allow at least 1 class per year level to be part of the evaluation
• allocate a coordinator who will be the main contact person for 51��ɫ
• have parents sign the consent form for children to participate in the evaluation.

Incentives for participation

Intervention and control schools are gifted a $100 Rebel Sport voucher as a thank you for hosting the evaluation team.

Teachers, children and whānau go in the draw to win a $100 supermarket voucher. There is 1 prize draw per group for each region.

Surveys

Early Learning Services food policy and practices survey

This survey is intended for completion by someone involved in the management of the ELS or familiar with policy and practices surrounding food.

The topics covered include your Early Learning Service’s (ELS) food environment, particularly policy and practices to do with food and drinks.

Teachers’ survey

This survey is intended for completion for all primary, intermediate, secondary and ELS teachers in New Zealand, including principals and senior management.

The topics covered include your teaching practices, confidence in teaching health and PE, PLD opportunities, your school’s culture, student physical activity opportunities and student engagement.

�³���Բ��� engagement survey

This survey is intended for distribution by school leads to parents and whānau of children in the school.

The topics covered include your child/children’s experiences with physical activity and health and PE at school, as well as opportunities they have to be active in the community.

Academic papers

Find out more about the Healthy Active Learning initiative.

Jackson et al (2022),

Pillay et al (2022),

Latest news

Read the latest news about the Healthy Active Learning initiative.