The Health4Life Initiative: Evaluation of an eHealth school-based program targeting multiple chronic disease risk factors among young Australians

Is the Health4Life intervention more effective than an active control (health education as usual) in reducing SSB consumption, reducing the decline in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, improving sleep, reducing sedentary recreational screen time, delaying the uptake of alcohol use and delaying the uptake of tobacco use among adolescents? Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, with risk factors including the ‘Big 6’ health behaviours. The Big 6 are associated with both short-and long-term harms (e.g., depression, anxiety, obesity, and chronic disease). The Big 6 typically emerge during adolescence, track into adulthood and co-occur as “risk clusters”. At baseline (2019), participants (n=6640) were 12.7±0.5 years old, 49% female and 86% born in Australia. Participants were recruited from 71 schools across Australia (NSW, QLD and WA). At 24-months post-baseline, we found no significant differences between the Health4Life intervention group and the control group for the big 6 health behaviour. However, the intervention did significantly improve students' knowledge about chronic disease risk factors over the 24-month period and was deemed to be acceptable by students and teachers. Although the intervention was delivered prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 12- and 24-month follow-up surveys and selective intervention were implemented during the pandemic, a time of significant disruption to schooling, peer relationships and adolescent health behaviours.