Building Healthy Habits Together
A co-designed, informative and interactive online program for Queensland families to improve nutrition, physical activity and wellbeing.
A co-designed, informative and interactive online program for Queensland families to improve nutrition, physical activity and wellbeing.
Podsquad is a free, play-based wellbeing program helping children aged 5-12 years and their families as they build healthy habits together.
The Podsquad app supports lasting change by exploring the topics of nutrition, physical activity, and sleep through a behavioural science framework. Its content has been developed by childhood health experts and co-designed with more than 300 Queensland families.
After downloading the app, parents and carers complete a brief questionnaire and set goals for each child. This customises the child’s experience and only takes a few minutes.
In the Podsquad app, children explore the magical world of Imago where they discover its colourful and quirky creatures – the Epipods. Trilino, Firebloom, and the other Epipods help kids learn about healthy habits and give them real-life quests to put their learnings into practice.
As their children learn through play, parents and carers can access resources to support them with role modelling healthy behaviours and creating a supportive environment at home. Parents and carers can join in the fun too – many of the game’s quests are designed to encourage the whole family to participate.
Podsquad has been created so families can work through the different topics at their own pace.
The Podsquad app is deliberately designed to require only a short amount of screen time, with offline engagement and activity remaining the focus.
There is a huge amount to do in the app, and children can keep coming back to improve their scores and collect all of the Epipods, providing an ongoing learning experience.
Podsquad is safe and secure to use for all ages. Comprehensive security testing has been carried out and rigorous systems are in place to protect user information. Data capture has been kept to an absolute minimum, with parent contact details being the only information required to sign up.
Podsquad provides Queensland’s health professionals with a free, universally available referral option for chronic disease prevention and early intervention that can be used across clinical settings.
Download promotional resources from our stakeholder kit to share Podsquad with families you work with. The kit includes:
Family-based prevention programs are an effective method of facilitating health behaviour change for children, as parents and carers are key influencers of a child’s learning environments and are primary role models for health-related behaviours [1-3]. Multi-component programs that apply behaviour change strategies are considered best practice in the literature [1-3].
Online platforms can offer a cost-effective and scalable method of program delivery that overcomes common barriers to accessing services including geography, accessibility, time constraints, availability, and fear of judgement [4, 5]. Interventions using gamification to target nutrition behaviours among children and adolescents have demonstrated increased program adherence, knowledge, self-efficacy, and nutrition-related health behaviours in the short term [6].
Our experts have published two research papers that informed Podsquad’s development.
Research with parents and health professionals found a strong preference for interactive content, gamification, and practical resources to translate knowledge into practice [7]. This study was led by our research partners at The University of Queensland.
Health and Wellbeing Queensland conducted a rapid review of the impact of family-based digital interventions for obesity prevention and treatment in primary school aged children [8]. The review found that digital interventions were effective in improving diet and physical activity in children, with emerging evidence supporting the use of social media and gaming to enhance program delivery.
Health and Wellbeing Queensland, in collaboration with The University of Queensland, will continue to conduct research evaluating Podsquad’s effectiveness and informing future program development.
Over 300 children aged 5-12 years and their families have been engaged so far to co-design the Podsquad app, with a focus on families from diverse backgrounds and locations across Queensland.
Early user feedback with 78 children and their families provided the following insights on the Podsquad content:
We look forward to working with targeted groups in our community to create additional content to ensure Podsquad is effective for every Queensland family.
The program has been informed by significant engagement with cross-industry professionals throughout Queensland with extensive knowledge in nutrition, movement science, sleep medicine, early childhood education, diabetes, languages and literacy, the performing arts, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, research, behavioural science, and prevention programs.
Yes. Health and Wellbeing Queensland, in collaboration with The University of Queensland, will continue to conduct research evaluating the effectiveness of the Podsquad program. Research findings will continue to inform content revisions and development.
Yes. We are looking forward to working with targeted groups in our community to create additional content to ensure Podsquad is effective for every Queensland family.
The Podsquad program is carefully designed to limit screen time. It focuses on brief, purposeful interactions online, while encouraging offline engagement and physical activity. The primary goal is to foster healthy habits and behaviour changes through real-world activities, keeping screen time to a minimum.
Podsquad is free to download from the Apple and Google Play stores and will always remain a free program.
No, this program can be downloaded without referral from the Apple or Google Play stores. Health professionals may choose to prompt children and their families to download the app to support education and behaviour change recommendations. The program contains a series of quizzes which help to test the children’s learning which may assist health professionals in further targeting their education.
Yes! Multiple profiles can be created within one account. Parents and carers are prompted to complete questions regarding each child’s health behaviour habits and can individualise goals according to the needs of each child.
We have worked hard to ensure Podsquad is secure and safe to use for all ages. Comprehensive security testing has been carried out and data capture has been kept to an absolute minimum, with parent contact details being the only information required to sign up.
Catherine Bonifant has been a clinical paediatric dietitian for over 20 years and is currently undertaking consultancy work within private enterprise. Catherine was a Clinical Leader of Dietetic Services at the Queensland Children’s Hospital for 8 years and was a Clinical Specialist Dietitian at the Royal Children’s Hospital for nearly 10 years prior to this. Catherine has been a recognised leader in the clinical dietetic management of inborn errors of metabolism, and the nutritional management of respiratory disorders, including cystic fibrosis, and has presented at national and international scientific meetings on these areas. Additionally, Catherine has authored book chapters, journal articles and conference abstracts on these topics. Catherine has previously worked at Nutrition Australia within the Childcare Advisory Service, with Save the Children Fund, in private practice, in research, and with elite athletes and teams. Catherine is an accomplished public speaker and has a special interest in infant and pre-school nutrition, and in nutrition education and advocacy. She enjoys teaching, lecturing and educating in these areas, and works with Dietitians Australia in delivering national paediatric nutrition education. Catherine is an Accredited Practising Dietitian.
Dr. John Cairney is Professor and Head of the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences at The University of Queensland and was a subject matter expert reviewing content for Podsquad. He is past-President of the North American Society for Paediatric Exercise Medicine. An internationally recognised leader in the field of child health, sport and physical activity, Dr. Cairney is the author/editor of four books and more than 300 peer-reviewed research articles. He has held numerous funded grants, totalling more than $18.5 million in research grants and contracts as a Principal Investigator. A sought-after scientific consultant to government, Dr. Cairney was co-lead on the evaluation of the child and youth mental health strategy in Ontario, a member of the scientific advisory board for Healthy Kids Community Challenge, expert advisor on the brain health supplement to the ParticipACTION Report Card (2018), and lead investigator on the special need’s strategy in Ontario.
Joanna Munro has been a dietitian for over 20 years, with the majority of those specialising in paediatrics. She is an Accredited Practising Dietitian with international experience (Australia, UK and USA) in community dietetics, school nutrition education, hospital care, clinical prevention and industry-based sales/marketing.
Joanna worked at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Brisbane for 7 years specialising in the nutritional management of children with acquired brain injury and cerebral palsy. She was the Clinical Educator, Children’s Health Queensland, providing training and upskilling to paediatric dietitians across Queensland as well as Queensland students studying paediatrics.
As Program Manager, Joanna led, planned and coordinated the creation of a paediatric dietetic private practice, provided ongoing support for clinical care and consultancy in the areas of bespoke education and training packages on a variety of nutrition related topics to meet the needs of specific audiences.
Joanna is currently the Director Health System Partnerships at Health and Wellbeing Queensland, bridging the gap between health promotion and clinical healthcare by integrating prevention across the health system.
Associate Professor Heussler is a Paediatrician with a focus on Developmental Disorders and Sleep Medicine. She is primarily a clinician but has strong commitments to advocacy and research in the clinical populations she works with as well as broader child health advocacy and equitable access. She has worked in Qld, Victoria and the UK as a Clinical Academic and is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Queensland. She completed her Doctorate in Sleep Medicine in the UK and training formally in 2008. She works in the Respiratory and Sleep department at Children’s Health Queensland and has completed a number of significant research programs in this area with a specific focus on children with developmental difficulties. More recently she has led the establishment of the Clinical trials Centre for Rare Neurodevelopmental disorders now leading the way in Australia for delivery in this population.
Simon Smith is a Professor of Sleep and Health at The University of Queensland. He is a psychologist who works to understand the role of sleep and circadian rhythms (our ‘body clocks’) in health, wellbeing, and learning. Simon takes a ‘life course’ approach, working with people of all ages, but has a strong focus on sleep for children and young people. Simon’s work includes the development, implementation, and evaluation of programs and other strategies to improve sleep for individuals, families, in workplaces, in education settings, and in the broader community.
Dr Sally Staton is a Senior Research Fellow at the Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland. As an Educational and Developmental Psychologist, her work focuses on the role of early childhood practices in supporting positive health, wellbeing and learning in the first five years of life. Sally’s prior work includes the most comprehensive study of sleep practices in Early Childhood Education and Care settings, internationally. Sally has a strong commitment to research translation and has developed professional development programs and resources for early childhood educators, families, industry and governments.
Dr Sjaan Gomersall is a Senior Research Fellow at the Health and Wellbeing Centre for Research Innovation at the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences and a Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at The University of Queensland. Sjaan was involved in reviewing Move related content for the Podsquad program app. Her research expertise is focused on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and behaviour change in a range of populations, including children and young people. She is a member of the Research Working Group for the Australian Physical Activity Report Cards for Children and Young people, is a physical activity consultant for the World Health Organisation and is President-Elect (2022-2024) of the International Society for Physical Activity and Health.
Dr Michalis Stylianou is a senior lecturer in Health, Sport and Physical Education with the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences at The University of Queensland and was involved in the review of the Move content for Podsquad. His research interests centre around understanding and enhancing children and young people’s physical activity and creating active and healthy schools. Michalis is a member of the Active Healthy Kids Australia research working group, a collaboration of children’s physical activity and health researchers who advocate for actions to increase the physical activity levels among Australian children using the Physical Activity Report Card for Children and Young People as the core monitoring metric.
Fiona Nave is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian with over 20 years’ experience working with children in hospitals and in the community in Australia and the United Kingdom. Working as a Senior Public Health Nutritionist at Health and Wellbeing Queensland, Fiona has a passion for helping children and their families to choose sustainable healthy solutions that will positively impact long-term weight and health.
As a busy working parent with two primary school-aged children, Fiona knows how difficult it can be to help children choose healthy options when it comes to food and physical activity. Role-modelling healthy eating or activity and having a positive body image is so important within a family and, as a result, Fiona feels passionate about creating a positive environment for children to grow in. She would love children and their parents to approach healthy eating as a positive and enjoyable aspect to life by choosing to add health to their life each day, no matter what size they are.
Georgie is a Butchulla woman, Gubbi Gubbi descendant and South Sea Islander (Tanna). Georgie developed fun and upbeat dance and movement sequences for the Podsquad app. Originally from Hervey Bay, Georgie has been a professional dancer for over a decade, and is a choreographer, has her own dance school, Drifters, Big Notas & Co. and facilitates workshops within schools and communities.
(Yidinji, Kuku Yalanji, Waanyi, Koko Berrin)
Michael Ah Kee is a young illustrator, designer and emerging writer at Iscariot Media (IM). He graduated from TAFE Queensland in 2019 and has since worked on a range of projects with IM including original designs, educational materials and short animations. Michael’s ability to creatively write was revealed in a recent project with the Brisbane City Council where his poetry was a standout feature of the Layers of The Garden project. He has since begun working on a children’s book based on his illustrations. Michael was the principal author of the Sleepy Time stories featured in Podsquad and with the support of the broader IM team was able to bring these gentle meditative narratives to life.
Dr Jacki Walker is an Accredited Practising Dietitian specialising in paediatrics, and has spent the past 15 years working across various settings, including community clinical dietetics, private practice, and acute hospital settings including the Royal Children’s Hospital and Queensland Children’s Hospital. She completed her undergraduate studies in exercise science and nutrition and dietetics before achieving her PhD in paediatric nutrition. During her time as a clinical dietitian, Jacki focused on nutritional management for children and adolescents living with overweight and obesity and their families. She has spent the past seven years in research and academia at the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland, where she is now a Senior Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics. Jacki teaches medical nutrition therapy to postgraduate dietetic students, and her research agenda focuses on system approaches to the prevention and management of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. This research agenda is completed in partnership with Health and Wellbeing Queensland.
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Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. Report of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. World Health Organization: Geneva, Switzerland, 2016. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241510066
Waters E, de Silva Sanigorski A, Hall BJ, et al. Interventions for preventing obesity in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2011;12:1-212. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001871.pub4
Smith KL, Straker LM, McManus A, Fenner AA. Barriers and enablers for participation in healthy lifestyle programs by adolescents who are overweight: A qualitative study of the opinions of adolescents, their parents and community stakeholders. BMC Pediatr 2014;14:53. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2431-14-53
Azevedo LB, Stephenson J, Ells L, et al. The effectiveness of e-health interventions for the treatment of overweight or obesity in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Rev 2021;23:e13373. DOI: 10.1111/obr.13373
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Walker JL, Dix C, Hardt J, Farletti R, Littlewood R. What Do Health Professionals and Parents Want as Part of an Online Childhood Obesity Prevention Program? Child Obes. 2023;19(2):88-101. DOI: 10.1089/chi.2021.0313
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