Dr Avril Johnstone

  • Research Associate (MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit)

email: Avril.Johnstone@glasgow.ac.uk
pronouns: She/her/hers

MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Berkeley Square, 99 Berkeley Street, Glasgow, G3 7HR

ORCID iDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3906-8603

Biography

I am currently a research associate within the Places programme at the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit. My primary research interest is the role of active and outdoor play on children's health and wellbeing.  

Prior to joining the University of Glasgow, I received my PhD in Physical Activity and Health in 2019 from the University of Strathclyde. My PhD aimed to determine the effects of active play interventions on physical activity and fundamental movement skills in children. During my PhD, I published three journal articles: a systematic review and meta-analysis on active play interventions, and a pragmatic evaluation and feasibility cluster RCT evaluating a school-based ‘Active Play’ intervention delivered in Scottish primary schools. 

I have also worked in a number of roles with my Local Authority delivering and managing coaching and play sessions and, more recently, with the Third Sector as a Learning and Training Manager at Actify. 

Please check Google Scholar where full details of my publication history can be found.

Research interests

I am currently working on a systematic review exploring the effect of nature-based early childhood education on children’s health, development and wellbeing. 

My research interests include: 

  • Children’s physical activity 
  • Children’s health and wellbeing 
  • Active play 
  • Outdoor play 
  • Fundamental movement skills 
  • Nature-based early childhood education  

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2023 | 2022 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016
Number of items: 15.

2023

Dibben, G. O. et al. (2023) Adolescents’ interactive electronic device use, sleep and mental health: a systematic review of prospective studies. Journal of Sleep Research, (Accepted for Publication)

Martin, A. , Clarke, J., Johnstone, A. , McCrorie, P. , Langford, R., Simpson, S. A. and Kipping, R. (2023) A qualitative study of parental strategies to enable pre-school children’s outdoor and nature experiences during COVID-19 restrictions. Health and Place, 79, 102967. (doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2023.102967) (PMID:36621065)

Zucca, C. , McCrorie, P. , Johnstone, A. , Chambers, S. , Chng, N. R. , Traynor, O. and Martin, A. (2023) Outdoor nature-based play in early learning and childcare centres: identifying the determinants of implementation using causal loop diagrams and social network analysis. Health and Place, 79, 102955. (doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2022.102955) (PMID:36565541)

2022

Bardid, F., Tomaz, S. A., Johnstone, A. , Robertson, J., Craig, L. C.A. and Reilly, J. J. (2022) Results from Scotland’s 2021 report card on physical activity and health for children and youth: grades, secular trends, and socio-economic inequalities. Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness, 20(4), pp. 317-322. (doi: 10.1016/j.jesf.2022.07.002) (PMID:36033941) (PMCID:PMC9386094)

Traynor, O., Martin, A. , Johnstone, A. , Chng, N. R. , Kenny, J. and Mccrorie, P. (2022) A low-cost method for understanding how nature-based early learning and childcare impacts on children’s health and wellbeing. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 889828. (doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.889828) (PMID:35814071) (PMCID:PMC9260060)

Lee, E.‑Y. et al. (2022) Play, Learn, and Teach Outdoors—Network (PLaTO-Net): terminology, taxonomy, and ontology. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 19, 66. (doi: 10.1186/s12966-022-01294-0) (PMID:35701784) (PMCID:PMC9199154)

Johnstone, A. et al. (2022) Nature-based early childhood education and children’s physical activity, sedentary behavior, motor competence, and other physical health outcomes: a mixed-methods systematic review. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 19(6), pp. 456-472. (doi: 10.1123/jpah.2021-0760) (PMID:35537707) (PMCID:PMC7613039)

Johnstone, A. et al. (2022) Nature-based early childhood education and children’s social, emotional and cognitive development: a mixed-methods systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(10), 5967. (doi: 10.3390/ijerph19105967) (PMID:35627504) (PMCID:PMC9142068)

2020

Johnstone, A. et al. (2020) Nature-based early childhood education for child health, wellbeing and development: a mixed-methods systematic review protocol. Systematic Reviews, 9, 226. (doi: 10.1186/s13643-020-01489-1) (PMCID:PMC7532588)

2019

Johnstone, A. , Hughes, A. R., Bonnar, L., Booth, J. N. and Reilly, J. J. (2019) An active play intervention to improve physical activity and fundamental movement skills in children of low socio-economic status: feasibility cluster randomised controlled trial. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 5, 45. (doi: 10.1186/s40814-019-0427-4) (PMID:30915229) (PMCID:PMC6417079)

2018

Hughes, A. R., Johnstone, A. , Bardid, F. and Reilly, J. J. (2018) Results from Scotland’s 2018 report card on physical activity for children and youth. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 15(S2), S402-S403. (doi: 10.1123/jpah.2018-0516) (PMID:30475152)

Johnstone, A. , Hughes, A., Martin, A. and Reilly, J. (2018) Utilising active play interventions to promote physical activity and improve fundamental movement skills in children. BMC Public Health, 18, 789. (doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-5687-z) (PMID:29940923) (PMCID:PMC6019649)

2017

Johnstone, A. , Hughes, A. R., Janssen, X. and Reilly, J. J. (2017) Pragmatic evaluation of the Go2Play Active Play intervention on physical activity and fundamental movement skills in children. Preventive Medicine Reports, 7, pp. 58-63. (doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2017.05.002) (PMID:28593124) (PMCID:PMC5454126)

2016

Reilly, J. J., Johnstone, A. , McNeill, G. and Hughes, A. R. (2016) Results from Scotland’s 2016 report card on physical activity for children and youth. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 13(S2), S251-S255. (doi: 10.1123/jpah.2016-0325) (PMID:27848731)

Hughes, A. R., Muggeridge, D. J., Gibson, A.-M., Johnstone, A. and Kirk, A. (2016) Objectively measured sedentary time in children and their parents. AIMS Public Health, 3(4), pp. 823-836. (doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2016.4.823) (PMID:29546197) (PMCID:PMC5690407)

This list was generated on Mon Mar 27 18:41:27 2023 BST.
Jump to: Articles
Number of items: 15.

Articles

Dibben, G. O. et al. (2023) Adolescents’ interactive electronic device use, sleep and mental health: a systematic review of prospective studies. Journal of Sleep Research, (Accepted for Publication)

Martin, A. , Clarke, J., Johnstone, A. , McCrorie, P. , Langford, R., Simpson, S. A. and Kipping, R. (2023) A qualitative study of parental strategies to enable pre-school children’s outdoor and nature experiences during COVID-19 restrictions. Health and Place, 79, 102967. (doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2023.102967) (PMID:36621065)

Zucca, C. , McCrorie, P. , Johnstone, A. , Chambers, S. , Chng, N. R. , Traynor, O. and Martin, A. (2023) Outdoor nature-based play in early learning and childcare centres: identifying the determinants of implementation using causal loop diagrams and social network analysis. Health and Place, 79, 102955. (doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2022.102955) (PMID:36565541)

Bardid, F., Tomaz, S. A., Johnstone, A. , Robertson, J., Craig, L. C.A. and Reilly, J. J. (2022) Results from Scotland’s 2021 report card on physical activity and health for children and youth: grades, secular trends, and socio-economic inequalities. Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness, 20(4), pp. 317-322. (doi: 10.1016/j.jesf.2022.07.002) (PMID:36033941) (PMCID:PMC9386094)

Traynor, O., Martin, A. , Johnstone, A. , Chng, N. R. , Kenny, J. and Mccrorie, P. (2022) A low-cost method for understanding how nature-based early learning and childcare impacts on children’s health and wellbeing. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 889828. (doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.889828) (PMID:35814071) (PMCID:PMC9260060)

Lee, E.‑Y. et al. (2022) Play, Learn, and Teach Outdoors—Network (PLaTO-Net): terminology, taxonomy, and ontology. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 19, 66. (doi: 10.1186/s12966-022-01294-0) (PMID:35701784) (PMCID:PMC9199154)

Johnstone, A. et al. (2022) Nature-based early childhood education and children’s physical activity, sedentary behavior, motor competence, and other physical health outcomes: a mixed-methods systematic review. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 19(6), pp. 456-472. (doi: 10.1123/jpah.2021-0760) (PMID:35537707) (PMCID:PMC7613039)

Johnstone, A. et al. (2022) Nature-based early childhood education and children’s social, emotional and cognitive development: a mixed-methods systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(10), 5967. (doi: 10.3390/ijerph19105967) (PMID:35627504) (PMCID:PMC9142068)

Johnstone, A. et al. (2020) Nature-based early childhood education for child health, wellbeing and development: a mixed-methods systematic review protocol. Systematic Reviews, 9, 226. (doi: 10.1186/s13643-020-01489-1) (PMCID:PMC7532588)

Johnstone, A. , Hughes, A. R., Bonnar, L., Booth, J. N. and Reilly, J. J. (2019) An active play intervention to improve physical activity and fundamental movement skills in children of low socio-economic status: feasibility cluster randomised controlled trial. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 5, 45. (doi: 10.1186/s40814-019-0427-4) (PMID:30915229) (PMCID:PMC6417079)

Hughes, A. R., Johnstone, A. , Bardid, F. and Reilly, J. J. (2018) Results from Scotland’s 2018 report card on physical activity for children and youth. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 15(S2), S402-S403. (doi: 10.1123/jpah.2018-0516) (PMID:30475152)

Johnstone, A. , Hughes, A., Martin, A. and Reilly, J. (2018) Utilising active play interventions to promote physical activity and improve fundamental movement skills in children. BMC Public Health, 18, 789. (doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-5687-z) (PMID:29940923) (PMCID:PMC6019649)

Johnstone, A. , Hughes, A. R., Janssen, X. and Reilly, J. J. (2017) Pragmatic evaluation of the Go2Play Active Play intervention on physical activity and fundamental movement skills in children. Preventive Medicine Reports, 7, pp. 58-63. (doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2017.05.002) (PMID:28593124) (PMCID:PMC5454126)

Reilly, J. J., Johnstone, A. , McNeill, G. and Hughes, A. R. (2016) Results from Scotland’s 2016 report card on physical activity for children and youth. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 13(S2), S251-S255. (doi: 10.1123/jpah.2016-0325) (PMID:27848731)

Hughes, A. R., Muggeridge, D. J., Gibson, A.-M., Johnstone, A. and Kirk, A. (2016) Objectively measured sedentary time in children and their parents. AIMS Public Health, 3(4), pp. 823-836. (doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2016.4.823) (PMID:29546197) (PMCID:PMC5690407)

This list was generated on Mon Mar 27 18:41:27 2023 BST.