Currently accepted at: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Mar 15, 2026
Date Accepted: Aug 13, 2026
This paper has been accepted and is currently in production.
It will appear shortly on 10.2196/95250
The final accepted version (not copyedited yet) is in this tab.
Secondary School Staff Engagement with a School-Based Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Initiative Website: An Implementation Trial During National Scale-Up
ABSTRACT
Background:
Few studies have reported engagement with online platforms used to deliver school-based physical activity interventions at scale.
Objective:
This study examined school staff engagement with the TransformUs website and its associated factors during the first 22 months of national scale-up in secondary schools.
Methods:
As part of implementation trial, engagement metrics were obtained from the TransformUs website (October 2023–August 2025) using Google Analytics. User and school characteristics were derived from registration data on the TransformUs website and the My School Australia database. Engagement metrics were summarised descriptively (eg, number and frequency of pages accessed, time spent on pages, content specific metrics) and associations between staff- and school-level characteristics and engagement outcomes were examined using multivariable linear and logistic regression models.
Results:
A total of 200 users registered for the initiative, of whom 110 had trackable engagement data and were included in the analysis. Overall website engagement was low, with a median of one session per user. One-third of users accessed just the registration page without engaging with training or active environment resources. Length of time registered was not related to website engagement. School location/state, student–teacher ratio, and academic achievement were associated with both the likelihood and duration of engagement with Training, Teaching Resources, and Active Environment pages, as well as total unique pageviews.
Conclusions:
Engagement with the TransformUs website during secondary school national scale-up was low and context-dependent, reflecting the self-guided nature of engagement with online initiatives in real-world settings. Future scale-up efforts should enhance website features, actively encourage use of training and resources, ensure staff have sufficient time to explore materials, and clearly communicate initiative benefits (e.g., academic outcomes). Clinical Trial: The dissemination and implementation trial of TransformUs Secondary was prospectively registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12622000600741).
Citation
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Copyright
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