Christian Swann

Introduction: Nearly half a million Australians experience workplace injury or illness each year, and return-to-work rates have declined, particularly for psychological conditions. Practitioners use goal setting to structure return-to-work planning and are directed by national guidance to set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound) goals. How practitioners apply these criteria across different injuries and illnesses is not well understood. This study examined practitioners’ perspectives on goal setting in workers’ compensation rehabilitation in Australia, with a focus on SMART goals. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of Australian healthcare practitioners who treated physical conditions, psychological conditions, or both, was conducted. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-squared tests, and open-text responses were analysed using content analysis. Results: 154 practitioners across 12 professions completed the survey. Goal setting was considered highly or extremely important (71.4%) and used with most clients (74.0%), although nearly a third of practitioners (36.6%) did not name the client amongst those who set the goals. The majority of participants were familiar with SMART goals (87.5%), used them confidently (88.7%), and considered them best practice (75.7%), with open-text responses indicating participants valued their structure and clarity. Over a quarter of responses exploring challenges with SMART goals identified concerns when using SMART for clients with psychological injuries, describing rigid timeframes and measurability elements as counterproductive. Respondents also identified the need for clinical flexibility in complex cases, whilst noting that documentation and stakeholder expectations reinforced the use of SMART goals. Perspectives were largely consistent across professions and injury types. Conclusion: Practitioners generally endorsed SMART goals but raised concerns about their applicability for clients with psychological injuries, the group with the lowest return-to-work rates in Australia. Further work is needed to determine how goal setting in workers’ compensation rehabilitation can accommodate these clinical needs.

The pandemic of physical inactivity (Kohl et al., 2012) is responsible for 6% of deaths (3.2 million) globally each year (Strain et al., 2024). Nearly one-third (31.3%) of adults worldwide – approx...

Supporting performance under pressure is important to many roles in the sporting sector, including Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) Accredited Sport Scientists and Accredited High Performance Managers. This position statement on behalf of ESSA aims to support practitioners whose responsibilities include facilitating athletes’ performance under pressure. To achieve this aim, we synthesised relevant systematic reviews, and theoretical and empirical publications, regarding supporting performance under pressure in sport. Specifically, we focused on translating the scientific literature regarding the different sources of pressure athletes may experience, how athletes may respond to this pressure, the different strategies that may be used to support performance under pressure and considerations for how performance under pressure may be evaluated. This position statement highlights that pressure can have both facilitative and debilitative effects on athlete performance. Training environments offering implicit learning opportunities and effective utilisation of pressure training can prepare athletes for performing well under pressure. A range of evidence-based psychological strategies can be utilised when performing under pressure, including: (1) pre-performance routines, (2) implicit attentional strategies, (3) psychological skills training and (4) mindfulness-based approaches. Suggestions are provided for how to appropriately select and implement different strategies depending on sport type or context. Drawing on a systems-led approach, performance teams can collectively work together to support athlete performance under pressure in an integrated manner. This position statement concludes with eight overarching recommendations to support performance under pressure. These recommendations are contextually specific to key stakeholder groups, such as the organisation, performance team members and sports researchers.

Goal setting is one of the most commonly used strategies for increasing exercise and physical activity, and is a core aspect of the scope of practice for many exercise and health practitioners. Despite its widespread use, recent research has highlighted a need to reconsider traditional practice and re-evaluate the theoretical and empirical basis of goal setting in exercise and physical activity promotion. The issues identified in traditional approaches to goal setting in exercise and physical activity include oversimplification, misapplication of theory and over-reliance on the SMART acronym (e.g., Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound goals) rather than more rigorous evidence-based approaches. Therefore, this expert statement, on behalf of Exercise and Sports Science Australia, reviews theory and empirical evidence on goal setting, and provides practical recommendations for exercise and health practitioners when supporting clients to set goals. To move beyond the issues highlighted in traditional approaches to goal setting, it is necessary to go ‘back to basics’ and consider the foundations of goal setting. In turn, we outline: the goal-setting process; the structure of goals; moderating factors that determine whether/when certain types of goal should be set; and outcomes of goals, including risks and pitfalls. We provide corresponding practical recommendations to assist exercise and health practitioners in setting goals with clients. This expert statement seeks to help practitioners avoid the issues highlighted in traditional approaches to goal setting in exercise and physical activity, and set more suitable and evidence-based goals with clients instead.

Introduction: Military personnel require higher mental toughness to cope with volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environments. Recruit mental toughness was assessed before and after basic military training (BMT) to determine whether there are differences in mental toughness between recruits allocated to Combat Arms or All Corps, and whether BMT provides a setting conducive to altering recruit mental toughness. Materials and Methods: Three hundred and fifteen recruits (males: n = 270, females: n = 45) volunteered to participate in this study. Recruits were grouped according to their allocated Army employment category: Combat Arms or All Corps. The mental toughness questionnaire 48 was administered to recruits in week 1 (Pre) and week 12 (Post) of BMT. Body mass, aerobic fitness, and absolute and relative lower body strength were recorded in week 1 and week 8, aligning with the physical training schedule. Results: On-time completion of training was attained in 79% of all recruits and 21% were classified as off pathway (i.e., delayed or discharged). At Pre, Combat Arms recorded higher predicted VO2max (3.9 mL−1·kg−1·min−1), absolute (37 kgf) and relative (0.5 kgf−1ˑBM−1) isometric mid-thigh pull, and Confidence (Interpersonal) (0.8) values compared with All Corps (p < 0.05). For recruits who completed BMT, there were no between-group differences for changes in mental toughness (p > 0.05). Instead, there was a mean decline in recruit global mental toughness (−5) following BMT, because of declines in dimensions: Commitment (−2.6), Confidence (Abilities) (−1.1), Control (Life) (−0.9) and Control (Emotion) (−0.7) (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Enlisted Army employment category (Combat Arms or All Corps), initial mental toughness and physical fitness did not influence changes in recruit mental toughness following BMT. Instead, BMT was associated with a mean decline in global mental toughness because of a decrease in several subscales linked to motivation, sense of control, and self-belief.

As the global population continues to age, there is growing international interest in creating environments that support older persons’ health and wellbeing. Age-friendly cities and communities (AFCCs) aim to foster physical and social settings that enable healthy and active ageing through targeted policies, services, and infrastructure. Physical activity (PA) plays a vital role in promoting healthy ageing; however, limited research has explored how AFCCs integrate and promote PA. To address this gap, we conducted a scoping review to systematically map and synthesise the existing literature on PA in AFCCs. Following comprehensive searches of five electronic databases (APA PsycINFO, CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE, SOCIndex, SPORTDiscus) and the World Health Organisation’s age-friendly practices database up to May 2025, we included 59 research outputs and 77 practices across 35 countries. Our review demonstrates the wide range of opportunities that exist within and across the eight age-friendly domains to support PA opportunities for older persons. However, the findings also highlight the importance of considering a range of factors—spanning intrapersonal, interpersonal, environmental, cultural, and systemic domains—that influence the effectiveness and long-term sustainability of PA initiatives in AFCCs. Overall, this review provides valuable insights into the various factors that influence PA in age-friendly ecosystems. Drawing on the evidence, we propose six enablers needed to facilitate a whole-system approach to facilitating PA in AFCCs: (a) multi-level leadership and shared vision; (b) equity and empowerment of older persons; (c) effective governance and management; (d) integration of PA strategy into age-friendly ecosystems; (e) diverse and collaborative partnerships; and (f) capacity building across the system. Together, these enablers offer a strategic foundation for advancing PA policy and practice within AFCCs, supporting the development of inclusive, sustainable, and health-promoting PA environments for older persons.