Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty Member

Kenneth R. Allison B.Sc., BPHE, MHSc, MSc, Ph.D.

Research Interests

• school health and student well-being
• population health intervention research
• research and evaluation – school physical activity policy and program interventions
• social and structural influences on opportunities for child and youth physical activity participation
• assessment of child and youth health data sources
• tracking health and health behaviours of children and youth
• barriers to physical activity participation
• ETS exposure and promotion of smoke-free homes and vehicles

Primary Teaching Responsibilities

• Graduate student committee member.
• Contributions to graduate courses.

Professional Summary & Appointments

KR Allison Research Consulting, Toronto Ontario

Senior Scientist – Health Promotion, Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Public Health Ontario (2011-2015)

School of Graduate Studies, University of Toronto (Associate Member)

Associate Professor, Exercise Sciences Program, Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto (Status appointment)

Associate Professor, Insitute for Human Development, Life Course and Aging, University of Toronto (Status appointment)

Honours & Awards

Current Research Projects

• Dissemination phase – Status of Daily Physical Activity (DPA) Policy in Ontario School Boards and Schools – research study was funded by Public Health Ontario (PI: K. Allison).
• Dissemination phase – The Role of Public Health Units in Supporting Daily Physical Activity (DPA) in Ontario Elementary Schools – research study was funded by Public Health Ontario (PI: K. Allison).

Representative Publications

• Allison, K.R., Philipneri, A., Vu-Ngugen, K., Manson, H., Dwyer, J.J.M., Hobin, E., Ng, B., and Li, Y., “School and Classroom Effects on Daily Physical Activity (DPA) Policy Implementation Fidelity in Ontario Classrooms: A Multi-Level Analysis”, BMC Public Health, 2018. Vol. 18:802.
• McKillop, A., Grace, S.L., Lima de Melo Ghisi, G., Allison, K.R., Banks, L., Kovacs, A.H., “Adapted Motivational Interviewing to Promote Exercise in Adolescents with Congenital Heart Disease: A Pilot Trial”, accepted, Pediatric Physical Therapy, 2017.
• Shah S, Allison K, Schoueri-Mychasiw N, Pach B, Manson H, and Vu-Nguyen K. A Review of Implementation Outcome Measures for School-Based Physical Activity Interventions. Journal of School Health 2017: 87(6);  474-486.
• Allison KR, Vu-Nguyen K, Ng B, Schoueri-Mychasiw N, Dwyer JJ, Manson H, Hobin E, Manske S, and Robertson J. Evaluation of Daily Physical Activity (DPA) Policy Implementation in Ontario: Surveys of Elementary School Administrators and Teachers. BMC Public Health 2016: 16:746.
• Allison KR, Adlaf EM, Irving HM, Schoueri-Mychasiw N, and Rehm J. The Search for Healthy Schools: A Multi-Level Latent Class Analysis of Schools and Their Students. Preventive Medicine Reports 2016: 4; 331-337.
• Richardson EZl, Allison KR, Teleguario H, Chacach W, Tum S, Gesink D, and Berry A. “Taking Care” in Inter-Cultural Research: Lessons from a Guatemalan Family Planning Study. International Journal of Qualitative Methods. 2017: 16; 1-13.
• Richardson E, Allison KR, Gesink D, and Berry A. Barriers to Accessing and Using Contraception in Highland Guatemala: A Family Planning Self-Efficacy Scale. Open Access Journal of Contraception 2016: 7; 77-87.
• Allison KR, Irving HM, Adlaf EM, Faulkner G, Boak A, Manson H, Hamilton H, and Ng B. Ten Year Trends in Overweight/Obesity among Ontario Middle and High School Students and Establishing Baseline Measures for Government Reduction Targets. Canadian Journal of Public Health 2015: 106(8);e514-e519.
• Allison KR, Schoueri-Mychasiw N, Robertson J, Hobin E, Dwyer JJ, and Manson H. Development and Implementation of the School Daily Physical Activity Policy in Ontario, Canada: A Retrospective Analysis. Revue phenEPS/PHEnex Journal 2014: 6(3); 1-18.
• Allison KR, Ashbury F, Pathammavong R, Gleeson L, and Douglas O. Rigour and Feasibility in Tobacco Control Evaluation: Toward a Successful Reconciliation. Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation 2009 (published in 2012): 24(3);75-89.
• Dwyer JJM, Chulak T, Maitland S, Allison K, Lysy D, Faulkner G, and Sheeshka J. Adolescents’ Self-efficacy to Overcome Barriers to Physical Activity Scale. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport 2012: 83(4); 513-521.
• Mitchell M, Manson H, Allison K, Robertson J, Donnelly P, and Goodman J. Leveraging Legacies: Will the Toronto 2015 Games Really Benefit Public Health? University of Toronto Medical Journal 2012: 90(2);15-17.
• Dwyer JJM, Miles S, Edwards M, and Allison KR. Adolescents’ Mental Health is Related to Physical Activity in Different Ways. PHEnex Journal 2011: 3(1);1-11.
• Dwyer JJM, Allison KR, Lysy DC, LeMoine KN, Adlaf EM, Faulkner GEJ, and Goodman J. An Illustration of a Methodology to Maximize Mail Survey Response Rates in a Provincial School-based Physical Activity Needs Assessment. Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation. 2010: 24(2);157-168.
• Faulkner G, Adlaf E, Irving H, Allison K, and Dwyer J. School Disconnectedness: Identifying Adolescents at Risk in Ontario, Canada. Journal of School Health 2009: 79(7);312-318.
• Ramanathan S, Allison KR, Faulkner G, and Dwyer JM, Challenges in Assessing the Implementation and Effectiveness of Physical Activity and Nutrition Policy Interventions as Natural Experiments. Health Promotion International 2008: 23(3); 290-297.
• Dwyer JJM, Allison KR, LeMoine KN, Faulkner GEJ, Adlaf EM, Goodman J, and Lysy D. A Survey of Opportunities for School-Based Physical Activity in Ontario Elementary Schools. Physical and Health Education Journal 2008: 73(4);36-42.
• Allison KR, Adlaf EM, Dwyer JJM, Lysy D, and Irving, HM, The Decline in Physical Activity among Adolescent Students: a Cross-National Comparison. Canadian Journal of Public Health 2007: 98(2);97-100.