Dr Margarita Tsiros

Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy UniSA Allied Health & Human Performance

City East Campus (C7-52)
tel +61 8 830 21320

email Margarita.Tsiros@unisa.edu.au

Available for media comment
Research Degree Supervisor

About me

ARENA member
Child/Adolescent research
Physiotherapy
IIMPACT in Health (Child Health Challenge Leader)

Dr Margarita Tsiros is a Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy (Paediatrics). As a clinician, researcher and educator with more than 20 years experience in paediatrics, she is passionate about the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents. Dr Tsiros is a co-director of UniSA’s IIMPACT in Health Research Concentration (Innovation, IMPlementation And Clinical Translation in Health) where she leads the Child Health Challenge. She is also an Associate member of the ARENA Research Centre (Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity). Dr Tsiros is the current SA Chair of the Paediatric Group of the Australian Physiotherapy Association.

Margarita’s research strives to optimise outcomes for children and youth. Simply... Read more

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About me

Margarita’s research strives to optimise outcomes for children and youth. Simply put, she is interested in helping kids to ‘move well’ and ‘move more’. She conducts research across a range of paediatric topics and conditions, but is particularly well known for her work exploring the impact of overweight and obesity on children’s movement, function and wellbeing, providing insight into how we can set kids up for success in physical activity. She is also very interested in strategies to improve balance and movement skills in children, including the use of technology-enhanced therapeutic approaches. Her research publications have examined motor skills, quality of life, balance, strength, pain, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, sedentary behaviours and activity/participation.

Dr Tsiros’ research has been formally recognised through many external awards. In 2022 she was awarded a Women’s Mid-career Excellence in Research Award by Healthy Development Adelaide. In 2019, she received a ‘Best Paper’ award in paediatric research at the Australian Physiotherapy Association National Conference. In 2016, she was named an AMP Tomorrow-maker, recognising her determination to have a positive impact on the community through her research. In 2015, she was a finalist for the Team Kids Young Investigator Award and in 2014 she received a Tall Poppy Science Award, recognising her extensive work engaging with the media, policy-makers, schools and community groups to promote healthy lifestyle behaviours relevant to tackling childhood obesity.

Dr Tsiros is an experienced research degree supervisor who strives to provide high-quality supervision and mentoring to assist students with their research, career development and overall wellbeing. She is also a Research Degree Coordinator for PhD and Masters by Research students.

Margarita course coordinates the Physiotherapy/Podiatry Research Stream Honours courses (Honours Prep and Honours Thesis). She has also been a course coordinator for the Physiotherapy with Children and Families courses and teaches into multiple courses across the graduate and undergraduate physiotherapy programs. In 2022 she received a Commendation for Sustained Excellence in Teaching and in 2017, she received a Team Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning.

Dr Tsiros qualified with a PhD, Bachelor of Physiotherapy, Graduate Certificate in Research Methods and a Bachelor of Health Science (Honours).

Research

Research focus

Human Movement and Sports Science
Clinical Sciences
Mechanical Engineering
Psychology
Public Health and Health Services

Highlights

Child development, Childhood overweight and obesity,Health-related quality of life,Paediatric physiotherapy,Physical activity and sedentary behaviours,Paediatric disability

Research

Outputs

Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. Some long-standing staff members may have older outputs included. To see earlier years visit ORCID, ResearcherID or Scopus

Open access indicates that an output is open access.

Books

Year	Output
2009	Tsiros, MD, Sinn, N & Coates, A 2009, Cognitive behavioural therapy: a treatment for overweight and obese adolescents, VDM Verlag, Germany.

Journal Articles

Year	Output
2024	Banwell, HA, Tsiros, M, Coventry, J, Ryan, N & Williams, CM 2024, 'Textured insoles may improve some gross motor balance measures but not endurance measures in children with motor coordination issues. A randomised controlled feasibility trial', Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 1-13. Open access 5
2024	Kasai, D, Tsiros, MD, Eston, R & Parfitt, G 2024, 'Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) from a submaximal 20-m shuttle-run test accurately predict children's VO₂ₚₑₐₖ, but when should we stop the test?', European Journal of Applied Physiology, online, pp. 1-9. Open access
2023	Dankiw, KA, Kumar, S, Baldock, KL & Tsiros, MD 2023, 'Do children play differently in nature play compared to manufactured play spaces? a quantitative descriptive study', International Journal of Early Childhood, online, pp. 1-20. 1 16
2023	Dankiw, KA, Kumar, S, Baldock, KL & Tsiros, MD 2023, 'Parent and early childhood educator perspectives of unstructured nature play for young children: a qualitative descriptive study', PLoS One, vol. 18, no. 6, article no. e0286468, pp.1-24. Open access 3 3 117
2023	Kasai, D, Tsiros, MD, Eston, R & Parfitt, G 2023, 'Ratings of perceived exertion from a submaximal 20-m shuttle run test predict peak oxygen uptake in children and the test feels better', European Journal of Applied Physiology, vol. 123, no. 1, pp. 103-111. Open access 3 3 4
2023	McCabe, LP, Tsiros, MD & Crozier, AJ 2023, 'Monkey see, monkey do? Exploring parent-athlete behaviours from youth athletes' perspective', Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, vol. 5, article no. 1292812, pp. 1-8. Open access 117
2023	Seekamp, S, Ey, LA & Tsiros, MD 2023, 'Partnering with families known to child protection in an interprofessional context', Child Abuse and Neglect, vol. 145, article no. 106426, pp. 1-12. Open access 1 1 2
2023	Simpson, CE, Esterman, AJ, Ganu, SS, Maki, K, Keeley, SR, Ward, EJ & Tsiros, MD 2023, 'Early mobilisation in critically ill children: does routine patient screening reduce time to commencing mobilisation?', Australian Critical Care, Vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 208-214. Open access 3 3 9
2023	Tsiros, MD 2023, 'Critically appraised paper: In children with overweight or obesity, an aerobic plus resistance exercise program improved cardiometabolic but not mental health [Commentary]', Journal of Physiotherapy, vol. 70, no. 1, pp. 65-65. Open access
2022	Seekamp, S, Ey, LA, Wright, S, Herbert, J & Tsiros, MD 2022, 'Service delivery goals and underlying interprofessional practices: a scoping review to support interprofessional collaboration in the field of child protection', Children and Youth Services Review, vol. 143, article no. 106680, pp. 1-10. 2 2 9
2022	Tsiros, MD, Shahrin, S, Mackintosh, S & Thewlis, D 2022, 'Setting up girls for success in fundamental motor skills: the role of balance in 8-10 year olds', Journal of Sports Sciences, vol. 40, no. 19, pp. 2200-2207. Open access 1 1 2
2021	Dankiw, KA, Baldock, KL, Kumar, S & Tsiros, MD 2021, 'Intra- and inter-rater reliability of the Behaviour Mapping Schedule: a direct observational tool for classifying children's play behaviour', Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 1-11. Open access 1 1 4
2021	Kasai, D, Parfitt, G, Tarca, B, Eston, R & Tsiros, MD 2021, 'The use of ratings of perceived exertion in children and adolescents: a scoping review', Sports Medicine, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 33-50. 22 18 18
2021	O'Malley, GC, Shultz, SP, Thivel, D & Tsiros, MD 2021, 'Neuromusculoskeletal health in pediatric obesity: incorporating evidence into clinical examination', Current Obesity Reports, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 467-477. Open access 18 14 18
2021	Truong, K, Park, S, Tsiros, MD & Milne, N 2021, 'Physiotherapy and related management for childhood obesity: a systematic scoping review', PLoS One, vol. 16, no. 6, article no. e0252572, pp. 1-37. Open access 4 4 3
2021	Tsiros, M, Vincent, H, Getchell, N & Shultz, S 2021, 'Helping children with obesity "move well" to move more: an applied clinical review', Current Sports Medicine Reports, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 374-383. Open access 5 4 12
2020	Dankiw, KA, Tsiros, MD, Baldock, KL & Kumar, S 2020, 'The impacts of unstructured nature play on health in early childhood development: a systematic review', PLoS One, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 1-22. Open access 122 100 297
2020	Tsiros, M, Tian, EJ, Schultz, SP, Olds, T, Hills, AP, Duff, J & Kumar, S 2020, 'Obesity, the new childhood disability? An umbrella review on the association between adiposity and physical function', Obesity Reviews, vol. 21, no. 12, pp. 1-13. Open access 32 26 4
2020	Tsiros, MD, Ward, EJ, Lefmann, S & Hillier, S 2020, 'The physiotherapy in preschools program: describing a student-led assessment service for children with possible motor skill difficulties', Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, vol. 37, pp. 324-337. Open access 1
2019	Fuller, JT, Thewlis, D, Tsiros, MD, Brown, NAT, Hamill, J & Buckley, JD 2019, 'Longer-term effects of minimalist shoes on running performance, strength and bone density: a 20-week follow-up study', European Journal of Sport Science, online, pp. 1-13. 24 21 108
2019	Tsiros, MD & Shultz, SP 2019, 'Take 10! Action points for physical therapists to consider when It comes to childhood obesity', Physical Therapy, vol. 99, no. 5, pp. 490-493. Open access 3 4 1
2019	Tsiros, MD, Brinsley, J, Mackintosh, S & Thewlis, D 2019, 'Relationships between adiposity and postural control in girls during balance tasks of varying difficulty', Obesity Research and Clinical Practice, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 358-364. Open access 9 7
2018	Shakir, RN, Coates, AM, Olds, T, Rowlands, A & Tsiros, MD 2018, 'Not all sedentary behaviour is equal: children's adiposity and sedentary behaviour volumes, patterns and types', Obesity Research and Clinical Practice, vol. 12, no. 6, pp. 506-512. Open access 15 15 82
2017	Fuller, JT, Bellenger, CR, Thewlis, D, Arnold, J, Thomson, RL, Tsiros, MD, Robertson, EY & Buckley, JD 2017, 'Tracking performance changes with running-stride variability when athletes are functionally overreached', International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 357-363. 19 22 6
2017	Fuller, JT, Thewlis, D, Buckley, JD, Brown, NA, Hamill, J & Tsiros, MD 2017, 'Body mass and weekly training distance influence the pain and injuries experienced by runners using minimalist shoes: A randomized controlled trial', American Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 45, no. 5, pp. 1162-1170. 36 29 37
2017	Fuller, JT, Thewlis, D, Tsiros, MD, Brown, NA & Buckley, JD 2017, 'Six-week transition to minimalist shoes improves running economy and time-trial performance', Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, vol. 20, no. 12, pp. 1117-1122. Open access 18 15 73
2017	Tsiros, MD, Samaras, MG, Coates, AM & Olds, T 2017, 'Use-of-time and health-related quality of life in 10- to 13-year-old children: not all screen time or physical activity minutes are the same', Quality of Life Research, vol. 26, no. 11, pp. 3119-3129. Open access 24 21 15
2016	Cliff, DP, Hesketh, KD, Vella, S, Hinkley, T, Tsiros, MD, Ridgers, ND, Carver, A, Veitch, J, Parrish, A-M, Hardy, LL, Plotnikoff, RC, Okley, AD, Salmon, J & Lubans, DR 2016, 'Objectively measured sedentary behaviour and health and development in children and adolescents: Systematic review and meta-analysis', Obesity Reviews, vol.17, no. 4, pp. 330-344. Open access 223 212 53
2016	Fuller, JT, Amado, A, van Emmerik, RE, Hamill, J, Buckley, JD, Tsiros, MD & Thewlis, D 2016, 'The effect of footwear and footfall pattern on running stride interval long-range correlations and distributional variability', Gait and Posture, vol. 44, pp. 137-142. 22 22 11
2016	Fuller, JT, Archer, J, Buckley, JD, Tsiros, MD & Thewlis, D 2016, 'The reliability of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measurements of bone mineral density in the metatarsals', Skeletal Radiology, vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 135-140. Open access 5 5
2016	Fuller, JT, Buckley, JD, Tsiros, MD, Brown, NA & Thewlis, D 2016, 'Redistribution of mechanical work at the knee and ankle joints during fast running in minimalist shoes', Journal of Athletic Training, vol. 51, no. 10, pp. 806-812. Open access 20 19 9
2016	Fuller, JT, Thewlis, D, Tsiros, MD, Brown, NA & Buckley, JD 2016, 'Effects of a minimalist shoe on running economy and 5-km running performance', Journal of Sports Sciences, vol. 34, no. 18, pp. 1740-1745. 33 28 29
2016	Tsiros, M, Coates, A, Howe, P, Walkley, J, Hills, A, Wood, R & Buckley, J 2016, 'Adiposity is related to decrements in cardiorespiratory fitness in obese and normal-weight children', Pediatric Obesity, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 144-150. 19 19 4
2016	Tsiros, MD, Buckley, JD, Olds, T, Howe, PR, Hills, AP, Walkley, J, Wood, R, Kagawa, M, Shield, A, Taylor, L, Shultz, SP, Grimshaw, P, Grigg, K & Coates, AM 2016, 'Impaired physical function associated with childhood obesity: how should we intervene?', Childhood Obesity, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 126-134. Open access 20 20
2015	Fuller, JT, Thewlis, D, Tsiros, MD, Brown, NA & Buckley, JD 2015, 'The long-term effect of minimalist shoes on running performance and injury: design of a randomised controlled trial', BMJ Open, vol. 5, no. 8, pp. 1-9. Open access 11 8 22
2014	Fuller, JT, Bellenger, CR, Thewlis, D, Tsiros, MD & Buckley, JD 2014, 'The effect of footwear on running performance and running economy in distance runners', Sports Medicine, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 411-422. Open access 109 97 125
2013	Tsiros, MD, Buckley, JD, Howe, PR, Walkley, J, Hills, AP & Coates, AM 2013, 'Musculoskeletal pain in obese compared with healthy-weight children', Clinical Journal of Pain, vol. 30, no. 7, pp. 583-588. 7 16
2012	Parletta, N, Peters, J, Owen, A, Tsiros, MD & Brennan, L 2012, 'Parenting styles, communication and child/adolescent diets and weight status: let's talk about it', Early Child Development and Care, vol. 182, no. 8, pp. 1089-1103. Open access 11 10
2012	Tsiros, MD, Buckley, JD, Howe, P, Olds, T, Walkley, J, Taylor, L, Mallows, R, Hills, A, Kagawa, M & Coates, A 2012, 'Day-to-day physical functioning and disability in obese 10- to 13-year-olds', Pediatric Obesity, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 31-41. 18 28
2012	Tsiros, MD, Coates, AM, Howe, PR, Grimshaw, PN, Walkley, J, Shield, A, Mallows, R, Hills, A, Kagawa, M, Schultz, S & Buckley, JD 2012, 'Knee extensor strength differences in obese and healthy-weight 10-to 13-year-olds', European Journal of Applied Physiology, vol. 113, no. 6, pp. 1415-1422. Open access 16 29
2011	Tsiros, MD, Grimshaw, P, Shield, A & Buckley, JD 2011, 'The Biodex Isokinetic Dynamometer for knee strength assessment in children : advantages and limitations', Work, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 161-167. 13 12
2011	Tsiros, MD, Grimshaw, PN, Shield, AJ & Buckley, JD 2011, 'Test-retest reliability of the biodex system 4 isokinetic dynamometer for knee strength assessment in paediatric populations', Journal of Allied Health, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 115-119. 41
2010	Tsiros, MD, Coates, AM, Howe, P, Grimshaw, P & Buckley, JD 2010, 'Obesity: the new childhood disability?', Obesity Reviews, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 26-36. 53 89
2009	Tsiros, M, Olds, T, Buckley, J, Grimshaw, P, Brennan, L, Walkley, J, Hills, A, Howe, P & Coates, A 2009, 'Health-related quality of life in obese children and adolescents', International Journal of Obesity, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 387-400. Open access 211 319
2008	Tsiros, MD, Sinn, N, Brennan, L, Coates, AM, Walkley, JW, Petkov, J, Howe, PR & Buckley, JD 2008, 'Cognitive behavioral therapy improves diet and body composition in overweight and obese adolescents', American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 87, no. 5, pp. 1134-1140. 39 68
2008	Tsiros, MD, Sinn, N, Coates, AM, Howe, PR & Buckley, JD 2008, 'Treatment of adolescent overweight and obesity', European Journal of Pediatrics, vol. 167, no. 1, pp. 9-16. 55 61

Other outputs

Book Chapter

Tsiros MD, Coates AM. Quality of life, self-esteem and psychiatric disorders in the obese child (Chapter 27). In curbside consultation in Pediatric Obesity. SLACK incorporated, 2014.

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

Organisation	Country
Australian Institute of Sport	AUSTRALIA
Bond University	AUSTRALIA
Deakin University	AUSTRALIA
Griffith University	AUSTRALIA
Kagawa Nutrition University	JAPAN
Massey University	NEW ZEALAND
Monash University	AUSTRALIA
Queensland University of Technology	AUSTRALIA
Rcsi University Of Medicine And Health Sciences	IRELAND
RMIT University	AUSTRALIA
Seattle University	UNITED STATES
South Australian Sports Institute	AUSTRALIA
Universite Clermont Auvergne	FRANCE
University of Adelaide	AUSTRALIA
University of Delaware	UNITED STATES
University of Florida	UNITED STATES
University of Massachusetts Amherst	UNITED STATES
University of Newcastle	AUSTRALIA
University of Queensland	AUSTRALIA
University of South Australia	AUSTRALIA
University of Sydney	AUSTRALIA
University of Tasmania	AUSTRALIA
University of Wollongong	AUSTRALIA
Women's and Children's Health Network	AUSTRALIA

External engagement & recognition

Engagement/recognition	Year
Women's Excellence in Research Award Healthy Development Adelaide	2022
Best Early Career Research Paper Award for Paediatric Research Australian Physiotherapy Association, Transform 2019 Physiotherapy Conference	2019
Media Release Media Release: Watching TV the worst sedentary behaviour for childhood obesity	2019
Member Australasian Child and Adolescent Obesity Research Network (ACAORN)	2018
Member Healthy Development Adelaide	2018
Member Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society	2018
Member, National Paediatric Group Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA)	2018
Research Collaboration Grant Early Mobilisation in Paediatric Intensive Care (EMPIC): A Quality and Safety Intervention SA Health (Govt of South Australia) and Womens' and Childrens' Health Network	2018
Visiting Researcher Massey University, New Zealand	2018
Member Healthy Development Adelaide	2017
Member Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society	2017
Member Australasian Child and Adolescent Obesity Research Network (ACAORN)	2017
Member, National Paediatric Group Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA)	2017
Tomorrow Maker AMP	2016
Young Investigator Award - Finalist Women's and Children's Hospital Foundation	2015
Finalist, Tall Poppy Award Australian Institute of Policy and Science	2014
Presented a healthy eating session St Josephs Hectorville Preschool	2014
Young Investigator Award Australian New Zealand Obesity Society	2012
The Australasian Child and Adolescent Obesity Research Network award Australian New Zealand Obesity Society	2011

Teaching & student supervision

Highlights

My main teaching interests are in paediatrics and child development

Teaching & student supervision

Research degree supervision

Supervisions from 2010 shown

Thesis title	Student status
Nature play in early childhood settings: integrating child play behaviours and stakeholder perspectives to inform consensus-based recommendations for best practice	Current
The Utility of the Ratings of Perceived Exertion to Improve Fitness Testing Experiences in Children	Current
Effects of minimalist and conventional running shoes on running performance and injury risk, and the associated mechanisms	Completed
Exploring collaborative practice and shared goals for families known to child protection	Completed
Get outside, play and grow: exploring the impacts of nature play on early childhood development and the reliability of play observations	Completed
The utility of the Ratings of Perceived Exertion to predict peak oxygen uptake and minimise negative affect in children and adolescents	Completed

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Dr Margarita Tsiros

About me

About me

UniSA Allied Health & Human Performance

About me

Professional Associations

Experience

Qualifications

Research

Research focus

Highlights

Projects

Outputs

Books

Journal Articles

Other outputs

Current research & highlights

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

Collaborations

External engagement & recognition

Women's Excellence in Research Award

Best Early Career Research Paper Award for Paediatric Research

Media Release

Member

Member

Member

Member, National Paediatric Group

Research Collaboration Grant Early Mobilisation in Paediatric Intensive Care (EMPIC): A Quality and Safety Intervention

Visiting Researcher

Member

Member

Member

Member, National Paediatric Group

Tomorrow Maker

Young Investigator Award - Finalist

Finalist, Tall Poppy Award

Presented a healthy eating session

Young Investigator Award

The Australasian Child and Adolescent Obesity Research Network award

Teaching & student supervision

Highlights

Courses and programs

Courses I teach

Research degree supervision

Gallery