Faculty profile

John Cairney

ResearcherUniversity of Toronto

This profile is built from public research funding records (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) and PubMed. We have not imported them from a University of Toronto directory, so their courses may be missing. Find their university profile.

John Cairney

Researcher

University of Toronto

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Supervision signals

Has led research grants, which requires an independent research appointment. Ask their department whether they supervise graduate students.
5 publications in the last five years, latest in 2025.
Senior (last) author on 4 recent papers, a sign of leading a research group.
Principal investigator on 8 research grants (5 CIHR, 3 SSHRC), most recently in 2018.

These signals come from public records, including CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions. Ask the professor or the graduate program whether they are taking new students.

Academic metrics

119

Publications

3,247

Citations

Collaborators

Grants

Publications by year

Counts cover the publications linked to this profile. Citations and the h-index appear when the source records them.

Profiles and links

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Signals and details

Research

children youth sport participation youth development dance physical literacy physical activity evaluation

Latest papers

Developmental Coordination Disorder and Early Childhood Trajectories of Physical Activity
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · 2025 · senior author
Comorbid Developmental Coordination Disorder and ADHD: The Effects on Emotional and Behavioural Problems in Young Children
Child Psychiatry and Human Development · 2025 · senior author
Cumulative Prenatal Risk Factors and Developmental Coordination Disorder in Young Children
Maternal and Child Health Journal · 2024 · senior author

All 119 publications

Latest funding

iPLAY Project: Planning a Physical Literacy-based intervention Among new immigrant and refugee Youth to Canada
CIHR · 2022 · Co-investigator
$10,000
High School Sport Participation and its Association to Psychosocial Development and Mental Health
SSHRC · 2019 · Co-investigator
$44,723
Exercise in Classrooms for Excellence in Learning (EXCEL): Optimizing the feasibility, delivery and long-term impact of physically active classrooms on academic outcomes using a mixed-methods approach
SSHRC · 2019 · Co-investigator
$103,540

All 23 grants and awards

119 publications.

Developmental Coordination Disorder and Early Childhood Trajectories of Physical Activity

KING-DOWLING S, VELDHUIZEN S, WELLMAN-EARL S, PRICE D, TIMMONS BW, KWAN MYW, CAIRNEY J

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise20256 citationsSenior author

DOI: 10.1249/mss.0000000000003598

Comorbid Developmental Coordination Disorder and ADHD: The Effects on Emotional and Behavioural Problems in Young Children

Fortnum K, Bourke M, Kwan M, O’Flaherty M, Dowling SK, Cairney J

Child Psychiatry and Human Development20252 citationsSenior author

DOI: 10.1007/s10578-025-01858-8

Cumulative Prenatal Risk Factors and Developmental Coordination Disorder in Young Children

Babij S, James ME, Veldhuizen S, Rodriguez C, Price D, Kwan M, Cairney J

Maternal and Child Health Journal20241 citationsSenior author

DOI: 10.1007/s10995-023-03804-3

Group differences and associations among stress, emotional well-being, and physical activity in international and domestic university students.

Rosa D, Sabiston CM, Kuzmocha-Wilks D, Cairney J, Darnell SC

Journal of American college health : J of ACH2023

DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1889564 PMID: 33759713

The Home Advantage in the National Basketball Association Conference Finals and Finals Series From 1979 to 2019: A Mediation Analysis of Offensive and Defensive Skills.

Graham JD, Zhang B, Brown DMY, Cairney J

Journal of sport & exercise psychology2022Senior author

DOI: 10.1123/jsep.2020-0314 PMID: 34911038

Examining the Effects of Acute Cognitively Engaging Physical Activity on Cognition in Children

Frontiers in Psychology202126 citationsSenior authorOpen Access

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.653133 PMID: W3161384467

Does physical activity and BMI mediate the association between DCD and internalizing problems in early childhood? A partial test of the Environmental Stress Hypothesis

Li Y-C, Kwan MYW, King-Dowling S, Rodriguez MC, Cairney J

Human Movement Science202118 citationsSenior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2020.102744

A Longitudinal Study of Sport Participation and Perceived Social Competence in Youth

Bedard C, Hanna S, Cairney J

Journal of Adolescent Health202075 citationsSenior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.09.017

Conclusions from surveys may not consider important biases: a systematic survey of surveys

Santesso N, Barbara AM, Kamran R, Akkinepally S, Cairney J, Akl EA, Schünemann HJ

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology202027 citations

DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2020.01.019

Motor Coordination and Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity in Emerging Adults: Mediating Effect of Physical Self-Concept

Li Y-C, Chirico D, Graham JD, Kwan MYW, Cairney J

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health20206 citationsSenior authorOpen Access

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17113748 PMID: W3029541569

iPLAY Project: Planning a Physical Literacy-based intervention Among new immigrant and refugee Youth to Canada

Co-investigatorCIHR2022Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

Principal investigators: Kwan, Matthew; Kandasamy, Sujane; McCormack, Gavin R

Keywords: Immigrant; Intervention; Newcomer; Participatory Action Research; Physical Activity; Physical Literacy; Refugee; Youth

$10,000

High School Sport Participation and its Association to Psychosocial Development and Mental Health

Co-investigatorSSHRC2019Insight Grants

Principal investigators: Camiré, Martin

Keywords: youth; mental health; psychosocial development; sport

$44,723

Exercise in Classrooms for Excellence in Learning (EXCEL): Optimizing the feasibility, delivery and long-term impact of physically active classrooms on academic outcomes using a mixed-methods approach

Co-investigatorSSHRC2019Insight Grants

Principal investigators: Fenesi, Barbara

Keywords: education; physical activity; cognitive function; curriculum; learning; academic achievement

$103,540

High School Sport Participation and its Association to Psychosocial Development and Mental Health

Co-investigatorSSHRC2019Insight Grants

Principal investigators: Camiré, Martin

Keywords: youth; mental health; psychosocial development; sport

$50,419

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Cardiovascular Development from Childhood to Early Adulthood

Principal investigatorCIHR2018Project Grant

Principal investigators: Wade, Terrance J; Cairney, John; O'Leary, Deborah D

Keywords: Adverse Childhood Experiences (Aces); Cardiovascular Development; Cardiovascular Remodeling; Child Maltreatment; Cytokines; Hemodynamics; Inflammation; Longitudinal Methods; Psychosocial Determinants; Young Adults

$661,726

Integrative approaches in understanding physical activity change during the transition into emerging adulthood: application of the multi-process action control model

Co-investigatorSSHRC2018Insight Grants

Principal investigators: Kwan, Matthew Y.W.

Keywords: physical activity; emerging adulthood; late adolescence; early adulthood; social cognitive theory; multi-process action control; within-subject variations; ecological momentary assessment

$248,056

Using dance to promote physical literacy in children and youth: An examination of the Sharing Dance program

Principal investigatorSSHRC2018Partnership Engage Grants

Principal investigators: Cairney, John

Keywords: dance; physical literacy; children; physical activity; evaluation; mixed methods

$24,695

Measuring youth experience in sport

Principal investigatorSSHRC2017Sport Participation Research Initiative

Principal investigators: Cairney, John

Keywords: children; youth; sport participation; youth development

$20,000

Brock Healthy Youth Project

Co-investigatorCIHR2016Project Grant

Principal investigators: Willoughby, Teena

Keywords: Brain Development; Health-Risk Behaviours; Intervening Mechanisms; Longitudinal Research; Mental Health; Physical Activity/Health; Risk And Protective Factors; Youth Health

$1,433,440

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Blood Pressure, and Cardiovascular Structure and Function from Childhood to Early Adulthood

Principal investigatorCIHR2016Project Grant

Principal investigators: Wade, Terrance J; Cairney, John; O'Leary, Deborah D

Keywords: Adverse Childhood Experiences; Cardiovascular; Cardiovascular Remodeling; Child Maltreatment; Longitudinal Methods; Social Determinants Of Health; Young Adults

$100,000

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

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John Cairney

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

Developmental Coordination Disorder and Early Childhood Trajectories of Physical Activity

Comorbid Developmental Coordination Disorder and ADHD: The Effects on Emotional and Behavioural Problems in Young Children

Cumulative Prenatal Risk Factors and Developmental Coordination Disorder in Young Children

Group differences and associations among stress, emotional well-being, and physical activity in international and domestic university students.

The Home Advantage in the National Basketball Association Conference Finals and Finals Series From 1979 to 2019: A Mediation Analysis of Offensive and Defensive Skills.

Examining the Effects of Acute Cognitively Engaging Physical Activity on Cognition in Children

Does physical activity and BMI mediate the association between DCD and internalizing problems in early childhood? A partial test of the Environmental Stress Hypothesis

A Longitudinal Study of Sport Participation and Perceived Social Competence in Youth

Conclusions from surveys may not consider important biases: a systematic survey of surveys

Motor Coordination and Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity in Emerging Adults: Mediating Effect of Physical Self-Concept

iPLAY Project: Planning a Physical Literacy-based intervention Among new immigrant and refugee Youth to Canada

High School Sport Participation and its Association to Psychosocial Development and Mental Health

Exercise in Classrooms for Excellence in Learning (EXCEL): Optimizing the feasibility, delivery and long-term impact of physically active classrooms on academic outcomes using a mixed-methods approach

High School Sport Participation and its Association to Psychosocial Development and Mental Health

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Cardiovascular Development from Childhood to Early Adulthood

Integrative approaches in understanding physical activity change during the transition into emerging adulthood: application of the multi-process action control model

Using dance to promote physical literacy in children and youth: An examination of the Sharing Dance program

Measuring youth experience in sport

Brock Healthy Youth Project

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Blood Pressure, and Cardiovascular Structure and Function from Childhood to Early Adulthood

Frequent collaborators

Scott Veldhuizen

Matthew Yiu Kwan

David Lloyd Streiner

Cheryl Missiuna

Paul Kurdyak

Panagiota Klentrou

Brian Timmons

Ayal Schaffer

Amy Cheung

Sergio Rueda

David Price

Anthony Levitt

Wenonah Campbell

Nathan Herrmann

Deborah O'Leary

Astrid Guttmann

Janet Raboud

Terrance Wade

Steven Bray

Simone Vigod

Katherine Tamminen