The SUNRISE Study was founded by Professor Anthony Okely with co-applicants Professors John Reilly and Mark Tremblay. This work was supported by a Planning and Dissemination Grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Dr. Okely later secured funding through an Australian fellowship, enabling the creation of the SUNRISE Coordinating Centre at the University of Wollongong and facilitating in-person training for participating countries preparing to conduct pilot studies.
A leadership committee with global representation was established, including members from North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, as well as representatives from the World Health Organization and UNICEF.
Participating countries were required to complete a pilot study involving 100 children aged 3–4.9 years, recruited equally from urban and rural settings as defined by each country and sex balanced. Focus groups were also conducted in many settings to assess the cultural acceptability of the study measures and protocols.
Findings from the pilot studies informed refinements to the study protocols and measurement tools used in the main study.
Beginning in 2021, countries have begun secured funding to conduct the main SUNRISE study. Each country recruits 1,000 participants, divided equally between urban and rural settings and sex balanced. Countries involved represent a wide range of socioeconomic contexts and geographic regions.
Due to changes in the academic structure and funding environment at the University of Wollongong, the SUNRISE Coordinating Centre was transferred to the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation at the University of Alberta in January, 2026.
As part of this transition, Dr. Valerie Carson assumed the role of Project Lead. Her Behavioural Epidemiology Lab at the University of Alberta now serves as the SUNRISE Coordinating Centre. Continuity in study protocols and leadership has been maintained throughout the transition.
The Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation and the Women and Children's Health Research Institute provided bridge funding to support the transition and establishment of the new Coordinating Centre.
To date, more than 40 peer-reviewed articles have been published using data from the SUNRISE pilot and main study phases.