Developing quality evidence and using it to tackle the diverse range of food and nutrition issues in our community.
Unhealthy diets are the leading contributor to the global burden of disease. Nutrition concerns at the population level are diverse, resulting from both under and over-nutrition. Evidence-informed interventions and policies are needed to tackle these diverse issues.
This domain consists of five research groups:
Research in this domain includes developing and evaluating interventions and translating research into policy and practice. This domain brings together researchers from the disciplines of nutrition science, dietetics, health promotion, public health, psychology, epidemiology, geography and implementation science.
Researchers have expertise in:
Dr Tracy Lee seeks to help children cope with some of the common consequences of peanut allergy so they can enjoy a healthy diet and better quality of life.
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An Aboriginal-governed and led project aims to promote healthy eating and seasonal consumption of traditional foods among Aboriginal people living in the Kimberley.
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A new research project could shed light on how diet is linked to disease progression of multiple sclerosis (MS).
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A new study is investigating whether eating peanut butter each day could improve the physical and cognitive capacity of older adults.
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A personalised dietary intervention could hold the key to increasing the vegetable intake of young adults in rural communities – and protect them against future heart disease risk.
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Dr Suzanne Dixon-Suen is investigating the role of diet in the risk of developing certain cancers.
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Group leader: Associate Professor Rachel Laws and Dr Paige van der Pligt
Group members: Professor Kylie Hesketh, Associate Professor Kristy Bolton, Associate Professor Ewa Szymlek-Gay, Dr Alissa Burnett, Dr Katherine Downing, Dr Carley Grimes, Dr Konsita Kuswara, Dr Katie Lacy, Dr Tracey Lee, Dr Rebecca Lindberg, Dr Penny Love, Dr Jennifer McCann, Dr Georgie Russell, Dr Susan Paudel, Dr Alison Spence
The Promoting health in the first 2000 days of life group focuses on research to optimise nutrition and movement behaviours (physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep) from preconception to age five years. We work to describe what and how parents and ‘parents to be’ and their children eat and move, how this influences their health, where they gain their information and support, and how we can most effectively and sustainably work with them to promote healthy behaviours in the early childhood period.
Our research aims to understand these issues across low and high resource countries, and countries in transition. Our group has expertise across epidemiology, nutrition and dietetics, human movement and sports science, psychology, health behaviour change interventions, the use of m-health to support behaviour change, public health, implementation science, research translation and intervention scale up.
This group covers:
Group leader: Associate Professor Alison Booth and Dr Claire Margerison
Group members: Associate Professor Kristy Bolton, Dr Carley Grimes, Dr Katie Lacy, Dr Penny Love, Dr Janandani Nanayakkara, Dr Claudia Strugnell
The School food and nutrition group focuses on food and nutrition education in primary and secondary schools and the food environment in these settings. We use qualitative and quantitative solutions-focused research to examine food and nutrition issues through the eyes of school staff, principals, teachers, parents and students.
Our group has expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methods. We are a team of culturally-diverse, highly experienced public health, nutrition and dietetics academics, early career researchers and PhD candidates.
This group covers:
We work with a number of organisations such as VCAA, HEV as well as national and international academic experts in the field.
Group leader: Dr Carley Grimes
Group members: Professor Lucinda Black, Professor Judi Porter, Associate Professor Kristy Bolton, Associate Professor Ewa Szymlek-Gay, Associate Professor Michael Tieland, Associate Professor Susan Torres, Dr Ellie Dunlop, Dr Claire Margerison, Dr Sze-Yen Tan
The Nutrients and health group focuses on understanding the influence of nutrient intake on growth, metabolism, and physical and mental health outcomes across the lifespan, in order to design effective and sustainable strategies to improve health. Our group has expertise in dietary assessment methods, nutritional biomarkers, nutritional epidemiology, clinical trials and interventions.
Our research includes the assessment of dietary intake to characterise nutrient intakes and nutritional status of different population groups across the lifespan, as well as exploring determinants of nutrient intake to design and evaluate strategies to improve diets. Our group also conducts interventions to alter nutrient intakes to assess effects on health outcomes, ranging from laboratory-based clinical trials to community-based interventions.
This group covers:
Group leader: Dr Rebecca Leech and Dr Georgie Russell
Group members: Professor Lucinda Black, Associate Professor Katherine Livingstone, Dr Barbara Brayner, Dr Alissa Burnett, Dr Emily Denniss, Dr Suzanne Dixon-Suen, Dr Ellie Dunlop, Dr Elena George, Dr Rebecca Lindberg, Dr Priscila Pereira Machado, Dr Claire Margerison, Dr Catherine Milte, Dr Sze-Yen Tan, Dr Teketo Tegegne, Dr Kate Wingrove
The Dietary patterns and eating behaviours group focuses on understanding and characterising contemporary diets, their impact on population and planetary health and potential determinants, including eating behaviours, food insecurity and other biopsychosocial factors. We consider dietary intake across the continuum from nutrients to foods to eating occasions (e.g. meals and snacks), along with dietary patterns, and the range of factors that affect them.
Our research draws on principles of nutritional and behavioural epidemiology and uses quantitative and qualitative methods. Our group examines population dietary intakes and human and planetary health relationships with a focus on food-based approaches, such as dietary patterns, as an alternative to focusing on individual food components. We generate evidence on eating behaviours and other factors as determinants of dietary patterns, to inform nutrition interventions promotion strategies.
Our group works with relevant partners to facilitate research translation, and provides evidence to inform policy and practice, particularly focusing on strengthening the use of epidemiological research by stakeholders.
This group covers:
Group leader: Professor Mark Lawrence
Group members: Dr Emily Denniss, Dr Ellie Dunlop, Dr Rebecca Lindberg, Dr Penny Love, Dr Priscila Pereira Machado, Dr Claire Margerison, Dr Jennifer McCann, Dr Tolassa Ushula, Dr Kate Wingrove
The Healthy and sustainable food systems group focuses on investigating and informing innovative nutrition policy reference standards and actions that promote healthy, sustainable and equitable food systems. Our group is transdisciplinary with expertise in nutrition science, public health nutrition, ecological nutrition, health promotion, dietetics, political science, food regulation and sociology.
To address the complex nature of today’s food and nutrition challenges, our research extends beyond a conventional nutrient-orientated approach to encompass foods, dietary patterns and food systems thinking.
We use qualitative and quantitative research methods and undertake modelling of the health and environmental impacts of food systems. We also undertake critical analysis of policy-making associated with:
We work with a number of leading agencies including the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization, Cochrane Nutrition Collaboration, International Union of Nutrition Sciences, Food Standards Australia New Zealand, VicHealth and the Federal and State governments.
This group covers:
