Gina Trapp

WA Food Atlas

The WA Food Atlas is an interactive tool to assess the food environment across local government areas and how it changes over time.

Billboard Busters: Exploring Children's Views on Outdoor Advertising

"Billboard Busters: Exploring Children's Views on Outdoor Advertising" is a groundbreaking study that examines schoolchildren's attitudes towards outdoor advertisements.

Amped Out: An Energy Drink Study

The Kids Research Institute Australia is conducting a research study to evaluate a 4-month trial ban on the  sale of energy drinks to children in all retail stores in Bridgetown.

Supporting parents with young children to create healthy screen time behaviours

Screen time is an increasing challenge faced by parents across Australia.

Developing a ‘Food Atlas’ for Western Australia to map, measure and monitor food access

This unique interdisciplinary project, funded by Healthway, aims to develop a Food Atlas tool for mapping, measuring, and monitoring food access across Western Australia.

Kids Menu Study

TREK2School Study

Community and Food Environments study

Maximising fathers’ roles in preventing adolescent alcohol-related harm. (Fathers and Adolescent Alcohol Use Project)

Play Active Program – physical activity policy and training for Early Childhood Education and Care

PLAYCE 2 School: Moving well for optimal child health and development

Social Ventures Australia Evidence Summaries

Junk-food filled neighbourhoods: Building a local evidence-base for change’. Rapid Obesity Policy Translation Program

How healthy (or unhealthy) is the food environment around Perth schools?

This unique and innovative project will be the first to quantify the local food environment around all government and non-government Perth metropolitan primary and secondary schools.

Effectiveness of childcare centre interventions to increase young children’s physical activity

Development of a nutrition-focussed food outlet classification system

Building Out Bullying: The influence of the school environment on bullying behaviour and mental health in primary and secondary school students

Amped Up: An Energy Drink Study

Where are the alcohol advertising hotspots near schools?

Physically locating liquor stores near schools can strongly influence the chances of youth accessing and consuming alcohol, and may also increase children's exposure to alcohol advertising. Investigating the association between the presence of a liquor store near a school and the prevalence of outdoor alcohol advertising is crucial from a policy perspective, as it can inform future regulations on the placement of liquor stores and outdoor advertising near educational institutions. 

‘Black Out Rage Gallon’ (aka borg): An investigation of a risky drinking trend on TikTok

A 'Black Out Rage Gallon' (borg) is a customised, individual alcoholic beverage popularised on TikTok, whereby half the water in a gallon jug is replaced with alcohol (usually spirits), flavourings, electrolytes and caffeine. We investigated the characteristics and portrayal of the emerging alcohol trend associated with the hashtag descriptor #borg on TikTok.

Investigating the walkability of primary, secondary and K-12 schools across metropolitan Perth, Western Australia

Having a walkable built environment is important to encourage active school transport. The aim of this study was to measure the walkability of all Perth, Western Australian schools and investigate whether differences in walkability exist by school type, socioeconomic status and/or subregion. 

The built environment and child obesity: A review of Australian policies

Child obesity is a serious public health challenge affected by both individual choice and societal and environmental factors. The main modifiable risk factors for child obesity are unhealthy eating and low levels of physical activity, both influenced by aspects of the built environment. 

The Investigation of Health-Related Topics on TikTok: A Descriptive Study Protocol

The social media application TikTok allows users to view and upload short-form videos. Recent evidence suggests it has significant potential for both industry and health promoters to influence public health behaviours. This protocol describes a standardised, replicable process for investigations that can be tailored to various areas of research interest, allowing comparison of content and features across public health topics.

A massive hit that targets kids quite a bit: Where and how Australian school children see energy drinks

Energy drinks (EDs) are not recommended for children due to their high caffeine content and adverse health risks. Their popularity among children may be due to children's exposure to ED marketing. This study aimed to identify where children have seen ED marketing and whether they believe ED marketing targets them.

Powerful promotions: An investigation of the teen-directed marketing power of outdoor food advertisements located near schools in Australia

Adolescents are heavily exposed to unhealthy outdoor food advertisements near schools, however, the marketing power of these advertisements among adolescents has not yet been explored. This study aimed to investigate the teen-directed marketing features present and quantify the overall marketing power of outdoor food advertisements located near schools to explore any differences by content (ie, alcohol, discretionary, core and miscellaneous foods) school type (ie, primary, secondary, K-12) and area-level socio-economic status (SES; ie, low vs high).

Play Active physical activity policy intervention and implementation support in early childhood education and care: results from a pragmatic cluster randomised trial

Policy interventions to increase physical activity in early childhood education and care (ECEC) services are effective in increasing physical activity among young children. However, a large proportion of ECEC services do not have nor implement a physical activity policy.

Development of the Menu Assessment Scoring Tool (MAST) to Assess the Nutritional Quality of Food Service Menus

Preventing the rise in obesity is a global public health priority. Neighbourhood environments can help or undermine people's efforts to manage their weight, depending on availability of nutritious and nutrient-poor 'discretionary' foods. The proportion of household food budgets spent on eating outside the home is increasing. To inform nutrition policy at a local level, an objective assessment of the nutritional quality of foods and beverages on food service menus that is context-specific is needed.

Nutritional quality of children’s menus in restaurants: does cuisine type matter?

It is unknown whether the nutritional quality of children's menus vary depending on the cuisine type. This study aimed to investigate differences in the nutritional quality of children's menus by cuisine type in restaurants located in Perth, Western Australia.

Would you like fries with that? Investigating fast-food outlet availability near schools in Perth, Western Australia

Locating fast-food outlets near schools is a potential public health risk to schoolchildren, given the easy access and repeated exposure to energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods they provide. Fast-food outlet availability near schools has not been previously investigated in Perth, Western Australia. This study aimed to quantify fast-food outlet availability near Perth schools and determine whether differences in area-level disadvantage and school type exist.

The community food environment and its association with diet, health or weight status in Australia: A systematic review with recommendations for future research

This study systematically reviewed Australian literature to determine if an association exists between geospatial exposure to food outlets and diet, health or weight status. Recommendations for future research are provided.

Awake and Alert: Examining the Portrayal of Energy Drinks on TikTok

Energy drinks (EDs) are not recommended for minors' consumption due to a myriad of health risks, but marketing initiatives persist. This study explored the promotion of EDs on TikTok, a platform frequented by children and adolescents.

School Built Environments and Bullying Behaviour: A Conceptual Model Based on Qualitative Interviews

Interest in how the school built environment impacts bullying behaviour has gained momentum in recent years. While numerous studies have identified locations within schools where bullying frequently occurs, few studies have investigated the potential conceptual pathways linking school locations to bullying behaviour.

How does the school built environment impact students’ bullying behaviour? A scoping review

School bullying is a public health concern affecting the physical and mental health of children and young people. While school-based interventions to prevent bullying have been developed internationally, the effectiveness of many interventions has been mixed and modest.

Gender-Neutral Toilets: A Qualitative Exploration of Inclusive School Environments for Sexuality and Gender Diverse Youth in Western Australia

School toilets have been identified by sexuality and gender diverse (SGD) students as the least safe spaces in educational institutions. They are sites of verbal, physical and sexual victimisation.

The Nutritional Quality of Kids’ Menus from Cafés and Restaurants: An Australian Cross‐Sectional Study

Australian families increasingly rely on eating foods from outside the home, which in-creases intake of energy‐dense nutrient‐poor foods. ‘Kids’ Menus’ are designed to appeal to families and typically lack healthy options. However, the nutritional quality of Kids’ Menus from cafes and full‐service restaurants (as opposed to fast‐food outlets) has not been investigated in Australia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional quality of Kids’ Menus in restaurants and cafés in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia.

Does fast-food outlet density differ by area-level disadvantage in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia?

Socio-economic spatial patterning of fast-food outlets can result in disparities in the availability and access of food across geographic areas, contributing to health inequalities. This study investigated whether area-level socio-economic disparities exist in fast-food availability across the Perth metropolitan region of Western Australia.

Meeting the Australian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years is associated with better social-emotional development in preschool boys

24-hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years promote that achieving all three-movement behaviour (sleep, sedentary behaviour and physical activity) recommendations is important for child health and development. We examined the association between meeting all, none and combinations of the Australian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years and social-emotional development in 1363 preschool (2-5 years) boys (52%) and girls.

Prevalence and pattern of energy drink intake among Australian adolescents

Energy drinks (ED) are popular among young people despite evidence of associated health risks. Research into the prevalence and pattern of ED intake among young people is sparse. The present study investigates the prevalence and pattern of ED intake among a large sample of adolescents, including how many consume them, how often, for what reasons and in what contexts.

Energy drink intake is associated with insomnia and decreased daytime functioning in young adult females

To investigate the association between energy drink (ED) use and sleep-related disturbances in a population-based sample of young adults from the Raine Study.

Individual, Social, and Environmental Correlates of Energy Drink Use Among Adolescents

To investigate the correlates of adolescent energy drink use using a socioecological approach to inform future interventions.

Evaluating the effectiveness of the Play Active policy intervention and implementation support in early childhood education and care: a pragmatic cluster randomised trial protocol

Daily physical activity is critical during the early years of life for facilitating children's health and development. A large proportion of preschool children do not achieve the recommended 3 h of daily physical activity. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) services are a key setting to intervene to increase physical activity. There is a significant need for ECEC specific physical activity policy, including clearer guidelines on the amount of physical activity children should do during care, and strategies for implementation of these guidelines.

Association between food-outlet availability near secondary schools and junk-food purchasing among Australian adolescents

We sought to investigate the association between food-outlet availability near Australian secondary schools and frequency of Australian students’ discretionary food purchases.

Children's exposure to outdoor food advertising near primary and secondary schools in Australia

Previous research has highlighted children's frequent exposure to advertisements of unhealthy food and beverages on television. However, the food industry is increasingly utilising non-broadcast channels such as outdoor advertising (eg billboards, bus shelters, shop fronts) for product marketing.

Exposure to unhealthy food and beverage advertising during the school commute in Australia

Food marketing exposure has the potential to influence children's dietary behaviours and health status, however, few studies have identified how 'obesogenic' the outdoor food marketing environment is along public transport (bus and/or train) or walking routes that children take to school.

Dietary pattern trajectories across adolescence and early adulthood and their associations with childhood and parental factors

Although adolescent dietary patterns tend to be of poor quality, it is unclear whether dietary patterns established in adolescence persist into adulthood. We examined trajectories across adolescence and early adulthood for 2 major dietary patterns and their associations with childhood and parental factors. Using data from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine Study), intakes of 38 food groups were estimated at ages 14, 17, 20 and 22 y in 1414 participants using evaluated FFQs.

Food Outlets Dietary Risk (FODR) assessment tool: study protocol for assessing the public health nutrition risks of community food environments

Availability and accessibility of nutritious foods can vary according to the food outlets present within a neighbourhood or community. There is increasing evidence that community food environments influence food choice.

Consumption of energy drinks is associated with depression, anxiety, and stress in young adult males: Evidence from a longitudinal cohort study

Energy drinks (EDs) claim to boost mental performance, however, few studies have examined the prospective effects of EDs on mental health. This study examined longitudinal associations between ED use and mental health symptoms in young adults aged 20 years over a 2-year period.

Do Changes in the Local Food Environment Within New Residential Developments Influence the Diets of Residents? Longitudinal Results from RESIDE

There is limited longitudinal evidence supporting a link between food outlet locations and dietary outcomes to inform policy and urban planning. This study examined how longitudinal changes in the local food environment within new residential developments.

The influence of the early childhood education and care environment on young children’s physical activity

The PLAYCE Study instruments provide reliable measures of early childhood education and care physical activity environments

Children's neighbourhood physical environment and early development: an individual child level linked data study

The neighbourhood physical environment has a weak but significant association with early childhood development

Living liveable? RESIDE's evaluation of the “Liveable Neighborhoods” planning policy on the health supportive behaviors and wellbeing of residents in Perth

New suburban communities built in accordance with the “Liveable Neighbourhoods” policy have the potential to encourage health supportive behaviors

Nature play and fundamental movement skills training programs improve childcare educator supportive physical activity behavior

Both the Nature play and fundamental movement skills professional development programs were effective in improving educators’ self-efficacy to engage children

Shade coverage, ultraviolet radiation and children’s physical activity in early childhood education and care

The provision of shade, particularly through natural forms such as tree canopy, is an important sun protection strategy and enabler of outdoor time

The evolution of local food environments within established neighbourhoods and new developments in Perth, Western Australia

People living in new developments, and low SES areas of Perth, may be disadvantaged with poorer access to healthy food and greater exposure to unhealthy food outlets

The Nature and Quality of Australian Supermarkets' Policies that can Impact Public Health Nutrition, and Evidence of their Practical Application: A Cross-Sectional Study

Findings suggest Australian supermarket CSR policies are not likely to adequately contribute to improving population diets or sustainability of food systems

Associations between the home yard and preschoolers’ outdoor play and physical activity

Features of the home-yard physical environment were positively associated with preschoolers’ outdoor play and physical activity

Have a (non-energy) drink on me: modifying the laws regarding energy drinks in Australia

This Article explains the negative health impacts that energy drinks can have upon children and it also examines the law concerning energy drinks in-depth

Global supermarkets' corporate social responsibility commitments to public health: A content analysis

Investigate the world's largest and most powerful supermarkets' publically available CSR commitments to determine their potential impact on public health

The extent and nature of supermarket own brand foods in Australia

This protocol is unique as it aims to investigate all aspects of retail food environments and address the contribution of supermarket own brands

Alignment of supermarket own brand foods’ front-of-pack nutrition labelling with measures of nutritional quality: An australian perspective

This study aimed to examine prevalence of front-of-pack nutrition labels on supermarket own brand foods, and alignment with patterns of nutritional quality

Associations between proposed local government liquor store size classifications and alcohol consumption in young adults

Young adults' alcohol consumption appears to be impacted by liquor store density and convenience, rather than outlet size

Food environments and dietary intakes among adults: Does the type of spatial exposure measurement matter? A systematic review

Availability measures may produce significant and greater effect sizes than accessibility measures

Proximity to Liquor Stores and Adolescent Alcohol Intake: A Prospective Study

Liquor store availability in early adolescence may be a risk factor for alcohol intake in early and middle, but not late, adolescence

What is known about consumer nutrition environments in Australia? A scoping review of the literature

This study aimed to summarize the attributes that have been examined in existing peer-reviewed studies of Australian consumer nutrition environments

Can a simple dietary index derived from a sub-set of questionnaire items assess diet quality in a sample of australian adults?

This study describes a method that was used to develop a simple index for ranking individuals according to their diet quality in a longitudinal study

Dietary patterns, body mass index and inflammation: Pathways to depression and mental health problems in adolescents

We aimed to elucidate the longitudinal relationship between dietary patterns, adiposity, inflammation and mental health in a population of adolescents.

What are the position and power of supermarkets in the Australian food system, and the implications for public health? A systematic scoping review

This review synthesized the literature that describes the position and power of supermarkets in the Australian system, and the implications for public health.

Feasibility of a commercial smartphone application for dietary assessment in epidemiological research and comparison with 24-h dietary recalls

Our study tested the relative validity of a smart phone app for uses as an epidemiological dietary assessment tool, compared with a standard assessment method.

Informing Intervention Strategies to Reduce Energy Drink Consumption in Young People: Findings From Qualitative Research

Determining young people's knowledge of energy drink (EDs), factors influencing ED consumption and intervention strategies to lower ED consuption in youth.

Does alcohol outlet density differ by area-level disadvantage in metropolitan Perth?

This ecological study examines the distribution of liquor licences in Perth, Australia, and whether discrepancies in the distribution of retail land-uses could account for a socio-economic gradient.

Liquor landscapes: Does access to alcohol outlets influence alcohol consumption in young adults?

Longitudinal analyses showed that for each increase in liquor stores over time, alcohol consumption increased

Influence of the day care, home and neighbourhood environment on young children's physical activity and health: protocol for the PLAYCE observational study

The PLAYCE study will empirically investigate the relative and cumulative influence of the day care, and home environment on preschoolers’ physical activity

A prospective investigation of dietary patterns and internalizing and externalizing mental health problems in adolescents

Our findings only lend partial support to a link between diet and mental health, specific to females consuming a Western diet and to externalizing behaviours

Low dietary intake of magnesium is associated with increased externalising behaviours in adolescents

Adequate Zn and Mg intakes may be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety and attention-deficit...

Not just "A walking the dog": Dog walking and pet play and their association with recommended physical activity among adolescents

To examine the role of pet play and dog walking in children's and adolescents' leisure time, and the relationship between these activities and physical activity

Individual, social, and environmental correlates of healthy and unhealthy eating

This study aims to examine associations between individual, social, home, & neighbourhood environmental factors & dietary intake among adults.

Dog walking is associated with more outdoor play and independent mobility for children

It is plausible that dog-facilitated activity rather than dog ownership per se encourages children's physical activity behaviors.

Low vitamin D levels are associated with symptoms of depression in young adult males

Results from studies examining associations between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations and depressive symptoms are equivocal.

Energy drink consumption among young Australian adults: Associations with alcohol and illicit drug use

Australian energy drink users tend to have heavier alcohol consumption patterns be a cigarette smoker and use illicit drugs relative to non-users.

Energy drink consumption is associated with anxiety in australian young adult males

Energy drinks are predominantly targeted to young adult consumers; however, there has been limited research into their effects on psychological functioning...