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Professor Melody Smith
DipFT, BSR, PGradDipHSc, PhD
Biography
Aspirations for neighbourhoods where children can be independently mobile, where people can get around safely by walking and cycling, and where social and physical well-being is prioritised and facilitated are key drivers of my research. Most of this work involves the integration of objective measurement of behaviours and outcomes (e.g., accelerometry, inclinometry, GPS, GIS), as well as person-centred methods (participatory planning, online mapping).
I am fortunate to work with amazing researchers and students across a range of exciting and innovative projects that contribute to understanding the links between built and social environments and health and well-being in children and their families.
Recent articles:
- Graphic novel of children's neighbourhood perceptions during lockdown
- Objective measurement of children’s physical activity geographies review
- Mobility barriers and enablers and implications for wellbeing of disabled children and young people
- Systematic review of green space and adolescent mental health
- Policies to enable children’s voice for healthy neighbourhoods and communities: a systematic mapping review and case study
- Spatial Lifecourse Epidemiology Reporting Standards (ISLE-ReSt) statement
- Keeping kids safe for active travel to school: A mixed method examination of school policies and practices and children’s school travel behaviour
Research | Current
Kidshare: Perceptions of Neighbourhoods during lockdown: www.tinyurl.com/KidshareNovel
Neighbourhoods for Active Kids: http://kidsinthecity.ac.nz/?page_id=219
Te Ara Mua - Future Streets for Auckland; http://www.futurestreets.org.nz/
Kids in the City: http://kidsinthecity.ac.nz/?page_id=52
Enabling Participation for Disabled Children and Young People: http://kidsinthecity.ac.nz/?page_id=247
Postgraduate supervision
CURRENT
PhD
Tiffany Williams (primary): Beyond the Buzz: Understanding the Experiences of Participants, Practitioners and Researchers and the Process of Co-Design with Children
Michelle Adams (primary): Parenting Grandchildren: Challenges and Opportunities for Aging Well
Yijun Zhang (primary): Green space and its role for adolescent well-being
Tessa Pocock (primary): Positive ageing in Auckland communities: Exploring relationships between the built and social environments of older adults at risk of frailty and their perceptions of ageing in place
Jamie Hosking (secondary): Low-carbon routes to health equity: the impacts of transport policy on health equity,
population health and greenhouse gas emissions
Jennifer Woods (secondary): Improving Māori Success in Achieving Clinical, Academic and Management Roles within the Health Sector in New Zealand
Margaretha Situmorang (third): Food outlet availability, snacking behaviours, and school travel patterns in adolescents
Masters/honours theses
Ellie Davies (primary): Patient satisfaction with pain management after surgery - the role of preoperative education
Ashleigh Karreman (primary): Child and family health care assessment. Standardized and/or child health needs assessment models/frameworks
COMPLETE
Doctoral theses
Fiona Yu, 2021 (primary): Exploring Resilience in Intensive Care Nurses in New Zealand
Tamara Bozovic (secondary): Quality of the walking environment and difficulties to access local destinations
Erika Ikeda, 2019 (primary): Associations between Environmental Attributes and Children’s Active Travel to School
Victoria Egli, 2019 (primary): Neighbourhoods for Healthy Kids: A child-centred investigation into the role of the built environment on child body size
Moushumi Chaudhury, PhD, 2017 (primary): Public Open Space Attributes in Relation to Children’s Independent Mobility Experience in Urban Auckland, New Zealand
Stephanie Schoeppe, 2014 (tertiary): Child independent mobility and active travel: Methods, measures, and associations with physical activity and sedentary behaviour
Lisa Mackay, 2013 (secondary): Physical activity profiling of New Zealand adults: a study of adults with and without young children
Nicholas Garrett 2013 (secondary): Local places for physical activity: how important are they?
Masters theses
Jo Thomson 2020 (primary): What is the experience of families and Healthcare Professionals of having an obesity diagnosis discussion in Kidz First Emergency Department?
Jency Jacob 2019 (primary): The Course of Postoperative Pain following Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty
Julia McPhee, 2015 (secondary): Exploring the acceptability of and adherence to a carbohydrate-restricted, high fat diet as an instrument for weight-loss in women aged 40-55 years
Victoria Barton, 2014 (primary): Controlled trial of strategies to increase fundamental movement skills in preschoolers
Losi Sa'u Lilo, 2013 (secondary): Health literacy among Pacific mothers in New Zealand: Exploring the associations of demographic and behavioural factors with health literacy of Pacific mothers in the context of Pacific health and well-being
Janine Shepherd, 2010 (secondary): The associations between cardiovascular disease risk factors, self reported and objectively measured physical activity, and happiness
Distinctions/Honours
Health Research Council of New Zealand Sir Charles Hercus Research Fellow 2017-2021
National Heart Foundation of New Zealand Postdoctoral Research Fellow 2008-2011
Tertiary Education Commission Bright Futures Scholar 2006-2008
Selected publications and creative works (Research Outputs)
- Ikeda, E., Mavoa, S., Cavadino, A., Carroll, P., Hinckson, E., Witten, K., & Smith, M. (2020). Keeping kids safe for active travel to school: A mixed method examination of T school policies and practices and children’s school travel behaviour. Travel Behaviour and Society, 21, 57-68. 10.1016/j.tbs.2020.05.008
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Alana Cavadino - Smith, M., Hawley, G., Mackay, L., Hosking, J., Mackie, H., Ikeda, E., ... Witten, K. (2020). Impact of changing road infrastructure on children's active travel: A multi-methods study from Auckland, New Zealand. Journal of Transport and Health, 1810.1016/j.jth.2020.100868
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Jamie Hosking - Macmillan, A., Smith, M., Witten, K., Woodward, A., Hosking, J., Wild, K., & Field, A. (2020). Suburb-level changes for active transport to meet the SDGs: Causal theory and a New Zealand case study. The Science of the total environment, 71410.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136678
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Adrian Field, Alistair Woodward, Jamie Hosking, Kirsty Wild - Smith, M., Ikeda, E., Hawley, G., Mavoa, S., Hosking, J., Egli, V., ... Amann, R. (2020). An integrated conceptual model of environmental needs for New Zealand children’s active travel to school. Journal of Transport and Health, 1610.1016/j.jth.2019.100814
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Jinfeng Zhao, Niamh Donnellan, Jamie Hosking - Sullivan, E., Egli, V., Donnellan, N., & Smith, M. (2020). Policies to enable children’s voice for healthy neighbourhoods and communities: a systematic mapping review and case study. Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online, online first10.1080/1177083X.2020.1772325
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Niamh Donnellan - Jia, P., Yu, C., Remais, J. V., Stein, A., Liu, Y., Brownson, R. C., ... Smith, M. (2020). Spatial Lifecourse Epidemiology Reporting Standards (ISLE-ReSt) statement. Health and Place10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.102243
- Mavoa, S., Lucassen, M., Denny, S., Utter, J., Clark, T., & Smith, M. (2019). Natural neighbourhood environments and the emotional health of urban New Zealand adolescents. Landscape and Urban Planning, 191.10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.103638
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Terryann Clark, Mathijs Lucassen - Smith, M., Amann, R., Cavadino, A., Raphael, D., Kearns, R., Mackett, R., ... Mavoa, S. (2019). Children's Transport Built Environments: A Mixed Methods Study of Associations between Perceived and Objective Measures and Relationships with Parent Licence for Independent Mobility in Auckland, New Zealand. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16 (8).10.3390/ijerph16081361
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Alana Cavadino, Deborah Raphael, Robin Kearns, Jinfeng Zhao
Identifiers
Contact details
- +64 9 923 7388
- +64.9.923.7388
- melody.smith@auckland.ac.nz
- moli010@aucklanduni.ac.nz
Primary office location
M&HS BUILDING 505 - Bldg 505
Level 2, Room 235A
85 PARK RD
GRAFTON
AUCKLAND 1023
New Zealand