Dr Sarah Clare Gerritsen

BA, MA (Applied) VUW., PhD UoA.

Research Fellow

In: Social and Community Health » Population Health » Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences

Biography

Sarah is a social scientist working in the field of public health nutrition and child health. She is passionate about producing policy-relevant research that helps to understand what improves the health and wellbeing of New Zealand children.

Sarah works as a research fellow at the Centre for Longitudinal Research - He Ara ki Mua on New Zealand’s contemporary longitudinal study Growing Up in New Zealand. She also undertakes HRC and government funded research on a variety of public health nutrition topics. Her PhD was on the potential for early childhood education services to assist with obesity prevention and has been used to inform obesity prevention policy. Sarah previously worked at the Ministry of Health as a senior advisor in population health research, and was the research manager for a cross-party think tank at the Royal Society of Arts in London, The Commission on 2020 Public Services.

Sarah has experience in both quantitative (survey design and statistical analysis including regression and multilevel modeling using Stata) and qualitative research methods (evidence synthesis, semi-structured interviews, content analysis, and group model building using a community-based system dynamics approach).

Research | Current

Growing Up in New Zealand: Now We Are 8 Report and planning for the 11 year data collection wave

Covid Kai Survey: How has the COVID-19 lockdown changed the way New Zealanders food shop, cook and eat?

National Healthy Food and Drink Policy Evaluation (HYPE study)

INFORMAS Food-Epi Government Policy Evaluation and Marketing to Children modules

Children and Families Research Fund: The effect of household food-related hardship on preschool nutrition and health

National Science Challenge Healthier Lives: Healthy food and physical activity environments research and policy stocktake

Teaching | Current

2019 Guest lecturer for POPLHLTH765: Nutrition interventions in Public Health, POPLHLTH316: Translating Health Information for Decision-Makers, POPLHLTH305: Community Nutrition, and EDUC300: Understanding Childhood

Postgraduate supervision

Available to supervise PhD, Masters or Honours students.

Current students:

Pippa McKelvie-Sebileau, PhD, Topic: A Whole of Community Systems Approach to Obesity Prevention in Regional New Zealand

Alex Cristea, MPH: Sugar-sweetened beverage policies and availability in Auckland Council Sport and Recreation Centres

Shona Gomes, MPH(Diet): Development of sodium benchmarks for fast-food restaurants and an investigation of their feasibility

Suzanne Albon, MHSc, Topic: A comparison of nutrition environments in early childhood education services in Oslo, Norway and New Zealand

Saswata Ray, PhD, Topic: An exploration of young adults understanding and awareness of food-related interactions and communications on social-media

Completed:

Diego Moreno, MPP, Topic: How can New Zealand regulate obesogenic environments within and around schools? A double framework analysis.

Shanjivan Padarath, MPH, Topic: Are commercially prepared baby foods meeting national dietary guidelines recommended for infants and toddlers?

Distinctions/Honours

2019, School of Population Health Emerging Researcher Best Poster

2017, School of Population Health's Doctoral Publication Excellence prize

2015, Best Doctoral Oral Presentation Prize, Gravida: National Centre for Growth and Development Science Symposium

2013-2017, University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship

2013-2017, Gravida: National Centre for Growth and Development Postgraduate Scholarship

Areas of expertise

Child health / Public health nutrition / Population health / Food environments / Food insecurity / Eating behaviours / Infant feeding / Research evidence synthesis (umbrella reviews) / Nutrition policy / Knowledge translation

Committees/Professional groups/Services

Nutrition Evidence Network Aotearoa (NENA)

International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA) Early Care and Education Special Interest Group

Australian Early Childhood Education and Care National Nutrition Network

Public Health Association of New Zealand

Auckland Public Health Nutrition Network

Selected publications and creative works (Research Outputs)

Gerritsen, S. C., Harre, S., Rees, D., Renker-Darby, A., Bartos, A. E., Waterlander, W. E., & Swinburn, B. (2020). Community Group Model Building as a Method for Engaging Participants and Mobilising Action in Public Health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17 (10)10.3390/ijerph17103457
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Ana Renker-Darby, Ann Bartos, Boyd Swinburn
Swinburn, B., & Gerritsen, S. (2019). Overconsumption and the global syndemic. In M. Lawrence, S. Friel (Eds.) Healthy and sustainable food systems (pp. 135-146). Abingdon, Oxon, U.K.: Routledge. Related URL.
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/49041
Gerritsen, S., Renker-Darby, A., Harré S, Rees, D., Raroa, D. A., Eickstaedt, M., ... Waterlander, W. E. (2019). Improving low fruit and vegetable intake in children: Findings from a system dynamics, community group model building study. PloS one, 14 (8)10.1371/journal.pone.0221107
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Ann Bartos, Boyd Swinburn
Gerritsen, S. C., Harre, S., Swinburn, B., Rees, D., Renker-Darby, A., Bartos, A. E., & Waterlander, W. (2019). Systemic Barriers and Equitable Interventions to Improve Vegetable and Fruit Intake in Children: Interviews with National Food System Actors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16 (8), 1387-1387. 10.3390/ijerph16081387
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Boyd Swinburn, David Rees, Ann Bartos
Gerritsen, S., Anderson, S. E., Morton, S. M., & Wall, C. R. (2018). Pre-school nutrition-related behaviours at home and early childhood education services: findings from the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study. Public health nutrition, 21 (7), 1222-1231. 10.1017/s1368980017004116
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Susan Morton, Clare Wall, Paul Hofman
Gerritsen, S. C. (2018). Realising the potential of early childhood education environments for obesity prevention The University of Auckland. ResearchSpace@Auckland.
Gerritsen, S., Dean, B., Morton, S. M., & Wall, C. R. (2017). Do childcare menus meet nutrition guidelines? Quantity, variety and quality of food provided in New Zealand Early Childhood Education services. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 41 (4), 345-351. 10.1111/1753-6405.12667
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Susan Morton, Clare Wall
Gerritsen, S. C., & Wall, C. R. (2017). How We Eat: Reviews of the evidence on food and eating behaviours related to diet and body size. Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Health. Related URL.