Dr Sarah Clare Gerritsen

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

Research Fellow

In: Epidemiology and Biostatistics » 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, and is passionate about policy-relevant research that helps to understand what improves the wellbeing of New Zealand children. She is currently working on HRC and government-funded research on infant and child nutrition. Her PhD on the potential for early childhood education services to assist with obesity prevention utilised Growing Up in New Zealand data 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. She has experience in both quantitative (survey design and statistical analysis including regression and multilevel modeling using Stata) and qualitative research methods (semi-structured interviews, content analysis, and group model building using a community-based systems science approach).

Research | Current

HRC Explorer Grant: Improving children's fruit and vegetable intake - a food systems approach

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

Superu Children and Families Research Fund Round 2: How does participation in early childhood education affect child health and development?

Superu Children and Families Research Fund Round 3: The effect of household food-related hardship on under 5 year olds' nutrition and health

Ministry of Health: Review of the Maternal (Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women), Infant and Toddler Dietary Guidelines

Teaching | Current

Tutor POPLHLTH316: Translating Health Information for Decision-Makers

Postgraduate supervision

Available to supervise PhD, Masters or Honours students.

Current students:

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

Distinctions/Honours

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

Selected publications and creative works (Research Outputs)

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
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/42271
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Susan Morton, Clare Wall
Gerritsen, S. C. (2018). Realising the potential of early childhood education environments for obesity prevention The University of Auckland. ResearchSpace@Auckland.
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/37026
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
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/42309
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.
Gerritsen, S. (2016). Nutrition education for early childhood managers, teachers and nursery cooks: a prerequisite for effective obesity prevention. Public Health, 140, 56-58. 10.1016/j.puhe.2016.05.025
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/31959
Gerritsen, S., Morton, S. M., & Wall, C. R. (2016). Physical activity and screen use policy and practices in childcare: results from a survey of early childhood education services in New Zealand. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 40 (4), 319-325. 10.1111/1753-6405.12529
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/31108
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Clare Wall, Susan Morton
Gerritsen, S., Wall, C., & Morton, S. (2016). Child-care nutrition environments: results from a survey of policy and practice in New Zealand early childhood education services. Public Health Nutrition, 19 (9), 1531-1542. 10.1017/S1368980015002955
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/29434
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Clare Wall, Susan Morton
Tobias, M., Kokaua, J., Gerritsen, S., & Templeton, R. (2010). The health of children in sole-parent families in New Zealand: Results of a population-based cross-sectional survey. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 34 (3), 274-280. 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2010.00526.x
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/21991