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Improving clarity and simplicity of nutrition advice to the public

Summary

This project provides the opportunity to explore what the community understands and how it responds to the content and format of current nutrition guidance in Australia. With a growing interest in food and nutrition issues within the community there is a concern that people are shunning official guidance and seeking their personal nutrition guidance elsewhere.  This research will seek to explore if the development, format and presentation of nutrition information from government and NGO health agencies needs rethinking.

Supervisor

Professor Timothy Gill.

Research location

Camperdown - Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise & Eating Disorders

Program type

Masters/PHD

Synopsis

Good nutrition is perceived as an important health issue by a large proportion of the population but confusion remains in the public’s minds around the construction of a healthy diet despite considerable education from government and NGO health agencies.  The large amount of advice from vested interest and specific focus groups in addition to public promotion of new research findings and perceived inconsistency of dietary advice to address specific health concerns have been identified as barriers to clarity around this issue. In addition, advice around other concerns around food production techniques, environmental sustainability and costs also appear to add another layer of complexity to those attempting to choose and appropriate diet.  Coherent and integrative nutrition guidelines are needed to enable people to make food choices that not only meet their nutritional needs but also take into consideration, sustainability, price, taste and social equity concerns. This project will explore the utility of alternative food classification and selection guides to an Australian context.

Additional information

Benefits to the successful candidate
• As part of The Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise & Eating Disorders at the Charles Perkins Centre, you will be part of an internationally recognized multidisciplinary research environment dedicated to reducing obesity and associated complications
• PhD candidates will be mentored for submission of a competitive application for an Australian Postgraduate Award or a University Postgraduate Award (APA/UPA, for domestic students).
• Opportunity for a Top-Up Scholarship for APA or UPA-funded PhD students of high standing, with the possibility of Top-Up Scholarship extension for students who are productive in publishing their research on this topic
• You will receive mentoring to help you develop your career, with individual and group training on scientific writing, conference presentation skills etc
• You will have opportunities to present your research findings at local, national and potentially also at an international biomedical conference
• You will have opportunities to publish your research findings in world-class peer-reviewed biomedical journals of high standing

Selection criteria
• An undergraduate degree in science, medicine or other health discipline (e.g. exercise physiology, nutrition & dietetics, nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy, psychology, biochemistry, physiology etc.)
• First class honours or equivalent (for PhD candidates)
• An excellent undergraduate academic record (for Masters and PhD candidates)
• Prospective PhD candidates must be eligible for a nationally competitive PhD scholarship, such as an Australian Postgraduate Award or a University Postgraduate Award (APA/UPA, for domestic students) or an equivalent award for international students. Further details.
• A strong commitment to health and medical research in the field of adult nutrition and lifestyle interventions, obesity, weight management and chronic disease prevention
• Exceptional communication skills that will enable you to engender support from participants volunteering for this randomised controlled trial
• Ability to work productively both within a team environment as well as independently as required
• Excellent organisational skills

For further information
Please contact Professor Tim Gill

To apply
Please e-mail a cover letter addressing the above selection criteria, a copy of your CV as well as your academic transcript(s) to Professor Tim Gill.

Want to find out more?

Opportunity ID

The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is 2025

Other opportunities with Professor Timothy Gill