Principal investigator
Research
Poor diet and obesity are leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide.
Our Nutrition Research Programme targets important determinants of these
conditions, and focuses on policy and practice-relevant interventions to inform
national and international efforts to improve eating habits and prevent obesity.
Key areas of research include food pricing, nutrition labelling, portion sizes,
household food security, and processed food (re)formulation.
Specific projects
- A stepped wedge cluster randomised trial evaluating the effects of a free
school breakfast on children’s school attendance, academic achievement,
behaviour, and short-term hunger
- A simulation modelling project to quantify the effects of a range of targeted
food taxes and subsidies on New Zealand population diet, health, and burden of
disease
- A randomised controlled trial to determine the effect of an intervention to
reduce screen-based sedentary behaviour on body composition, sedentary
behaviour, physical activity and nutrition in children
Selected references
- Ni Mhurchu C, Capelin C, Dunford EK, Webster JL, Neal BC, Jebb SA. Sodium
content of processed foods in the United Kingdom: analysis of 44,000 foods
purchased by 21,000 households. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2011; 93:
954-600
- Ni Mhurchu C, Turley M, Gorton D, Jiang Y, Michie J, Maddison R, Hattie J.
Effects of a free school breakfast programme on school attendance, achievement,
psychosocial function, and nutrition: a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial
[Study protocol]. BMC Public Health 2010; 10:738 doi:10.1186/1471-2458-10-738
- Ni Mhurchu C, Blakely T, Jiang Y, Eyles HC, Rodgers A. Effects of price
discounts and tailored nutrition education on supermarket purchases: a
randomized, controlled trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2010;
91(3): 736-47
- Bowers S, Carter K, Gorton D, Heta C, Lanumata T, Maddison R, McKerchar C, Ni
Mhurchu C, O’ Dea D, Pearce J, Signal L, Walton M. Enhancing food security and
physical activity for Maori, Pacific and low-income peoples. Report prepared for
the Health Research Council and the Ministry of Health, 2009
- Gorton D, Ni Mhurchu C, Chen M, Dixon R. Nutrition labels: a survey of use,
understanding, and preferences among ethnically diverse shoppers in New Zealand.
Public Health Nutrition 2008; 12(9): 1359-1365
