ARC DECRA Fellow & Head of Food and Nutrition Research
BHSc(Hons1A), RPHNutr, PhD
Dr Gina Trapp is Head of Food and Nutrition Research at the Telethon Kids Institute (TKI) and an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow at the University of Western Australia. She has a Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition & Psychology) with First Class Honours, a PhD in Public Health from The University of Western Australia and is a Registered Public Health Nutritionist recognised by the Nutrition Society of Australia.
Dr Trapp has over 18 years of research experience and has worked across a wide range of projects spanning the obesity prevention areas of nutrition, physical activity and built environments. These projects have focused on the design, implementation and interpretation of large-scale population surveys, cohort studies and natural experiments aimed at understanding and influencing obesity-risk behaviours in children and adults to improve population health.
At only 4 years post-PhD, Dr Trapp has over 100 publications (over half of which are published in the top 10% of journals in their field), has delivered 127 health promotion conference/seminar presentations (36 as invited speaker/keynote) and has secured research funds totalling in excess of $6.91M. She has supervised 4 higher degree research students to completion and is an invited member of the Australia Health Promotion Association National Mentoring Program (9 mentees, including 7 post-doctoral staff at TKI and 2 undergraduate students). She has been the recipient of 35 research awards and prizes and in recognition of her commitment and outstanding contribution to health promotion research she was awarded the 2015 Australian Health Promotion Association’s, ‘Excellence in Health Promotion Practice’ award. She was also formerly recognised by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science as ‘One of Western Australia’s Most Outstanding Young Scientists’, receiving the 2015, ‘Western Australian Young Tall Poppy Science Award’ which recognises intellectual and scientific excellence.
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Projects
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Publications
April 2024
Investigating the walkability of primary, secondary and K-12 schools across metropolitan Perth, Western Australia
Having a walkable built environment is important to encourage active school transport. The aim of this study was to measure the walkability of all Perth, Western Australian schools and investigate whether differences in walkability exist by school type, socioeconomic status and/or subregion.
Published research Child Physical Activity, Health and Development Physical activityOctober 2023The built environment and child obesity: A review of Australian policies
Child obesity is a serious public health challenge affected by both individual choice and societal and environmental factors. The main modifiable risk factors for child obesity are unhealthy eating and low levels of physical activity, both influenced by aspects of the built environment.
Published research Nutrition Child Physical Activity, Health and Development Food and Nutrition Child and adolescent health Physical activityMarch 2023The Investigation of Health-Related Topics on TikTok: A Descriptive Study Protocol
The social media application TikTok allows users to view and upload short-form videos. Recent evidence suggests it has significant potential for both industry and health promoters to influence public health behaviours. This protocol describes a standardised, replicable process for investigations that can be tailored to various areas of research interest, allowing comparison of content and features across public health topics.
Published research Child Disability Ear Health Youth Mental Health Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Food and Nutrition Early Years SystemsMay 2023A massive hit that targets kids quite a bit: Where and how Australian school children see energy drinks
Energy drinks (EDs) are not recommended for children due to their high caffeine content and adverse health risks. Their popularity among children may be due to children's exposure to ED marketing. This study aimed to identify where children have seen ED marketing and whether they believe ED marketing targets them.
Published research Nutrition Food and NutritionApril 2023Powerful promotions: An investigation of the teen-directed marketing power of outdoor food advertisements located near schools in Australia
Adolescents are heavily exposed to unhealthy outdoor food advertisements near schools, however, the marketing power of these advertisements among adolescents has not yet been explored. This study aimed to investigate the teen-directed marketing features present and quantify the overall marketing power of outdoor food advertisements located near schools to explore any differences by content (ie, alcohol, discretionary, core and miscellaneous foods) school type (ie, primary, secondary, K-12) and area-level socio-economic status (SES; ie, low vs high).
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Early Childhood Development Nutrition Youth Mental Health Food and Nutrition Early Neurodevelopment and Mental HealthApril 2023Play Active physical activity policy intervention and implementation support in early childhood education and care: results from a pragmatic cluster randomised trial
Policy interventions to increase physical activity in early childhood education and care (ECEC) services are effective in increasing physical activity among young children. However, a large proportion of ECEC services do not have nor implement a physical activity policy.
Published research Early Childhood Development Child Physical Activity, Health and Development Food and Nutrition Kids Rehab Research WAFebruary 2023Development of the Menu Assessment Scoring Tool (MAST) to Assess the Nutritional Quality of Food Service Menus
Preventing the rise in obesity is a global public health priority. Neighbourhood environments can help or undermine people's efforts to manage their weight, depending on availability of nutritious and nutrient-poor 'discretionary' foods. The proportion of household food budgets spent on eating outside the home is increasing. To inform nutrition policy at a local level, an objective assessment of the nutritional quality of foods and beverages on food service menus that is context-specific is needed.
Published research Nutrition Food and NutritionFebruary 2023Nutritional quality of children’s menus in restaurants: does cuisine type matter?
It is unknown whether the nutritional quality of children's menus vary depending on the cuisine type. This study aimed to investigate differences in the nutritional quality of children's menus by cuisine type in restaurants located in Perth, Western Australia.
Published research Nutrition Food and NutritionNovember 2022Would you like fries with that? Investigating fast-food outlet availability near schools in Perth, Western Australia
Locating fast-food outlets near schools is a potential public health risk to schoolchildren, given the easy access and repeated exposure to energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods they provide. Fast-food outlet availability near schools has not been previously investigated in Perth, Western Australia. This study aimed to quantify fast-food outlet availability near Perth schools and determine whether differences in area-level disadvantage and school type exist.
Published research Nutrition Food and NutritionNovember 2022The community food environment and its association with diet, health or weight status in Australia: A systematic review with recommendations for future research
This study systematically reviewed Australian literature to determine if an association exists between geospatial exposure to food outlets and diet, health or weight status. Recommendations for future research are provided.
Published research Nutrition Child Physical Activity, Health and Development Food and NutritionDecember 2022Awake and Alert: Examining the Portrayal of Energy Drinks on TikTok
Energy drinks (EDs) are not recommended for minors' consumption due to a myriad of health risks, but marketing initiatives persist. This study explored the promotion of EDs on TikTok, a platform frequented by children and adolescents.
Published research Nutrition Child Disability Cardiometabolic Sunhealth Child Physical Activity, Health and Development Technology & Kids Food and Nutrition Child and adolescent healthNovember 2022School Built Environments and Bullying Behaviour: A Conceptual Model Based on Qualitative Interviews
Interest in how the school built environment impacts bullying behaviour has gained momentum in recent years. While numerous studies have identified locations within schools where bullying frequently occurs, few studies have investigated the potential conceptual pathways linking school locations to bullying behaviour.
Published research Bullying Human Development and Community Wellbeing School Attendance Food and NutritionOctober 2022How does the school built environment impact students’ bullying behaviour? A scoping review
School bullying is a public health concern affecting the physical and mental health of children and young people. While school-based interventions to prevent bullying have been developed internationally, the effectiveness of many interventions has been mixed and modest.
Published research Parenting & Families Bullying Human Development and Community Wellbeing School Attendance Food and Nutrition Youth mental healthAugust 2022Gender-Neutral Toilets: A Qualitative Exploration of Inclusive School Environments for Sexuality and Gender Diverse Youth in Western Australia
School toilets have been identified by sexuality and gender diverse (SGD) students as the least safe spaces in educational institutions. They are sites of verbal, physical and sexual victimisation.
Published research Parenting & Families Human Development and Community Wellbeing Gender Diversity Youth Mental HealthJune 2022The Nutritional Quality of Kids’ Menus from Cafés and Restaurants: An Australian Cross‐Sectional Study
Australian families increasingly rely on eating foods from outside the home, which in-creases intake of energy‐dense nutrient‐poor foods. ‘Kids’ Menus’ are designed to appeal to families and typically lack healthy options. However, the nutritional quality of Kids’ Menus from cafes and full‐service restaurants (as opposed to fast‐food outlets) has not been investigated in Australia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional quality of Kids’ Menus in restaurants and cafés in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Food and NutritionMarch 2022Does fast-food outlet density differ by area-level disadvantage in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia?
Socio-economic spatial patterning of fast-food outlets can result in disparities in the availability and access of food across geographic areas, contributing to health inequalities. This study investigated whether area-level socio-economic disparities exist in fast-food availability across the Perth metropolitan region of Western Australia.
Published research Academic Biostatistics Nutrition Food and NutritionJune 2022Meeting the Australian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years is associated with better social-emotional development in preschool boys
24-hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years promote that achieving all three-movement behaviour (sleep, sedentary behaviour and physical activity) recommendations is important for child health and development. We examined the association between meeting all, none and combinations of the Australian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years and social-emotional development in 1363 preschool (2-5 years) boys (52%) and girls.
Published research Early Childhood Development Child Physical Activity, Health and Development Food and NutritionApril 2021Prevalence and pattern of energy drink intake among Australian adolescents
Energy drinks (ED) are popular among young people despite evidence of associated health risks. Research into the prevalence and pattern of ED intake among young people is sparse. The present study investigates the prevalence and pattern of ED intake among a large sample of adolescents, including how many consume them, how often, for what reasons and in what contexts.
Published research Early Childhood Development Nutrition Human Development and Community Wellbeing Child Physical Activity, Health and Development Food and NutritionApril 2021Energy drink intake is associated with insomnia and decreased daytime functioning in young adult females
To investigate the association between energy drink (ED) use and sleep-related disturbances in a population-based sample of young adults from the Raine Study.
Published research Nutrition Child Disability Child Physical Activity, Health and Development Food and Nutrition Raine studyMarch 2022Individual, Social, and Environmental Correlates of Energy Drink Use Among Adolescents
To investigate the correlates of adolescent energy drink use using a socioecological approach to inform future interventions.
Published research Nutrition Child Physical Activity, Health and Development Food and NutritionFebruary 2022Evaluating the effectiveness of the Play Active policy intervention and implementation support in early childhood education and care: a pragmatic cluster randomised trial protocol
Daily physical activity is critical during the early years of life for facilitating children's health and development. A large proportion of preschool children do not achieve the recommended 3 h of daily physical activity. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) services are a key setting to intervene to increase physical activity. There is a significant need for ECEC specific physical activity policy, including clearer guidelines on the amount of physical activity children should do during care, and strategies for implementation of these guidelines.
Published research Early Childhood Development Human Development and Community Wellbeing Playgroups Bacterial Respiratory Infectious Disease Group Child Physical Activity, Health and Development Food and NutritionSeptember 2021Association between food-outlet availability near secondary schools and junk-food purchasing among Australian adolescents
We sought to investigate the association between food-outlet availability near Australian secondary schools and frequency of Australian students’ discretionary food purchases.
Published research Nutrition Food and NutritionJuly 2022Children's exposure to outdoor food advertising near primary and secondary schools in Australia
Previous research has highlighted children's frequent exposure to advertisements of unhealthy food and beverages on television. However, the food industry is increasingly utilising non-broadcast channels such as outdoor advertising (eg billboards, bus shelters, shop fronts) for product marketing.
Published research Early Childhood Development Nutrition Food and NutritionJuly 2021Exposure to unhealthy food and beverage advertising during the school commute in Australia
Food marketing exposure has the potential to influence children's dietary behaviours and health status, however, few studies have identified how 'obesogenic' the outdoor food marketing environment is along public transport (bus and/or train) or walking routes that children take to school.
Published research Academic Biostatistics Nutrition Food and NutritionNovember 2020Dietary pattern trajectories across adolescence and early adulthood and their associations with childhood and parental factors
Although adolescent dietary patterns tend to be of poor quality, it is unclear whether dietary patterns established in adolescence persist into adulthood. We examined trajectories across adolescence and early adulthood for 2 major dietary patterns and their associations with childhood and parental factors. Using data from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine Study), intakes of 38 food groups were estimated at ages 14, 17, 20 and 22 y in 1414 participants using evaluated FFQs.
Published research Nutrition Food and NutritionNovember 2020Food Outlets Dietary Risk (FODR) assessment tool: study protocol for assessing the public health nutrition risks of community food environments
Availability and accessibility of nutritious foods can vary according to the food outlets present within a neighbourhood or community. There is increasing evidence that community food environments influence food choice.
Published research NutritionNovember 2020Consumption of energy drinks is associated with depression, anxiety, and stress in young adult males: Evidence from a longitudinal cohort study
Energy drinks (EDs) claim to boost mental performance, however, few studies have examined the prospective effects of EDs on mental health. This study examined longitudinal associations between ED use and mental health symptoms in young adults aged 20 years over a 2-year period.
Published research Child Health, Development & Education Depression and Anxiety Youth Health Child Physical Activity, Health and DevelopmentSeptember 2020Do Changes in the Local Food Environment Within New Residential Developments Influence the Diets of Residents? Longitudinal Results from RESIDE
There is limited longitudinal evidence supporting a link between food outlet locations and dietary outcomes to inform policy and urban planning. This study examined how longitudinal changes in the local food environment within new residential developments.
Published research Nutrition Food and NutritionApril 2020The influence of the early childhood education and care environment on young children’s physical activity
The PLAYCE Study instruments provide reliable measures of early childhood education and care physical activity environments
Published research Early Childhood Development Child Physical Activity, Health and DevelopmentApril 2020Children's neighbourhood physical environment and early development: an individual child level linked data study
The neighbourhood physical environment has a weak but significant association with early childhood development
Published research Early Childhood Development Human Development and Community Wellbeing Child Physical Activity, Health and DevelopmentApril 2020Living liveable? RESIDE's evaluation of the “Liveable Neighborhoods” planning policy on the health supportive behaviors and wellbeing of residents in Perth
New suburban communities built in accordance with the “Liveable Neighbourhoods” policy have the potential to encourage health supportive behaviors
Published research Child Physical Activity, Health and Development Food and NutritionJanuary 2020Nature play and fundamental movement skills training programs improve childcare educator supportive physical activity behavior
Both the Nature play and fundamental movement skills professional development programs were effective in improving educators’ self-efficacy to engage children
Published research Child Physical Activity, Health and DevelopmentDecember 2019Shade coverage, ultraviolet radiation and children’s physical activity in early childhood education and care
The provision of shade, particularly through natural forms such as tree canopy, is an important sun protection strategy and enabler of outdoor time
Published research Child Physical Activity, Health and DevelopmentMay 2019The evolution of local food environments within established neighbourhoods and new developments in Perth, Western Australia
People living in new developments, and low SES areas of Perth, may be disadvantaged with poorer access to healthy food and greater exposure to unhealthy food outlets
Published research Nutrition Food and NutritionApril 2019The Nature and Quality of Australian Supermarkets' Policies that can Impact Public Health Nutrition, and Evidence of their Practical Application: A Cross-Sectional Study
Findings suggest Australian supermarket CSR policies are not likely to adequately contribute to improving population diets or sustainability of food systems
Published research Nutrition Food and NutritionMarch 2019Associations between the home yard and preschoolers’ outdoor play and physical activity
Features of the home-yard physical environment were positively associated with preschoolers’ outdoor play and physical activity
Published research Food and NutritionJanuary 2019Have a (non-energy) drink on me: modifying the laws regarding energy drinks in Australia
This Article explains the negative health impacts that energy drinks can have upon children and it also examines the law concerning energy drinks in-depth
Published research Food and NutritionNovember 2018Global supermarkets' corporate social responsibility commitments to public health: A content analysis
Investigate the world's largest and most powerful supermarkets' publically available CSR commitments to determine their potential impact on public health
Published research Human Development and Community WellbeingOctober 2018The extent and nature of supermarket own brand foods in Australia
This protocol is unique as it aims to investigate all aspects of retail food environments and address the contribution of supermarket own brands
Published research Food and NutritionOctober 2018Alignment of supermarket own brand foods’ front-of-pack nutrition labelling with measures of nutritional quality: An australian perspective
This study aimed to examine prevalence of front-of-pack nutrition labels on supermarket own brand foods, and alignment with patterns of nutritional quality
Published research Nutrition Food and NutritionJuly 2018Associations between proposed local government liquor store size classifications and alcohol consumption in young adults
Young adults' alcohol consumption appears to be impacted by liquor store density and convenience, rather than outlet size
Published research Youth Health Food and NutritionJune 2018Food environments and dietary intakes among adults: Does the type of spatial exposure measurement matter? A systematic review
Availability measures may produce significant and greater effect sizes than accessibility measures
Published research Nutrition Food and NutritionJune 2018Proximity to Liquor Stores and Adolescent Alcohol Intake: A Prospective Study
Liquor store availability in early adolescence may be a risk factor for alcohol intake in early and middle, but not late, adolescence
Published research Human Development and Community Wellbeing Youth HealthMay 2018What is known about consumer nutrition environments in Australia? A scoping review of the literature
This study aimed to summarize the attributes that have been examined in existing peer-reviewed studies of Australian consumer nutrition environments
Published research Nutrition Food and NutritionApril 2018Can a simple dietary index derived from a sub-set of questionnaire items assess diet quality in a sample of australian adults?
This study describes a method that was used to develop a simple index for ranking individuals according to their diet quality in a longitudinal study
Published research Nutrition Food and NutritionMarch 2018Dietary patterns, body mass index and inflammation: Pathways to depression and mental health problems in adolescents
We aimed to elucidate the longitudinal relationship between dietary patterns, adiposity, inflammation and mental health in a population of adolescents.
Published research Human Development and Community WellbeingFebruary 2018What are the position and power of supermarkets in the Australian food system, and the implications for public health? A systematic scoping review
This review synthesized the literature that describes the position and power of supermarkets in the Australian system, and the implications for public health.
Published research Human Development and Community WellbeingJanuary 2018Feasibility of a commercial smartphone application for dietary assessment in epidemiological research and comparison with 24-h dietary recalls
Our study tested the relative validity of a smart phone app for uses as an epidemiological dietary assessment tool, compared with a standard assessment method.
Published research Alcohol and Pregnancy and FASD Research Youth Mental Health Food and NutritionOctober 2017Informing Intervention Strategies to Reduce Energy Drink Consumption in Young People: Findings From Qualitative Research
Determining young people's knowledge of energy drink (EDs), factors influencing ED consumption and intervention strategies to lower ED consuption in youth.
Published research Food and NutritionSeptember 2017Does alcohol outlet density differ by area-level disadvantage in metropolitan Perth?
This ecological study examines the distribution of liquor licences in Perth, Australia, and whether discrepancies in the distribution of retail land-uses could account for a socio-economic gradient.
Published research Food and NutritionFebruary 2017Liquor landscapes: Does access to alcohol outlets influence alcohol consumption in young adults?
Longitudinal analyses showed that for each increase in liquor stores over time, alcohol consumption increased
Published research Food and NutritionDecember 2016Influence of the day care, home and neighbourhood environment on young children's physical activity and health: protocol for the PLAYCE observational study
The PLAYCE study will empirically investigate the relative and cumulative influence of the day care, and home environment on preschoolers’ physical activity
Published research Human Development and Community WellbeingMarch 2016A prospective investigation of dietary patterns and internalizing and externalizing mental health problems in adolescents
Our findings only lend partial support to a link between diet and mental health, specific to females consuming a Western diet and to externalizing behaviours
Published research Nutrition Food and NutritionJuly 2015Low dietary intake of magnesium is associated with increased externalising behaviours in adolescents
Adequate Zn and Mg intakes may be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety and attention-deficit...
Published research ADHD Depression and Anxiety Nutrition Food and NutritionJanuary 2015Not just "A walking the dog": Dog walking and pet play and their association with recommended physical activity among adolescents
To examine the role of pet play and dog walking in children's and adolescents' leisure time, and the relationship between these activities and physical activity
Published research Child Physical Activity, Health and DevelopmentJanuary 2015Individual, social, and environmental correlates of healthy and unhealthy eating
This study aims to examine associations between individual, social, home, & neighbourhood environmental factors & dietary intake among adults.
Published research Nutrition Food and NutritionOctober 2014Dog walking is associated with more outdoor play and independent mobility for children
It is plausible that dog-facilitated activity rather than dog ownership per se encourages children's physical activity behaviors.
Published research Human Development and Community WellbeingNovember 2013Low vitamin D levels are associated with symptoms of depression in young adult males
Results from studies examining associations between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations and depressive symptoms are equivocal.
Published research Academic Biostatistics Depression and Anxiety Vitamin D and Sunlight Human Development and Community Wellbeing InflammationSeptember 2013Energy drink consumption among young Australian adults: Associations with alcohol and illicit drug use
Australian energy drink users tend to have heavier alcohol consumption patterns be a cigarette smoker and use illicit drugs relative to non-users.
Published research Academic Biostatistics Human Development and Community Wellbeing Youth Health Food and NutritionSeptember 2013Energy drink consumption is associated with anxiety in australian young adult males
Energy drinks are predominantly targeted to young adult consumers; however, there has been limited research into their effects on psychological functioning...
Published research Academic Biostatistics Depression and Anxiety Human Development and Community Wellbeing -
Education and Qualifications
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Awards/Honours