The Pacific Small Island Developing States (P-SIDS) face rising malnutrition rates, partly due to a shift from traditional, nutrient-dense diets to Westernised, nutrient-poor diets. Aquatic foods, rich in nutrients and culturally significant in the P-SIDS, are critical for optimal nutrition during the first 8000 days, supporting children’s cognitive and physical development. However, there is limited evidence on how aquatic foods are integrated within school food environments in P-SIDS. Understanding this integration is essential to develop effective strategies and policies that enhance the health of school-aged children and their families.
This scoping study examines the integration of aquatic foods in the P-SIDS school food environments through a review of academic and grey literature and stakeholder consultations with educators, health officials, and community leaders to identify knowledge gaps and understand current practices.
The successful Summer Research Scholarship recipient will be contribute to the scoping review which is already underway.
Dr Sarah Burkhart
Senior Lecturer, Nutrition and Dietetics | School of Health
Primary supervisor: Dr Sarah Burkhart
Dr Burkhart is a Senior Lecturer in Nutrition at USC and a member of the ACPIR Leadership team. Sarah’s research uses a food systems lens to explore food security and food choice in the Pacific Islands. Working with Pacific partners, academics and stakeholders, Sarah is interested in nutrition education and food provision in Pacific Island school settings and understanding determinants of food security across Pacific Island food systems, with a focus on food environments and food choice.
HDR student mentor: Elodie Casey
Ms Casey is a PhD Candidate and has a Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics (Honours). Elodie’s PhD focuses on children nutrition, the food environment and sustainable aquatic food systems. She has experience undertaking literature reviews, stakeholder consultations and mentoring.
External collaborators: Dr Jessica Bogard (CSIRO) and Dr Libby Swanepoel (UniSC).
Dr Jessica Bogard is a Senior Research Scientist in the field of nutrition-sensitive agriculture, fisheries and food systems with CSIRO Agriculture and Food, based in Brisbane. With a background in dietetics and public health nutrition, she is interested in understanding how agriculture and food systems can be leveraged to improve nutrition and health outcomes, particularly among vulnerable population groups including women and young children.
Dr Libby Swanepoel is a dietitian and public health nutritionist with ACPIR. Libby is interested in understanding how aquatic food systems can be leveraged to improve nutrition and livelihoods as well as gender and social inclusion. Libby has expertise in nutrition-sensitive agriculture, where she places nutritionally rich aquatic foods at the centre of overcoming the triple burden of malnutrition. As an applied researcher, Libby works to understand the diversity of protein, fibre and micronutrients in farmed and wild-harvest seaweed for human application. With current projects in Samoa, Kiribati, Fiji, Indonesia, and northern Australia, Libby's work is couched in participatory action, embracing the strengths and voices within communities to bring about sustainable change.
Students will be asked to assist on this project in several ways, with tasks such as:
• Assisting with the scoping review screening, data extraction and analysis
• Consulting with stakeholders
• Contributing to the development of a manuscript for publication
Deliverables will include
• Contribution to the screening and extraction process
• Contribution to a draft of a manuscript
• A final presentation of the work undertaken
The successful student has the opportunity to participate as an author in the manuscript for publication.
This project would suit a student with background understanding of, and an interest in food systems, nutrition/health, food production, dietary intake and policy.
The successful student will be interacting with an experienced group of collaborators and external stakeholders, and therefore collegiality, integrity, teamwork and reliability are important attributes for this project. In return, the student will have an opportunity to develop their networks and learn from a range of experienced professionals. The student will be expected to work as part of a team and independently. As the project will use systematic processes, the student should also be able to pay attention to detail, be a critical thinker and show initiative.
Please contact Dr Sarah Burkhart via email (sburkhar@usc.edu.au) with any questions.
There is flexibility in the days/times that the student can work, and this will be negotiated at the start of the ACPIR-SRS.
This working paper provides some background information:
- Casey E, Swanepoel L, Burkhart S, Bogard J. What is known about the role of aquatic foods within the Pacific school food environments – A scoping study. OSF Registries. 2024;16 July 2024. doi:10.17605/OSF.IO/ZB49S
Please note that applicants may be invited to take part in an interview as part of the selection process.