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Contact Details

Phone
+64 4 385 5541 ext 6477
Email
louise.signal@otago.ac.nz
Position
Professor
Department
Department of Public Health (Wellington)
Qualifications
BA (Massey) MSocSc (Waik) PhD (Tor)
Research summary
Health Promotion

Research

Professor Louise Signal is currently Head of the Department of Public Health, Louise is also a Director of the Health Promotion and Policy Research Unit at the University of Otago, Wellington as well as Co-Director of Te Rōpū Rangahau ō Te Kāhui Matepukupuku: Cancer Society Research Collaboration. Louise is a social scientist with a PhD in Community Health from the University of Toronto. She has been a member of the Department of Public Health for over 20 years and has previous experience working at central and local government in health promotion and community development.

Professor Signal’s research focuses on identifying and addressing environmental determinants of health. Her research has a strong focus on equity for Māori, Pacific and low-income communities. Key research areas include the politics of health and health equity, obesity prevention and addressing harm from alcohol and sun exposure. Her research utilises qualitative research methods, policy research and mixed method research design. Professor Signal was principal investigator on an innovative research project that studied the world children live in – Kids’ Cam, which used automated cameras to record children’s worlds.

Teng, A., Cleghorn, C., Signal, L., Smith, M., Te Morenga, L., Walby, E., & Wilson, N. (2024). Food and beverage taxes for a healthier diet: The Pacific experience. The Briefing, (31 January). Retrieved from https://www.phcc.org.nz/briefing/food-and-beverage-taxes-healthier-diet-pacific-experience Journal - Research Other

Peniamina, R., McNoe, B., Kerr, J., Cleghorn, C., & Signal, L. (2024). Strong public support for healthy food policies in Aotearoa. The Briefing, (15 January). Retrieved from https://www.phcc.org.nz/briefing/strong-public-support-healthy-food-policies-aotearoa Journal - Research Other

Gage, R., Connor, J., Jackson, N., McKerchar, C., & Signal, L. (2024). Generating political priority for alcohol policy reform: A framework to guide advocacy and research. Drug & Alcohol Review, 43, 381-392. doi: 10.1111/dar.13782 Journal - Research Article

Bergen, T., Richards, J., Kira, G., Kim, A. H. M., Signal, L., & Mizdrak, A. (2023). The effectiveness of secondary-school based interventions on the future physical activity of Aotearoa New Zealand adolescents: A modelling study. Journal of Sport & Exercise Science, 7(4), (pp. 109-110). doi: 10.36905/jses.2023.04.01 Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Bergen, T., Kira, G., Richards, J., Kim, A. H. M., Signal, L., & Mizdrak, A. (2023). The future effectiveness of Indigenous Māori practice considerations on an Aotearoa adolescent-focused, active transport policy intervention: A modelling study. Journal of Sport & Exercise Science, 7(4), (pp. 105-106). doi: 10.36905/jses.2023.04.01 Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

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