Dr Sherly Parackal
Contact Details
- Phone
- +64 3 479 7278
- sherly.parackal@otago.ac.nz
University Links
- Position
- Senior Research Fellow
- Qualifications
- BSc (Chemistry, Botany, Zoology), PG Dip (Food Science and Nutrition), MSc (Food Service Management and Dietetics), PG Dip (Nutritional Science), PhD (Nutritional Science)
- Research summary
- Diet-related non-communicable diseases in the Asia-Pacific region, migrant health, Asian health, ethnic-specific dietary assessment, community-centred intervention design, development and implementation (co-design)
- Memberships
- Global Diabetes Research Network for South Asians (Global DISHA) http://globaldisha.org/
- Otago Global Health Institute http://www.otago.ac.nz/global-health/people/index.html
- Public Health Association of New Zealand
- Fetal Alcohol Network New Zealand (FANNZ)
- Life member of the Indian Dietetic Association
Research
Sherly is the research lead in non-communicable diseases (Epidemiology and Prevention) at the Centre for International Health.
Sherly migrated to New Zealand from southern India in the mid-nineties. She is the Principal Investigator of the COVID-19 Diet and Activity study in Bandung, Indonesia, in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine, Padjadjaran University, Bandung, Indonesia. Sherly is also initiating a diabetes prevention project in Indonesia.
Sherly is the Principal Investigator of the EMIGRATE project, investigating the health trajectory of ethnic voluntary migrants in Aotearoa, New Zealand and a key investigator in the Cancer Disparity Research led by Professor Rathan Subramaniam.
Projects
- A pilot trial of a co-designed, digitised health promoting intervention for New Zealand South Asians
- Co-creating educational comics and video clips for a health promoting dietary and activity programme targeting early South Asian migrants
- Co-designing a culturally appropriate intervention to prolong the Healthy Migrant Status of South Asians
- Development and piloting of a South Asian specific Food Frequency Questionnaire (SANZ FFQ) to investigate associations between their dietary patterns and health outcomes in New Zealand
- Easy As! Or Is It? Asian Migrants Navigating the New Zealand Health System
- Investigating dietary and activity changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications on health status of Adolescents and Adults in Bandung, Indonesia
- Unravelling the health journey of ethnic voluntary migrants in Aotearoa, New Zealand: Ethnic MIGRant heAlth TrajEctory (EMIGRATE) project
Publications
Parackal, S., Parackal, M., & Akhtar, S. S. (2023). A cross-sectional study on alcohol and contraception use among sexually active women of childbearing age: Implications for preventing alcohol-exposed pregnancies. Women's Health, 19, 1-10. doi: 10.1177/17455057231161479
Xiang, V., Parackal, S., Gurung, G., & Subramaniam, R. (2023). Asian migrants navigating New Zealand primary care: A qualitative study. Journal of Primary Health Care, 15(1), 30-37. doi: 10.1071/hc22132
Parackal, S. (2023). Post-migration food habits of New Zealand South Asian migrants: Implications for health promotion practice. Journal of Migration & Health. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.jmh.2023.100182
Parackal, S., Coppell, K., Lam Yang, C., Sullivan, T., & Subramaniam, R. (2021). Hidden figures and misnomers: A case for disaggregated Asian health statistics in Aotearoa New Zealand to improve health outcomes. New Zealand Medical Journal, 134(1546), 109-116. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Parackal, S., Skidmore, P., Fleming, L., Bailey, K., Bradbury, K., & Wall, C. (2021). Stepwise tailoring and test-retest of reproducibility of an ethnic specific food frequency questionnaire for South Asians in New Zealand. Public Health Nutrition, 24(9), 2447-2454. doi: 10.1017/s1368980021001208
Parackal, S. (2023). Post-migration food habits of New Zealand South Asian migrants: Implications for health promotion practice. Journal of Migration & Health. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.jmh.2023.100182
Journal - Research Article
Parackal, S., Parackal, M., & Akhtar, S. S. (2023). A cross-sectional study on alcohol and contraception use among sexually active women of childbearing age: Implications for preventing alcohol-exposed pregnancies. Women's Health, 19, 1-10. doi: 10.1177/17455057231161479
Journal - Research Article
Xiang, V., Parackal, S., Gurung, G., & Subramaniam, R. (2023). Asian migrants navigating New Zealand primary care: A qualitative study. Journal of Primary Health Care, 15(1), 30-37. doi: 10.1071/hc22132
Journal - Research Article
Parackal, M., Parackal, S., Mather, D., & Eusebius, S. (2021). Dynamic transactional model: A framework for communicating public health messages via social media. Perspectives in Public Health, 141(5), 279-286. doi: 10.1177/1757913920935910
Journal - Research Article
Parackal, S., Skidmore, P., Fleming, L., Bailey, K., Bradbury, K., & Wall, C. (2021). Stepwise tailoring and test-retest of reproducibility of an ethnic specific food frequency questionnaire for South Asians in New Zealand. Public Health Nutrition, 24(9), 2447-2454. doi: 10.1017/s1368980021001208
Journal - Research Article
Parackal, S., Smith, C., & Skidmore, P. (2020). Diet quality, nutrient intakes and biochemical status of New Zealand women of childbearing age according to alcohol consumption patterns. Public Health Nutrition, 23(16), 2952-2962. doi: 10.1017/s1368980019003781
Journal - Research Article
Sam, C. H. Y., Skidmore, P., Skeaff, S., Parackal, S., Wall, C., & Bradbury, K. E. (2020). Relative validity and reproductivity of a short food frequency questionnaire to assess nutrient intakes of New Zealand adults. Nutrients, 12(3), 619. doi: 10.3390/nu12030619
Journal - Research Article
Parackal, M., & Parackal, S. (2019). A renewed media-mix, based on the dynamic transactional model, for communicating the harms of alcohol to women in New Zealand. Health Promotion International, 34, 921-930. doi: 10.1093/heapro/day033
Journal - Research Article
Parackal, S., Parackal, M., & Harraway, J. (2019). Associated factors of drinking prior to recognising pregnancy and risky drinking among New Zealand women aged 18 to 35 Years. International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health, 16(10), 1822. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16101822
Journal - Research Article
Parackal, M., & Parackal, S. (2017). Implication of alcohol consumption on aggregate wellbeing. Perspectives in Public Health, 137(4), 220-226. doi: 10.1177/1757913916669538
Journal - Research Article
Parackal, M., Parackal, S., Eusebius, S., & Mather, D. (2017). The use of Facebook advertising for communicating public health messages: A campaign against drinking during pregnancy in New Zealand. JMIR Public Health & Surveillance, 3(3), e49. doi: 10.2196/publichealth.7032
Journal - Research Article
Parackal, S. (2017). Dietary transition in the South Asian diaspora: Implications for diabetes prevention strategies. Current Diabetes Reviews, 13(5), 482-487. doi: 10.2174/1573399812666160901094741
Journal - Research Article
Parackal, S., Stewart, J., & Ho, E. (2017). Exploring reasons for ethnic disparities in diet- and lifestyle-related chronic disease for Asian sub-groups in New Zealand: A scoping exercise. Ethnicity & Health, 22(4), 333-347. doi: 10.1080/13557858.2016.1246424
Journal - Research Article
Parackal, S. M., Smith, C., & Parnell, W. R. (2015). A profile of New Zealand 'Asian' participants of the 2008/09 Adult National Nutrition Survey: Focus on dietary habits, nutrient intakes and health outcomes. Public Health Nutrition, 18(5), 893-904. doi: 10.1017/S1368980014001049
Journal - Research Article
Parackal, S. M., Parackal, M. K., & Harraway, J. A. (2013). Prevalence and correlates of drinking in early pregnancy among women who stopped drinking on pregnancy recognition. Maternal & Child Health Journal, 17(3), 520-529. doi: 10.1007/s10995-012-1026-7
Journal - Research Article
Parackal, S. M., Parackal, M. K., & Harraway, J. A. (2010). Warning labels on alcohol containers as a source of information on alcohol consumption in pregnancy among New Zealand women. International Journal of Drug Policy, 21(4), 302-305. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2009.10.006
Journal - Research Article
Parackal, S. M., Parackal, M. K., Harraway, J. A., & Ferguson, E. L. (2009). Opinions of non-pregnant New Zealand women aged 16-40 years about the safety of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Drug & Alcohol Review, 28(2), 135-141. doi: 10.1111/j.1465-3362.2008.00018.x
Journal - Research Article
Parackal, S., Ferguson, E., & Harraway, J. (2007). Alcohol and tobacco consumption among 6-24-months post-partum New Zealand women. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 3, 40-51.
Journal - Research Article
Parackal, S., Coppell, K., Lam Yang, C., Sullivan, T., & Subramaniam, R. (2021). Hidden figures and misnomers: A case for disaggregated Asian health statistics in Aotearoa New Zealand to improve health outcomes. New Zealand Medical Journal, 134(1546), 109-116. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Journal - Research Other