May 15, 2014

Fat food marketing to be challenged at open night for budding researchers

From combating the ‘fat food environment’ around us to finding a cure for Motor Neurone Disease and safeguarding food security in the Pacific, UOW will showcase some of its best and brightest early career researchers on the cusp of 'something big' at a free, community event on Monday 26 May.

The event, Budding Ideas, is the first of a two-part ‘ideasfest’ to be held at UOW that celebrates the great work being done behind the University’s office doors and lab benches. It will feature five 10-minute talks by emerging researchers as well as a Q&A session.

Public health dietician Dr Bridget Kelly, from UOW's Early Start Research Institute, will discuss the rising rate of obesity in Australia (one in four children are now classified as overweight or obese) and how we can combat the ‘fat food environment’ around us.

“The ‘junk’ food industry is a major contributor to the escalating rates of obesity and diet-related chronic diseases in Australia and worldwide,” Dr Kelly said.

There have been major changes to children’s nutritional intake in the last few decades and the junk food industry is largely to blame, Dr Kelly said.

“Our environment is now characterised by an abundant availability of inexpensive, energy-dense, highly palatable foods, which is sold in large and convenient packages and heavily promoted. Children are highly vulnerable to food marketing, as they don’t see this as a persuasive message but believe this to be true and unbiased. Food companies also use marketing tactics that are highly appealing to children.”

According to Dr Kelly, childhood is a critical period for developing lifelong food habits that can influence disease risk immediately and in the long term. In fact, studies have shown that almost 80 per cent of obese adolescents will become obese adults.

To help combat what she terms our ‘fat food environment’, Dr Kelly has developed a framework for linking reactions to food marketing exposure, which she hopes will highlight the need for governments to protect children from ‘junk’ food marketing.

Other speakers at the event include international policy consultant Dr Quentin Hanich, who will present his idea on preventing overfishing in the Pacific Ocean, water membrane technologist Associate Professor Long Nghiem, who will discuss his innovative new system that captures toxic phosphorus from sewage waste and delivers clean water, and atmospheric chemist Dr Jenny Fisher, who is developing a modelling system to help combat climate change. Neuroscientist Dr Justin Yerbury will also speak about finding a cure for Motor Neurone Disease, a devastating neurological disease that took the lives of four close family members. 

Wollongong’s very own privacy and emerging technologies expert, Associate Professor Katina Michael, will MC the event. 

“The Budding Ideas audience can expect to be entertained by solutions to modern-day problems in a conversational way. The talks may inform their perceptions on certain issues, or even raise their public awareness about issues,” Professor Michael said.

Professor Michael said she was looking forward to seeing her younger colleagues present their research to the public.

“As an early career researcher I did not have access to social media to promote my research. Here we have the opportunity to convey outcomes in a concise 10 minute talk through the spoken word and use a non-traditional platforms like Facebook and Twitter to further convey those research agendas to the wider community,” Professor Michael said.

The event will also be live streamed on uow.edu.au/research/news/buddingideas.

Program:

Dr Bridget Kelly: Combating the fat food environment around us
Dr Quentin Hanich: Political stalemate – Transparency and fairness can save our oceans
Associate Professor Long Nghiem: Transforming wastewater treatment plants to power stations and phosphorus quarries
Dr Jenny Fisher: Filling in the gaps – Using models to interpret the earth’s changing atmosphere
Dr Justin Yerbury: Shape shifters – Explaining the role of protein folding in the progression of Motor Neurone Disease

Event details:

Date: Monday 26 May, 4.30-7.30pm
Venue: SMART Foyer, Building 6, University of Wollongong
Free and open to the public. RSVP essential

Note to media: Budding Ideas speakers will be available before the event from 3.30pm on Monday 26 May for interviews in the SMART Foyer. Dr Jenny Fisher is available for interview from 15 May on request.
Media contact: Elise Pitt, Media & PR Officer, University of Wollongong, +61 2 4221 3079, +61 422 959 953 or epitt@uow.edu.au.