For Monica Smith, the ACPIR SRS 2021 experience sparked a new passion for research in systems-oriented population-based approaches toward improved nutrition and health.
With Dr Sarah Burkhart at the helm, and mentorship from PhD candidate Bridget Horsey, Monica and fellow SRS recipient Claudia Pettersen worked towards developing a tool to assess the school food environment in the Pacific Islands.
School food environments offer an entry point to reach children, adolescents, parents, school staff and the broader school community to positively influence food behaviour to improve nutrition. The school food environment is a complex web of interconnected influences over food consumption practices and can include school nutrition policy, food provision within and immediately surrounding schools, media, nutrition curriculum, and the built and natural environments within in which the schools are positioned.
Monica said the school food environment encompasses more than the foods available at school, it also includes the perceptions that school staff and parents have related to food and nutrition, the journey to school, access to fresh produce and healthy choices, and more.
“The defining moment of the internship and scholarship was seeing how my work can have a greater impact in communities and groups. It has inspired me to continue in research.” – Monica Smith, PhD candidate UniSC.
Monica had been volunteering in various dietetics projects when the scholarship opportunity with ACPIR came about. She said this experience helped her define what impact she wanted to have in the field of Nutrition and Dietetics practice; she had considered the public health nutrition avenue before she applied for the Summer Research Scholarship.
Monica enjoyed the project and leading the scoping study so much that she continued working on the study for her undergraduate work integrated learning placement. Building on that research experience and network of support, Monica has now embarked on a PhD with ACPIR.