Dr Rebecca Abbott
BSc(Hons)(Surrey), PhD(QUT)
- Research Fellow in Clinical Exercise Science
Contact details
Rm 409
Phone: (+61) 7 3365 6822
Fax: (+61) 7 3365 6877
E-mail: rebecca@hms.uq.edu.au
Background
Dr Rebecca Abbott joined the School as a post-doctoral research fellow in January 2003. Prior to joining the School, Rebecca spent 2 years with the Physical Activity Group at the Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge, investigating the effect (and measurement of) physical activity intervention in young adults at risk of diabetes and she was also involved in the design of new technologies for measuring physical activity in young children.
Rebecca's first degree was in Nutrition and Dietetics and her first post was as a research dietitian at the Institute of Child Health in London. After 4 years working on projects focusing on micronutrient status in health and disease, Rebecca took up the position of research nutritionist and trials co-ordinator for the Infant and Child Nutrition Group at the MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit, Cambridge, UK. In 1997, Rebecca was awarded an Overseas Postgraduate Research Scholarship to study for a PhD at QUT in Brisbane. Her thesis investigated physical activity levels of children aged 5 to 10 years of age, and compared activity levels to markers of cardiovascular health.
Research Interests
Rebecca has a broad interest in 'physical activity and health in young children'. In particular, she is interested in:
- what determines and mediates how active children are (barriers and facilitators)
- what activities children do
- how physical activity in children can be measured
- and how the physical activity children engage in relates to their overall health.
Rebecca is also interested in examining sustainable strategies for increasing levels of physical activity in children. Current research projects include investigations into physical activity engagements patterns of children in the Torres Strait, and a longitudinal study of physical activity in primary school children in Brisbane.
Selected Publications
Abbott, R.A., & Davies, P.S. (2004). Correcting physical activity energy expenditure for body size in young children. Annals of Human Biology, 31 (6), 690–694.
Macdonald, D., Rodger, S., Abbott, R., Ziviana, J., & Jones, J. (2005). ‘I could do with a pair of wings': Perspectives on physical activity, bodies and health from young Australian children. Sport, Education and Society, 10 (2), 195–209.
Wickramasinghe, V., Cleghorn, C.J., Edmiston, K.A., Murphy, A.J., Abbott, R.A., & Davies, P.S.W. (2005). Ability of bioelectrical impedance to predict percentage fat mass in children of two different ethnic origins. International Journal of Body Composition Research, 3(1), 5–14.
Wickramasinghe, V.P., Cleghorn, G.J., Edmiston, K.A., Murphy, A.J., Abbott, R.A., & Davies, P.S. (2005). Validity of BMI as a measure of obesity in Australian white Caucasian and Australian Sri Lankan children. Annals of Human Biology, 32(1), 60-71
Abbott, R. A., & Davies, P. S. W. (2004). Habitual physical activity and physical activity intensity: Their relationship to body composition in 5.0-10.5 year old children. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 58(2), 285-91.
Abbott, R. A., & Davies, P. S. W. (2004). Correcting physical activity energy expenditure for body size in young children. Annals of Human Biology, 31(6), 690-694.
Fewtrell, M.S., Abbott, R.A., Kennedy, K., Singhal, A., Morley, R., Caine, E., Jamieson, C., Cockburn, F. & Lucas, A. (2004). Randomized, double-blind trial of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation with fish oil and borage oil in preterm infants. Journal of Pediatrics, 144(4), 471-479.
Morley, R., Fewtrel, M.S., Abbott, R.A., Stephenson, T., MacFadyen, U. & Lucas, A. (2004). Neurodevelopment in children born small for gestational age: A randomized trial of nutrient-enriched versus standard formula and comparison with a reference breastfed group. Pediatrics, 113(3), 515-21.
Abbott, R. A., Edmiston, K. A., Grayson, A. & Davies, P. S. W. (2003). The prediction of total body water using foot-to-foot bioelectrical impedance in children, International Journal of Body Composition Research, 1(2), pp. 59-62.
Abbott, R. A., Ball, E. J., O'Connor, J., Steinbeck, K. S., Wishart, C., Gaskin, K. J., Baur, L. A., Davies, P. S. (2002). The use of body mass index to predict body composition in children. Annals of Human Biology, 29(6), 619-26.
Abbott, R. A., Harkness, M., & Davies, P. S. W. (2002). Physical activity in children and its relation to flow mediated dilation of the brachial artery. Atherosclerosis, 160(1), 233-239.
Fewtrell, M. S., Morley, R., Abbott, R.A., Singhal, A., Isaacs, E.B., Stephenson, T., MacFadyen, U., Lucas, A. (2002). Double-blind, randomized trial of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in formula fed to preterm infants. Pediatrics, 110(1), 73-82.
Davies, P. S. W., & Abbott, R. A. (2001). Nutritional needs of female athletes. In N. Maffuli et al. (Eds.), Sports Medicine for Specific Client Groups. Harcourt Brace Publishers.
Abbott, R. A. & Davies P. S. W. (2001). Validation of foot to foot bioelectrical impedance in 6-10 year old children. In T. Jurimae A. and Hills (Eds.), Medicine and Sports Science: Body Composition Assessment in Children and Adolescents. Basel, Karger, 44, 168-174.
Brooker, R., & Abbott, R.A. (2001). Developing intelligent performers in sport: Should coaches be making more sense of game sense? Journal of Sport Pedagogy, 7(2), 67-83.
Ball, E. J., O'Connor, J., Abbott, R. A., Steinbeck, K. S., Davies, P. S., Wishart, C., Gaskin, K., & Baur, L. (2001). Total energy expenditure, body fatness and physical activity in children aged 6.0 to 9.6 years. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 74(4), 524-8.
Fewtrell, M. S., Morley, R., Abbott, R. A., Singhal, A., Isaacs, E. B., Stephenson, T., MacFadyen, U., Lucas, A. (2001). Catch-up growth in small-for-gestational-age infants: a randomized trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 74(4): 516-523.
Rondo, P. H., Abbott, R. A., & Tomkins, A. M. (2001). Vitamin A and neonatal anthropometry. Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, 47(5), 301-10.
Lucas, A., Fewtrell, M. S., Morley, R., Singhal, A., Abbott, R. A., Isaacs, E., Stephenson, T., MacFadyen, U., & Clements, H. (2001). Randomised trial of nutrient-enriched formula versus standard formula for post-discharge infants. Pediatrics, 108(3), 703-11.
Singhal, A., Morley, R., Abbott, R., Fairweather-Tait, S., Stephenson, T., Lucas, A. (2000). Clinical safety of iron-fortified formulas. Pediatrics, 105(3).
Lucas, A., Stafford, M., Morley, R., Abbott, R., Stephenson, T., MacFadyen, U., Elias-Jones, A., Clements, H. (1999). Efficacy and safety of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation of infant-formula milk: a randomised trial. Lancet, 354(9194), 1948-54.
Kennedy, K., Fewtrell, M. S., Morley, R., Abbott, R., Quinlan, P. T., Wells, J. C., Bindels, J. G., Lucas, A. (1999). Double-blind, randomized trial of a synthetic triacylglycerol in formula-fed term infants: effects on stool biochemistry, stool characteristics, and bone mineralization. American Joural of Clinical Nutrition, 70(5), 920-7.
Research Students
Doctor of Philosophy (Associate)
- Kelly Knez
- Alison Nelson