Sabrina Lynette Thomas
Biographic Data
| ID | 86054 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sabrina Lynette Thomas |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sabrina Lynette |
| FAMILY NAME | Thomas |
| SIGNATURE | THOMAS S L |
| AFFILIATIONS | Deakin University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1427-7775 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 98 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 219 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 98 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2001 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
‘Putting profit over people’
The commercial determinants of health are important drivers of population health, although their influence on women's health and social inequities remain underexplored. This study explored Australian women’s perceptions of how economic and commercial factors influence women’s health and wellbeing and the actions needed to address these influences and advance gender equity. An online qualitative survey was completed by 506 Australian women aged 18…
A narrative review of qualitative studies exploring the normalization of gambling for youth and younger adults
Gambling is a highly visible and socially embedded activity among young people, with marketing, social practices, and digital platforms shaping perceptions and behaviours. This article presents a narrative review of qualitative studies (2015–25) exploring how gambling is normalized among youth and younger adults (up to 35 years), and how they perceive and respond to these processes. Four themes were constructed from n = 22 articles using a reflex…
A mix of challenges, surprises, and quiet strengths’
Introduction Menopause is often framed as a negative biomedical transition. This overlooks experiences that are shaped by social, cultural, and economic contexts.Method This online qualitative study used a social constructionist approach to examine how n = 362 Australian cisgender women, aged 45–64 years, made sense of menopause within the overlapping pressures of midlife. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.Results Four themes w…
“Help young women to survive”
The increased pressures associated with the cost-of-living crisis (CoLC) have been demonstrated to impact population health. Research has shown that women are particularly vulnerable to negative life and health experiences associated with cost-of-living pressures, which are exacerbated by a range of gendered structural inequities. To date, very few studies have qualitatively explored the impact of the CoLC on the lives of women. A qualitative onl…
Australia’s proposed gambling reforms may be good for industry, but not for public health
Gambling industry harms are a major global public health concern (Van Schalkwyk et al. 2021, Thomas et al. 2023a, Cowlishaw et al. 2025). They contribute to financial hardship, family violence, relationship breakdown, and, in severe cases, suicide (Marionneau et al. 2023). The rapid expansion of online betting and the embedding of gambling within sport and digital environments have intensified exposure and normalized participation (Forrest 2025, …
Youth washing as a corporate social responsibility tactic of health-harming industries
The marketing tactics of health-harming industries are broader than advertising. Health-harming industries use a range of promotional and public relations strategies to increase corporate branding, promote their products, and shape their image as socially responsible corporate citizens. Increasingly, this has included ‘washing’ strategies which companies use to enhance their legitimacy and deflect blame. There is growing research examining the us…
Health Promotion International
From the first issue in May 1986, Health Promotion International (HPI) (Health Promotion until 1990) pursued an agenda of advocacy and action for healthy public policy and health equity. At the time of the journal’s launch, public health had become oriented toward medicalized and behavioural approaches, with individualized health education the dominant intervention. In HPI’s first editorial, then Director General of the World Health Organization …
Adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights policy for ethnic minority girls in Vietnam
BACKGROUND: Adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (ASRHR) policy has strengthened globally over the last three decades, but country-level barriers to implementation perpetuate health inequities for adolescent girls. In Vietnam, implementation of ASRHR policy remains challenged by persisting structural and socio-cultural issues and has yet to reduce the high prevalence of adolescent pregnancy in ethnic minority communities. OBJECTIV…
‘I Battle With This Gambling Addiction Every Day’. Learning From Lived Experiences of Recovery to Guide Gambling Harm Prevention Strategies
BACKGROUND: Gambling harm is a significant public health issue affecting individuals, families and communities. In Australia, gambling is deeply embedded within everyday life, supported by the widespread availability of gambling products and industry marketing. This saturation has normalised gambling, obscuring its risks and creating barriers to recognising harm and seeking help. While clinical treatment pathways remain important, many individual…
They make it seem harmless”
The gambling industry uses a range of marketing strategies to increase the appeal and normalisation of their products. While there has been significant focus on how the gambling industry targets young men, there is evidence that the industry is increasingly using innovative marketing strategies to appeal to women. This study aimed to explore young women’s views about gambling promotions and public relations strategies, and their potential impact …
The Taichung Statement on Health Literacy (2025)
‘Industry still has too loud a voice’
Marketing is part of the suite of tactics used by the gambling industry and its allies to promote and normalize gambling. While there have been increased public calls for restrictions on gambling marketing, few governments have developed comprehensive policy responses to counter this public health threat. Consultation processes are widely seen as an important part of public decision-making and policy formation. However, there has been limited foc…
How Tay adolescent girls and their female carers navigate sexual and reproductive health information
Achieving equity in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes for adolescents across geography, ethnicity, and gender remains a global public health challenge. Access to accurate information is a basic and important determinant of SRH, but for many young people, social norms and expectations limit what they can access. We know little about how SRH knowledge is accessed in the Asia Pacific, a region diversely rich in culture and related norms,…
“It’s all about the money.” Australian women’s perspectives about menopause and the commercial determinants of health
With increased public attention on menopause, researchers have started to investigate the surge of commercial products and services which claim to provide solutions for menopausal symptoms. Few studies have explored the views of women about the commercial determinants of menopause. Using an online qualitative survey, this study sought insights from n = 509 Australian women aged 45–64 years about the factors that might influence the use of product…
Conflicts of interest in public health research and publications
Conflicts of interest in public health research and publications
Years of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion—Reaffirming Health for All
40 years of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion—Reaffirming Health for All
Health promotion and the digital determinants of health
Health promotion and the digital determinants of health
Networks of safety
Suicide is a significant global public health issue. The United Nations, and the World Health Organisation, have set a target to reduce suicide by one third as part of global sustainability targets. Suicide ideation and suicide behaviour are strongly associated with social disconnection. This social disconnection is most often seen from a perspective of the individual’s inability or perception of social connection. This study extends that perspec…
“Menopause is not a dirty word.” Australian women's opinions about increased public attention to menopause
Women’s views about the use of gendered Corporate Social Responsibility strategies by harmful industries
BACKGROUND: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives are part of a suite of marketing and promotional strategies used by industries whose products and/or practices may be harmful to health and equity. These include the tobacco, alcohol, gambling, fossil fuel and pharmaceutical industries. CSR initiatives have included support for gender equity and empowerment initiatives, such as associations with women's organisations and charities, edu…
Engaging Young People in Action on Climate as a Public Health Issue
The climate crisis is recognised as a significant public health threat with a disproportionate and inequitable impact on the health of children and young people. Despite their successful engagement in public health advocacy initiatives, limited research has explored how to engage children and young people in such initiatives for climate. This study conducted a qualitatively led online survey with n = 511 young people in Australia (aged 15–24 year…
Hiding symptoms and balancing work, family and relationships
Menopause research has had a largely biomedical focus on symptoms and treatment. To date, limited research has investigated how menopause might intersect with a range of other pressures and challenges that women might experience during midlife. This study draws on narrative responses to four questions from an online qualitative survey with n = 509 Australian women (aged 45 to 64) to understand how women conceptualised menopause within a range of …
‘You can’t really separate these risks, our environment, our animals and us’
Perceptions of the risks associated with the climate crisis are shaped by a range of social and political contexts and information sources. While some have expressed concerns about the impact of the spread of climate misinformation through social media platforms on young people, others have shown that the youth climate movement has played a key role in countering misinformation. Despite this, there has been very limited research with children abo…
Conflicts of interest in submissions and testimonies to an Australian parliamentary inquiry on menopause
Conflicts of interest (COIs) have the potential to create bias in research, policy and practice. Although disclosure cannot fully protect individuals and public policy from vested interests, it is an important step to support trust in scientific and public discourse, and transparency in decision-making. However, COIs are often unreported, underreported or difficult to identify. This study aimed to assess the extent to which COIs are voluntarily d…
Developing structures to support researchers studying health-harming industries
It is well-documented that health-harming industries and the groups they fund use a range of tactics that seek to interfere with academic research. With the development of scholarship relating to the Commercial Determinants of Health (CDoH), an increasing number of public health researchers are working to examine the activities of health-harming industries and the impacts they have on health and equity. However, there has been limited research in…
It Would be Okay If They Came through the Proper Channels
Australia's humanitarian programme contributes to UNHCR's global resettlement programme and enhances Australia's international humanitarian reputation. However, as the recent tragedy on Christmas Island has shown, the arrival of asylum seekers by boat continues to stimulate debate, discussion and reaction from the Australian public and the Australian media. In this study, we used a mixed methods community survey to understand community perception…
Any one of these boat people could be a terrorist for all we know!’ Media representations and public perceptions of ‘boat people’ arrivals in Australia
In April 2009 a boat (named the ‘SIEV 36’ by the Australian Navy) carrying 49 asylum seekers exploded off the north coast of Australia. Media and public debate about Australia’s responsibility to individuals seeking asylum by boat was instantaneous. This paper investigates the media representation of the ‘SIEV 36’ incident and the public responses to media reports through online news fora. We examined three key questions: 1) Does the media report…
How do obese individuals perceive and respond to the different types of obesity stigma that they encounter in their daily lives? A qualitative study
Social inclusion and the Fatosphere
Overweight and obesity are one of the most salient issues within society today, and the stigmatisation of overweight individuals is prevalent and widespread. Utilising interviews with 44 individuals who blog within an online fat acceptance community known as the Fatosphere, participants' perceptions of inclusion and exclusion were examined within their offline and online environments. Additionally, the effect this had on their offline lives was e…
I can sit on the beach and punt through my mobile phone
Viewing The Biggest Loser
This article builds on previous reception research and scholarship on makeover TV through an analysis of obese people's views of The Biggest Loser (TBL). TBL involves obese people competing to lose weight as personal trainers push them through dietary and physical activity regimes. We articulate four themes characterizing responses to TBL: “That's not reality,” “Public ownership and judgment of the fat body,” “The lure of the transformation,” and…
Obese people's perceptions of the thin ideal
Challenging stereotypes and legitimating fat
This article contributes to scholarship on the cultural politics of obesity by providing insights into how people considered 'obese' think news media reporting should be improved and their views on ideas such as reporting guidelines and promoting body diversity. A thematic analysis of interview data identified the following themes: 'Challenging stereotypes', 'The limits of news', 'Individual responsibility' and 'Legitimating fat'. These themes ca…
"Don't eat that, you'll get fat!" Exploring how parents and children conceptualise and frame messages about the causes and consequences of obesity
"You don't really see the dangers of it at the time." Risk perceptions and behaviours of older female gamblers
Obese Adults' Perceptions of News Reporting on Obesity
News reporting, in channels such as broadcast and print media, on obesity as an issue has increased dramatically in the last decade. A qualitative study, in which we used in-depth interviews and thematic analysis, was undertaken to explore 142 obese individuals' perceptions of, and responses to, news reporting about obesity. Participants believed that news reporting on obesity focused on personal responsibility and blame, and portrayed obese peop…
Aids Assassins
The media representations of refugees who are HIV-positive often revolve around criminal transmission cases. This study examines the approach the Australian mass media have taken toward the case of two men from refugee backgrounds and how this stigmatizing language is unhelpful in discussions of HIV. An extensive search of the Factiva database was undertaken for all newspaper articles in the major dailies that mentioned “HIV,” “AIDS,” and “refuge…
Occupational Stress and Job Satisfaction in Media Personnel Assigned to the Iraq War (2003)
This paper investigates occupational stressors amongst media personnel assigned to work on covering the Iraq War via interviews with 54 journalists from the BBC and Reuters, who worked in Iraq between February and April 2003. A range of stressors were identified that could be categorized into three main themes, control over the situation, support from management and grief from the death of colleagues. Journalists not embedded with military units …
Slave in a Box
Slave in. Box: The Strange Career of Aunt Jemima. M. M. Manring. Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, 1998. xii. 209pp. (Paper US$14.95)
Black Dolls as Racial Uplift
Occupational Stress and Job Satisfaction in Media Personnel Assigned to the Iraq War (2003)
This paper investigates occupational stressors amongst media personnel assigned to work on covering the Iraq War via interviews with 54 journalists from the BBC and Reuters, who worked in Iraq between February and April 2003. A range of stressors were identified that could be categorized into three main themes, control over the situation, support from management and grief from the death of colleagues. Journalists not embedded with military units …
Sara Lee
Much ado has been made about the importance of black dolls as messengers of racial self‐esteem for Black children. This article documents the relationship between and contributions of Eleanor Roosevelt, Sara Lee Creech, and race leaders such as Zora Neale Hurston, Mordecai Johnson, Benjamin Mays, and Ralph Bunche in the development of the first "anthropologically correct" Negro doll—the Sara Lee Doll—during the early 1950s
Being ‘fat’ in today’s world
Objective To develop an in‐depth picture of both lived experience of obesity and the impact of socio‐cultural factors on people living with obesity. Design Qualitative methodology, utilizing in‐depth semi‐structured interviews with a community sample of obese adults (body mass index ≥30). Community sampling methods were supplemented with purposive sampling techniques to ensure a diverse range of individuals were included. Results Seventy‐six indi…
Do Health Beliefs and Behaviors Differ According to Severity of Obesity? A Qualitative Study of Australian Adults
Public responses to obesity have focused on providing standardized messages and supports to all obese individuals, but there is limited understanding of the impact of these messages on obese adults. This descriptive qualitative study using in-depth interviews and a thematic method of analysis, compares the health beliefs and behaviors of 141 Australian adults with mild to moderate (BMI 30-39.9) and severe (BMI > or = 40) obesity. Mildly obese ind…
"The solution needs to be complex."Obese adults' attitudes about the effectiveness of individual and population based interventions for obesity
Obese adults support non-commercial, non-stigmatising interventions which are designed to improve lifestyles, rather than promote weight loss
"I don't eat a hamburger and large chips every day!" A qualitative study of the impact of public health messages about obesity on obese adults
This study is the first step in exploring the ways in which we understand how public health messages about obesity resonate with obese individuals in Australia. However, much more research--both qualitative and quantitative--is needed to enhance understanding of the impact of obesity messages on individuals
‘Our girth is plain to see’
The news media plays an important role in making visible and shaping public understandings of health and health risks. In relation to overweight and obesity, it has been suggested that the media is more likely to engage in alarmist reporting in a climate in which it is taken for granted that obesity is an ‘epidemic’. This study analyses Australian media coverage of a report on overweight and obesity, Australia's Future ‘Fat Bomb’: a report on the…
‘I’m searching for solutions’
INTRODUCTION: This study explores what types of information obese individuals search for on the Internet, their motivations for seeking information and how they apply it in their daily lives. METHOD: In-depth telephone interviews with an Australian community sample of 142 individuals with a BMI ≥ 30 were conducted. Theoretical, purposive and strategic samplings were employed. Data were analysed using a constant comparative method. RESULTS: Of the…
The Role of the Fatosphere in Fat Adults’ Responses to Obesity Stigma
Obese adults face pervasive and repeated weight-based stigma. Few researchers have explored how obese individuals proactively respond to stigma outside of a dominant weight-loss framework. Using a grounded theory approach, we explored the experiences of 44 bloggers within the Fatosphere—an online fat-acceptance community. We investigated participants’ pathways into the Fatosphere, how they responded to and interacted with stigma, and how they des…
It Would be Okay If They Came through the Proper Channels
Australia's humanitarian programme contributes to UNHCR's global resettlement programme and enhances Australia's international humanitarian reputation. However, as the recent tragedy on Christmas Island has shown, the arrival of asylum seekers by boat continues to stimulate debate, discussion and reaction from the Australian public and the Australian media. In this study, we used a mixed methods community survey to understand community perception…
Any one of these boat people could be a terrorist for all we know!’ Media representations and public perceptions of ‘boat people’ arrivals in Australia
In April 2009 a boat (named the ‘SIEV 36’ by the Australian Navy) carrying 49 asylum seekers exploded off the north coast of Australia. Media and public debate about Australia’s responsibility to individuals seeking asylum by boat was instantaneous. This paper investigates the media representation of the ‘SIEV 36’ incident and the public responses to media reports through online news fora. We examined three key questions: 1) Does the media report…
Aids Assassins
The media representations of refugees who are HIV-positive often revolve around criminal transmission cases. This study examines the approach the Australian mass media have taken toward the case of two men from refugee backgrounds and how this stigmatizing language is unhelpful in discussions of HIV. An extensive search of the Factiva database was undertaken for all newspaper articles in the major dailies that mentioned “HIV,” “AIDS,” and “refuge…
How do obese individuals perceive and respond to the different types of obesity stigma that they encounter in their daily lives? A qualitative study
What Influences the Beliefs, Behaviours and Consumption Patterns of ‘Moderate Risk’ Gamblers
Eat, drink and gamble
Sport is increasingly used as a vehicle for the promotion of range of 'risky consumption' products. This study raises important ethical and health policy questions about the extent and impact of saturation and incidental marketing strategies on health and wellbeing, the transparency of embedded marketing strategies, and how these strategies may influence product consumption
Parent and child interactions with two contrasting anti-obesity advertising campaigns
Well-funded, targeted social marketing campaigns will play an important role in the prevention and management of obesity. It is important that these campaigns are comprehensively evaluated and are backed up with structural supports to enable and encourage population subgroups to act upon messages
Viewing The Biggest Loser
This article builds on previous reception research and scholarship on makeover TV through an analysis of obese people's views of The Biggest Loser (TBL). TBL involves obese people competing to lose weight as personal trainers push them through dietary and physical activity regimes. We articulate four themes characterizing responses to TBL: “That's not reality,” “Public ownership and judgment of the fat body,” “The lure of the transformation,” and…
"Don't eat that, you'll get fat!" Exploring how parents and children conceptualise and frame messages about the causes and consequences of obesity
‘You just change the channel if you don't like what you're going to hear’
OBJECTIVES: To investigate how gamblers interact with, and respond to, downstream social marketing campaigns that focus on the risks and harms of problem gambling and/or encourage help seeking. METHODS: Qualitative study of 100 gamblers with a range of gambling behaviours (from non-problem to problem gambling). We used a Social Constructivist approach. Our constant comparative method of data interpretation focused on how participants' experiences…
Shaping pathways to gambling consumption? An analysis of the promotion of gambling and non-gambling activities from gambling venues
Background: In Australia, venues which provide gambling activities also provide activities that are utilised by families and children. However, there has been limited theoretical or empirical discussion about whether engagement with non-gambling activities may play a role in shaping pathways to current or future engagement in gambling within these environments. We examined marketing tactics for non-gambling and gambling activities in Clubs. Using…
Surveillance, responsibility and control
Background: Discussions of gambling have traditionally focused on ideas of “problem” and “responsible” gambling. However, few studies have examined how Institutions attempt to exert social control over gamblers in order to promote so-called “responsible” behaviour. In this study, we examine the way “problem” and “responsible” gambling are discussed by Australian governments and the gambling industry, using a theoretical framework based on the wor…
Children’s implicit recall of junk food, alcohol and gambling sponsorship in Australian sport
Given children's ability to implicitly recall shirt sponsors in a sporting context, Australian sporting codes should examine their current sponsorship relationships to reduce the number of unhealthy commodity shirt sponsors. While there is some regulation that protects children from the marketing of unhealthy commodity products, these findings suggest that children are still exposed to and recall these sponsorship relationships. Results suggest t…
Obese Adults' Perceptions of News Reporting on Obesity
News reporting, in channels such as broadcast and print media, on obesity as an issue has increased dramatically in the last decade. A qualitative study, in which we used in-depth interviews and thematic analysis, was undertaken to explore 142 obese individuals' perceptions of, and responses to, news reporting about obesity. Participants believed that news reporting on obesity focused on personal responsibility and blame, and portrayed obese peop…
Psychology (64 works) · Sociology (59 works) · Medicine (57 works) · Qualitative research (47 works) · Political science (45 works) · Social Psychology (45 works) · Public health (42 works) · Gambling Behavior and Treatments (33 works) · Thematic analysis (32 works) · Public relations (30 works)