Leesa Costello
Biographic Data
| ID | 304076 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Leesa Costello |
| GIVEN NAMES | Leesa |
| FAMILY NAME | Costello |
| SIGNATURE | COSTELLO L |
| AFFILIATIONS | Edith Cowan University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1139-3228 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 19 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 73 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 19 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1980 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Underfunded and undervalued
Prevention is a central policy focus of contemporary health promotion, offering cost-effective strategies to reduce disease burden and improve population well-being. Despite this, Australia allocates a small proportion of its health budget to prevention, with funding models characterized by short-term cycles and competitive tendering. While the consequences for public health are well documented, the impact on the health promotion workforce remain…
Applying the Ottawa Charter to evaluate health literacy outcomes of the Little Aussie Bugs course for Australian early childhood educators
Early childhood offers an important opportunity to lay the foundations for lifelong health literacy. The Little Aussie Bugs (LAB) dialogic book series and online professional development (PD) course were designed to support Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) educators to embed health literacy concepts, including hygiene, healthy eating, and oral health, into everyday learning routines. This mixed methods study evaluated the course pilot an…
Little Aussie Bugs
Building health literacy in early childhood is essential for lifelong health and underpins children’s learning and developmental trajectories. This study assessed the efficacy of the Little Aussie Bugs books, designed to enhance health literacy in Australian Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centres. The books, featuring inclusive characters and key health literacy catchphrases, were distributed to >1200 early learning settings Australia-…
Digital tools to promote or measure health literacy in children aged 3–5 years
Health literacy is a determinant of health that should be promoted and measured in early childhood. In the era of digitalization, this could involve digital platforms. However, little knowledge exists on the extent, range, and nature of literature on digital tools for promoting or measuring young children's health literacy. Addressing this gap, a scoping review was undertaken to explore what digital health literacy tools for children aged 3–5 yea…
I’m Here Whether I Like It or Not’
Transition into residential aged care (RAC) is a challenging process, often characterised by vulnerability, fear, and isolation. This study aimed to provide a contextualised description of transition within a care-facility in Australia to deepen our understanding of this major life event. A focused ethnography was conducted, which included formal interviews with residents during their first 6 months of living in RAC. The findings provide an accou…
Competing worlds
A longitudinal qualitative study of undergraduate women nursing students demonstrated the profound and pervasive influence of the heterosexual intimate relationship on their university engagement and achievement. Hitherto, the importance of women’s private lives have been underappreciated in the arenas of student equity and retention. The study showed that traditional ideas of gender held within the intimate relationship were highly detrimental t…
Going-it alone
This article argues for an expansion of the idea of the first-in-family student to include the student whose spouse or partner has not been to university. Between 2015 and 2016, a qualitative longitudinal study, guided by Gadamer’s hermeneutic philosophy, was undertaken. Twenty-nine undergraduate women nursing students who began university in a heterosexual intimate relationship participated. All 29 were interviewed in their fourth semester of th…
Widening the lens on capital
This article argues the insufficiency of the traditional application of cultural, social and economic capital in conceptualising the non-traditional student experience. Built on the thematic analysis of 52 in-depth interviews with 28 mature-age women nursing undergraduates with family responsibilities in Australia, an alternative, expanded model of capital is proposed.The qualitative study, underpinned by Gadamer’s Hermeneutic Philosophy, reveale…
A multifaceted approach increased staff confidence to develop outside of school hours care as a health promoting setting
Health promotion training, combined with positive social connections, shared learning experiences, and a website improved OSHC Professionals confidence and capacity to provide a health promoting OSHC environment. Health promotion professional development for OSHC professionals should be mandated as a minimum requirement, and such learning opportunities should be scaffolded with support available through social media interactions and website acces…
The study protocol for a pseudo-randomised pre-post designed controlled intervention trial to study the effects of a 7-week cooking program on self-efficacy and biomarkers of health
Retrospectively registered on 16.08.2019 with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR). ACTRN12619001144101 . Protocol version 4
We’re Continually Comparing Ourselves to Something”
A lot better than medicine’ - Self-organised ocean swimming groups as facilitators for healthy ageing
Exercise, spending time in nature and feeling part of a supportive community all contribute to better physical and mental health and to healthy ageing. This focused ethnography investigates how participation in self-organised ocean swimming groups contributes to healthy ageing amongst older men and women in the Australian coastal city of Perth. It explores the ways marine life, personal experiences and social connectedness mediate their group use…
Arguments online, but in school we always act normal”
Netnographic Slog
Active, participatory netnography, in contrast to passive netnography, is essential if researchers are to gain rich rewards from the rigorous collection of qualitative data. However, researchers should be aware of the 'netnographic slog'; 'the blood, sweat and tears' associated with eliciting quality data and encouraging active participation in online communities. This article examines the - Supporting Nutrition for Australian Childcare (SNAC) - …
Netnography
This is the first article to describe how broadening of the term netnography in qualitative research is leading to misperceptions and missed opportunities. The once accepted need for human presence in netnographic studies is giving way to nonparticipatory (passive) approaches, which claim to be naturalistic and bias-free. While this may be tenable in some environments, it also removes the opportunity for cocreation in online communities and socia…
Abstracts, Poster for Qualitative Methods Conference
‘‘Build it and they will come,’’ an adage critiqued as a common misconception of participatory engagement with online communities. Previous research indicated that a netnographic approach based upon researcher– participant engagement would provide the best opportunity to build and sustain a successful support community [...]
Social determinants of health
Social forces shape people's reproductive health in many ways. We examined people's knowledge about reproductive health using focus group data collected from 93 participants in rural districts of Malawi. Participants' perspectives were contextualized by explaining the socioeconomic, cultural, and gender factors that determine reproductive health for rural Malawians. Strategies to improve reproductive health care in environments lacking in health …
On Late Style
Journal Article ON LATE STYLE: ARTHUR DANTO'S THE ABUSE OF BEAUTY Get access Diarmuid Costello Diarmuid Costello Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The British Journal of Aesthetics, Volume 44, Issue 4, October 2004, Pages 424–439, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjaesthetics/44.4.424 Published: 01 October 2004
Astrology and Personality
Recent studies on astrology and personality have almost exclusively concentrated on the sun-sign. Astrologers, however, maintain that the complete astrological chart gives a more accurate indication of personality than the sun-sign alone. A study was conducted to test this hypothesis. Two astrologers independently rated 48 subjects on the 16PF factors by using the complete chart. Inter-astrologer correlations were computed and found to be low. Th…
Netnography
This is the first article to describe how broadening of the term netnography in qualitative research is leading to misperceptions and missed opportunities. The once accepted need for human presence in netnographic studies is giving way to nonparticipatory (passive) approaches, which claim to be naturalistic and bias-free. While this may be tenable in some environments, it also removes the opportunity for cocreation in online communities and socia…
We’re Continually Comparing Ourselves to Something”
A lot better than medicine’ - Self-organised ocean swimming groups as facilitators for healthy ageing
Exercise, spending time in nature and feeling part of a supportive community all contribute to better physical and mental health and to healthy ageing. This focused ethnography investigates how participation in self-organised ocean swimming groups contributes to healthy ageing amongst older men and women in the Australian coastal city of Perth. It explores the ways marine life, personal experiences and social connectedness mediate their group use…
Netnographic Slog
Active, participatory netnography, in contrast to passive netnography, is essential if researchers are to gain rich rewards from the rigorous collection of qualitative data. However, researchers should be aware of the 'netnographic slog'; 'the blood, sweat and tears' associated with eliciting quality data and encouraging active participation in online communities. This article examines the - Supporting Nutrition for Australian Childcare (SNAC) - …
Arguments online, but in school we always act normal”
On Late Style
Journal Article ON LATE STYLE: ARTHUR DANTO'S THE ABUSE OF BEAUTY Get access Diarmuid Costello Diarmuid Costello Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The British Journal of Aesthetics, Volume 44, Issue 4, October 2004, Pages 424–439, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjaesthetics/44.4.424 Published: 01 October 2004
Astrology and Personality
Recent studies on astrology and personality have almost exclusively concentrated on the sun-sign. Astrologers, however, maintain that the complete astrological chart gives a more accurate indication of personality than the sun-sign alone. A study was conducted to test this hypothesis. Two astrologers independently rated 48 subjects on the 16PF factors by using the complete chart. Inter-astrologer correlations were computed and found to be low. Th…
On Late Style
Journal Article ON LATE STYLE: ARTHUR DANTO'S THE ABUSE OF BEAUTY Get access Diarmuid Costello Diarmuid Costello Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The British Journal of Aesthetics, Volume 44, Issue 4, October 2004, Pages 424–439, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjaesthetics/44.4.424 Published: 01 October 2004
Abstracts, Poster for Qualitative Methods Conference
‘‘Build it and they will come,’’ an adage critiqued as a common misconception of participatory engagement with online communities. Previous research indicated that a netnographic approach based upon researcher– participant engagement would provide the best opportunity to build and sustain a successful support community [...]
Social determinants of health
Social forces shape people's reproductive health in many ways. We examined people's knowledge about reproductive health using focus group data collected from 93 participants in rural districts of Malawi. Participants' perspectives were contextualized by explaining the socioeconomic, cultural, and gender factors that determine reproductive health for rural Malawians. Strategies to improve reproductive health care in environments lacking in health …
Netnography
This is the first article to describe how broadening of the term netnography in qualitative research is leading to misperceptions and missed opportunities. The once accepted need for human presence in netnographic studies is giving way to nonparticipatory (passive) approaches, which claim to be naturalistic and bias-free. While this may be tenable in some environments, it also removes the opportunity for cocreation in online communities and socia…
Arguments online, but in school we always act normal”
Netnographic Slog
Active, participatory netnography, in contrast to passive netnography, is essential if researchers are to gain rich rewards from the rigorous collection of qualitative data. However, researchers should be aware of the 'netnographic slog'; 'the blood, sweat and tears' associated with eliciting quality data and encouraging active participation in online communities. This article examines the - Supporting Nutrition for Australian Childcare (SNAC) - …
A lot better than medicine’ - Self-organised ocean swimming groups as facilitators for healthy ageing
Exercise, spending time in nature and feeling part of a supportive community all contribute to better physical and mental health and to healthy ageing. This focused ethnography investigates how participation in self-organised ocean swimming groups contributes to healthy ageing amongst older men and women in the Australian coastal city of Perth. It explores the ways marine life, personal experiences and social connectedness mediate their group use…
The study protocol for a pseudo-randomised pre-post designed controlled intervention trial to study the effects of a 7-week cooking program on self-efficacy and biomarkers of health
Retrospectively registered on 16.08.2019 with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR). ACTRN12619001144101 . Protocol version 4
We’re Continually Comparing Ourselves to Something”
Going-it alone
This article argues for an expansion of the idea of the first-in-family student to include the student whose spouse or partner has not been to university. Between 2015 and 2016, a qualitative longitudinal study, guided by Gadamer’s hermeneutic philosophy, was undertaken. Twenty-nine undergraduate women nursing students who began university in a heterosexual intimate relationship participated. All 29 were interviewed in their fourth semester of th…
Widening the lens on capital
This article argues the insufficiency of the traditional application of cultural, social and economic capital in conceptualising the non-traditional student experience. Built on the thematic analysis of 52 in-depth interviews with 28 mature-age women nursing undergraduates with family responsibilities in Australia, an alternative, expanded model of capital is proposed.The qualitative study, underpinned by Gadamer’s Hermeneutic Philosophy, reveale…
A multifaceted approach increased staff confidence to develop outside of school hours care as a health promoting setting
Health promotion training, combined with positive social connections, shared learning experiences, and a website improved OSHC Professionals confidence and capacity to provide a health promoting OSHC environment. Health promotion professional development for OSHC professionals should be mandated as a minimum requirement, and such learning opportunities should be scaffolded with support available through social media interactions and website acces…
Competing worlds
A longitudinal qualitative study of undergraduate women nursing students demonstrated the profound and pervasive influence of the heterosexual intimate relationship on their university engagement and achievement. Hitherto, the importance of women’s private lives have been underappreciated in the arenas of student equity and retention. The study showed that traditional ideas of gender held within the intimate relationship were highly detrimental t…
Little Aussie Bugs
Building health literacy in early childhood is essential for lifelong health and underpins children’s learning and developmental trajectories. This study assessed the efficacy of the Little Aussie Bugs books, designed to enhance health literacy in Australian Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centres. The books, featuring inclusive characters and key health literacy catchphrases, were distributed to >1200 early learning settings Australia-…
Digital tools to promote or measure health literacy in children aged 3–5 years
Health literacy is a determinant of health that should be promoted and measured in early childhood. In the era of digitalization, this could involve digital platforms. However, little knowledge exists on the extent, range, and nature of literature on digital tools for promoting or measuring young children's health literacy. Addressing this gap, a scoping review was undertaken to explore what digital health literacy tools for children aged 3–5 yea…
I’m Here Whether I Like It or Not’
Transition into residential aged care (RAC) is a challenging process, often characterised by vulnerability, fear, and isolation. This study aimed to provide a contextualised description of transition within a care-facility in Australia to deepen our understanding of this major life event. A focused ethnography was conducted, which included formal interviews with residents during their first 6 months of living in RAC. The findings provide an accou…
Underfunded and undervalued
Prevention is a central policy focus of contemporary health promotion, offering cost-effective strategies to reduce disease burden and improve population well-being. Despite this, Australia allocates a small proportion of its health budget to prevention, with funding models characterized by short-term cycles and competitive tendering. While the consequences for public health are well documented, the impact on the health promotion workforce remain…
Applying the Ottawa Charter to evaluate health literacy outcomes of the Little Aussie Bugs course for Australian early childhood educators
Early childhood offers an important opportunity to lay the foundations for lifelong health literacy. The Little Aussie Bugs (LAB) dialogic book series and online professional development (PD) course were designed to support Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) educators to embed health literacy concepts, including hygiene, healthy eating, and oral health, into everyday learning routines. This mixed methods study evaluated the course pilot an…
Psychology (10 works) · Medicine (8 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Nursing (7 works) · Qualitative research (7 works) · Political science (6 works) · Social Psychology (6 works) · Health care (5 works) · Public health (5 works) · Pedagogy (4 works)