Lisa G Smithers
Biographic Data
| ID | 5122883 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Lisa G Smithers |
| GIVEN NAMES | Lisa G |
| FAMILY NAME | Smithers |
| SIGNATURE | SMITHERS L G |
| AFFILIATIONS | The University of Adelaide |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6585-7836 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 24 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 14 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 24 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
The longitudinal network of social and emotional development in middle childhood
The understanding of children's social and emotional development in middle childhood is critical to promote well-being throughout the life course. Children who fail to develop social and emotional competencies are more likely to experience difficulties in adulthood and, in the worst case, psychopathology. The current study will employ Cross-Lagged Network Models to investigate children's social and emotional development among Australian children …
Exploring how communicating risk can impact maternal self-worth and esteem for women who smoke in an antenatal service setting
During pregnancy, women are commonly considered responsible for minimising foetal risks by actively engaging in reproductive asceticism. Cigarette smoking is culturally constructed as ‘risky behaviour’ with adverse health outcomes. This article explores how health-providers discuss smoking risk in pregnancy, women’s perceptions of those conversations, and the impact on their smoking behaviour and understandings of self-worth. Health-providers (mi…
Breakfast skipping and academic achievement at 8–16 years: A population study in South Australia
Objective: While studies have highlighted a link between breakfast consumption and cognitive performance, evidence for how breakfast influences academic outcomes is mixed. This study explored the association between student breakfast skipping and academic achievement. Design: This cross-sectional investigation employed population data. Self-reported breakfast consumption was used to categorise students as never, sometimes and always breakfast ski…
The longitudinal network of peer problems and emotional symptoms among Australian adolescents: Bayesian structure learning of directed acyclic graphs
Adolescence is a period in which peer problems and emotional symptoms markedly increase in prevalence. However, the causal mechanisms regarding how peer problems cause emotional symptoms at a behavioral level and vice versa remain unknown. To address this gap, the present study investigated the longitudinal network of peer problems and emotional symptoms among Australian adolescents aged 12-14 years. Data were from the Longitudinal Study of Austr…
Assessing the reach and engagement of three anti-vaping messages on Facebook Targeting Australian Youth: A protocol for a randomised trial
The study was registered on July 19th 2024 with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12624000885594)
“I feel like the worst mother in the world”: Neoliberal subjectivity in Indigenous Australian oral health
Neoliberalism gained popularity during the post-Cold War period as a set of dominating ideologies, practices and policies that underpinned the movement towards globalisation. Neoliberalism champions competitive private markets, deregulation that facilitates economic activity, personal responsibility, and reduced public expenditure on infrastructure. A decade after the initial rise of neoliberalism, health inequities became concerns on the global …
Can social risks in early life predict children’s health and academic outcomes? An analysis of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
Exposure to social risk in early life negatively impacts the health and wellbeing of children. While screening for social determinants of health is recommended, there is little evidence that identifying social risk early in life predicts longer-term poorer outcomes. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which assessing social risk using a standardized tool in young children up to age 6 years might predict poor health and academic …
Strategies to Support Sustained Participant Engagement in an Oral Health Promotion Study for Indigenous Children and Their Families in Australia
The health inequities of Indigenous peoples compared with non-Indigenous peoples are significant and long-standing across many countries. Colonisation and dispossession of land and culture has led to profound and devastating consequences on the health of Indigenous peoples. A lack of trust and cultural security of health services remains a barrier to participation in health care services. Similarly, engagement in research activities is also hinde…
Psychological Network of Stress, Coping and Social Support in an Aboriginal Population
Over the past decades, increasing research interest has been directed towards the psychosocial factors that impact Aboriginal health, including stress, coping and social support. However, there has been no study that examined whether the behaviours, cognitions and emotions related to stress, coping and social support constitute a psychological network in an Aboriginal population and that examined its properties. To address this gap, the current s…
Child-, Family-, and Community-Level Facilitators for Promoting Oral Health Practices among Indigenous Children
Despite the preventive nature of oral diseases and their significance for general wellbeing, poor oral health is highly prevalent and has unfavourable ramifications for children around the world. Indigenous children in Australia experience disproportionate rates of early childhood caries compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. Therefore, this paper aims to collate parental experiences and generate an understanding of facilitators for Indig…
Breakfast skipping and cognitive and emotional engagement at school: A cross-sectional population-level study
Objective: Research on the consequences of breakfast skipping among students tends to focus on academic outcomes, rather than student well-being or engagement at school. This study investigated the association between breakfast skipping and cognitive and emotional aspects of school engagement. Design: Cross-sectional study using data from a population-level survey of children and adolescents’ well-being and engagement at school. Linear regression…
Aspirations and Worries: The Role of Parental Intrinsic Motivation in Establishing Oral Health Practices for Indigenous Children
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (respectfully, subsequently referred to as Indigenous) children in Australia experience oral disease at a higher rate than non-Indigenous children. A history of colonisation, government-enforced assimilation, racism, and cultural annihilation has had profound impacts on Indigenous health, reflected in oral health inequities sustained by Indigenous communities. Motivational interviewing was one of four compone…
Good and bad sugars: Australian adults’ perspectives on sugar in their diet
This study analyses the relationship between food choices and morality by exploring how Australian adults conceptualise and negotiate their sugar intake. Fifteen in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with English speaking adults residing in South Australia. Participants were purposively sampled from a national survey based on their sugar consumption levels, age and gender. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Participants…
Australia’s sugar tale
Objective: To establish high intake of free sugars and its related disease burden as a significant public health challenge in Australia. Design: We discuss five key actions to reduce intake of free sugars tailored to the Australian context. These strategies are informed by reviewing the global scientific evidence on the effectiveness of a range of policy responses to reduce intake of free sugars at the population level. Setting: Australia. Partic…
Comparison of iodine status pre- and post-mandatory iodine fortification of bread in South Australia: A population study using newborn thyroid-stimulating hormone concentration as a marker
Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of mandatory iodine fortification of bread on the iodine status of South Australian populations using newborn thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration as a marker. Design: The study used an interrupted time-series design. Setting: TSH data collected between 2005 and 2016 ( n 211 033) were extracted from the routine newborn screening programme in South Australia for analysis. Iodine …
Racism, stress, and sense of personal control among Aboriginal Australian pregnant women
ObjectivesTo characterise racism experiences in the past year and to investigate a causal association between racism, stress, and sense of personal control in a sample of pregnant South Australian Aboriginal women.MethodsData was from the baseline sample of 369 Aboriginal women participating in a randomised controlled trial to prevent early caries in children. Data on demographics, racism experiences, stress, sense of personal control, and health…
Effects of racism on the socio-emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal Australian children
Racism is a pervasive experience in the life of Aboriginal Australians that begins in childhood. As a psychosocial stressor, racism compromises wellbeing and impacts developmental trajectories. The purpose of the present study was to estimate the effect of racism on indicators of Australian Aboriginal child socio-emotional wellbeing (SEWB) at one to two years after exposure. Age-related differences in the onset of symptoms were explored. Data fro…
A systematic review and meta-analysis of effects of early life non-cognitive skills on academic, psychosocial, cognitive and health outcomes
Local perspectives and context in relation to feeding practices of children under 2 years in the mountain villages of northern Thailand
Objective To gain an in-depth understanding of infant and young child feeding practices, accompanying beliefs and their sociocultural context in the Karen and Lua ethnic communities of northern Thailand. Design A two-day workshop and thirty in-depth interviews were undertaken in June 2014. Dialogue occurred with the assistance of translators and was recorded, transcribed and translated. A detailed thematic analysis was undertaken. Setting Norther…
Determinants of knowledge and attitudes about sugar and the association of knowledge and attitudes with sugar intake among adults: A systematic review
Associations of parental food-choice control and use of food to soothe with adiposity in childhood and adolescence
Do thin, overweight and obese children have poorer development than their healthy-weight peers at the start of school? Findings from a South Australian data linkage study
Little is known about the holistic development of children who are not healthy-weight when they start school, despite one fifth of preschool-aged children in high income countries being overweight or obese. Further to this, there is a paucity of research examining low body mass index (BMI) in contemporary high-income populations, although evidence from the developing world demonstrates a range of negative consequences in childhood and beyond. We …
How well can poor child development be predicted from early life characteristics
Can Items Used in 4-Year-Old Well-Child Visits Predict Children’s Health and School Outcomes
How well can poor child development be predicted from early life characteristics
Effects of racism on the socio-emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal Australian children
Racism is a pervasive experience in the life of Aboriginal Australians that begins in childhood. As a psychosocial stressor, racism compromises wellbeing and impacts developmental trajectories. The purpose of the present study was to estimate the effect of racism on indicators of Australian Aboriginal child socio-emotional wellbeing (SEWB) at one to two years after exposure. Age-related differences in the onset of symptoms were explored. Data fro…
Do thin, overweight and obese children have poorer development than their healthy-weight peers at the start of school? Findings from a South Australian data linkage study
Little is known about the holistic development of children who are not healthy-weight when they start school, despite one fifth of preschool-aged children in high income countries being overweight or obese. Further to this, there is a paucity of research examining low body mass index (BMI) in contemporary high-income populations, although evidence from the developing world demonstrates a range of negative consequences in childhood and beyond. We …
Associations of parental food-choice control and use of food to soothe with adiposity in childhood and adolescence
Can Items Used in 4-Year-Old Well-Child Visits Predict Children’s Health and School Outcomes
Do thin, overweight and obese children have poorer development than their healthy-weight peers at the start of school? Findings from a South Australian data linkage study
Little is known about the holistic development of children who are not healthy-weight when they start school, despite one fifth of preschool-aged children in high income countries being overweight or obese. Further to this, there is a paucity of research examining low body mass index (BMI) in contemporary high-income populations, although evidence from the developing world demonstrates a range of negative consequences in childhood and beyond. We …
How well can poor child development be predicted from early life characteristics
Associations of parental food-choice control and use of food to soothe with adiposity in childhood and adolescence
A systematic review and meta-analysis of effects of early life non-cognitive skills on academic, psychosocial, cognitive and health outcomes
Local perspectives and context in relation to feeding practices of children under 2 years in the mountain villages of northern Thailand
Objective To gain an in-depth understanding of infant and young child feeding practices, accompanying beliefs and their sociocultural context in the Karen and Lua ethnic communities of northern Thailand. Design A two-day workshop and thirty in-depth interviews were undertaken in June 2014. Dialogue occurred with the assistance of translators and was recorded, transcribed and translated. A detailed thematic analysis was undertaken. Setting Norther…
Determinants of knowledge and attitudes about sugar and the association of knowledge and attitudes with sugar intake among adults: A systematic review
Australia’s sugar tale
Objective: To establish high intake of free sugars and its related disease burden as a significant public health challenge in Australia. Design: We discuss five key actions to reduce intake of free sugars tailored to the Australian context. These strategies are informed by reviewing the global scientific evidence on the effectiveness of a range of policy responses to reduce intake of free sugars at the population level. Setting: Australia. Partic…
Comparison of iodine status pre- and post-mandatory iodine fortification of bread in South Australia: A population study using newborn thyroid-stimulating hormone concentration as a marker
Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of mandatory iodine fortification of bread on the iodine status of South Australian populations using newborn thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration as a marker. Design: The study used an interrupted time-series design. Setting: TSH data collected between 2005 and 2016 ( n 211 033) were extracted from the routine newborn screening programme in South Australia for analysis. Iodine …
Racism, stress, and sense of personal control among Aboriginal Australian pregnant women
ObjectivesTo characterise racism experiences in the past year and to investigate a causal association between racism, stress, and sense of personal control in a sample of pregnant South Australian Aboriginal women.MethodsData was from the baseline sample of 369 Aboriginal women participating in a randomised controlled trial to prevent early caries in children. Data on demographics, racism experiences, stress, sense of personal control, and health…
Effects of racism on the socio-emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal Australian children
Racism is a pervasive experience in the life of Aboriginal Australians that begins in childhood. As a psychosocial stressor, racism compromises wellbeing and impacts developmental trajectories. The purpose of the present study was to estimate the effect of racism on indicators of Australian Aboriginal child socio-emotional wellbeing (SEWB) at one to two years after exposure. Age-related differences in the onset of symptoms were explored. Data fro…
Good and bad sugars: Australian adults’ perspectives on sugar in their diet
This study analyses the relationship between food choices and morality by exploring how Australian adults conceptualise and negotiate their sugar intake. Fifteen in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with English speaking adults residing in South Australia. Participants were purposively sampled from a national survey based on their sugar consumption levels, age and gender. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Participants…
Aspirations and Worries: The Role of Parental Intrinsic Motivation in Establishing Oral Health Practices for Indigenous Children
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (respectfully, subsequently referred to as Indigenous) children in Australia experience oral disease at a higher rate than non-Indigenous children. A history of colonisation, government-enforced assimilation, racism, and cultural annihilation has had profound impacts on Indigenous health, reflected in oral health inequities sustained by Indigenous communities. Motivational interviewing was one of four compone…
“I feel like the worst mother in the world”: Neoliberal subjectivity in Indigenous Australian oral health
Neoliberalism gained popularity during the post-Cold War period as a set of dominating ideologies, practices and policies that underpinned the movement towards globalisation. Neoliberalism champions competitive private markets, deregulation that facilitates economic activity, personal responsibility, and reduced public expenditure on infrastructure. A decade after the initial rise of neoliberalism, health inequities became concerns on the global …
Can social risks in early life predict children’s health and academic outcomes? An analysis of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
Exposure to social risk in early life negatively impacts the health and wellbeing of children. While screening for social determinants of health is recommended, there is little evidence that identifying social risk early in life predicts longer-term poorer outcomes. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which assessing social risk using a standardized tool in young children up to age 6 years might predict poor health and academic …
Strategies to Support Sustained Participant Engagement in an Oral Health Promotion Study for Indigenous Children and Their Families in Australia
The health inequities of Indigenous peoples compared with non-Indigenous peoples are significant and long-standing across many countries. Colonisation and dispossession of land and culture has led to profound and devastating consequences on the health of Indigenous peoples. A lack of trust and cultural security of health services remains a barrier to participation in health care services. Similarly, engagement in research activities is also hinde…
Psychological Network of Stress, Coping and Social Support in an Aboriginal Population
Over the past decades, increasing research interest has been directed towards the psychosocial factors that impact Aboriginal health, including stress, coping and social support. However, there has been no study that examined whether the behaviours, cognitions and emotions related to stress, coping and social support constitute a psychological network in an Aboriginal population and that examined its properties. To address this gap, the current s…
Child-, Family-, and Community-Level Facilitators for Promoting Oral Health Practices among Indigenous Children
Despite the preventive nature of oral diseases and their significance for general wellbeing, poor oral health is highly prevalent and has unfavourable ramifications for children around the world. Indigenous children in Australia experience disproportionate rates of early childhood caries compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. Therefore, this paper aims to collate parental experiences and generate an understanding of facilitators for Indig…
Breakfast skipping and cognitive and emotional engagement at school: A cross-sectional population-level study
Objective: Research on the consequences of breakfast skipping among students tends to focus on academic outcomes, rather than student well-being or engagement at school. This study investigated the association between breakfast skipping and cognitive and emotional aspects of school engagement. Design: Cross-sectional study using data from a population-level survey of children and adolescents’ well-being and engagement at school. Linear regression…
Assessing the reach and engagement of three anti-vaping messages on Facebook Targeting Australian Youth: A protocol for a randomised trial
The study was registered on July 19th 2024 with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12624000885594)
Exploring how communicating risk can impact maternal self-worth and esteem for women who smoke in an antenatal service setting
During pregnancy, women are commonly considered responsible for minimising foetal risks by actively engaging in reproductive asceticism. Cigarette smoking is culturally constructed as ‘risky behaviour’ with adverse health outcomes. This article explores how health-providers discuss smoking risk in pregnancy, women’s perceptions of those conversations, and the impact on their smoking behaviour and understandings of self-worth. Health-providers (mi…
Breakfast skipping and academic achievement at 8–16 years: A population study in South Australia
Objective: While studies have highlighted a link between breakfast consumption and cognitive performance, evidence for how breakfast influences academic outcomes is mixed. This study explored the association between student breakfast skipping and academic achievement. Design: This cross-sectional investigation employed population data. Self-reported breakfast consumption was used to categorise students as never, sometimes and always breakfast ski…
The longitudinal network of peer problems and emotional symptoms among Australian adolescents: Bayesian structure learning of directed acyclic graphs
Adolescence is a period in which peer problems and emotional symptoms markedly increase in prevalence. However, the causal mechanisms regarding how peer problems cause emotional symptoms at a behavioral level and vice versa remain unknown. To address this gap, the present study investigated the longitudinal network of peer problems and emotional symptoms among Australian adolescents aged 12-14 years. Data were from the Longitudinal Study of Austr…
The longitudinal network of social and emotional development in middle childhood
The understanding of children's social and emotional development in middle childhood is critical to promote well-being throughout the life course. Children who fail to develop social and emotional competencies are more likely to experience difficulties in adulthood and, in the worst case, psychopathology. The current study will employ Cross-Lagged Network Models to investigate children's social and emotional development among Australian children …
Medicine (18 works) · Psychology (11 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Environmental health (7 works) · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet (7 works) · Demography (6 works) · Demography (6 works) · Developmental psychology (6 works) · Gerontology (6 works) · Nursing (6 works)