Dr Rebecca Byrne
Faculty of Health,
School of Exercise & Nutrition Sciences
Biography
Dr Rebecca Byrne is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology. Rebecca practised as a clinical dietitian in hospital and domiciliary settings before completing her PhD at QUT.Her PhD, conferred in 2015, examined the dietary intake of toddlers participanting in the NOURISH randomised controlled trial. NOURISH was one of the first trials internationally to evaluate the impact of maternal responsive feeding practices on infant intake, eating behaviour and growth.
After two years as a postdoctoral research fellow within the NHMRC funded Centre for Research Excellence in the Early Prevention of Obesity in Childhood, Rebecca was appointed as a lecturer within the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences. Her research focuses on what and how young children are fed, particularly the influence of feeding practices used by educators in the Early Childhood Education and Care setting, and understanding how eating behaviours - such as fussy eating - develop. She is a founding member of the National Nutrition Network: ECEC in Australia, and a member of the special interest group in ECEC within the International Society of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Rebecca is an advocate for the support and promotion of breastfeeding, was a member of the Federal Government’s expert working group for the revision of Australia’s National Breastfeeding Strategy, released in 2019.
Personal details
Positions
- Lecturer
Faculty of Health,
School of Exercise & Nutrition Sciences- Kelvin Grove Q Block Membership
Institute of Health Biomedical Innovation (IHBI),
IHBI Health Projects - Kelvin Grove Q Block Membership
Keywords
Feeding practices, Infant feeding, Complementary feeding, Breastfeeding, Dietary intake
Discipline
Nutrition and Dietetics, Public Health and Health Services
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- PhD (Queensland University of Technology)
Professional memberships and associations
International Society of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA)
ISBNPA Early Childhood Education special interest group
Executive Member: National Nutrition Network - Early Childhood Education and Care
Teaching
She has previously coordinated and tutored across all year levels of the BND and BNSc including Nutrition Science, Dietetic Leadership and Management, and Food & Nutrition.
Publications
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Rebecca, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Research projects
- Title
- Effectiveness of an Early Childhood Intervention to Promote Healthy Child Development and Prevent Chronic Disease in Families Attending Community Playgroups: A Multi-Centre Cluster Randomised Trial
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- MRF1200764
- Start year
- 2020
- Keywords
- early childhood; exercise; nutrition; parenting; intervention
Supervision
Current supervisions
- Effects of a Prebiotic Supplement on Behaviour and Family Quality of Life In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Karen Sullivan, Associate Professor Jolieke van der Pols - Weight Status and Obesity-Related Behaviours in Pre-Schooler Children from Rural Brazil: Influence of Parents and Child Care Environment
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Stewart Trost
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Development and Evaluation of an Intervention Targeting Parenting Practices Associated with Obesity-Related Behaviours in Young Children Attending Playgroup (2020)
- The family food environment and its relationship with eating behaviours in early childhood (2.0 ¿ 5.0 years) and the implications for obesity development (2019)