Dr Kristi Heesch
Faculty of Health,
School of Public Health & Social Work
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Biography
Dr Kristiann Heesch is a Senior Lecturer in Health Promotion in the School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology. Prior to her appointment at QUT in 2010, she was a Research Fellow in the School of Human Movement Studies at The University of Queensland and prior, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science at the University of Oklahoma. Dr Heesch's research focuses on physical activity and health for the prevention of chronic conditions in mid-age to older adults. Her research spans analysis of large datasets to understand associations between physical activity and health outcomes and correlates of physical activity to the development and evaluation of physical activity promotion programs. In the last 10 years, she has focused on correlations and health effects of bicycle use, both for recreation and for transport, to inform policy and improve cycling promotion.Education
- BA (Government) from Dartmouth College, USA, 1988
- MPH (Health Promotion/Health Education) from the University of Texas School of Public Health, USA, 1997
- DrPH (Health Promotion/Health Education with minors in Epidemiology and Biostatistics) from the University of Texas School of Public Health, USA, 2001
- Physical Activity for the Primary and Secondary Prevention of Chronic Conditions
- Determinants of physical activity
- Measurement of physical activity and its correlates
- Development, implementation and evaluation of physical activity and wellness programs
- Bicycling and active transport
- Program evaluation
- Physical activity behaviour change in middle-aged to older adults
- Washington, T., & Heesch, K.C. Queensland Electric Bikes (E-bikes) Part 2 – Understanding Opportunities to Encourage Use of E-bikes. Transport Academic Partnership R&D Project, Department of Transport & Main Roads, QLD. 2020-2022.
- Washington, T.S., & Heesch, K.C. Queensland Electric Bike Owner Survey. Transport Academic Partnership R&D Project, Department of Transport & Main Roads, QLD, 2018-2019.
- Heesch, K.C. Association between involvement in four-wheeled motor sport and crashes on public roads. Australian Institute of Motor Sport Safety, 2016.
- Haworth, N., Schramm, A., Heesch, K.C., Debnath, A., & Watson. A. Evaluation of an Australian State's Minimum Passing Distance Trial. 2015.
- Bailey, E., Coglan, L., Heesch, K.C.., Barnett, A., Burn, E., Chen, Q., & Graves, N. Upselling Prevention (QGCPO878-13). Queensland Health, 2015.
- Haworth, N., Schramm, A., Debnath, A., Heesch, K.C., & Watson, A. Research Services to Evaluate the Minimum Passing Distance Queensland Rode Rule. Queensland Transport and Main Roads, 2014.
- QUT team: Heesch, K.C., Washington, T., Lin, H., & Chung, E. Finalise V1 Stage C Evaluation Report. Queensland Transport and Main Roads, 2014.
- Washington, T., & Heesch, K. C. Evaluation of the Queensland Police Service HealthStart Program, 2012. Queensland Police Service.
View location details(QUT staff and student access only)
Personal details
Positions
- Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Health,
School of Public Health & Social Work
Keywords
health promotion, behavior change, bicycle, active transport, physical activity, correlates, determinants, evaluation, intervention, adults
Research field
Public Health and Health Services
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- DrPH(public health) (University of Texas System)
- MPH (University of Texas System)
Professional memberships and associations
General memberships (current)
- Australian Health Promotion Association
- International Society of Physical Activity and Health
- Brisbane CBD Bicycle User's Group
Committee memberships (current)
- Australian Health Promotion Association's National Accreditation Organisation's Assessment Sub-Committee (2017-present)
- Queensland Workplaces for Wellness Gold Recognition Panel of Experts (2013-present)
- American Academy of Health Behavior Australian Editor (2016-present)
- Health Behavior and Policy Review Journal Editorial Board (2014-present)
Memberships (previously)
- IHBI Health Lifestyles Program Leader (2012-2018)
- Australian Health Promotion Association QLD Branch Executive Committee and Newsletter Committee member (2009-2014)
- Australian Health Promotion Association QLD Newsletter Chair (2011-2014)
Teaching
Over the years, Dr Heesch has taught units in public health and health promotion at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in universities internationally and in Australia. She uses blended learning techniques, including face-to-face and pre-recorded lectures, online Q&A discussion boards, wikis, real-time online tutorials, and online submissions and marking of assessments to engage and inform students. At QUT, Dr Heesch is coordinating one undergraduate unit:
- Health Education & Behaviour Change (PUB530)
She coordinates and teaches into postgraduate units:
- Health Promotion 2: Theory (PUP032)
- Health Promotion 3: Interventions (PUP034)
- Health Promotion 4: Evaluation (PUP037)
- Population Health (PUN106): 2010-2019
Experience
Most recent appointments
- 2012-present: Senior Lecturer in health promotion in the School of Public Health and Social Work at Queensland University of Technology
- 2010-2012: Lecturer in health promotion in the School of Public Health at Queensland University of Technology
- 2005-2009: Research Fellow in the School of Human Movement Studies at the University of Queensland
International experience and engagement
- 2017: Professional development leave in Temuco, Chile
- 2005-present: Supervision of international students (from Chile, Singapore, Brunei, Taiwan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia)
- 2002-2005: Assistant Professor in health promotion in the Department of Health and Exercise Science at the University of Oklahoma (USA)
- 2002: Postdoctoral training-fellow, Physical Activity & Public Health Research Directions and Strategies, University of South Caroline Prevention Research Center & CDC (USA).
- 1998: Summer internship at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (USA).
- 1995-2001: Postgraduate coursework and research training in public health (MPH and DrPH) with specialisation in health promotion, epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Texas School of Public Health (USA)
Invited Professional Workshops and Presentations
Heesch, K.C. Why is active transport important for public health? Presented at the Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile, September, 2017.
Heesch, K.C. Evaluation of the Brisbane V1 with Strava data. Presented at the Institute of Health and Ageing, Melbourne, June 2016.
Heesch, K.C. Qualitative methods in physical activity research: An overview. Presented at the 2008 ASICS Conference of Science and Medicine in Sport, Hamilton Island, Queensland, October 2008.
Mâsse, L.C., Heesch, K.C. Item response theory workshop: Overview of concepts and applications in physical activity and nutrition. Presented at the International Society of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity Conference, Oslo, Norway, June 2007.
Heesch, K.C. Motivating the unmotivated: Getting the couch potatoes physically active. Presented at the Central States Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri, USA October, 2003.
Heesch, K.C. Adherence to a lifestyle physical activity intervention. Presented at the Primary Care Research Methods & Statistics Conference, San Antonio, Texas, USA December, 2001.
Mâsse, L.C., Heesch, K.C., & Eason, K.E. Using advanced psychometric methods to validate measures that influence physical activity. Presented at The Cooper Institute Conference Series: Innovative Approaches to Understanding and Influencing Physical Activity, Dallas, Texas, USA October, 2001.
Invited Community Presentations
Heesch, K.C. Panel member (Dr Heesch was the health expert) at the public seminar of the 2017 Australian Bicycle Summit, Brisbane, May, 2017.
Dingle, K., & Heesch K. Social determinants of Health. Presented to clinical physiotherapist at the annual meeting of the Queensland Neurosurgical & Orthopaedic Physiotherapy Screening Clinics & Multidisciplinary Service. 7 September 2016.
Heesch, K.C. Evaluation of the Brisbane V1 with Strava data. Presented at the TMR Transport MIXr to industry, Brisbane, Queensland, June, 2016.
Heesch, K.C. Impact of the Veloway 1 on cycling behaviour. Presented at the monthly meeting of the Brisbane CBD Bicycle User’s Group, Brisbane, Queensland, September, 2015.
Heesch, K.C. Panel member of QUT’s Cycling Q&A Debate, Brisbane, Queensland, November, 2014.
Heesch, K.C. Physical activity: It’s about more than weight loss. Presented at the annual meeting of Heart Foundation of Queensland Just Walk It leaders, Brisbane, Queensland, November, 2007.
Heesch, K.C. Women and healthy exercise. Presented at the annual meeting of QUOTA, Brisbane, Queensland, September, 2007.
Heesch, K.C. Strategies for adopting a healthy lifestyle. Presented as part of the University of Oklahoma Health Services’ Goddard Lecture Series, Norman, Oklahoma, April, 2005.
Publications
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Kristi, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Filter publications:
A complete list of publications is available at: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/k.heesch
Awards
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- 2017 Ray James Memorial Award recipient for excellence and innovation in health promotion research published during the previous year in the Health Promotion Journal of Australia for paper entitled: The usefulness of GPS bicycle tracking data for evaluating the impact of infrastructure change on cycling behaviour
- Type
- Editorial Role for an Academic Journal
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Australian Editor of the American Journal of Health Behavior to present
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2015
- Details
- President's Award, in recognition of commitment and contribution to the Queensland Branch of the Australian Health Promotion Association.
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2015
- Details
- 2015 Award for Excellence and Innovation in Public Health Teaching
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2012
- Details
- QUT Vice-Chancellor's Performance Award 2012
Supervision
Current supervisions
- The Impact of Air Pollution from Residential Wood Burning on the Health Benefits of Active Mobility: Preliminary Investigations Toward a Comprehensive Understanding
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Tom Cole-Hunter, Professor Melissa Haswell
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Promoting Active Commuting to Increase Physical Activity Among Office Workers: A Social Cognitive Approach (2021)
- Body Mass Index Trends among Immigrants to Australia - Associations with Ethnicity, Length of Residence, Age at Arrival, Neighbourhood Disadvantage and Geographic Remoteness (2019)
- Development and Implementation of a Health Promotion Intervention to Reduce Sedentary Behaviour among Male Office Workers in Saudi Arabia: The SLIM (Sit Less, Impress and Motivate) Study (2019)
- What is the Meaning of Sport for Young People from Refugee Backgrounds? A Case Study of a State High School in Brisbane, Queensland (2019)
- Exploring the Effectiveness and the Feasibility of a Social Cognitive Theory-Based Physical Activity Intervention in Type 2 Diabetes Patients in Yogyakarta City Indonesia (2018)
- Falls Requiring Emergency Treatment for Middle-Aged Adults: The Determinants, the Injury Circumstances, and the Outcomes of Falls (2016)
- Socioeconomic position and mass media campaigns to prevent chronic disease (2014)
- Physical Activity for the Prevention and Management of Colorectal Cancer. I'm Physically Active after Cancer Treatment: a pilot study of the ImPACT Program and related research (2010)
- Role of physical activity, glucosamine sulphate, and other strategies in the management of knee or hip osteoarthritis (2008)