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Louise signal photoPhD, Dip Com PsychDirector of HePPRU

Teaches PUBH713 Society, Health & Health Promotion, PUBH744 Healthy Public Policy

Contact details

Tel +64 4 385 5541 ext 6477
Email louise.signal@otago.ac.nz

Research interests and activities

Professor Louise Signal is a Director of the Health Promotion and Policy Research Unit at the University of Otago, Wellington as well as Co-Director of Te Rōpū Rangahau ō Te Kāhui Matepukupuku: Cancer Society Research Collaboration. Louise is a social scientist with a PhD in Community Health from the University of Toronto. She has been a member of the Department of Public Health for over 20 years and has previous experience working at central and local government in health promotion and community development.

Professor Signal's research focuses on identifying and addressing environmental determinants of health. Her research has a strong focus on equity for Māori, Pacific, and low-income communities. Key research areas include the politics of health and health equity, obesity prevention, and addressing harm from alcohol and sun exposure. Her research utilises qualitative research methods, policy research and mixed method research design. Professor Signal was principal investigator on an innovative research project that studied the world children live in – Kids' Cam, which used automated cameras to record children's worlds.

Publications

McGlinchy, B., Smith, M., Gurtner, M., D'Souza, A., Hoek, J., & Signal, L. (2025). Clearing the haze: Novel methodology objectively assessing children's online exposure to tobacco and vape marketing. Health Promotion International, 40, daae193. doi: 10.1093/heapro/daae193 Journal - Research Article

Gurtner, M., Gage, R., Smith, M., Stanley, J., & Signal, L. (2025). Child's-eye views of smartphone-based gaming content: Objective insights from Aotearoa New Zealand. Health Promotion International, 40, daae195. doi: 10.1093/heapro/daae195 Journal - Research Article

Watkins, L., Aitken, R., Gage, R., & Signal, L. (2025). In-school marketing: The nature, extent, and ethics of children's commercial exposure. Journal of Macromarketing. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/02761467251316137 Journal - Research Article

Puloka, V., Smith, M., Ferguson, A., Gage, R., Signal, L., & Baker, M. (2024, September). Identifying infectious disease risk factors for Tongan children: A wearable camera study. Verbal presentation at the Pacific Islands Health Research Symposium, Nadi, Fiji. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Signal, L., Smith, M., Gurtner, M., & Gage, R. (2024). Why is regulation of the online world urgently needed to protect children’s wellbeing? European Journal of Public Health, 34(Suppl. 3), ckae144.383. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckae144.383 Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

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