Dr Leah Brennan - Researcher Profile

Biography

Dr Leah Brennan is a clinical and health psychologist. In 2009 she joined the School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine at Monash University as a lecturer in the Doctor of Clinical Psychology Program.

Leah’s research interests involve the application of psychological approaches to understand, prevent and treat obesity and disordered eating (including eating disorders) in children, adolescents and adults. She is particularly interested in development, evaluation and dissemination of evidence-based interventions for the treatment of obesity, disordered eating and eating disorders. Leah also has an interest in the importance of health behaviours for psychological wellbeing, and the relationship between physical and psychological health. The role of parents in the promotion of healthy lifestyles in children is also a strong research interest.

Leah’s PhD, completed in 2006, examined the factors related to overweight and obesity in adolescents and the provision of intervention for overweight adolescents and their parents. This involved development and evaluation of the Choose Health Program: A Health Lifestyle Program for Adolescents, which has since been evaluated in two additional randomised controlled trials and adapted for use with adults. Leah has also been involved in a range of projects evaluating parenting interventions and exploring the role of parents in promoting healthy eating and activity habits in children.

Leah has also worked in a range of clinical settings including community based family intervention services, an outpatient clinic for the treatment of morbid obesity, and an inpatient service for the treatment of eating disorders. This clinical experience has strengthened her belief in the importance of developing, evaluating, and disseminating evidence-based interventions for use in real world settings.

Qualifications

PHD/MASTERS OF EDUCATIONAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCH

Institution: RMIT University

Year awarded: 2006

BACHELOR OF APPLIED SCIENCES - PSYCHOLOGY (HONOURS

Institution: Deakin University

Year awarded: 1999

BACHELOR OF APPLIED SCIENCE - PSYCHOLOGY

Institution: Swinburne University

Year awarded: 1998

Publications

Journal Articles

Moroshko, I., Brennan, L., 2013, Maternal controlling feeding behaviours and child eating in preschool-aged children, Nutrition and Dietetics [P], vol 70, issue 1, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia, pp. 1-5.

Brennan, L., Walkley, J., Wilks, R., Fraser, S., Greenway, K., 2013, Physiological and behavioural outcomes of a randomised controlled trial of a cognitive behavioural lifestyle intervention for overweight and obese adolescents, Obesity Research and Clinical Practice [P], vol 7, issue 1, Elsevier BV, Netherlands, pp. e23-e41.

Wyse, R.J., Wolfenden, L., Campbell, E., Brennan, L., Campbell, K.J., Fletcher, A., Bowman, J., Heard, T.R., Wiggers, J., 2012, A cluster randomised trial of a telephone-based intervention for parents to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in their 3 to 5 year old children: study protocol, BMC Public Health [P], vol 10, issue 216, BioMed Central Ltd., United Kingdom, pp. 1-12.

Wyse, R.J., Campbell, E., Campbell, K.J., Wiggers, J., Brennan, L., Fletcher, A., Bowman, J., Heard, T.R., 2012, A cluster randomized controlled trial of a telephone-based parent intervention to increase preschoolers' fruit and vegetable consumption, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition [P], vol 96, issue 1, American Society for Nutrition, Bethesda MD US, pp. 102-110.

O'Brien, P.E., Macdonald, L., Anderson, M.L., Brennan, L., Brown, W.A., 2012, Long-Term Outcomes After Bariatric Surgery: Fifteen-Year Follow-Up of Adjustable Gastric Banding and a Systematic Review of the Bariatric Surgical Literature, Annals Of Surgery [P], vol 257, issue 1, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, USA, pp. 87-94.

Parletta, N., Peters, J., Owen, A., Tsiros, M.D., Brennan, L., 2012, Parenting styles, communication and child/adolescent diets and weight status: let's talk about it, Early Child Development and Care [P], vol 182, issue 8, Routledge, United Kingdom, pp. 1089-1103.

Moroshko, I., Brennan, L., O'Brien, P.E., 2012, Predictors of attrition in bariatric aftercare: a systematic review of the literature, Obesity Surgery [P], vol 22, issue 10, Springer New York LLC, United States, pp. 1640-1647.

Burke, K., Brennan, L., Cann, W., 2012, Promoting protective factors for young adolescents: ABCD Parenting Young Adolescents Program randomized controlled trial, Journal Of Adolescence [P], vol 35, issue 5, Academic Press, United Kingdom, pp. 1315-1328.

Incledon, E., Gerner, B., Hay, M., Brennan, L., Wake, M., 2012, Psychosocial predictors of 4-year BMI change in overweight and obese children in primary care, Obesity [P], vol epub, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc., United States, pp. 1-33.

Brennan, L., Wilks, R., Walkley, J.W., Fraser, S., Greenway, K., 2012, Treatment acceptability and psychosocial outcomes of a randomised controlled trial of a cognitive behavioural lifestyle intervention for overweight and obese adolescents, Behaviour Change [P], vol 29, issue 1, Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom, pp. 32-62.

Hayden, M.J., Brown, W.A., Brennan, L., O'Brien, P.E., 2012, Validity of the Beck Depression Inventory as a screening tool for a clinical mood disorder in bariatric surgery candidates, Obesity Surgery [P], vol 22, issue 11, Springer New York LLC, USA, pp. 1666-1675.

Wyse, R., Wolfenden, L., Campbell, E., Campbell, K., Brennan, L., Fletcher, A., Bowman, J., Heard, T., Wiggers, J., 2011, A pilot study of a telephone-based parental intervention to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in 3-5-year-old children, Public Health Nutrition [P], vol E, Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom, pp. 1-9.

Egberts, K., Brown, W., Brennan, L., O'Brien, P., 2011, Does exercise improve weight loss after bariatric surgery? A systematic review, Obesity Surgery [P], vol E, Springer New York LLC, USA, pp. 1-7.

Brennan, L., 2011, In people with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes, cognitive behaviour therapy combined with motivational enhancement therapy reduces HbA1c after 12 months, Worldviews On Evidence-Based Nursing [P], vol 14, issue 3, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc., United States, pp. 72-73.

Brennan, L., Walkley, J., Wilks, R., 2011, Parent- and adolescent-reported barriers to participation in an adolescent overweight and obesity intervention, Obesity [P], vol E, Nature Publishing Group, United States, pp. 1-6.

Dhingra, A., Brennan, L., Walkley, J., 2011, Predicting treatment initiation in a family-based adolescent overweight and obesity intervention, Obesity [P], vol 19, issue 6, Nature Publishing Group, United States, pp. 1307-1310.

Moroshko, I., Brennan, L., O'Brien, P., 2011, Predictors of dropout in weight loss interventions: A systematic review of the literature, Obesity Reviews [P], vol 12, issue 11, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd, United Kingdom, pp. 912-934.

Murphy, K., Brennan, L., Walkley, J., Reece, J., Little, E., 2011, Primary Goals for Weight Loss Questionnaire (PGWLQ): Development and psychometric evaluation in overweight and obese adults, Behaviour Change [P], vol 28, issue 1, Cambridge University Press, UK, pp. 29-43.

Russo, J., Brennan, L., Walkley, J., Fraser, S., Greenway, K., 2011, Psychosocial predictors of eating disorder risk in overweight and obese treatment-seeking adolescents, Behaviour Change [P], vol 28, issue 3, Australian Academic Press Pty. Ltd, Australia, pp. 111-127.

Sandilands, M., Brennan, L., Walkley, J., Fraser, S., Greenway, K., 2011, Self-monitoring in the treatment of overweight adolescents, Behaviour Change [P], vol 28, issue 2, Australian Academic Press Pty. Ltd, Australia, pp. 97-109.

Wyse, R.J., Wolfenden, L., Campbell, E., Brennan, L., Campbell, K., Fletcher, A., Bowman, J., Heard, T.R., Wiggers, J., 2010, A cluster randomised trial of a telephone-based intervention for parents to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in their 3- to 5-year-old children: Study protocol, BMC Public Health [P], vol 10, issue 216, Biomed Central Ltd., UK, pp. 1-12.

Burke, K., Brennan, L., Roney, S., 2010, A randomised controlled trial of the efficacy of the ABCD Parenting Young Adolescents Program: Rationale and methodology, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health [E], vol 4, issue Art. No: 22, BioMed Central Ltd, UK, pp. 1-14.

Baulch, J., Chester, A., Brennan, L., 2010, Adolescent and parent content preferences and predictors of intention to use an online healthy weight website for adolescents, E-Journal of Applied Psychology [E], vol 6, issue 1, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia, pp. 18-26.

Brennan, L., Miles, C.L., Mitchell, S., Matthews, J., 2010, Changes in the content of children's school lunches across the school week, Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals. [P], vol 21, issue 3, Australian Health Promotion Association, Australia, pp. 196-201.

Wolfenden, L., Brennan, L., Britton, B., 2010, Letter to the Editor: Intelligent obesity interventions using smart phones, Preventive Medicine [E], vol 51, Academic Press, United States, pp. 519-520.

Campbell, K., Andrianopoulos, N., Hesketh, K., Ball, K., Crawford, D., Brennan, L., Corsini, N., Timperio, A., 2010, Parental use of restrictive feeding practices and child BMI z-score. A 3-year prospective cohort study, Appetite [P], vol 55, issue 1, Elsevier BV, Netherlands, pp. 84-88.

Mitchell, S.A., Miles, c., Brennan, L., Matthews, J., 2010, Reliability of the School Food Checklist for in-school audits and photograph analysis of children's packed lunches, Journal Of Human Nutrition And Dietetics [P], vol 23, issue 1, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd, United Kingdom, pp. 48-53.

Brennan, L., Walkley, J., Lukeis, S., Risteska, A., Archer, L., Digre, E., Fraser, S., Greenway, K., 2009, A cognitive behavioural intervention for overweight and obese adolescents illustrated by four case studies, Behaviour Change [P], vol 26, issue 3, Australian Academic Press Pty. Ltd, Australia, pp. 190-213.

Tsiros, M., Olds, T., Buckley, J., Grimshaw, P., Brennan, L., Walkley, J., Hills, A., Howe, P., Coates, A., 2009, Health-related quality of life in obese children and adolescents, International Journal Of Obesity [P], vol 33, Nature Publishing Group, United Kingdom, pp. 387-400.

Mitchell, S., Brennan, L., Hayes, L., Miles, C., 2009, Maternal psychosocial predictors of controlling parental feeding styles and practices, Appetite [P], vol 53, issue 3, Elsevier BV, Netherlands, pp. 384-389.

Tsiros, M., Sinn, N., Brennan, L., Coates, A., Walkley, J., Petkov, J., Howe, P., Buckley, J., 2008, Cognitive behavioral therapy improves diet and body composition in overweight and obese adolescents, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition [P], vol 87, American Society for Nutrition, United States, pp. 1134-1140.

Brennan, L., Walkley, J., Fraser, S., Greenway, K., Wilks, R., 2008, Motivational interviewing and cognitive behaviour therapy in the treatment of adolescent overweight and obesity: Study design and methodology, Contemporary Clinical Trials [P], vol 29, Elsevier Inc., United States, pp. 359-375.

Baulch, J., Chester, A., Brennan, L., 2008, Treatment alternatives for overweight and obesity: The role of online interventions, Behaviour Change [P], vol 25, issue 1, Australian Academic Press Pty. Ltd, Australia, pp. 1-14.

Other

Boyle, J., Brennan, L., Brinkworth, G., Brown, W., Burger, H., Clarke, I., Corbould, A., Costello, M., Cussons, A., Davies, M., Deeks, A., Eden, J., Frearson, M., Hart, R., Hickey, T., Johnstone, P., Kidson, W., Knight, R., Lim, E., Lombard, C., Marsh, K., McAllister, V., Michelmore, J., Moran, L., Noakes, M., Norman, R., Rodgers, R., Rogers, P., Rombauts, L., Sloboda, D., Stepto, N., Stuckey, B., Talbot, M., Teede, H., Vollenhoven, B., Wong, J., 2011, Evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome A single, The Jean Hailes Foundation, Australia, pp. 1-132.

Postgraduate Research Supervisions

Current Supervision

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Cognitive function in obese adults.

Supervisors:

Brennan, L (Main), Stolwyk, R (Associate).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Examining disordered eating in bariatric surgery patients.

Supervisors:

Brennan, L (Main).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Exploring the relationship between weight-loss and depression in obese adults.

Supervisors:

Brennan, L (Main), Clarke, D (Associate).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

The longitudinal study exploring the role of emotion in disordered eating pathology across adolescence.

Supervisors:

Brennan, L (Main).