Associate Professor Emma George

Associate Professor, Physical Education - PDHPE,
Personal Development, Health & Physical Education

Biography
Contact
Publications
Projects
Supervision
Teaching
Media

Biography

Emma George is the Director of the Centre for Male Health and an Associate Professor in Health and Physical Education at Western Sydney University. Emma joined Western Sydney University in September 2013 and completed a BHSc (PDHPE), BHSc (Honours Class I) and a PhD at Western Sydney University in 2009, 2010 and 2014, respectively.

With a background in physical activity and health promotion, her research aims to promote lifelong physical activity and improve health outcomes. Emma’s research expertise includes health promotion intervention design, implementation and evaluation, mixed methods research, men’s health, epidemiology and physical activity measurement. Her research has involved working with middle-aged men, sport fans, older adults, emergency service volunteers, youth in organised sport and culturally diverse populations.

Emma is currently working with a range of community and industry partners including the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, the South-Western Sydney Primary Health Network, Rugby Australia and the Cricket NSW Foundation. By working closely and collaboratively with community and industry, her research is embedded within the community and positioned to have an ongoing, meaningful impact on health and wellbeing. Emma is passionate about men's health, community engagement and health promotion, and uses sport as a vehicle to engage men in health promotion initiatives. She is the lead investigator on the Active Breed men's health program (https://activebreed.thebulldogs.com.au//home), which was co-created with sport, health and industry partners and is delivered through the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs National Rugby League Club.

Emma coordinates and teaches across a range of undergraduate Health and Physical Education units, with a focus on physical activity, sport and health promotion. Emma's Higher Degree Research students are working across a range of topics including physical activity promotion in culturally and linguistically diverse groups, girls' sport participation, community engagement in sport, and reducing sedentary behaviour.

This information has been contributed by Associate Professor George.

Qualifications

PhD University of Western Sydney
BHSc(Hons) University of Western Sydney
BHScPDHPE University of Western Sydney

Awards

School of Science and Health Conference Travel Grant 2014-03-24
School of Science and Health Conference Travel Grant 2015-04-21
Researcher Development Strategic Initiative Funding - ECR Grant 2016-01-05
Joint Winner, Western Sydney University Research Impact Competition 2018-10-23

Interests

Men's Health
Community Engagement
Health Promotion
Mental Health
Physical Activity
Public Health
Sedentary Behaviour
Sport as a vehicle for health promotion
Workplace Health

Organisational Unit (School / Division)

Personal Development, Health & Physical Education

Committees

Western Sydney University Senate Research Committee
School of Science and Health Research and HDR Committee

Contact

Email:	E.George@westernsydney.edu.au
Phone:	(02) 47360 052
Mobile:
Location:	K.G.06 Penrith (Kingswood)

PLEASE NOTE: obtaining information from this Directory must be for the legitimate purposes of doing business with and within Western Sydney University, and must not be used for unsolicited bulk e-mailing (spamming) or similar purposes.

Teaching

Previous Teaching Areas

400863 Foundations of Research and Evidence-Based Practice, 2014
400867 Approaches to Health Promotion, 2014
400870 Population Health and Society, 2014
400870 Population Health and Society, 2015
400870 Population Health and Society, 2016
400870 Population Health and Society, 2017
400870 Population Health and Society, 2019
400892 Physical Activity, Nutrition and Health, 2015
400892 Physical Activity, Nutrition and Health, 2016
400892 Physical Activity, Nutrition and Health, 2017
400892 Physical Activity, Nutrition and Health, 2018

Publications

Chapters in Books

Rossi, T., Raw, K., Friesen, A., Patrick, T. and George, E. (2023), 'COVID-19 and the developmental aspects and attributes of sport', Routledge Handbook of Sport and COVID-19, Routledge 9781032009070.
McBride, K., George, E., MacMillan, F. and Steiner, G. (2022), 'Mixed methods and evidence-based health care', Research Methods and Evidence-Based Practice, Oxford University Press 9780190330378.
Steiner, G., George, E., MacMillan, F. and McBride, K. (2021), 'Ageing Australians', Culture, Diversity and Health in Australia: Towards Culturally Safe Health Care, Routledge 9780367686765.
Parry, K., George, E., Richards, J. and Stevens, A. (2020), 'Watching football as medicine : promoting health at the football stadium', Football as Medicine: Prescribing Football For Global Health Promotion, Routledge 9780367248888.
McBride, K., MacMillan, F., George, E. and Steiner, G. (2019), 'Health promotion and social determinants of health', Social Determinants of Health, Oxford University Press 9780190313524.
McBride, K., MacMillan, F., George, E. and Steiner, G. (2019), 'Health promotion and social determinants of health', Social Determinants of Health, Oxford University Press 9780190313524.
Parry, K., Rowe, D., George, E. and Hall, T. (2018), 'Healthy sport consumption : moving away from pies and beer', Sport and Health: Exploring the Current State of Play, Routledge 9781138290228.
Macmillan, F., McBride, K., George, E. and Steiner, G. (2018), 'Conducting a systematic review : a practical guide', Handbook of Research Methods in Health Social Sciences, Springer 9789811052507.
McBride, K., Macmillan, F., George, E. and Steiner, G. (2018), 'The use of mixed methods in research', Handbook of Research Methods in Health Social Sciences, Springer 9789811052507.

Journal Articles

Guagliano, J., Hliounakis, H., El Masri, A., Kolt, G. and George, E. (2024), 'Determining priority areas for health promotion among professional sporting organisations', Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, vol 27, no 1 , pp 30 - 36.
El Masri, A., El Masri, A., Kolt, G. and George, E. (2022), 'Physical activity interventions among culturally and linguistically diverse populations : a systematic review', Ethnicity and Health, vol 27, no 1 , pp 40 - 60.
George, E., Davidson, I., El Masri, A., Meade, T. and Kolt, G. (2022), 'Unhealthy lifestyle behaviours and psychological distress : a longitudinal study of Australian adults aged 45 years and older', International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol 19, no 7 .
Karamacoska, D., Johnson, T., Harrison, L., Shi, K., Akrawi, J., D'Souza, S., Hohenberg, M., George, E. and Steiner, G. (2022), 'Venous thromboembolism risk screening, training and provider awareness in Australian residential aged care facilities', Health and Social Care in the Community, vol 30, no 6 , pp 5010 - 5016.
George, E., El Masri, A., Kwasnicka, D., Romeo, A., Cavallin, S., Bennie, A., Kolt, G. and Guagliano, J. (2022), 'Effectiveness of adult health promotion initiatives delivered through professional sport : systematic review and meta-analysis', Sports Medicine, vol 52 , pp 2637 - 2655.
El Masri, A., Kolt, G. and George, E. (2021), 'The perceptions, barriers, and enablers to physical activity and minimising sedentary behaviour among Arab-Australian adults aged 35-64 years', Health Promotion Journal of Australia, vol 32, no 2 , pp 312 - 321.
MacMillan, F., Kolt, G., Le, A. and George, E. (2021), 'Systematic review of randomised control trial health promotion intervention studies in the fire services : study characteristics, intervention design and impacts on health', Occupational and Environmental Medicine, vol 78, no 6 , pp 454 - 463.
El Masri, A., Kolt, G. and George, E. (2021), 'Feasibility and acceptability of a culturally tailored physical activity intervention for Arab-Australian women', BMC Women's Health, vol 21 .
Steiner, G., George, E., Metri, N., MacMillan, F., Dubois, S., Moyle, W., Hohenberg, M., Singh, K., Townsend, C., Chang, D., Bensoussan, A. and McBride, K. (2021), 'Use of complementary medicines and lifestyle approaches by people living with dementia : exploring experiences, motivations and attitudes', International Journal of Older People Nursing, vol 16, no 5 .
El Masri, A., Kolt, G. and George, E. (2021), 'A systematic review of qualitative studies exploring the factors influencing the physical activity levels of Arab migrants', International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, vol 18 .
Steiner, G., Ee, C., Dubois, S., MacMillan, F., George, E., McBride, K., Karamacoska, D., McDonald, K., Harley, A., Abramov, G., Andrews-Marney, E., Cave, A. and Hohenberg, M. (2020), '"We need a one-stop-shop" : co-creating the model of care for a multidisciplinary memory clinic with community members, GPs, aged care workers, service providers, and policy-makers', BMC Geriatrics, vol 20, no 1 .
Hnatiuk, J., Dwyer, G., George, E. and Bennie, A. (2020), 'Co-participation in physical activity : perspectives from Australian parents of pre-schoolers', Health Promotion International, vol 35, no 6 , pp 1474 - 1483.
George, E., Kecmanovic, M., Meade, T. and Kolt, G. (2020), 'Psychological distress among carers and the moderating effects of social support', BMC Psychiatry, vol 20 .
McBride, K., Fleming, C., George, E., Steiner, G. and MacMillan, F. (2019), 'Double discourse : qualitative perspectives on breast screening participation among obese women and their health care providers', International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol 16, no 4 .
El Masri, A., El Masri, A., Kolt, G. and George, E. (2019), 'Country of birth differences in lifestyle-related chronic disease among middle-aged and older adults of Lebanese ethnicity', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, vol 43, no 5 , pp 429 - 435.
MacMillan, F., George, E., Feng, X., Merom, D., Bennie, A., Cook, A., Sanders, T., Dwyer, G., Pang, B., Guagliano, J., Kolt, G. and Astell-Burt, T. (2018), 'Do natural experiments of changes in neighborhood built environment impact physical activity and diet? : a systematic review', International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol 15, no 2 .
Steiner, G., Dubois, S., Ee, C., McBride, K., George, E., MacMillan, F., Karamacoska, D., Singh, K., Harley, A., McDonald, K., Derrett, A., Chow, J., Kohler, F. and Hohenberg, M. (2018), 'Co-creating a model of care for a new multidisciplinary memory clinic in South Western Sydney', Australasian Journal on Ageing, vol 37, no Suppl. S2 , pp 77 - 77.
Johnson, T., Harrison, L., George, E., Shi, K., D'Souza, S., Akwari, J., Hohenberg, M. and Steiner, G. (2018), 'Venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk screening in residential aged care facilities post-surgery', Australasian Journal on Ageing, vol 37, no Supplement S2 , pp 89 - 89.
George, E., Parry, K. and Bennie, A. (2018), 'A thematic analysis of community engagement initiatives in Australian football', Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, vol 21, no Suppl. 1 , pp 42 - 42.
Bennie, A., Apoifis, N., Caron, J., Falcao, W., Marlin, D., Garcia Bengoechea, E., Koh, K., MacMillan, F. and George, E. (2017), 'A guide to conducting systematic reviews of coaching science research', International Sport Coaching Journal, vol 4, no 2 , pp 191 - 205.
Kolt, G., George, E., Rebar, A., Duncan, M., Vandelanotte, C., Caperchione, C., Maeder, A., Tague, R., Savage, T., Van Itallie, A., Mawella, N., Hsu, W., Mummery, K. and Rosenkranz, R. (2017), 'Associations between quality of life and duration and frequency of physical activity and sedentary behaviour : baseline findings from the WALK 2.0 randomised controlled trial', PLoS One, vol 12, no 6 .
El Masri, A., El Masri, A., Kolt, G., Astell-Burt, T. and George, E. (2017), 'Lifestyle behaviours of Lebanese-Australians : cross-sectional findings from The 45 and Up Study', PLoS One, vol 12, no 7 .
MacMillan, F., Karamacoska, D., El Masri, A., El Masri, A., McBride, K., Steiner, G., Cook, A., Kolt, G., Klupp, N. and George, E. (2017), 'A systematic review of health promotion intervention studies in the police force : study characteristics, intervention design and impacts on health', Occupational and Environmental Medicine, vol 74 , pp 913 - 923.
Guagliano, J., Lonsdale, C., Kolt, G., Rosenkranz, R. and George, E. (2015), 'Increasing girls' physical activity during a short-term organized youth sport basketball program : a randomized controlled trial', Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, vol 18, no 4 , pp 412 - 417.
George, E., Kolt, G., Rosenkranz, R. and Guagliano, J. (2014), 'Physical activity and sedentary time : male perceptions in a university work environment', American Journal of Men's Health, vol 8, no 2 , pp 148 - 158.
Duncan, M., Vandelanotte, C., Kolt, G., Rosenkranz, R., Caperchione, C., George, E., Ding, H., Hooker, C., Karunanithi, M., Maeder, A., Noakes, M., Tague, R., Taylor, P., Viljoen, P. and Mummery, K. (2014), 'Effectiveness of a web- and mobile phone-based intervention to promote physical activity and healthy eating in middle-aged males : randomized controlled trial of the ManUp Study', Journal of Medical Internet Research, vol 16, no 6 .
Guagliano, J., Lonsdale, C., Rosenkranz, R., Kolt, G. and George, E. (2014), 'Do coaches perceive themselves as influential on physical activity for girls in organised youth sport?', PLoS One, vol 9, no 9 .
George, E., Kolt, G., Rosenkranz, R. and Guagliano, J. (2014), 'An intervention to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary time in middle-aged males : ManUp UWS', Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, vol 46, no 5S Supplement 1 , pp 105 - 105.
George, E., Rosenkranz, R. and Kolt, G. (2013), 'Chronic disease and sitting time in middle-aged Australian males : findings from the 45 and Up Study', International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, vol 10 .
Taylor, P., Kolt, G., Vandelanotte, C., Caperchione, C., Mummery, W., George, E., Karunanithi, M. and Noakes, M. (2013), 'A review of the nature and effectiveness of nutrition interventions in adult males - a guide for intervention strategies', International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, vol 10 .
Vandelanotte, C., Caperchione, C., Ellison, M., George, E., Maeder, A., Kolt, G., Duncan, M., Karunanithi, M., Noakes, M., Hooker, C., Viljoen, P. and Mummery, K. (2013), 'What kinds of website and mobile phone-delivered physical activity and nutrition interventions do middle-aged men want?', Journal of Health Communication, vol 18, no 9 , pp 1070 - 1083.
Guagliano, J., Lonsdale, C., Rosenkranz, R., Kolt, G. and George, E. (2013), 'Can coaches act as physical activity promoters for girls in organised youth sport? [Abstract]', Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, vol 16, no Supplement 1 , pp 34 - 34.
George, E., Kolt, G., Rosenkranz, R. and Guagliano, J. (2013), 'Assessing physical activity and sedentary time after a 12-week intervention for male university staff : initial findings', Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, vol 16, no Supplement 1 , pp 45 - 45.
George, E., Rosenkranz, R. and Kolt, G. (2013), 'Male perceptions of physical activity and sedentary behavior in a university work environment', Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, vol 45, no 5S Supplement 1 , pp 48 - 48.
Caperchione, C., Vandelanotte, C., Kolt, G., Duncan, M., Ellison, M., George, E. and Mummery, W. (2012), 'What a man wants : understanding the challenges and motivations to physical activity participation and healthy eating in middle-aged Australian men', American Journal of Men's Health, vol 6, no 6 , pp 453 - 461.
George, E., Kolt, G., Duncan, M., Caperchione, C., Mummery, W., Vandelanotte, C., Taylor, P. and Noakes, M. (2012), 'A review of the effectiveness of physical activity interventions for adult males', Sports Medicine, vol 42, no 4 , pp 281 - 300.
George, E., Jorm, L., Kolt, G., Bambrick, H. and Lujic, S. (2012), 'Physical activity and psychological distress in older men : findings from the New South Wales 45 and Up Study', Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, vol 20, no 3 , pp 300 - 316.
Duncan, M., Vandelanotte, C., Rosenkranz, R., Caperchione, C., Ding, H., Ellison, M., George, E., Hooker, C., Karunanithi, M., Kolt, G., Maeder, A., Noakes, M., Tague, R., Taylor, P., Viljoen, P. and Mummery, W. (2012), 'Effectiveness of a website and mobile phone based physical activity and nutrition intervention for middle-aged males : trial protocol and baseline findings of the ManUp Study', BMC Public Health, vol 12 , pp 656 - 656.

Conference Papers

McBride, K., Fleming, C., George, E., Steiner, G. and MacMillan, F. (2018), 'Obesity as a barrier to participation in breast screening : insights from Australia', NCRI Cancer Conference, Glasgow, U.K..
George, E., Rodas, A. and Parry, K. (2017), 'Mind and body : academic engagement with industry', Sporting Traditions Conference, Sydney, N.S.W..
George, E., MacMillan, F. and Townsend, K. (2017), 'Let's get physical : exploring the perceptions of physical activity participation and counselling among Australian medical students', International Society of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity. Annual Meeting, Victoria, Canada.
George, E., MacMillan, F. and Kolt, G. (2016), 'Occupational sitting, lifestyle behaviours, and body mass index in middle-aged and older adults : findings from The 45 and Up Study', International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Annual Meeting, Cape Town, South Africa.
El Masri, A., George, E., Kolt, G. and Astell-Burt, T. (2016), 'Physical activity, sitting time, and cardiovascular disease among Lebanese-Australian adults : a cross-sectional study', International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Annual Meeting, Cape Town, South Africa.
Kolt, G., George, E., Rebar, A., Duncan, M., Vandelanotte, C., Caperchione, C., Maeder, A. and Rosenkranz, R. (2015), 'Associations between quality of life, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour : an examination of continuous and bout measures of activity and sedentary behaviour from the Walk 2.0 trial', International Society for Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity. Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland.
George, E., Kolt, G., Rosenkranz, R. and Guagliano, J. (2015), 'Comparing perceived and objectively measured changes in physical activity and sedentary time after a 12-week Internet-based intervention', International Society for Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity. Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Kolt, G., Duncan, M., Vandelanotte, C., Caperchione, C., Rosenkranz, R., Maeder, A., Savage, T., Tague, R., Van Itallie, A., George, E., Rebar, A. and Mummery, K. (2015), 'The walk 2.0 study : the relationship between physical activity and health-related quality of life', World Confederation for Physical Therapy. International Congress, Singapore.
Kolt, G., Duncan, M., Vandelanotte, C., Caperchione, C., Rosenkranz, R., Maeder, A., Savage, T., Tague, R., Van Itallie, A., George, E., Rebar, A. and Mummery, K. (2015), 'The walk 2.0 study : the relationship between physical activity and health-related quality of life', World Confederation for Physical Therapy. International Congress, Singapore.
Duncan, M., Vandelanotte, C., Kolt, G., Rosenkranz, R., Caperchione, C., George, E., Karunanithi, M. and Mummery, K. (2014), 'Effectiveness of a web- and mobile phone-based intervention to promote physical activity and healthy eating in middle-aged males : outcomes of the ManUp Study', International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Annual Meeting, San Diego, Calif..
George, E., Kolt, G., Rosenkranz, R. and Guagliano, J. (2014), 'Engaging male university employees in an intervention targeting PA and sedentary time : results from the ManUp UWS process eval', International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Annual Meeting, San Diego, Calif..
Guagliano, J., Lonsdale, C., Kolt, G., Rosenkranz, R. and George, E. (2014), 'Increasing girls' physical activity and reducing inactivity during an organised youth sport basketball camp : a randomised controlled trial', International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Annual Meeting, San Diego, Calif..
Kolt, G., Caperchione, C., Vandelanotte, C., Duncan, M., Mummery, W., Ellison, M. and George, E. (2011), 'Examining what men really want when it comes to promoting physical activity and nutrition using information technology : Findings from the ManUp Study', 2011 Annual Meeting of the International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, Victoria, Australia.
George, E., Kolt, G., Duncan, M., Caperchione, C., Mummery, W. and Vandelanotte, C. (2011), 'The ManUp Study - Physical activity interventions for middle-aged men : A review of what does and does not work', 2011 Annual Meeting of the International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, Victoria, Australia.
Kolt, G., George, E., Jorm, L., Bambrick, H. and Lujic, S. (2010), 'Physical activity and psychological distress in older men: Findings from the NSW 45 and Up Study', 2010 Asics Conference of Science and Medicine in Sport, Port Douglas AUS.

Other Publications

2021, 'Understanding Participant Experiences of Walking Football in Australia', Report
2019, 'Improving Health and Wellness through Rugby League: Western Sydney University and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Partnership Grant Report', Report
2019, 'SHE Summit: Final Evaluation Report', Report
2012, 'ManUp: Final Report', Report

Dr Emma George's research is focused on promoting lifelong physical activity and health. She is particularly interested in the design, implementation, and evaluation of health promotion programs aimed at enhancing physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour, and the potential impact of such programs in community, club and workplace settings. Emma's research has involved working with middle-aged and older men, culturally and linguistically diverse groups, university employees, and youth in organised sport.