Adelaide based paediatric physiotherapist Dr Margarita Tsiros has been recognised as one of South Australia’s best and brightest young researchers at last week’s 2014 Tall Poppy Awards.
Dr Tsiros, from the School of Health Sciences of the University of South Australia, was one of the eight young scientists chosen from disciplines spanning health and environmental research, antibiotic development and fluid mechanics to be recognised for their achievements in this year’s awards.
She was awarded for her research on childhood obesity.
For the 35-year-old Dr Tsiros, the award came as a great surprise and a recognition for the research she has been doing over the past years.
“I guess it really provides a motivation to continue to work on my research and in particular the importance of actually getting that research out there to the broader community.
“One of those things that the Tall Poppy Science Scheme really fosters is working with high school students and other school students to raise the profile of science, to motivate and inspire the next generation of children to think about careers in science.”
The Tall Poppy Campaign was established in 1998 by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science to promote public awareness of Australia’s intellectual achievements.
An important component of the campaign is the Young Tall Poppy Science Awards, which recognise the achievements of young researchers in the sciences including technology, engineering, mathematics and medical research.
“As far as my own research is concerned, I’m very passionate about improving the health and wellbeing of children with overweight and obesity issues, so this really provides me with the platform to continue this research,” Dr Tsiros told Neos Kosmos.
With the prestigious awards acknowledging the recipients’ research achievements alongside their capacity and commitment to communicate science and its significance to the broader community, Dr Tsiros says the award is a recognition that her research is having an impact – which, for a researcher, is of upmost importance.
The area of research Dr Tsiros was awarded for studies the impact of obesity in children, focusing on their day-to-day physical functioning, disability and wellbeing.
Dr Tsiros is now developing innovative approaches to increase physical activity and improve the well-being of children with obesity.
With current statistics showing that one in four children in Australia are either overweight or obese, Dr Tsiros says childhood obesity is undoubtedly an issue in Australia.
As a paediatric physiotherapist by training, it was through this work with children and families that Dr Tsiros started to notice the impact that overweight and obesity had on the way children moved and functioned.
“When I looked into it there were not many physiotherapists working in that field. And also there wasn’t a lot of research around that.
“So I was interested in investigating it further and finding out if obesity actually has an impact on how children move in their daily life, and what can we do about that. My research found that obesity does have an impact on children’s movement, they do have difficulty with performing everyday tasks like walking or climbing stairs, but I also found out that quite a few children were in pain.
“Obesity is associated with poorer physical wellbeing in children, and the age I have been looking at in my research are the early adolescent children – in the 10 to 13 age bracket. It’s important that we actually screen children for pain and manage that, because if we can help them to experience less pain that may help them to move better and be more active.
“At the end of the day, being more active is really important not only for health but also for long term weight management,” Dr Tsiros said.
With some researchers showing that the prevalence of obesity and overweight is starting to level off, Dr Tsiros highlighted that one in four children is still a significant proportion that needs to be managed.
“It’s an issue that needs to be high on society’s agenda; and it’s a whole society issue – not just an issue of an individual – that is going to take a lot of effort to get under control.”