24 April 2018

Nicola is of Samoan, Tongan and Niuean heritage and during her PhD journey, she moved to Australia, married Andrew and had three children.

Her PhD thesis, Samoan Kids in the City is about the impact of Samoan parenting practices on Samoan children’s independent mobility and physical activity.  Children’s independent mobility – unsupervised play and travel - is an essential component of physical activity for children. Her research concluded that independent mobility was not an effective tool for measuring Samoan children’s physical activity levels because children were encouraged and motivated by their parents and ‘aiga (extended family) to participate in collective activities.

See more detail here.