Dr Sheila Skeaff
Dr Skeaff conducts research on the iodine status of sub-groups of the population, including children and pregnant women. Dr Skeaff also undertakes research on the environmental literacy of university students and sustainability as it applies to food and nutrition.
Dr Skeaff has an MSc in Nutritional Biochemistry from the University of Guelph in Canada and a PhD in Human Nutrition from the University of Otago. Dr Skeaff has expertise in the assessment of trace elements, with particular emphasis on iodine. She conducts research on the iodine status of sub-groups of the population, including children and pregnant women. Dr Skeaff is also interested in elucidating the consequences of mild iodine deficiency on normal growth and development, including cognition. She has collaborations in Malaysia, India, Australia, the USA and Switzerland. Dr Skeaff is also part of a multi-disciplinary group developing a tool to measure the environmental literacy of university students. She is also conducting research on sustainable foods and diets.
Dr Skeaff teaches mainly in the area of micronutrients. She coordinates the paper HUNT 223 (Minerals, undernutrition and health) and NUTX 401 (Principles of Human Nutrition). She also teaches into a number of other undergraduate papers in Human Nutrition.
Publications
Book Chapters
Shepherd K, Harraway J, Lovelock B, Skeaff S, Slooten L, Strack M, Jowett T. (2012). Monitoring Changes in the Sustainability Attributes of Higher Education Students in a New Zealand University. In: Filho FW (ed)Sustainable Development at Universities: New Horizons..Peter Lang Scientific Publishers: Frankfurt am Main.
Skeaff S, Thomson CD. (2012). Iodine. In Essentials of Human Nutrition, 4th edition. J Mann & AS Truswell (eds), Oxford University Press, pp 177-184.
Skeaff, S. A. (2011). Iodine and cognitive development. In D. Benton (Ed.), Lifetime nutritional influences on cognition, behaviour and psychiatric illness (pp. 109-128). Cambridge, UK: Woodhead.
Skeaff, S. A. (2009). Iodine nutrition in pregnancy: Meeting iodine requirements in the diets of pregnant women. In V. R. Preedy, G. N. Burrow, & R. Watson (Eds.), Comprehensive handbook of iodine: Nutritional, biochemical, pathological and therapeutic aspects (pp. 1259-1264). Amsterdam: Academic Press.
Thomson, C. D., & Skeaff, S. A. (2009). Iodine status and deficiency disorders in New Zealand. In V. R. Preedy, G. N. Burrow, & R. Watson (Eds.), Comprehensive handbook of iodine: Nutritional, biochemical, pathological and therapeutic aspects (pp. 1251-1258). Amsterdam: Academic Press.
Journal Articles
Sam C, Skeaff S, Skidmore P. (2012). A comprehensive food frequency questionnaire developed for use in New Zealand adults: Reliability and validity for nutrient intakes. Public Health Nutrition (in press).
Skeaff SA, Thomson CD, Wilson N, Parnell WR. (2012). A comprehensive assessment of urinary iodine concentration and thyroid hormones in New Zealand school children: a cross sectional study. Nutrition Journal, 11: 31
Menon, K. C., Skeaff, S. A., Thomson, C. D., Gray, A. R., Ferguson, E. L., Zodpey, S., Saraf, A., Das, P. K., & Pandav, C. S. (2011). The effect of maternal iodine status on infant outcomes in an iodine-deficient Indian population. Thyroid, 21(12), 1373-1380. doi: 10.1089/thy.2011.0130
Pettigrew-Porter, A., Skeaff, S., Gray, A., Thomson, C., & Croxson, M. (2011). Are pregnant women in New Zealand iodine deficient? A cross-sectional survey. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 51, 464-467. doi: 10.1111/j.1479-828X.2011.01331.x
Menon, K. C., Skeaff, S. A., Thomson, C. D., Gray, A. R., Ferguson, E. L., Zodpey, S., … Pandav, C. S. (2011). Concurrent micronutrient deficiencies are prevalent in nonpregnant rural and tribal women from central India. Nutrition, 27(4), 496-502. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2010.02.012
Skeaff, S. A. (2011). Iodine deficiency in pregnancy: The effect on neurodevelopment in the child. Nutrients, 3(2), 265-273. doi: 10.3390/nu3020265
Skeaff, S. A. (2011). Iodine deficiency in UK schoolgirls [Letter]. Lancet, 378, 1623-1624. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(11)61691-7
Charton, K., & Skeaff, S. (2011). Iodine fortification: Why, when, what, how, and who? Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care, 14(6), 618-624. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0b013e32834b2b30
Thomson, C. D., Campbell, J. M., Miller, J., & Skeaff, S. A. (2011). Minimal impact of excess iodate intake on thyroid hormones and selenium status in older New Zealanders. European Journal of Endocrinology, 165, 745-752. doi: 10.1530/EJE-11-0575
Mulrine, H. M., Skeaff, S. A., Ferguson, E. L., Gray, A. R., & Valeix, P. (2010). Breast-milk iodine concentration declines over the first 6 mo postpartum in iodine-deficient women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 92(8), 849-856. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2010.29630
Gordon, R. C., Rose, M. C., Skeaff, S. A., Gray, A. R., Morgan, K. M. D., & Ruffman, T. (2009). Iodine supplementation improves cognition in mildly iodine-deficient children. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 90(5), 1264-1271. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.28145
Thomson, C. D., Campbell, J. M., Miller, J., Skeaff, S. A., & Livingstone, V. (2009). Selenium and iodine supplementation: Effect on thyroid function of older New Zealanders. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 90(4), 1038-1046. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.28190
Skeaff, S., Thomson, C., & Eastman, C. (2009). Iodine deficiency does exist but is difficult to assess in individuals [Letter]. New Zealand Medical Journal, 122(1292). Retrieved from http://journal.nzma.org.nz/journal/122-1292/3548/content.pdf.
Heydon, E. E., Thomson, C. D., Mann, J., Williams, S. M., Skeaff, S. A., Sherpa, K. T., & Heydon, J. L. (2009). Iodine status in a Sherpa community in a village of the Khumbu region of Nepal. Public Health Nutrition, 12(9), 1431-1436.
Rose, M., Gordon, R., & Skeaff, S. (2009). Using bread as a vehicle to improve the iodine status of New Zealand children. New Zealand Medical Journal, 122(1290). Retrieved from http://journal.nzma.org.nz/journal/122-1290/3481/content.pdf.
Skeaff, S. A., & Thomson, C. D. (2006). IDD re-emerges in New Zealand. IDD Newsletter, 22(4), 8-10.
Current postgraduate students
Master of Science
Julia Edmonds. Iodine status of NZ adults post-fortification.
Master of Dietetics
Abbey Billing and Celine Evans. Iodine status of pregnant women in NZ post-fortification.
Claire Cannon. Protein-rich foods in the NZ diet: sustainable options.
Maggie Raddich and Kendall Parkinson. Validation of the nutrition component of interRAI in the elderly.
Graduates
PhD
Kavitha Menon. Micronutrient status of young Indian women. 2010.
Master of Science
Roshni Mistry and Catherine Landers. Nutrient intakes of pregnant and non-pregnant Indian women. 2011.
Cecilia Sam. Validation of a food frequency questionnaire for use in NZ adults. 2012.
Penelope Fitzgerald and Kahla Redman. The effect of iodine supplementation on cognition in young adults. 2011.
Rosie Gordon and Meredith Peddie (Rose).The effect of iodine supplementation on cognition in children. 2008.