Rate My Professor Meredith Peddie

Dr. Meredith Peddie is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago. She holds a BPhEd (Hons) in Sports Science, a BSc in Nutrition, an MSc in Nutrition, and a PhD from the University of Otago, which she completed in 2012. Following her doctoral studies, Dr. Peddie worked in research positions within the Department of Human Nutrition from 2012 to 2020, funded by the National Heart Foundation of New Zealand. She joined the department on a permanent basis as Senior Lecturer in February 2020. Her expertise encompasses physical activity and sport, activity and health, and the effects of sedentary behaviour on health.

Dr. Peddie's research primarily focuses on the postprandial metabolic effects of interrupting prolonged sitting time with short bouts of physical activity. She also examines the broader health impacts of moving more and sitting less, as well as the influences of nutrition, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity on cardiometabolic risk factors. In 2021, she received the University of Otago Early Career Researcher Award, which included a $5000 research grant and membership in the O-Zone Group. This recognition highlighted her status as an internationally recognised leader in sedentary behaviour research, her success in securing nearly half a million dollars in research funding, and her leadership of a major project investigating the nutritional status, motivations, and beliefs surrounding diet and physical activity among New Zealand adolescents. Her contributions have informed national and international policies, including expert commentary on the WHO Guidelines on Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity, with implications for health and well-being practices. Key publications include Hao, Z., Peddie, M., Ashton, N., Anderson, L., Wang, N. X., & Reynolds, A. (2025). Does the provision of free medically tailored groceries high in fibre or healthy fats impact sodium and potassium intakes? European Journal of Nutrition, 65, 6; Gale, J. T., Hargreaves, E. A., Haszard, J. J., & Peddie, M. C. (2025). Protocol for a pilot study to assess the feasibility of interrupting prolonged sitting in the evening with activity breaks. Pilot & Feasibility Studies, 11, 138; Skeaff, S., Alsayed, E., Venn, B., Scott, T., Peddie, M., & Haszard, J. J. (2025). Alignment of dietary patterns with EAT-Lancet recommendations. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 55(6), 2400-2414; and Peddie, M. C., Bone, J. L., Rehrer, N. J., Skeaff, C. M., Gray, A. R., & Perry, T. L. (2013). Breaking prolonged sitting reduces postprandial glycemia in healthy, middle-aged men without affecting appetite. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 98(4), 934-942. Dr. Peddie welcomes postgraduate students interested in sedentary behaviour, physical activity, and nutrition.