DrVictoria Chinn
(she/her)
Lecturer in Health
School of Health
Orcid identifier0000-0003-0851-8691 (opens in a new tab)
- Lecturer in HealthSchool of Health
- EA, Easterfield Building, Gate 3, Kelburn Parade, Wellington, 6012, New Zealand
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Research Interests:
Operating within the discipline of health promotion, Victoria's work is driven by values of holistic health, empowerment, and salutogenesis. She uses mixed-methods and participatory approaches to explore how people experience health and how this knowledge can be applied to improve the way it is promoted. Her areas of interest include:
- Lived experiences and perspectives of health
- Everyday health behaviour
- Health programme design and evaluation
Recent Projects:
MOVING WITH PSYCHOSIS: DELIVERY AND EVALUATION OF A HEALTH AND WELLBEING PROGRAMME FOR RANGATAHI WHAI ORA 2024-2026
This project aims to deliver and evaluate a co-designed 12-week health and wellbeing programme for rangatahi whai ora and their whānau experiencing early psychosis, specifically with regards to programme engagement, holistic wellbeing, and undertaking health behaviours.
CO-DESIGNING A SYSTEM OF SUPPORT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE EXPERIENCING FIRST EPISODE PSYCHOSIS, 2022-2023
In partnership with Early Intervention Services, this project will co-design a healthy lifestyle programme for young people living with first episode psychosis (FEP). FEP clients, their support networks (e.g., whānau), and mental healthcare staff will participate in this co-design process, which will be sited within the Greater Wellington region (i.e., under the Capital and Coast DHB).
NEXT LEVEL HEALTH FOLLOW UP: WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT FOUR YEARS LATER
This project is a follow up study that explore women’s longer-term outcomes for empowerment four years after completing Next Level Health. Additionally, the follow up explores women’s ongoing needs for health and how empowering health programmes can better support such needs.
NEXT LEVEL HEALTH: THE DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION A OF A PROGRAMME TO EMPOWER WOMEN
New Zealand women often experience a narrow focus on weight or body size as a barrier to health. This dominant Western “weight-centred” discourse conflates health with weight and disempowers women from gaining control and autonomy over their health. This project aimed to design, implement and evaluate Next Level Health (NLH); a strengths-based programme founded on values of empowerment and holistic health. NLH aims to empower women over their health through incremental behaviour change within the context of their daily lives across six domains: physical activity, sleep, nutrition, eating behaviour, self-care and stress management.
Operating within the discipline of health promotion, Victoria's work is driven by values of holistic health, empowerment, and salutogenesis. She uses mixed-methods and participatory approaches to explore how people experience health and how this knowledge can be applied to improve the way it is promoted. Her areas of interest include:
- Lived experiences and perspectives of health
- Everyday health behaviour
- Health programme design and evaluation
Recent Projects:
MOVING WITH PSYCHOSIS: DELIVERY AND EVALUATION OF A HEALTH AND WELLBEING PROGRAMME FOR RANGATAHI WHAI ORA 2024-2026
This project aims to deliver and evaluate a co-designed 12-week health and wellbeing programme for rangatahi whai ora and their whānau experiencing early psychosis, specifically with regards to programme engagement, holistic wellbeing, and undertaking health behaviours.
CO-DESIGNING A SYSTEM OF SUPPORT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE EXPERIENCING FIRST EPISODE PSYCHOSIS, 2022-2023
In partnership with Early Intervention Services, this project will co-design a healthy lifestyle programme for young people living with first episode psychosis (FEP). FEP clients, their support networks (e.g., whānau), and mental healthcare staff will participate in this co-design process, which will be sited within the Greater Wellington region (i.e., under the Capital and Coast DHB).
NEXT LEVEL HEALTH FOLLOW UP: WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT FOUR YEARS LATER
This project is a follow up study that explore women’s longer-term outcomes for empowerment four years after completing Next Level Health. Additionally, the follow up explores women’s ongoing needs for health and how empowering health programmes can better support such needs.
NEXT LEVEL HEALTH: THE DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION A OF A PROGRAMME TO EMPOWER WOMEN
New Zealand women often experience a narrow focus on weight or body size as a barrier to health. This dominant Western “weight-centred” discourse conflates health with weight and disempowers women from gaining control and autonomy over their health. This project aimed to design, implement and evaluate Next Level Health (NLH); a strengths-based programme founded on values of empowerment and holistic health. NLH aims to empower women over their health through incremental behaviour change within the context of their daily lives across six domains: physical activity, sleep, nutrition, eating behaviour, self-care and stress management.
RANGAHAU | RESEARCH
- PROJECT GRANTTides and Trails: Women’s Embodied Wellbeing Through Outdoor Physical ActivityTe Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington1 Mar 2026 - 28 Feb 2027People funded by this grant:
- Chinn V,
- Neely E
- PROJECT GRANTTe Hekenga Whaiora/Journey to Wellness: Enhancing community facing outputs to foster hope and combat stigmaTe Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington1 Nov 2025 - 31 Jul 2026People funded by this grant:
- Chinn V
- EXTERNAL GRANTEnhancing the health and wellbeing of rangatahi experiencing early psychosisUniversity of Otago1 Jul 2024 - 30 Jun 2026People funded by this grant:
- Chinn V
- EXTERNAL GRANTEnhancing the health and wellbeing of rangatahi experiencing early psychosisHealth Research Council of New Zealand1 Jan 2024 - 1 Jan 2026People funded by this grant:
- Jenkins M,
- Chinn V,
- Every-Palmer S,
- Lacey C,
- Mansoor Z