Charity, Melanie

Phone: (03) 53276211
Email: melaniecharity@federation.edu.au
Room: P936
Position: Senior research assistant
Discipline: Human movement and sport sciences

Qualifications

  • BBiolSc
  • MSc (Applied Statistics)

Current student projects

  • Community sport retention: Understanding the capacity of community sports clubs to retain their participants/members
  • Retention and attrition for children and adolescents in club-based community tennis participation
  • Drop out in sub-elite junior female tennis players

Research area and expertise

As the senior research assistant for the Sport & Recreation Spatial project, Melanie’s responsibilities centre on data management/integrity and analysis of large, complex state/national survey data (including physical activity, sport association membership, health & population data).

Melanie has a background in public health, both in research (interest areas include mental health & women’s health) and health information contexts. Her experience includes the collection/compiling of data, participant tracking/interviews and general project management.

Publications

Vergeer, I., Bennie, J. A., Charity, M. J., Harvey, J. T., van Uffelen, J. G., Biddle, S. J., & Eime, R. M. (2017). Participation trends in holistic movement practices: a 10-year comparison of yoga/Pilates and t’ai chi/qigong use among a national sample of 195,926 Australians. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 17(1), 296.

Eime, R. M., Harvey, J., Charity, M. J., Casey, M., Westerbeek, H., & Payne, W. R. (2017). The relationship of sport participation to provision of sports facilities and socioeconomic status: a geographical analysis. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

Charity,MJ., Britt,H. C., Walker, BF., Gunn, JM., Forsdike-Young, K., Polus, BI., French, S. D. (2016) Who consults Australian chiropractors?: Reasons for attending, general health and lifestyle habits of chiropractic patients. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies,24:28.

Eime, R. M., Harvey, J. T., Charity, & Payne, W. R. (2016). Population levels of sport participation: implications for sport policy. BMC Public Health,  16:752

Bennie JA, Pedisic Z, van Uffelen JGZ, Charity MJ, Harvey JT, Banting K, Vergeer I, Biddle SJH, Eime, R. (2016) Pumping Iron in Australia: Prevalence, Trends and Sociodemographic Correlates of Muscle Strengthening Activity Participation from a National Sample of 195,926 Adults. PLoS ONE 11(4): e0153225.

Eime, R. M., Harvey, J. T., Charity, M. J., Casey, M. M., Westerbeek, H., & Payne, W. R. (2016). Age profiles of sport participants. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 8(6).

Keating J. L, McKenzie JE, O’Connor DA, French S, Walker BF, Charity M, Page MJ, Green SE. (2016). Providing services for acute low-back pain: a survey of Australian physiotherapists, Manual Therapy. 22: 145-152

Eime, RM., Harvey, JT., Charity, MJ., Casey, MM., van Uffelen, JGZ., Payne, WR. (2015). The contribution of sport participation to overall health enhancing physical activity levels in Australia: a population-based study. BMC Public Health. 15:806.

Eime, RM., Casey MM., Harvey, JT., Charity, MJ., Young, JA., Payne, WR. (2015). Participation in modified sports programs: A longitudinal study of children's transition to club sport competition. BMC Public Health. 15:649.

Eime, RM., Charity, MJ., Harvey, JT., Payne, WR. (2015). Participation in sport and physical activity: with socio-economic status and geographical location. BMC Public Health.15:43.

De Souza, A., Dwyer, P. L., Charity, M., Thomas, E., Ferreira, C. H. J., & Schierlitz, L. (2015). The effects of mode delivery on postpartum sexual function: a prospective study. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology.

Eime, RM., Young, JA., Harvey, JT., Charity, MJ., Payne, WR. (2013). A systematic review of the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for adults: Informing development of a conceptual model of Health through Sport. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 10:135.

French S.D, Charity M, Forsdike K, Gunn J, Polus B, Walker B, Chondros P, Britt H. Chiropractic observation and analysis study (COAST): providing an understanding of current chiropractic practice. Medical Journal of Australia, 2013, 199:10

Eime, RM.,  Young, JA., Harvey, JT., Charity, MJ., Payne, WR (2013). A systematic review of the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for children and adolescents: informing development of a conceptual model of health through sport. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 10:98.

French D Simon, Densley Konstancja, Charity J Melanie, Gunn Jane. Who uses Australian chiropractic services? Chiropractic & Manual Therapies 2013, 21:31

Charity M, French S. D, Forsdike K, Britt H, Polus B, Gunn J. Extending ICPC-2 PLUS terminology to develop a classification system specific for the study of chiropractic encounters. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies 2013, 21:4

Grants and awards

2017 Winner Parks and Leisure Australia national research award. Sport and Recreation Spatial

2017 Winner Parks and Leisure Australia (Vic/Tas). Sport and Recreation Spatial. Research Project award.

2017 Winner 2016 Victorian Sport Awards. Sport and Recreation Spatial. Sport Development Initial of the Year.

2016 Best Poster- Physical activity and Health Promotion. ASICS Sports Medicine Australia Conference. Eime, RM.,  Harvey, JT., Charity, MJ., Payne, WR. Population levels of sport participation: Implications for sport policy.

2015 Best Poster- Physical Activity and Health Promotion. ASICS Sports Medicine Australia Conference. Eime, RM., Harvey, JT., Charity, MJ., Casey, MM., Westerbeek, H., Payne, WR. Four-year trends in sport participation and retention: the gender differences.

2017 Eime, R., Harvey, J., Charity, M. Sport participation in the City of Ballarat. $7,000

2017 Eime, R., Harvey, J., Charity, M. Competition structures and the association with player retention and attrition. Tennis Australia. $30, 000

2017-2018 Eime, R., Harvey, J., Charity, M. T. Tennis Victoria- Geographical Information System. $30,000

2017 Casey, M, Eime, R., Harvey, J., Charity, M. Female participation in sport and factors influencing participation trends. Federation University. $5,000

2017 Eime, R., Harvey, J., Charity, M. Transition of players from school programs to community clubs. Cricket Australia. $5,000

2017 Eime, R., Harvey, J., Charity, M. Fishermans Bend sports facilities: benchmarks and needs of projected population. Sport and Recreation Victoria. $7,424

2017 Eime, R., Harvey, J., Charity, M. Latrobe City Council- sport, health and demographic profile. $15,000

2016 Eime, R., Harvey, J., Charity, M. Basketball Victoria- GIS. $12,500

2016 Eime, R., Harvey, J., Charity, M. Sport and Recreation Spatial- AFL Central Victoria participation trends. $3,000

2016 Stewart, B., Spaaij, R., Eime, R., Harvey, J, Charity, M. Articulating the health and social benefits of tennis and its social return on investment value. Tennis Australia . $40,000

2015-2016 Eime, R., Harvey, J., Charity, M. Sport and Recreation Spatial – Netball Sport  Participation. Sport and Recreation Victoria. $2,700

2015-2017 Stewart, B., Spaaij, R., Eime, R., Harvey, J, Charity, M. The social and economic value of netball. Netball Victoria. $40,000

2015-2018 Eime, RM., Harvey, JT., Charity, MM., Thompson, H., Feely, P. Sport and Recreation Spatial. Netball Victoria. Federation University and Victoria University. $37,500

2015 - 2018 Eime, RM., Harvey, JT., Charity, MJ.  Sport Participation Research Project 2015 – 2018. VicHealth. $200,000

2015 - 2018 Eime, RM., Harvey, JT., Charity, MJ.  Sport Participation Research Project 2015 – 2018. Sport and Recreation Victoria. $100,000

2015 Eime, RM., Harvey, JT., Charity, MJ. The City of Ballarat– Sport and Physical  Activity, Health and Education Profile. The City of Ballarat. $15,500

2014 Eime, R., Harvey, J., Charity, M., Casey, M. Victorians’ participation in sport. Sport and Recreation Victoria, Department of Transport, Planning and Local  Infrastructure. $20,000