Dr Aimee Brownbill

Honorary Fellow

School of Communication and Arts

Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

a.brownbill@uq.edu.au

Overview

Dr Aimee Brownbill is an ARC Early Career Industry Fellow with the Centre for Digital Cultures and Societies and the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education.

Aimee has a PhD in Medicine (Public Health) and has contributed to collaborative applied research informing public health policy for several years. A key focus of her work to-date has been on the commercial determinants of health, particularly the influence of marketing practices on health and wellbeing.

Aimee is currently leading a program of work on digital marketing by harmful industries such as alcohol, gambling and highly processed unhealthy foods, exploring potential avenues for regulation in this space. She has been awarded an ARC Early Career Industry Fellowship to further explore this topic. The project will offer researchers, civil society and government with new methods to examine and monitor digital marketing practices and inform the development of consumer protection measures in the digital era.

Research Impacts

Aimee integrates her knowledge and experience in research, policy and advocacy to achieve translational outcomes in public health policy and practice.

Aimee regularly consults on health implications of public policy in Australia. Her research and translational activities have informed improvements to food labelling, including the Health Star Rating system and sugar information labelling. More recently, her work in the space of digital marketing has informed developments in the policy spaces of privacy, online safety and regulation of social media platforms.

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy of Public Health, University of Adelaide
Bachelor (Honours) of Population Health, University of Adelaide
Bachelor of Health Sciences, University of Adelaide

Publications

Other Outputs: Alcohol advertising on social media platforms – A 1-year snapshot

Hayden, Lauren, Brownbill, Aimee, Angus, Daniel, Carah, Nicholas, Tan, Xue Ying, Hawker, Kiah, Dobson, Amy and Robards, Brady (2023). Alcohol advertising on social media platforms – A 1-year snapshot. Canberra, ACT, Australia: Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education.
Other Outputs: Advertisements on digital platforms: how transparent and observable are they?

Hawker, Kiah, Carah, Nicholas, Angus, Daniel, Brownbill, Aimee, Tan, Xue Ying (Jane), Dobson, Amy and Robards, Brady (2022). Advertisements on digital platforms: how transparent and observable are they?. Canberra, ACT, Australia: Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education.
Journal Article: The marketing of sugar-sweetened beverages to young people on Facebook

Brownbill, Aimee L., Miller, Caroline L. and Braunack-Mayer, Annette J. (2018). The marketing of sugar-sweetened beverages to young people on Facebook. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 42 (4), 354-360. doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.12801

View all Publications

Grants

Improving the accountability of dark advertising on digital platforms

(2024–2026) ARC Early Career Industry Fellowships

View all Grants

Publications

Featured Publications

Alcohol advertising on social media platforms – A 1-year snapshot

Hayden, Lauren, Brownbill, Aimee, Angus, Daniel, Carah, Nicholas, Tan, Xue Ying, Hawker, Kiah, Dobson, Amy and Robards, Brady (2023). Alcohol advertising on social media platforms – A 1-year snapshot. Canberra, ACT, Australia: Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education.
Advertisements on digital platforms: how transparent and observable are they?

Hawker, Kiah, Carah, Nicholas, Angus, Daniel, Brownbill, Aimee, Tan, Xue Ying (Jane), Dobson, Amy and Robards, Brady (2022). Advertisements on digital platforms: how transparent and observable are they?. Canberra, ACT, Australia: Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education.
The marketing of sugar-sweetened beverages to young people on Facebook

Brownbill, Aimee L., Miller, Caroline L. and Braunack-Mayer, Annette J. (2018). The marketing of sugar-sweetened beverages to young people on Facebook. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 42 (4), 354-360. doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.12801

Journal Article

Warning labels and interpretive nutrition labels: Impact on substitution between sugar and artificially sweetened beverages, juice and water in a real-world selection task

Miller, Caroline, Ettridge, Kerry, Pettigrew, Simone, Wittert, Gary, Wakefield, Melanie, Coveney, John, Roder, David, Martin, Jane, Brownbill, Aimee and Dono, Joanne (2022). Warning labels and interpretive nutrition labels: Impact on substitution between sugar and artificially sweetened beverages, juice and water in a real-world selection task. Appetite, 169 105818, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105818
Health-related marketing messages on product labels of commercial infant and toddler food packaging in Australia: a cross-sectional audit

Simmonds, Lucy, Brownbill, Aimee L., Zee, Anthea and Netting, Merryn J (2021). Health-related marketing messages on product labels of commercial infant and toddler food packaging in Australia: a cross-sectional audit. BMJ Paediatrics Open, 5 (1) 001241, 1-10. doi: 10.1136/bmjpo-2021-001241
Navigating uncertainty: evaluation of a COVID-19 surge workforce support program, Australia 2020-2021

Parry, Amy Elizabeth, Colquhoun, Samantha, Brownbill, Aimee, Lynch, Brigid M. and Housen, Tambri (2021). Navigating uncertainty: evaluation of a COVID-19 surge workforce support program, Australia 2020-2021. Global Biosecurity, 3, 1-14. doi: 10.31646/gbio.124
Selling function: the advertising of sugar-containing beverages on Australian television

Brownbill, Aimee L., Miller, Caroline L., Smithers, Lisa G. and Braunack-Mayer, Annette J. (2021). Selling function: the advertising of sugar-containing beverages on Australian television. Health Promotion International, 36 (1), 143-154. doi: 10.1093/heapro/daaa052
What makes a beverage healthy? A qualitative study of young adults’ conceptualisation of sugar-containing beverage healthfulness

Brownbill, Aimee L., Braunack-Mayer, Annette J. and Miller, Caroline L. (2020). What makes a beverage healthy? A qualitative study of young adults’ conceptualisation of sugar-containing beverage healthfulness. Appetite, 150 104675. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2020.104675
Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, correlates and interventions among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities: A scoping review

Wright, Kathleen M., Dono, Joanne, Brownbill, Aimee L., Nee Gibson, Odette, Bowden, Jacqueline, Wycherley, Thomas P., Keech, Wendy, O'Dea, Kerin, Roder, David, Avery, Jodie C. and Miller, Caroline L. (2019). Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, correlates and interventions among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities: A scoping review. BMJ Open, 9 (2) e023630, e023630. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023630
Health Star Ratings: What's on the labels of Australian beverages?

Brownbill, Aimee L., Braunack-Mayer, Annette and Miller, Caroline (2019). Health Star Ratings: What's on the labels of Australian beverages?. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 30 (1), 114-118. doi: 10.1002/hpja.197
Industry use of 'better-for-you' features on labels of sugar-containing beverages

Brownbill, Aimee L., Miller, Caroline L. and Braunack-Mayer, Annette J. (2018). Industry use of 'better-for-you' features on labels of sugar-containing beverages. Public Health Nutrition, 21 (18), 3335-3343. doi: 10.1017/S1368980018002392
Protecting our children from obesity: Challenges and opportunities

Moore, Michael J., McKee, Martin and Brownbill, Aimee L. (2018). Protecting our children from obesity: Challenges and opportunities. Medical Journal of Australia, 209 (6), 253-254. doi: 10.5694/MJA18.00695
The marketing of sugar-sweetened beverages to young people on Facebook

Brownbill, Aimee L., Miller, Caroline L. and Braunack-Mayer, Annette J. (2018). The marketing of sugar-sweetened beverages to young people on Facebook. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 42 (4), 354-360. doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.12801
The Australian NHMRC guidelines for alcohol consumption and their portrayal in the print media: a content analysis of Australian newspapers

Wolfaardt, Bronwyn M., Brownbill, Aimee L., Mahmood, Mohammad Afzal and Bowden, Jacqueline A. (2018). The Australian NHMRC guidelines for alcohol consumption and their portrayal in the print media: a content analysis of Australian newspapers. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 42 (1), 43-45. doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.12758
Presenting a strong and united front to tobacco industry interference: A content analysis of Australian newspaper coverage of tobacco plain packaging 2008–2014

Miller, Caroline Louise, Brownbill, Aimee Lee, Dono, Joanne and Ettridge, Kerry (2018). Presenting a strong and united front to tobacco industry interference: A content analysis of Australian newspaper coverage of tobacco plain packaging 2008–2014. BMJ Open, 8 (9) e023485, e023485. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023485
Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, correlates and interventions among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities: A scoping review protocol

Avery, Jodie C., Bowden, Jacqueline A, Dono, Joanne, Gibson, Odette R, Brownbill, Aimee, Keech, Wendy, Roder, David and Miller, Caroline L (2017). Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, correlates and interventions among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities: A scoping review protocol. BMJ Open, 7 (7) 016431, e016431. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016431

Other Outputs

Alcohol advertising on social media platforms – A 1-year snapshot

Hayden, Lauren, Brownbill, Aimee, Angus, Daniel, Carah, Nicholas, Tan, Xue Ying, Hawker, Kiah, Dobson, Amy and Robards, Brady (2023). Alcohol advertising on social media platforms – A 1-year snapshot. Canberra, ACT, Australia: Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education.
Advertisements on digital platforms: how transparent and observable are they?

Hawker, Kiah, Carah, Nicholas, Angus, Daniel, Brownbill, Aimee, Tan, Xue Ying (Jane), Dobson, Amy and Robards, Brady (2022). Advertisements on digital platforms: how transparent and observable are they?. Canberra, ACT, Australia: Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education.

Grants (Administered at UQ)

Improving the accountability of dark advertising on digital platforms

(2024–2026) ARC Early Career Industry Fellowships

This staff member is a UQ Expert for media in the following fields:

Alcohol, Digital advertising, Advertising, Alcohol advertising, Digital platforms, Advertising regulation

They are happy to lend their expertise to your articles or broadcasts and share their research discoveries and insights with the community via media channels.

For additional assistance with story ideas, general advice and information or help with seeking further experts, please email the UQ Media Team or telephone (07) 3365 1120.

The University of Queensland

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