Michael Keall

BA (Hons), PhD
Professor, University of Otago, Wellington

Michael Keall is an injury epidemiologist in the Department of Public Health. His current research interests include exposure assessment for housing, roads and vehicles, and travel behaviour. He is managing major research projects looking at the potential to reduce fall injuries in homes by fixing hazards in the home and the development of a housing quality index suited to New Zealand housing. Housing quality is thought to have a major impact on health and safety, but tends to be overlooked when the quality cannot be measured in a meaningful way. Michael has had a long involvement in the development of the New Zealand Travel Survey, which doubles as an exposure assessment instrument for informing road safety policy and as a tool to identify patterns of travel, particularly those that contribute to health issues such as obesity and global warming.

Michael Keall’s research focuses on health and environmental impacts of the transport system, particularly from the point of view of active travel (walking and cycling). He also conducts research in areas including road injury prevention and falls prevention in the home.

Michael is a lead researcher in the Resilient Urban Futures programme, in particular the ACTIVE study, an evaluation of cycling and walking infrastructure and encouragement in two local authorities.

Related Links

Key publications

  1. Shaw, C. Wild, K. Smith, M. HInckson, E. Jones, R. Miller, E. Osborne, E.
    Randal, E.
    Curl, A. Mizdrak, A. Fitt, H. Hales, S.
    Keall, M.
    McLean. R. Opit, S. Mandic, S. Hosking, J. Woodward, A. Bozovic, T. Coppell, K. Macmillan, A.
    Submission on Draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport 2024- 34
  2. Bierre, S.
    Keall, M.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Framing home injury: opportunities and barriers to regulating for safer rental housing in Aotearoa/New Zealand
    Housing Studies,
    Published online: 19 Jun 2023.
  3. Howden-Chapman, P.
    Crane, J.
    Keall, M.
    Pierse, N.
    Baker. M. Cunningham, C Amore, K
    Aspinall, C
    Bennett, J.
    Bierre, S.
    Boulic, M
    Chisholm, E.
    Davies, C.
    Fougere, G.
    Fraser, B.
    Fyfe, C.
    Grant, L.
    Grimes, A.
    Halley, C
    Logan, A.
    Nathan, K
    Olin, C.
    Ombler, J.
    O’Sullivan, K.
    Pehi, T.
    Penny, G.
    Phipps, R
    Plagmann, M.
    Randal, E.
    Riggs, L.
    Robson, B.
    Ruru, J Shaw, Caroline
    Teariki, M.
    Telfar-Barnard, L.
    Tiatia, R.
    Toy-Cronin, B Tupara, H
    Viggers, H.
    Wall, T.
    Wilkie, M
    Woodward, A.
    Zhang, W
    He Kāinga Oranga: reflections on 25 years of measuring the improved health, wellbeing and sustainability of healthier housing.
    Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand,
    Online.
  4. Situmorang, M. L. Coppell, K. J. Smith, M.
    Keall, M.
    Mandic, S.
    Adolescents’ School Travel and Unhealthy Snacking: Associations with School Transport Modes, Neighbourhood Deprivation, and Body Weight
    Sustainability,
    14(12), 7038.
  5. Randal, E.
    Shaw, C. McLeod, M.
    Keall, M.
    Woodward, A.
    Mizdrak, A.
    The Impact of Transport on Population Health and Health Equity for Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand: A Prospective Burden of Disease Study.
    International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,
    19(4), 2032.
    Download document
    Research Summary - transport health impacts final.pdf
  6. Olin, C.
    Berghan, J. Thompson-Fawcet, M. Ivory, V. Witten, K.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Duncan, S. Ka'ai, T. Yates, A.
    O’Sullivan, K.
    Keall, M.
    Ombler, J.
    Hinckson, E.
    Inclusive and collective urban home spaces: The future of housing in Aotearoa New Zealand.
    Wellbeing, Space and Society,
    3, 100080.
    Download document
    Research Summary - incl and coll home paper.pdf
  7. Viggers, H.
    Keall, M.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Towards dwelling energy certification for New Zealand: normalisation issues.
    Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online
    .
  8. Olin, C.
    O’Sullivan, K.
    Ombler, J.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Witten, K.
    Keall, M.
    Hinckson, E. Duncan, S. Ka’ai, K. Ivory, V. Yates, A.
    Submission on Government Policy Statement on Housing and Urban Development (GPS-HUD).
    NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities, AUT, Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities National Science Challenge, Wellington
    Download document
    2021.07.30-Joint-Submission-on-GPS-HUD-final.pdf
  9. Howden-Chapman, P.
    Fyfe, C.
    Keall, M.
    Riggs, L.
    Pierse, N.
    The effects of housing on health and well-being in Aotearoa New Zealand.
    New Zealand Population Review,
    47, 16-32.
  10. Keall, M.
    Tupara, H.
    Pierse, N.
    Wilkie, M.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Cunningham, C.
    Home modifications to prevent home fall injuries in houses with Māori occupants (MHIPI): A randomised controlled trial.
    Lancet Public Health,
    6(9), e631-e640.
  11. Riggs, L.
    Keall, M.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Environmental burden of disease from unsafe and substandard housing, New Zealand, 2010-2017.
    Bulletin of the World Health Organization
    99, 259-270.
  12. Shaw, C.
    Keall, M.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Submission on the draft Government Policy Statement on land transport 2021.
    Download document
    NZCSC-11may20-Subm-on-draft-transport-GPS-2021.pdf
  13. Blaschke, P.
    Witten, K.
    Keall, M.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Submission by the NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities on the RMA Issues and Options Paper, ‘Opportunities for Change’.
    Wellington, NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities
    Download document
    RMA-Issues-an-Options-on-RMA-rev2.pdf
  14. Shaw, C.
    Keall, M.
    MacBride-Stewart, S. Wild, K. Reeves, D. Bentley, R.
    Woodward, A.
    Beyond the bicycle: Seeing the context of the gender gap in cycling.
    Journal of Transport & Health
    18, 100871.
  15. Keall, M.
    Hopkins, D. Coppell, K. Sandretto, S. Garcia Bengoechea, E. Spence, J. … Mandic, S.
    Implications of attending the closest school on adolescents’ physical activity and car travel in Dunedin, New Zealand.
    Journal of Transport & Health
    18, 100900. doi: 10.1016/j.jth.2020.100900
  16. Howden-Chapman, P.
    Keall, M.
    Whitwell, K.
    Evaluating natural experiments to measure the co-benefits of urban policy interventions to reduce carbon emissions in New Zealand.
    Science of the Total Environment
    700, 134408. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134408
  17. Viggers, H.
    Keall, M.
    Wickens, K.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Ingham, T.
    Davies, C.
    Crane, J.
    Effect of an electricity voucher on electricity use.
    Energy Policy,
    134, 110985
  18. Ingham, T.
    Keall, M.
    Jones, B. Aldridge, D. Latimer, M. Dowell, A.
    Davies, C.
    Crane, J.
    Draper, J. Bailey, L.
    Viggers, H.
    Stanley, T. Leadbitter, P.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Damp mouldy housing and early childhood hospital admissions for acute respiratory infection: a case control study.
    Thorax
    74, 849-857.
  19. Keall, M.
    Shaw, C. Abrahamse, W.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Are people who already cycle and walk more responsive to an active travel intervention?
    Journal of Transport & Health
    10, 84-91.
  20. Keall, M.
    Shaw, C.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from an intervention to promote cycling and walking: A case study from New Zealand.
    Transportation Research Part D
    65, 687-696.
  21. Shaw, C.
    Randal, E.
    Keall, M.
    Woodward, A.
    Health consequences of transport patterns in New Zealand’s largest cities.
    New Zealand Medical Journal
    131(1472), 64-72.
  22. Keall, M.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Grams, M.
    Witten, K.
    Randal, E.
    Woodward, A.
    A cost benefit analysis of an active travel intervention with health and carbon emission reduction benefits.
    International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health
    15(5), 962.
  23. Randal, E.
    Shaw, C.
    Woodward, A.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Macmillan, A. Hosking, J.
    Keall, M.
    Fairness in Transport Policy: A New Approach to Applying Distributive Justice Theories.
    Sustainability
    12, 10102.
  24. Keall, M.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Pierse, N.
    Cunningham, C.W.
    Lessons learned from implementing a programme of home modifications to prevent falls amongst the general population.
    Safety
    4.
  25. Preval, N.
    Keall, M.
    Telfar-Barnard, L.
    Grimes, A.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Impact of improved insulation and heating on mortality risk of older cohort members with prior cardiovascular or respiratory hospitalisations.
    BMJ Open
    7(11).
  26. Viggers, H.
    Keall, M.
    Wickens, K.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Increased house size can cancel out the effect of improved insulation on overall heating energy requirements.
    Energy Policy,
    107, 248-257.
  27. Howden-Chapman, P.
    Chisholm, E.
    Telfar-Barnard, L.
    O’Sullivan, K.
    Bennett, J.
    Bierre, S.
    Preval, N.
    Tiatia, R.
    Ombler, J.
    Amore, K. Rivera-Muñoz, G.
    Davies, C.
    Aspinall, C
    Oliver, J.
    Keall, M.
    Crane, J.
    Pierse, N.
    Housing, energy and health in resilient cities.
    In P. Howden-Chapman, L. Early & J. Ombler (Eds.), Cities in New Zealand: Preferences, patterns and possibilities.
    (pp. 95-106). Wellington, New Zealand: Steele Roberts Aotearoa.
  28. Randal, E.
    Keall, M.
    Shaw, C. Russell, M.
    Woodward, A.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Why New Zealand transport policy needs to encourage walking and cycling.
    In L Early & P Howden-Chapman (Eds.), Cities in New Zealand: Preferences, patterns and possibilities.
    (pp.107-114). Wellington, New Zealand: Steele Roberts Aotearoa.
  29. Keall, M.
    Pierse, N.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Guria, J. Cunningham, C.
    Cost-benefit analysis of fall injuries prevented by a programme of home modifications: a cluster randomised controlled trial.
    Injury Prevention
    23, 1, 22–26
  30. Keall, M.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Increasing active travel to work: sub-analyses of a quasi-experimental study of an intervention to encourage walking and cycling.
    New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities.
    Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand.
    Download document
    KEALL Impacts on work trips conference paper2.pdf
  31. Preval, N. Early, L.
    Keall, M.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Ministry of Transport’s draft transport research strategy, 2016.
    NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities
    Download document
    Draft-Transport-Research-Strategy-submission-NZ-Centre-for-Sustainable-Cities.pdf
  32. Bennett, J.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Chisholm, E.
    Keall, M.
    Towards an agreed quality standard for rental housing: Development of a New Zealand housing WOF tool.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
    40, 5, 405-411.
  33. Keall, M.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Witten, K.
    Abrahamse, W.
    Woodward, A.
    Muggeridge, D. Beetham, J. Grams, M.
    Increasing active travel: results of a quasi-experimental pre-post study of an intervention to encourage walking and cycling.
    Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
    doi:10.1136/jech-2015-205466
  34. Howden-Chapman, P.
    Keall, M.
    Witten, K.
    Abrahamse, A.
    Woodward, A.
    Muggeridge, D. Beetham, J Grams, M.
    Increasing active travel: aims, methods and baseline measures of a quasi-experimental study.
    BMC Public Health
    2014, 14, 935

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