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The Obesity research group is interested in establishing the causes of obesity across the lifespan, developing and testing behavioural interventions for the prevention and management of obesity in children and adults, and evaluating obesity-related public health initiatives. We also study energy balance behaviours, including eating behaviour, physical activity and sleep. We have expertise in behavioural and psychometric measurement, epidemiology, behaviour genetics, intervention design, trial management and qualitative research.
Contact
This group is led by Dr Clare Llewellyn (c.llewellyn@ucl.ac.uk)
Group members
Research staff (UCL):
Dr Clare Llewellyn
Dr Pippa Lally
Dr Rana Conway
Dr Abi Fisher
Dr Flo Sheen
Zeynep Nas
Alice Kininmonth
Sara Esser
Research staff (UCL, honorary):
Dr Helen Croker
Research staff (external):
Dr Andrea Smith
Dr Ali Fildes
Doctoral students:
Lisa Heggie
PhD project title: Nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners and their associations with weight and diet in children
Lisa is investigating the impact of sugar and low-energy sweetener consumption on growth and taste preference development during childhood, using data from the Gemini study. Lisa's work supports a large, European Commission-funded programme of research into the long-term health effects of sweeteners, the results of which will contribute to the development of public health policy surrounding food safety and obesity.
Research profiles:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LisaaHeggie
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=list_works&hl=en&authuser=1&user=uedUFKMAAAAJ
SWEET profile: https://sweetproject.eu/meet-lisa-heggie-newest-member-of-wp-4/
Kristiane Tommerup
Kristiane’s PhD research focuses on exploring genetic, social, and behavioural risk factors for weight development across infancy. She uses data from the Gemini Twin Study to better understand how socioeconomic, behavioural, and genetic factors are related to and interact to shape weight development right from the very start of life. Prior to starting her PhD, Kristiane was a Research Assistant for the NIHR Obesity Policy Research Unit (OPRU) and completed her MSc in Health Psychology at UCL.
Alex Rhodes
Project title: Developing an app-based intervention to encourage and support expectant parents to develop healthier dietary and physical activity habits.
Pregnancy is a significant life change which can prompt the re-evaluation of health behaviours. A healthy eating and physical activity intervention targeting expectant couples could help to reduce rates of excessive gestational weight gain and build better lifestyle behaviours for family life. The intervention will draw on habit theory and the COM-B model of behaviour change and use a person-based approach in its development. It will sit within Baby Buddy, the free, NHS-approved pregnancy and parenting app from UK charity Best Beginnings.
Research
Ongoing PhD projects
- Developing an app-based intervention to encourage healthy eating, physical activity and weight management in pregnancy (Alexandra Rhodes)
- Genetic, social, and behavioural risk factors for weight development across infancy (Kristiane Tommerup)
- Nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners and their associations with weight and diet in children (Lisa Heggie)
Ongoing projects
- Gemini - Health and Development in Twins
- NIHR Obesity Policy Research Unit (OPRU)
- Weight Concern
- SWEET project
- Appetite, eating disorders and obesity
- Development of a digital intervention to promote healthy growth during the first 2 years of life
- NEON (Nurture Early for Optimal Nutrition)
- FFES-L (Family Food Experience Study: London)
- APPETItE Project (Appetite in Preschoolers: Producing Evidence for Tailoring Interventions Effectively)
Completed PhD projects
- Using Genome-wide data to investigate the association between obesity and sleep duration (Victoria Garfield)
- The aetiology of emotional eating in childhood (Moritz Herle)
- The impact of eating self-regulatory skills on weight control and dietary behaviours in adults (Nathalie Kliemann)
- Interaction of the built environment and the social environment in the generation of physical activity in adults (Alexia Sawyer)
- Genetic and environmental aetiology of food and drink preferences, and relationships with weight (Andrea Smith)
- Exploring the impact of the early obesogenic home environment on appetite and weight development during childhood (Alice Kininmonth)
- Reducing calorie intake among working adults: Investigating the use of pre-ordering and substitution suggestions to reduce calories consumed in workplace canteens (Sarah Breathnach)
- Sleep, eating behaviour and weight in early childhood (Dr Laura McDonald)
- The relationship between appetitive traits, dietary intake and weight gain in the Gemini cohort (Dr Hayley Syrad)
Completed projects
- Ten Top Tips
- Shape-up LD
- Active Buildings
- Tiny Tastes
- TASTE study
- Evaluation of the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP)
- The UK Pregnancies Better Eating and Activity Trial (UPBEAT)
- Evaluation of the Change for Life programme
- The Twins Early Development Study (TEDS)
- Tips for Tots
- TESCO work
- Upstream to mainstream: low agency interventions for healthy and sustainable food consumption