The Obesity Research Group

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: Dr Clare Llewellyn, Dr Pippa Lally, Dr Andrea Smith, and Dr Ali Fildes.

PhD students: Sarah Breathnach, Alexandra Rhodes and Alice Kininmonth.

Research

Ongoing PhD projects

• Reducing calorie intake among working adults: Investigating the use of pre-ordering and substitution suggestions to reduce calories consumed in workplace canteens (Sarah Breathnach)
• Developing an app-based intervention to encourage healthy eating, physical activity and weight management in pregnancy (Alexandra Rhodes)
• Exploring the impact of the early obesogenic home environment on appetite and weight development during childhood (Alice Kininmonth) 

Ongoing projects

• Gemini - Health and Development in Twins
• NIHR Obesity Policy Research Unit (OPRU)
• Weight Concern
• SWEET project
• Appetite, eating disorders and obesity
• Upstream to mainstream: low agency interventions for healthy and sustainable food consumption

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)

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

Publications - Clare Llewellyn

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