REACH: Research into Eating, Activity and Health

REACH undertakes research to support everyone to eat well and be physically active.

Research Focus

REACH undertakes research to support everyone to eat well and be physically active. Good nutrition, a healthy relationship with food, and enough physical activity are all vital for our physical and mental well-being. We strongly believe that from birth to the end of life, everyone should have appropriate behavioural support to live as well as they can.

What we do

REACH undertakes research into four main areas:

(1) Understanding what shapes our energy balance behaviours (eating and activity);

(2) Understanding how energy balance behaviours influence our physical and mental health;

(3) Developing and testing interventions that aim to improve energy balance behaviours (and physical and mental health outcomes);

(4) Gathering evidence needed to inform public health policies focused on energy balance behaviours.

Expertise

We have topic expertise in: several non-communicable diseases (e.g. obesity, eating/feeding disorders, and cancer), energy balance behaviours across the lifespan (feeding/eating behaviour, diet/nutrition, and physical activity), behaviour change theory, and digital health.

We have methodological expertise in: epidemiology; behaviour genetics; intervention design; trial management; measurement of eating/feeding behaviour, dietary intake and physical activity; evidence reviews (e.g. systematic reviews and meta-analyses); and qualitative research. We are advocates of public and patient involvement and engagement (PPIE) and our research aims to include everyone and benefit everyone.

Cross-cutting themes

1. Understanding inequalities in energy balance behaviours and uptake of behavioural interventions

2. Methodological innovation

3. Digital health

Group led by:

This group is led by Professor Clare Llewellyn and Professor Abi Fisher.

Group members

Research staff (UCL): 

• Professor Clare Llewellyn
• Professor Abi Fisher
• Dr Rana Conway
• Dr Zeynep Nas
• Dr Kristiane Tommerup
• Dr Sam Dicken
• Dr Fiona Kennedy
• Dr Alex Rhodes
• Caroline Buck
• Hannah Truscott
• Leanne Shearsmith

Honorary staff:

• Dr Alison Fildes
• Dr Andrea Smith
• Dr Alice Kininmonth
• Dr Moritz Herle

Key Collaborators:

• Dr Helen Croker
• Dr Pippa Lally
• Professor Russell Viner
• Dr Oliver Mytton

PhD students:

• Chiara Gericke
• Natalie Miller
• Eunice Wang
• Preeyapat Mangkalard
• Bianca Marella
• Gabriella Heuchan
• Hannah Bowden
• Sylvie Majorova
• Susan Smith

Research

Research projects

• Gemini Twin Cohort
• APPETItE Project (Appetite in Preschoolers: Producing Evidence for Tailoring Interventions Effectively)
• APPROACH: Using a mobile application to promote physical activity after cancer
• BABY STEPS
• BRIGHT
• RADAR/RADIUS
• UPDATE
• FES-L (Family Food Experience Study: London)
• 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)
• Evaluation of the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP)