Some of you may be aware that for the last 7 years, in addition to my role as Head of Service for stop smoking programmes in London, I have been also (slowly)working on my PhD degree. My research focused on the utilisation of Fitness Trackers as part of one of Thrive Tribe’s weight management interventions (Healthy Hearts). I am happy to share that in January, I successfully defended my research work during the viva and was granted the Doctor’s title (Psychology).

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I would like to share two pieces of content below. Firstly, a fragment of my PhD thesis acknowledgement section. Secondly, an article I wrote to provide some reflections from a conference I attended recently to present my PhD work. Enjoy the read 😊

My PhD thesis acknowledgments.

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I want to thank Thrive Tribe, an organisation on a mission to empower over one million people to change their behaviours and thrive. I could not have imagined a better organisation to work for. I am so grateful that I was able to have access to one of the many healthy lifestyle interventions Thrive Tribe provides. Special thanks go to Tim Roberts,Andy Emerson and Richard Crick for being on board with my research project from day one, enabling me to have the flexibility to fit my studies around my job and supporting me throughout.

Massive thanks are also due to all Healthy Hearts service users and Health Professionals who participated in this study. Your contribution has been invaluable. The recruitment of participants would not have been possible, however, without the support of so many Thrive Tribe work colleagues who have a true passion for reducing health inequalities and delivering excellent services that change lives. Big thanks go to all who got involved in the study or supported me in my role (including my stop-smoking teams)to enable me to focus on my PhD. 

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Reflections on the 2024BSPHN Conference on Using Behavioural Science to Address Shared Challenges for Prevention.

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In February 2024, I attended the Behavioural Science and Public Health Network(BSPHN) Annual Conference focusing on ‘Using Behavioural Science to Address Shared Challenges for Prevention’. It was a thought-provoking and well-organised event with a specific focus on health inequalities and a great range of inspiring speakers.

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My place at the event was funded by the conference organisers and I was also given an opportunity to present my research titled: ‘It’s like a metronome in my life’ – Exploring the Impact of Fitness Trackers in Weight Management Interventions. This qualitative work constitutes the second phase of a mixed-design research project conducted as part of my PhD in Psychology (at the University of West London) and investigated the service users’ experiences of utilising Fitness Trackers as part of the Tier 2 weight management programme ‘Healthy Hearts’ delivered by Thrive Tribe. Healthy Hearts was an intervention designed for obese individuals living in the most deprived areas of Central London. This research explored the perceptions of both service users and health professionals delivering the intervention with the addition of Fitness Trackers.As part of my research, Healthy Hearts service users from deprived areas were provided with a free Fitness Tracker to enable self-monitoring. The study tested whether receiving such a tool leads to different intervention outcomes in terms of weight and physical activity. The results showed improved intervention outcomes as well as improved engagement in those using Fitness Trackers.

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This article was written to share my reflections on the event that is so closely aligned with my area of work. Aside from focusing on Tier 2 weight management intervention as part of my PhD research, my professional role involves working in the domain of smoking cessation. Smoking stands out as one of the most influential factors contributing to health inequalities and poor health outcomes. Since completing my MSc in Health Psychology in 2011, I have been delivering and evaluating numerous stop-smoking programmes for various communities across London. Currently, asHead of Stop Smoking Services at Thrive Tribe, my role involves working closely with Local Authority commissioners to ensure our stop smoking services deliver what is expected and that we innovate and tailor our provision to ensure the services we provide reach the most deprived segments of the population, and people who need our support the most.

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All conference speakers were truly inspiring and witnessing Sir Marmot deliver his powerful talk was a key highlight of the event. Many other presentations were particularly relevant to my work and I would like to highlight a few.

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As my work increasingly evolves towards the co-production of interventions, I found the presentation delivered by Ashley Gould on ‘Behavioural Science and Public Health: Certainty,Complexity, Contexity’ particularly useful. It highlighted that what experts often assume to be a solution to a problem regarding a particular behaviour,often does not align with what intervention users feel. I found the quote by Brene Brown used by Ashley ‘Rather than walking in someone else’s shoes, I need to learn how to listen to the story of what it’s like in your shoes and believe you even when it does not match my experiences’ to be very powerful and one I will remember in my work.

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As deprived communities often face complex social, economic, and environmental factors that influence smoking behaviours, it is crucial to listen to lived experiences and involve community members in the co-production process, so that interventions can be tailored to the specific contexts and realities of these communities. Moreover,co-production fosters a sense of ownership and empowerment within the community, as service users are actively involved in shaping solutions to the issues they face. This can lead to more sustainable interventions and long-term behaviour change.

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As prevention and the reduction of health inequalities have been the main drivers of my work in smoking cessation, the BSPHN event provided a unique opportunity to learn about the most recent developments in the field. Since my doctoral work involved looking at the COM-B model, I found the workshop on COM-B/TDF application delivered by Dr Lou Atkinson and Dr Grainne Dickerson particularly useful. The examples of COM-B utilisation provided by presenters and colleagues in the room strengthened my understanding of the model and its applications.

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Being involved in academic work as well as spending a big portion of my time delivering interventions working for Thrive Tribe, it was refreshing to see such a great attendance of delegates from the Public Health (PH) domain. It was especially interesting to hear about the focus on the creation of Behaviour Change Units and how these are becoming more popular within Local Authorities. For someone who concentrates on the delivery of behavioural change interventions and works closely with PH commissioners, it was interesting to learn how much interest there was in embedding behavioural science at the core of what Local Authorities do. The presentation titled ‘Reflections on, and considerations for, embedding behavioural science in local government’ delivered by DrEllie Whittaker was particularly insightful.

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The conference created a great opportunity to share knowledge and learn from top experts in the field. It also provided a chance to examine various behavioural approaches across multiple sectors e.g., intervention providers, academia, and Public Health. All perspectives were unique and the conference highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and coming together to address the challenges we face.

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The sessions I attended provided great opportunities to expand my knowledge and get involved in productive discussions. The conference also enabled me to build several new connections and share my work with others. I am looking forward to applying the knowledge absorbed during this event in my work, especially as my role evolves to focus more on the co-production of interventions to empower communities wework with and contribute to the collective effort towards reducing health inequalities. As Sir Marmot so eloquently reminded us all - there is plenty of work to be done to reduce health disparities. But with all the expertise, the wealth of knowledge and energy that we collectively have, there is also hope.