Health Behaviour and Wellbeing

Group Leader(s): Dr Emma Davies, Professor David Foxcroft

About us

The Health Behaviour and Wellbeing group is an interdisciplinary research team dedicated to investigating the development and impact of prevention efforts for physical and psychological health and wellbeing.

We carry out high quality national and international research studies into the causes, consequences and prevention of poor physical and mental health. The focus of the group is to promote healthy behaviours with a view to preventing or mitigating lifestyle risks to health and wellbeing. The scope of the group spans the harms associated with substance misuse (eg alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs), lifestyle behaviours (eg poor diet, lack of exercise) and poor mental health.

Our research has been supported by grants from the MRC, ESRC, NIHR, CRUK, JRF, the EC and the AHMRC, with over £8 million of funding awarded for research projects and knowledge exchange activities. We welcome enquiries and applications from students interested in pursuing a PhD with our group, and from academics interested in exchanges and visits.”

Team at a Science for Prevention Academic Network event

Part of

Related courses

Public Health (MPH / PGDip / PGCert)
Global Public Health Leadership (MPH / PGDip / PGCert)
Psychology (MSc / PGDip / PGCert)

European Society for Prevention Research

Leadership

Dr Emma Davies

Reader in Psychology

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Professor David Foxcroft

david.foxcroft@brookes.ac.uk

Professor of Community Psychology and Public Health

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Membership

Staff

Name	Role	Email
Dr Jo Brett	Reader	jbrett@brookes.ac.uk
Katy Burch	Assistant Director	kburch@brookes.ac.uk
Mr Lindsey Coombes	Associate Lecturer	elcoombes@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Briony Enser	Associate Lecturer	benser@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Sarah Hennelly	Lecturer in Public Health and Subject Coordinator for Public Health and Global Public Health Leadership	shennelly@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Sarah Howcutt	Programme Lead for Health and Professional Development, Principal Lecturer in Public Health	showcutt@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Louise Taylor	Principal Lecturer Student Experience (PLSE)	louise.e.taylor@brookes.ac.uk

Students

Name	Thesis Title	Supervisors	Completed
Urvita Bhatia	Co-producing a prevention intervention for adolescent substance use and misuse in a sports-based setting in India	Professor David Foxcroft	Active
Mrs Josie Jacobs	Developing a Resilience Intervention to Promote Thriving in Parents of Primary School Children	Dr Emma Davies, Dr Louise Taylor	Active
Fiona Matley	Using automatic processes to change drinking behaviour in midlife adults	Dr Emma Davies	Active
Parvati Perman-Howe	The effect of alcohol strength on alcohol consumption	Professor David Foxcroft	Active
Luke Prout	Self-confidence in non-conveyance decision making amongst paramedics	Professor David Foxcroft	Active
Natalie Wilde	Alcohol Consumption and Mental Health Literacy in Young People	Dr Emma Davies	Active

Collaborators

Name	Role	Organisation
Dr Kimberley Hill	Associate Professor in Psychology	University of Northampton
Dr Parvati Perman Howe	Research Associate	King’s College London

Projects

Active projects

Project title and description	Investigator(s)	Funder(s)	Dates
Examining the impact of the Good Behaviour Game on health-related outcomes for children Universal school-based prevention: examining the impact of the Good Behaviour Game on health-related outcomes for children	Professor David Foxcroft	NIHR	From: March 2017
Alcohol consumption following breast cancer diagnosis	Dr Emma Davies	Brookes Research Excellence Award	From: August 2021
Messaging strategies that communicate the link between alcohol and breast cancer in women aged 40-65 Development and evaluation of messaging strategies that communicate the link between alcohol and breast cancer in women aged 40-65	Dr Emma Davies	Oxford Brookes University	From: September 2020
Community and Hospital Pharmacists and E-cigarettes	Dr Jo Brett	CRUK	From: September 2019
Improving the uptake of bowel cancer screening in the South Asian community	Dr Sarah Howcutt	Bowel Cancer UK	From: September 2018

Completed projects

Project title and description	Investigator(s)	Funder(s)	Dates
Science for Prevention Academic Network (SPAN)	Professor David Foxcroft	European Commission	From: January 2021 Until: December 2016
SFP Cymru: evaluating the impact of the Strengthening Families 10-14 UK Progr. on substance misuse	Professor David Foxcroft	MRC	From: September 2009 Until: December 2014
Steps towards alcohol misuse prevention programme (STAMPP) A school and community based cluster randomised controlled trial	Professor David Foxcroft	NIHR	From: November 2011 Until: April 2016
Drug education in victorian schools (DEVS)	Professor David Foxcroft	Australian Research Council	From: January 2011 Until: June 2014
Knowledge, attitudes and current practice of health professionals regarding the use of e-cigarettes Knowledge, attitudes and current practice of health professionals regarding the use of e-cigarettes and other smoking cessation interventions in cancer survivors	Dr Jo Brett	CRUK	From: March 2016 Until: June 2019
A digital media intervention tool to reduce alcohol misuse in adolescents	Dr Emma Davies	Alcohol Change	From: September 2014 Until: March 2016
Engaging under-represented young women in studies that explore health risk behaviours	Dr Sarah Howcutt	Oxford Brookes University	From: September 2015 Until: February 2021