Tag Archives: Rachel Povey

Psychologists from the UK & France gather at Staffordshire University to discuss the psychology of children’s healthy eating behaviours

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By Dr Rachel Povey, Associate Professor in Health Psychology.

On 25th April 2018, the first of three research seminars on psychological perspectives on healthy eating in children was held at Staffordshire University. The seminars are funded by the British Psychological Society, and was organized by myself in collaboration with colleagues at Aston University (Professor Jackie Blissett and Dr Claire Farrow).  Psychologists from all over the UK and France attended and presented findings from their research.

The day opened with a stimulating talk by Dr Angel Chater (University of Bedfordshire) providing an insight into experiences of barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption among foodbank clients. This was followed in the morning by a wide range of thought-provoking talks which examined healthy eating in childhood from pre-school up to adolescence.  Presentations focused on different factors found to influence healthy eating in young children including genetic factors, exposure to different foods and parent-child interactions. Studies involving older children focused on peer influences and included interventions which used social media to change eating behaviour.

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The afternoon began with a fascinating presentation by Lisa Cowap (Staffordshire University) on a school-based intervention which used simple plans to improve snacking behaviour in primary school children. Following presentations described different ways of changing children’s eating behaviour, from using carefully-designed Apps, to creative techniques to get children more engaged with the food they eat. Finally, the day closed with an inspiring talk by Dr Sophie Nicklaus (French National Institute for Agricultural Research), on how to help children make healthy food choices by emphasizing pleasure.

Overall it was a fascinating and motivating day which provided an opportunity for psychologists researching children’s eating behaviour to network and share ideas. The next research seminar will take place in Autumn.

British Psychological Society: Society funds event on the psychology behind children’s eating habits

InPsych: Dr Rachel Povey featured in The Sentinel newspaper discussing children’s fussy eating habits

Staffordshire University – The Home of Health Psychology

Staffordshire University’s Centre for Health Psychology is a centre of excellence for teaching and research in Health Psychology, and is home to Staffordshire’s BPS Accredited Stage 1 MSc in Health Psychology and Stage 2 Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology. The Centre for Health Psychology is part of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research.

Keep updated with the latest Health Psychology news from Staffordshire University via following us on @StaffsPsych and via the #HealthPsychStaffs hashtag.

For further information about Health Psychology courses and research at Staffordshire University please visit the following webpages:

 

Dr Rachel Povey featured in The Sentinel newspaper discussing children’s fussy eating habits

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Dr Rachel Povey

Dr Rachel Povey (Associate Professor in Health Psychology) has been featured in the Stoke/Staffordshire Sentinel newspaper commenting why children may be ‘fussy eaters’. Dr Povey and her colleagues have recently received funding from the British Psychological Society to hold a series of research seminars to discuss new research findings and best practice for promoting healthy eating behaviours amongst children. A link to The Sentinel article can be found below:

The Sentinel: The shocking reason why our children are such fussy eaters

Dr Povey conducts research into healthy eating behaviours and specialises in understanding children’s eating behaviours and promoting healthier food choices amongst younger age groups. Some of Dr Povey’s recent research involves understanding children’s food choices and beliefs about healthy eating, including why primary school age children think eating fruit and vegetables makes them viewed as a ‘square’ by their peers – see below for a blog post by Dr Povey discussing these research findings:

InPsych Blog: “They think I’m a square for eating them” – New research into children’s beliefs about fruit and vegetables

Staffordshire University – The Home of Health Psychology

Staffordshire University’s Centre for Health Psychology is a centre of excellence for teaching and research in Health Psychology, and is home to Staffordshire’s BPS Accredited Stage 1 MSc in Health Psychology and Stage 2 Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology. The Centre for Health Psychology is part of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research.

Keep updated with the latest Health Psychology news from Staffordshire University via following us on @StaffsPsych and via the #HealthPsychStaffs hashtag.

For further information about Health Psychology courses and research at Staffordshire University please visit the following webpages:

Fifth Staffordshire Health Psychology Conference held in June 2017

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Staffordshire University’s 5th Health Psychology Conference took place at the end of June 2017 in the University’s Science Centre. My name is Meghan Linscott and as a funded first year Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology student (working at Stoke-on-Trent City Council across Public Health and Planning) I was not only a delegate, I delivered a poster presentation and the Digital Health workshop (alongside my peer Stephanie Dugdale).

The conference was very well organised and run by health psychology trainees (I assisted the conference organising team). The conference was a great way to bring the University’s health psychology community together to network, share our hard work, gain experience and confidence in a conference setting and celebrate the end of the academic year! Overall, the conference is one of the ways the University enables its budding health psychologists (and those researching and working in health psychology, such as PhD students) to enhance their personal and professional development.

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The quality and range of presentations was fabulous and included a number of ‘double act’ oral presentations, posters and co-facilitated workshops. I was pleased the programme included a good mix of both academic and applied content. I would love to see the conference include a symposium and panel session in the years to come; I think the potential to grow this conference is great.

Professor Daryl O’Connor

Unforeseen circumstances resulted in a last minute change in our keynote speaker. Initially the keynote was a former Professional Doctorate student from the University. I feel this demonstrates the high standard to which students graduate. Furthermore, we were able to secure a fantastic alternative – Professor Daryl O’Connor who delivered a fascinating presentation about the Japanese concept of ’karoshi’ and the effects of stress on health and wellbeing. I believe this is a testament to the excellent connections and networks the University has developed, as well as the positive reputation Staffordshire University holds.

The turn-out was heart-warming and I would like to thank staff from both the University and all of our placement settings, as well as my peers for their attendance and continued support. The atmosphere both within the Science Centre and on Twitter was inspiring. You can find me on twitter @MeghLins

I am looking forward to being more heavily involved in the organisation of Staffordshire University’s 6th Health Psychology Conference next year and have no doubt it will once again be a huge success.

Staffordshire University – The Home of Health Psychology

Staffordshire University’s Centre for Health Psychology is a centre of excellence for teaching and research in Health Psychology, and is home to Staffordshire’s BPS Accredited Stage 1 MSc in Health Psychology and Stage 2 Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology. The Centre for Health Psychology is part of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research.

Keep updated with the latest Health Psychology news from Staffordshire University via following us on @StaffsPsych and via the #HealthPsychStaffs hashtag.

For further information about Health Psychology courses and research at Staffordshire University please visit the following webpages:

Funded Bursary for a Trainee on the Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology at Staffordshire University

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An exciting opportunity has arisen through collaborations between the Centre for Health Psychology at Staffordshire University and The Hollies Pupil Referral Unit for a bursary for two years for a full time trainee Health Psychologist. The trainee will be based within The Hollies Pupil Referral Unit in Stafford.

The Hollies PRU is a double district PRU serving the Stafford and South Staffordshire districts. We provide education for any young person without a school place. We currently serve 13 secondary schools, 7 middle schools and all primary schools. The Hollies is maintained by Staffordshire County Council and provides education for children who are excluded, risk of exclusion, or otherwise unable to attend a mainstream or special maintained school. The local authority has a duty under section 19 of the Education Act 1996 to provide suitable education for children of compulsory school age who cannot attend school. Very often such pupils are described as displaying EBD – Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, exasperated by unsettled domestic situations, a propensity towards criminal behaviour, bullying, or (conversely) having been the victim of bullying. A PRU is treated the same as any other type of school, subject to the same inspections from Ofsted. Since September 2010, some PRUs are referred to as “Short Stay Schools”, although the government still broadly refers to them as PRUs or Alternative Provision (APs). We currently have 57 pupils aged 11-16 on roll and 10 primary pupils.

The work will involve developing face-to-face and group interventions to promote physical health with students, developing health psychology-related training for students and staff, and conducting research to explore factors influencing aspects of physical health of this group of students. The role will also involve supporting some lessons and supporting the class teacher, contributing to staff and multi-agency meetings and contributing to whole school CPD. The candidate would be expected to engage with the school, and take part in all aspects of the school day.

The role will be undertaken in conjunction with training as a full-time student on the Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology at Staffordshire University. The bursary is fixed at £12,000 per year, for two years, and presents a unique opportunity for a highly motivated and professional person to complete their health psychology training, directly supported by The Hollies. (The bursary comprises fees of £6,200 per year paid and a contribution of £5,800 per annum towards living and study costs).

Person Specification

In order to apply for this bursary, applicants must have the following skills, experience and qualifications (click here for the bursary advert):

Essential

• Hold an honours degree recognised by the British Psychological Society as offering Graduate Basis for Chartership;

• Have completed British Psychological Society accredited Stage 1 training in Health Psychology. That is either have been awarded a BPS accredited MSc in Health Psychology with a grade of Merit (or 60% average ) or above, or the BPS Stage 1 qualification in health psychology with a grade of 60% or more.

Desirable

• An interest in working with children who are disaffected and disadvantaged aged 4-16, often with mental health issues;
• An interest in collaborative working.

Please note: students whose first language is not English must have achieved a minimum of Level 7 across all categories on IELTS. Once successful, the applicant would be expected to pass all statutory clearances such as DBS, Occupational Health Checks, Self-Declaration of General Good Character and Good Health Form, and Contract of Professional Behaviour before they engage with the programme.

To Apply

To apply please send or e-mail a covering letter and CV with contact details of two referees to Dr Rachel Povey (r.povey@staffs.ac.uk) by noon on 18th July 2017.

Interviews will be held in Stoke-on-Trent on 20th July 2017.

For any further information, please contact Dr Rachel Povey (r.povey@staffs.ac.uk).

Staffordshire University – The Home of Health Psychology

Staffordshire University’s Centre for Health Psychology is a centre of excellence for teaching and research in Health Psychology, and is home to Staffordshire’s BPS Accredited Stage 1 MSc in Health Psychology and Stage 2 Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology. The Centre for Health Psychology is part of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research.

Keep updated with the latest Health Psychology news from Staffordshire University via following us on @StaffsPsych and via the #HealthPsychStaffs hashtag.

For further information about Health Psychology courses and research at Staffordshire University please visit the following webpages:

Funded PhD opportunity in the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research, Department of Psychology

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We are delighted to welcome applications for a funded PhD opportunity in the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research, Department of Psychology, for an anticipated September 2017 start date.

The PhD project is titled “The role of social norms in reducing belief in conspiracy theories” and will be supervised by Dr Daniel Jolley (Principal Supervisor, Lecturer in Psychology), Dr Robert Dempsey (Lecturer in Psychology) and Dr Rachel Povey (Associate Professor in Health Psychology).

Project Background:

Belief in conspiracy theories is widespread in society. Whilst belief in conspiracy theories may fulfil needs such as control (e.g., Whitson, et al., 2015), they are potentially dangerous; exposure to conspiracy theories reduces people’s engagement in a variety of behaviours, including vaccinations (e.g., Jolley & Douglas, 2014a, 2014b). Examining tools to address conspiracy theories is therefore timely. Broadly speaking, this novel project will therefore build on existing research by exploring the relationship between perceived social norms and conspiracy beliefs and develop interventions that will help combat the effects of conspiracy theories.

This PhD project has three phases:

  1. a systematic literature review,
  2. empirical studies understanding the psychological mechanisms underlying social norms and conspiracy beliefs,
  3. the development of attitudinal and behaviour change interventions (e.g., improving vaccine uptake).

This three year funded PhD and includes a fee waiver equivalent to the home/EU rate and a tax-free stipend of £14,553 p.a. over the three years of the project. In addition to their PhD studies, the successful applicant will also deliver up to six hours per week of teaching or teaching-related support and will join the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research which provides a supportive research environment in the Department of Psychology.

We recommend that you make contact with the Principal Supervisor (Dr Daniel Jolley, daniel.jolley@staffs.ac.uk), to receive the full project outline and/or to enquire about this PhD opportunity.

Applications

Details on how to apply (alongside qualification requirements) for the funded PhD opportunity can be found here. Applications (a CV and a covering letter) need to emailed to the Staffordshire University Graduate School by 4th August 2017 (details and the email address for the Graduate School can be found here).

The Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research is home to research activity in the Psychology Department at Staffordshire Centre. The Centre is home to a number of research-active psychologists who are engaged in research across a wide range of psychological subdisciplines. The Centre has two overarching research streams: Health and Behaviour Change and Applied Perception and Cognition.

The Centre provides training for PhD students, Research Masters degrees, as well as Professional Doctorates in Clinical and Health Psychology (click here for more details). The Centre also provides bespoke training to private and public organisations, as well as expertise for consultancy research opportunities. For more details about the Centre, its research activities, events and consultancy, please visit our website (click here).

Dr Rachel Povey blogs on encouraging children to make healthy choices

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Dr Rachel Povey (Associate Professor in Health Psychology & Co-director of Staffordshire University’s Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology) blogs about her recent research on encouraging healthy eating amongst schoolchildren and public engagement:

Last November I was invited to give an assembly at a primary school in Stockport, in order to promote their “healthy eating” week.  I hadn’t given an assembly before, and was apprehensive, but excited about speaking to 420 primary school children.

I produced a few colourful slides about making healthy eating choices, and together with Lisa Cowap, we launched our assembly. The fun part was luring the head teacher with an iced doughnut, and asking a number of children to come out and try and persuade her to eat an apple instead.

At the end of the assembly Lisa and I launched a competition where we asked children to design a poster advert to persuade people to eat fruit and vegetables. The competition was designed in collaboration with a local book shop (@simplybooksNo1) who donated vouchers to spend in their shop for the prizes. The competition inspired children to produce lots of brilliant artwork, with some also using excellent motivational messages.  A panel of independent judges rated the work, and a winner and two runners up were chosen. The winners were announced in an assembly in January, and all three winning entries are now on show in Simply Books café (see below). The experience was a rewarding one, and if it encourages even a few children to think about making healthy choices, it was worth it.

 

Staffordshire University – The Home of Health Psychology

Staffordshire University’s Centre for Health Psychology is a centre of excellence for teaching and research in Health Psychology, and is home to Staffordshire’s BPS Accredited Stage 1 MSc in Health Psychology and Stage 2 Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology. The Centre for Health Psychology is part of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research.

Keep updated with the latest Health Psychology news from Staffordshire University via following us on @StaffsPsych and via the #HealthPsychStaffs hashtag.

For further information about Health Psychology courses and research at Staffordshire University please visit the following webpages:

A Training Programme for Practice Nurses: Motivating Dietary Change Among People with Type 2 Diabetes

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[PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED]

Staffordshire University’s Centre for Health Psychology, in collaboration with Diabetes UK, are facilitating a training programme for Practice Nurses in July 2017.

Changing patients’ attitudes towards dietary change can be quite challenging for Practice Nurses. This training programme aims to address and examine the social, emotional and psychological obstacles that people with diabetes are challenged with when trying to change their diets. The day will also teach you some helpful techniques to encourage and motivate your patients and support them to make to the necessary changes to their dietary behaviour so they can live long and healthy lives.

The programme will be supported by an innovative Resource Pack which has been designed and developed by Dr Rachel Povey (Associate Professor in Health Psychology and Registered Health Psychologist). Resources from the pack will be described throughout the training day, and you will be given the opportunity to practise using them.  At the end of the training day you will be given your own Resource Pack to take home as well as a certificate of attendance.In addition, this study day will be a great opportunity for networking and to discuss professional issues, best practices and share experiences.

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 Event details

The event will be held at our Stoke on Trent, Leek Road Campus, ST4 2DF (Only a short walk away from the Stoke on Trent railway station accessible from Manchester, Birmingham and London)

Date: Wednesday 26th July 2017, 10am – 4:30pm

Delegate Fee: £125.00 – Includes lunch, refreshments and a Resource Pack

Time Activity
10:00 Introduction & Welcome
10:15 Session One:

  1. Type 2 diabetes & its management
  2. Dietary guidelines
  3. Your role as a nurse
  4. Introduction to motivating change
11:00 Refreshment Break
11:30 Session Two: Motivating change
12:30 Diabetes UK: Supporting Primary Care to Achieve Targets
13.00 Lunch
13:45 Session Three:

  1. Perceptions and misperceptions of dietary advice
  2. Putting the message across
14:45 Refreshment Break
15.15 Session Four:

  1. First steps
  2. Making and maintaining changes
16:15 Summary
16.30 CLOSE

Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

For any further information concerning this event please contact the events coordinator: Debra Hayes on d.l.hayes@staffs.ac.uk or 01782 294308.

Staffordshire University – The Home of Health Psychology

Staffordshire University’s Centre for Health Psychology is a centre of excellence for teaching and research in Health Psychology, and is home to Staffordshire’s BPS Accredited Stage 1 MSc in Health Psychology and BPS Accredited Stage 2 Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology.

The Centre for Health Psychology is part of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research and the School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise, one of the leading research-active academic schools for Psychology and Sport degrees situated in the heart of England.

For further information about Health Psychology courses and research at Staffordshire University please visit the following webpages:

“They think I’m a square for eating them” – New research into children’s beliefs about fruit and vegetables

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Dr Rachel Povey

This month, Dr Rachel Povey and Lisa Cowap have had their article “They think I’m a square for eating them”: Children’s beliefs about fruit and vegetables in England published in the British Food Journal. The article was written together with Lucy Gratton, a Public Health Development Officer from Staffordshire Public Health.

The article describes the results from an interview study where 9-11 year old children were asked about their views of fruit and vegetables. The children were all attending an after school club associated with a primary school in a deprived area in the West Midlands.

The results from the study were encouraging in that the children seemed to have a very good awareness of the health benefits of eating fruit and vegetables. However, children were also found to hold negative beliefs towards fruit and vegetables. Some of these beliefs were associated with the senses (such as taste and texture), for example, one child described eating a mushroom to be like “eating a small furry animal” and another suggested that mushrooms tasted like “slimy worms”.

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Parents were found to be positive influences on children’s eating habits, but surprisingly siblings and friends were sometimes shown to have negative influences, including teasing children for being “square” for eating fruit and vegetables. Recommendations from this study are to make fruit and vegetables more appealing to children, and also to develop interventions which focus on the influence of friends and siblings. Rachel Povey and Lisa Cowap are now developing this research further by designing and evaluating class-based healthy eating workshops for primary schools.

Both Rachel and Lisa are members of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research and the Centre for Health Psychology based at Staffordshire University. For more details of their study, please click on the below link:

Staffordshire University – The Home of Health Psychology

Staffordshire University’s Centre for Health Psychology is a Psy1centre of excellence for teaching and research in Health Psychology, and is home to Staffordshire’s BPS Accredited Stage 1 MSc in Health Psychology and BPS Accredited Stage 2 Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology.

The Centre for Health Psychology is part of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research and the School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise, one of the leading research-active academic schools for Psychology and Sport degrees situated in the heart of England.

For further information about Health Psychology courses and research at Staffordshire University please visit the following webpages:

Growing Success at the Fourth Staffordshire Health Psychology Conference!

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Dr Rachel Povey (Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology) reports on a successful conference held by Staffordshire University’s Centre for Health Psychology:

At the end of June, Staffordshire University’s 4th Health Psychology Conference took place in the Science Centre. This year the conference had grown to 50 delegates who included undergraduate and postgraduate students, graduates, and external partners. The conference had a real buzz about it and as well as the usual oral paper presentations, this year’s programme included posters and workshops for the first time. The conference organization for this year had also changed, with a group of health psychology trainees collaborating with me in the planning and running of the conference (Lisa Cowap, Nicola Stenberg and Harpreet Sohal).

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The oral programme was kicked off by Adam Boughey, a 4th year trainee who presented a behaviour change intervention using yoga for smoking cessation. A number of thought-provoking papers followed, some of which focused on outcomes of research, others were more reflective discussions from trainees on the Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology. The conference finished with a fascinating keynote from Dr Daniel Masterson, a Health Psychologist and recent graduate of the Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology. Daniel presented his interesting and challenging work as a health psychologist working in the novel environment of urban planning.

Aug16 Health Psych Conf 1

Dr Daniel Masterson delivers his keynote talk on urban planning

Prizes were awarded to current PhD Student Sian Calvert for the best poster for her work investigating healthy eating behaviours and social norms in high schools, and to health psychology trainee Harpreet Sohal for the best oral paper. Overall, the conference was a great success, with lots of positive feedback including “one of the best conferences I have attended” and “it has inspired me to conduct further research”.  A great day all round!

 Staffordshire University – The Home of Health Psychology

Staffordshire University’s Centre for Health Psychology is a Psy1centre of excellence for teaching and research in Health Psychology, and is home to Staffordshire’s BPS Accredited Stage 1 MSc in Health Psychology and BPS Accredited Stage 2 Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology. The Centre for Health Psychology is part of the School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise, one of the leading research-active academic schools for Psychology and Sport degrees situated in the heart of England.

For further information about Health Psychology courses and research at Staffordshire University please visit the following webpages:

Funded Bursary for a Trainee on the Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology at Staffordshire University

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The Department of Psychology & Centre for Health Psychology at Staffordshire University are delighted to announce a second funded student bursary for Staffordshire’s highly successful Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology Programme.

The bursary has been provided by Stoke City Council and is worth £16K per annum for two years. The trainee will be working within the Safe and Healthy Communities Team, and will be providing academic support into two areas of work: healthy urban planning and public mental wellbeing. The successful applicant will join a team working with Dr. Daniel Masterson, a graduate from Staffordshire University’s Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology, and a registered Health Psychologist, who is currently working at Stoke City Council as a Senior Researcher.

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Dr Rachel Povey

Dr Rachel Povey, Co-Director of the Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology said: “We are very excited about this new bursary. This bursary will not only result in strengthening our existing partnership with Stoke-on-Trent City Council and but will also provide an exciting opportunity for a health psychology trainee to gain their competences in an applied environment.”

How to Apply: Further details about the bursary and the application process are available here (click here). Please note that the closing date for receipt of applications is 12 noon on Thursday 14th July 2016.

For further information about this exciting opportunity please contact Dr Rachel Povey (r.povey@staffs.ac.uk).

The Home of Health Psychology – Staffordshire University

Staffordshire University’s Centre for Health Psychology is a Psy1centre of excellence for teaching and research in Health Psychology, and is home to Staffordshire’s BPS Accredited Stage 1 MSc in Health Psychology and BPS Accredited Stage 2 Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology. The Centre for Health Psychology is part of the School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise, one of the leading research-active academic schools for Psychology and Sport degrees situated in the heart of England.

For further information about Health Psychology courses and research at Staffordshire University please visit the following webpages: