Health, Care or Voluntary Sector Role: Research Officer
Supporting Organisation: Healthwatch Essex
I'm a Research Officer at Healthwatch Essex. I am passionate about listening to lived experiences to help drive meaningful improvements in health and social care services. My key interests lie in mental health and wellbeing, and I'm dedicated to using research to create positive change. Outside of work, I love spending time outdoors, going for walks and connecting with friends.
I am excited for the opportunity to share my passion for research through this programme, expand on my research skills and continue making a difference to the field of health and social care. I am also eager to build on my self-confidence by meeting other fellows, engaging in conversations and supporting one another through our projects!
About Betany's fellowship project
Title: Weight and wellbeing in young people: exploring experiences engaging with and responding to weight management programmes
Childhood obesity has been identified as one of the most pressing health challenges in the UK, and the UK governments' ambition is to halve childhood obesity by 2030 (Department of Health and Social Care, 2018). However, tackling childhood obesity requires addressing a range of contributing factors, such as weight stigma, misinformation online and wider social and cultural determinants. Terms such as 'obese' and 'obesity' often hold negative connotations that can be damaging to young people (Kaufman et al., 2020). This can be emotionally harmful, and lead to avoidance in conversations around weight, the adoption of unhealthy eating behaviours and seeking unsuitable weight loss techniques online (Moormon et al., 2020). Many young people use social media for guidance on weight management, however, these platforms expose them to misinformation and promote weight loss techniques that may not be suitable for a younger audience. Despite the growing awareness around the harmful effects of weight stigma and misinformation online, there is limited existing research exploring how young people engage with harmful content, and also, more positive local initiatives. How do young people internalise this information, and how does it influence their decisions regarding weight management activities? This project aims address this gap, exploring how young people engage with and respond to weight management programs promoted online. This will provide valuable insight into how future initiatives can be communicated more sensitively to young people, fostering a more supportive environment for their engagement in healthy activities.
Supervisor: Professor Kristy Sanderson, University of East Anglia
Contact Bethany: Bethany.pittuck@healthwatchessex.org.uk