Exploring policy interventions to improve equitable access to healthy food at University of Southampton on FindAPhD.com

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Dr D Smith No more applications being accepted Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Southampton United Kingdom Built Environment Human Geography Geography Nursing & Health Public Policy Urban Planning

About the Project

We would expect the candidate to develop a research proposal around the following topic:

This project provides an opportunity for the candidate to shape research methods in collaboration with supervisors from academic and local authority organisations, which supports implementation of findings where appropriate. There are observed inequalities in access to healthy food, which can result in poorer quality diet and health outcomes in populations. This research will aim to answer a series of aligned questions which are currently under-researched, including: how do people travel to buy food; does mode of travel influence diet quality; is there a relationship between public transport links and diet quality in deprived areas; does home food and grocery delivery impact on diet quality; and what are barriers to food aid? The research will take the form of a three paper PhD, including a systematic review, mixed methods data collection and potentially a feasibility study of one proposed intervention to improve food access in a deprived community.

There is scope to shift the focus towards the candidate’s own interests in the theme of food access and diet quality. A notable benefit of the project is the alignment with local government and policy focus, the candidate will have a greater exposure to and understanding of policy decisions in local government in addition to gaining methodological experience in the data collection. Diet quality is a key topic which influences population health, and while much has been studied about food purchasing and access, there is limited research on the role of transportation. The issues of distance and time need to be better understood

Funding Notes

The South Coast DTP fund students undertaking Masters + PhD programmes (1+3 funding) and stand-alone PhD programmes (+3 funding). In addition to covering the cost of programme fees, those in receipt of a South Coast DTP studentship award will also receive an annual maintenance grant of £17,668 (2022/23 UKRI rate). South Coast DTP PhD students will also have access to additional funding for things such as carrying out fieldwork, purchasing essential equipment and attending relevant conferences

References

Academic Qualifications: For all studentships, students must have qualifications of the standard of a good honours degree at first- or upper second-class level, from a UK academic higher education institution. Degree qualifications gained from outside the UK, or a combination of qualifications and/or experience that is equivalent to a relevant UK degree, may be accepted. If you have completed a master's degree, you should have achieved a merit or above including 60% for the dissertation. If you have not completed a master's, you'll need to show you can produce high quality writing and analysis.
English language requirements: If English isn't your first language, you'll need to complete an English Language test to demonstrate your competence in English. You'll need all of the following IELTS (or equivalent) scores as a minimum: overall score 6.5, writing 6.0, reading 6.0, speaking 6.0, listening 6.0. Your awarded certificate needs to be dated within the last 2 years.
Residential Eligibility: The South Coast DTP is able to accept applications from UK and International applicants to all of our accredited disciplines/pathways, however due to UKRI funding conditions, awards to non-UK residents are capped at 30% of our overall allocation.
THE FIRST APPLICATION FORM YOU NEED TO COMPLETE IS FOR YOUR CHOSEN PROGRAMME OF STUDY (PhD Geography and Environmental Science at University of Southampton): https://www.southampton.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research . You'll need to send us: your CV with details of your academic record and research interests; your academic transcript; details of 2 current academic referees, with their institutional email addresses; a short statement of your research interests and reasons for choosing the projects you're applying for; IELTS or TOEFL certificate if English is not your first language. THE SECOND APPLICATION FORM WHICH REQUIRES COMPLETION IS THE SOUTH COAST DTP FUNDING APPLICATION FORM ON THE DTP WEBSITE: https://southcoastdtp.ac.uk/