The impact of local neighbourhood environment on lifestyle behaviours and health outcomes

Three Year Funded PhD Studentship
School/Department: Department of Health Sciences/Diabetes Research Centre
Supervisors: Dr Danielle Bodicoat and Professor Kamlesh Khunti
Expected Start Date: October 2017
Eligibility: UK/EU and international applicants
Application Close Date: Open until filled
Mode of Study: Full-time

This PhD project will involve analysing large existing datasets to explore associations between the local neighbourhood environment, physical health, and mental health.

Low physical activity levels and poor diet are major contributors to the ongoing obesity epidemic. Inducing desirable changes in such behaviours is however extremely difficult, in part because modern lifestyles and environments are often not conducive to making such changes. The local neighbourhood environment (the environment in close geographical proximity to a person’s home or place of work) is one such aspect, which may play a role in enabling or prohibiting lifestyle changes that could improve health. For example, a variety of easily accessible fast food options may encourage poor dietary choices, which can subsequently impact negatively on health. Consequently, in many locations, public health advocates and local providers make or prevent changes to the local environment on the premise that such factors will impact on the health of the local population.

However, it is currently unclear whether the neighbourhood environment does indeed affect behaviours and health, because research in this area has been limited or has methodological limitations. The concern is that associations may be due to reverse causality and social selection; those who lead healthier lifestyles may be more likely to move to areas that support such lifestyles. This project will assess whether neighbourhood environmental factors are associated with health behaviours and outcomes using data from adults and children, and assess the direction of causality of any observed associations using longitudinal data.

The objectives of the project would have some flexibility depending on the interests of the student and so could additionally include, for example, modelling future risk of adverse health outcomes based on environment, examining the impact of environment on the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions, or exploring ethnic disparities in neighbourhood environments and how these impact on health.

Diabetes and Metabolic Medicine is one of ten themes within the College of Medicine, Biological Sciences and Psychology. The main aim of the Diabetes and Metabolic theme is to develop and evaluate novel methods of preventing and treating metabolic disease, improve routine clinical practice and target the health of the nation. The Diabetes Research Centre, has strong links with the NHS and other research institutions, and has established an international reputation in the field of diabetes and cardiovascular research. It is jointly led by Professor Kamlesh Khunti and Professor Melanie Davies.

The student will work within the Diabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester and be based at the Leicester Diabetes Centre, Leicester General Hospital. The Centre has a multidisciplinary research group of over 140 University and NHS staff, including epidemiologists, statisticians, social scientists and clinicians. There are excellent laboratory, clinical and specialist research exercise facilities. The Centre provides a stimulating and exciting environment in which to study for a postgraduate degree.

The student will be supervised by Dr Danielle Bodicoat (Lecturer in Epidemiology), Professor Kamlesh Khunti (Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine), and Dr Laura Gray (Reader of Population and Public Health Sciences).

• The studentship will remain open until filled - so early application is strongly encouraged
• Applications that do not include a full personal statement and the required supporting documents will not be considered
• In the Fees and Financial Support section of the application, applicants must state that they wish to be considered for this October 2017 PhD Studentship in Health Sciences (Ref: HS 17/18 Dr Bodicoat)

We are keen to attract the very best applicants for this opportunity and would be pleased to have informal conversations with interested individuals prior to applications - please contact:
Dr Laura Gray
• [Email Address Removed]
• +44 (0)116 258 4043