This is a past event
Life expectancy is strongly affected by behaviours that pose risks to health. With mixed evidence that health behaviour change programs are effective, we'll ask why and explore how things might improve.
Professor Marijn de Bruin's inaugural lecture - Life expectancy is strongly affected by behaviours that pose risks to health. With mixed evidence that health behaviour change programs are effective, we'll ask why and explore how things might improve.
People's (healthy) life expectancy is strongly affected by everyday behaviours such as smoking, physical activity, and dietary patterns, and by behaviours such as the uptake of vaccinations or appropriate use of medication in clinical settings.
Changing these health behaviours may be the single most effective route to improving population health, and reducing health inequalities and health care expenditures. Yet, the development, delivery and evaluation of behaviour change programs is complicated: few trials show relevant and sustained effects on behaviour, health, and costs.
Why is that? Are the behaviour change theories used for designing the programmes no good? Are programs too simple or not properly implemented? Are the trials poorly designed, reported or not ambitious enough? Are the changes in behaviour not large enough for producing noticeable effects on health and costs?
In this talk I will elaborate on these questions, share results from promising behaviour change programs but also discuss where we can make a step change and improve our work: an interdisciplinary research agenda.
This lecture is part of the 'New Faces, Fresh Ideas in Medicine, Nutrition and Health' series.
Our Public Engagement team coordinate several series through the year to connect communities with the latest research and discovery. See our latest programmes at http://www.engagingaberdeen.co.uk/
Professor Marijn de Bien has a background in applied psychology, public health and communication science. Since 2003 he has been leading research on improving self-management among patients treated for chronic conditions.
He has considerable experience in training health care professionals in behaviour change counselling, and in training researchers, students and public health professionals in the design, implementation and evaluation of complex interventions.
A substantial part of his work focuses on improving research methodology to better explain the effects of behaviour change programs.
- Speaker
- Professor Marijn de Bruin
- Hosted by
- The College of Life Sciences and Medicine
- Venue
- Suttie Centre for Teaching and Learning in Healthcare
- Contact
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Booking is not required, but for further information contact Emma Webb, Assistant College Registrar - e.webb@abdn.ac.uk