Early Life and Adolescence

Early life and adolescence is a new research programme within Fuse which includes research on pregnancy, infancy, preschool and school years, adolescence and the transition to independence.  We will explore how to provide a ‘healthy start’ through the critical period of pregnancy, onwards. Research will focus on families and parents, as well as children and young people. For example we are conducting research on helping parents to recognise when their child is overweight, providing fun exercise in schools through dance, and exploring the effects of changes in the guidelines for school dinners. This research programme goes through to teenage years and focuses on trying to reduce the risks of alcohol and  drug misuse, and poor sexual health.

The programme objectives are to develop, evaluate and translate interventions (any type of treatment, preventive care, or test that a person could take or undergo) to:

  • Promote a healthy start in life, including a healthy pregnancy avoiding adverse outcomes related to diet and physical activity, obesity and diabetes, smoking and alcohol 
  • Promote health and wellbeing in families and children, including reduction of inequalities in uptake of immunisations and interventions to prevent obesity in childhood 
  • Reduce risk taking behaviour among young people, including in relation to alcohol, drugs and sexual activity 
  • Promote healthy emotional and mental wellbeing among adolescents.

To achieve this we seek to build effective and lasting partnerships with policy and practice partners for collaborative co-production of public health research in this critical life stage. The programme will link with work within the Behaviour Change and Health Inequalities research programmes.

Programme Investigators

  • Professor Carolyn Summerbell - Programme Leader, Durham University
  • Dr Nicola Heslehurst - Deputy Programme Leader, Newcastle University
  • Professor Ashley Adamson - Principal Investigator, Newcastle University
  • Dr Vera Araujo-Soares - Principal Investigator, Newcastle University
  • Dr Liane Azevedo - Principal Investigator, Teesside University
  • Professor Alan Batterham - Principal Investigator, Teesside University
  • Dr Ruth Bell - Principal Investigator, Newcastle University
  • Professor Susan Carr - Principal Investigator, Northumbria University
  • Mrs Christina Cooper - Programme PhD student, Northumbria University
  • Dr Louisa Ells - Principal Investigator, Teesside University
  • Professor Eileen Kaner - Principal Investigator, Newcastle University
  • Dr Amelia Lake - Principal Investigator, Teesside University
  • Dr Monique Lhussier - Principal Investigator, Northumbria University
  • Dr Jonathan Ling - Principal Investigator, University Of Sunderland
  • Dr Dorothy Newbury-Birch - Principal Investigator, Teesside University
  • Professor Judith Rankin - Principal Investigator, Newcastle University
  • Dr Stephanie Scott - Programme Research Associate, Teesside University
  • Professor Falko Sniehotta - Principal Investigator, Newcastle University
  • Dr Wendy Wrieden - Principal Investigator, Newcastle University
  • Dr Ruth McGovern - Principal Investigator, Newcastle University