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Staff Profile

Dr Frances Hillier-Brown

Lecturer Public Health Nutrition

  • Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 8306
  • Address: Population Health Sciences Institute
    William Leech Building M1.151
    Â鶹´«Ã½
    Â鶹´«Ã½ upon Tyne
    NE2 4HH
    UK
Background

My core research interests centre on the provision of equitable population-wide health promotion, with a particular focus on healthy eating and physical activity behaviours for the prevention of chronic disease. My research uses mixed methods approaches and includes the synthesis of best-available evidence; collaboration with public and practice stakeholders for research and intervention development; evaluation of real-world initiatives, services and programmes, using appropriate methods; translation of research findings into policy practice; and understanding wider determinants of health. I have a particular interest in intervention-generated inequality and understanding where exclusion may occur within intervention and research processes. I have collaborated on a number of multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional (national and international) health research projects. My work has been used to shape local policy and national guidance on food environments and child health.

I am a member of , and , and was a founder member of the Equal North Research and Practice Network that has now been expanded to the . I lead the Translation into Innovative Policies, Products and Services workstream within the Centre for Healthier Lives.

Research

Current projects:

·       Child health system evaluation: Integrated Care Systems and Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships – funded by NIHR School for Public Health Research

·   Community Social Supermarkets: understanding how they shape access and availability to healthier foods in food insecure communities- funded by NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria

·    A mixed-methods evaluation of cross-regional workplace health initiatives including a cluster randomised controlled trial (cRCT) of a behaviour change intervention – funded by NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (National Priorities)

Completed projects:

·    Health Inequalities in European Welfare States (HiNews) – funded by New Opportunities for Research Funding Agency Cooperation in Europe (NORFACE/ESRC)

·    Transforming the ‘foodscape’: development and feasibility testing of interventions to promote healthier take-away, pub and restaurant menus – funded by the NIHR School for Public Health Research

·       Northern Health Equity Research Network: Healthier lives and fairer lives in the North – funded by Public Health England

·    Systematic literature review: How effective are public health interventions at reducing socio-economic inequalities in obesity amongst children and adults? – funded by NIHR Public Health Research programme

·       Community Challenge Project - Intervention aimed at improving diet and physical activity levels in low-income populations – funded by the Food Standards Agency

·    Exploratory Workshop on Exploring new directions for the assessment of dietary intake and physical activity levels – funded by the European Science Foundation

·   Systematic literature review of the effects of nutrition, diet and dietary change on learning, education and performance in UK schoolchildren – funded by the Food Standards Agency

·      Systematic literature review of diet, nutrition and physical activity determinants of weight gain – funded by the World Cancer Research Fund


Teaching

I teach in the areas of public health nutrition and epidemiology, health inequalities and dietary assessment. I supervise a number of undergraduate and postgraduate dissertation projects.

Current PhD supervision:

  • Alice Roberts (Human Nutrition Research Centre and Population Health Sciences Institute, Â鶹´«Ã½) ‘Exploring opportunities to improve the food and drink environment in UK secondary schools’
  • Sophie Phillips (Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Durham University) ‘Measuring movement-related behaviours in pre-school children from socio-economically deprived communities at a population level’

Completed PhD supervision:

  • Sarah Smith (Institute of Health and Society, Â鶹´«Ã½) 'The workplace foodscape: designing interventions and creating behaviour change'

Publications

  • Articles

    • Spiga F, Davies AL, Tomlinson E, Moore THM, Dawson S, Breheny K, Savovic J, Gao Y, Phillips SM, Hillier-Brown F, Hodder RK, Wolfenden L, Higgins JPT, Summerbell CD. . Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2024, 2024(5), CD015328.
    • Hope S, Stepanova E, Lloyd-Houldey O, Hillier-Brown F, Hargreaves D, Nicholls D, Summerbell C, Viner RM, Dedat Z, Owen EC, Scott S. . BMC Health Services Research 2023, 23(1), 1448.
    • Dedat Z, Hope S, Hargreaves D, Lloyd-Houldey O, Nicholls D, Scott S, Stepanova E, Summerbell C, Viner RM, Hillier-Brown F. . International Journal of Integrated Care 2023, 23(2), 18.
    • Phillips SM, Summerbell C, Hesketh KR, Saxena S, Hillier-Brown FC. . International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2023, 20(1), 95.
    • Phillips SM, Summerbell C, Ball HL, Hesketh KR, Saxena S, Hillier-Brown FC. . Frontiers in Pediatrics 2021, 9, 770262.
    • Griffin N, Phillips SM, Hillier-Brown F, Wistow J, Fairbrother H, Holding E, Powell K, Summerbell C. . BMC Public Health 2021, 21(1), 2284.
    • Yannish N, Baker P, Tillmann T, Bash K, Hillier-Brown F, Jayatunga W, Black M, Quantz D, Roderick P, Gopfert A, Barr B, Bambra C. . BMC Public Health 2020, 19, 1678.
    • Hillier-Brown F, Thomson K, McGowan V, Cairns J, Eikemo T, Gil-González D, Bambra C. . Scandinavian Journal of Public Health 2019, 47(6), 655-665.
    • Thomson K, Hillier-Brown F, Walton N, Bilaj M, Bambra C, Todd A. . Preventive Medicine 2019, 124, 98-109.
    • Moynihan P, Tanner LM, Holmes RD, Hillier-Brown F, Mashayekhi A, Kelly SAM, Craig D. . JDR Clinical & Translational Research 2019, 4(3), 202-216.
    • Scott S, Elamin W, Giles EL, Hillier-Brown F, Byrnes K, Connor N, Newbury-Birch D, Ells L. . Nutrients 2019, 11(8), 1914.
    • Goffe L, Hillier-Brown F, Hildred N, Worsnop M, Adams J, Araujo-Soares V, Penn L, Wrieden W, Summerbell CD, Lake AA, White M, Adamson AJ. . BMJ Open 2019, 9(2), e023441.
    • Hillier-Brown F, Lloyd S, Muhammad L, Summerbell C, Goffe L, Hildred N, Adams J, Penn L, Wrieden W, White M, Lake A, Moore H, Abraham C, Adamson A, Araujo-Soares V. . Public Health Nutrition 2019, 22(12), 2268-2278.
    • Addison M, Kaner E, Johnstone P, Hillier-Brown F, Moffatt S, Russell S, Barr B, Holland P, Salway S, Whitehead M, Bambra C. . Journal of Public Health 2019, 41(4), 652-664.
    • Thomson K, Hillier-Brown F, McNamarra C, Todd A, Huijits T, Bambra C. . BMC Public Health 2018, 18, 869.
    • Thomson K, Hillier-Brown F. . Journal of Health Visiting 2018, 6(11), 534-536.
    • Naik Y, Baker P, Walker I, Tillmann T, Bash K, Quantz D, Hillier-Brown F, Bambra C. . Systematic Reviews 2017, 6, 222.
    • Hillier-Brown F, Summerbell CD, Moore H, Routen A, Lake AA, Adams J, White M, Araujo-Soares V, Abraham C, Adamson AJ, Brown TJ. . Obesity Reviews 2017, 18(2), 227-246.
    • Hillier-Brown F, Bambra C, Thomson K, Balaj M, Walton N, Todd A. . Systematic Reviews 2017, 6, 176.
    • Scott S, Reilly J, Giles EL, Hillier-Brown F, Ells L, Kaner E, Adamson A. . Systematic Reviews 2017, 6(1), 180.
    • Smith SA, Visram S, O'Malley C, Summerbell C, Araujo-Soares V, Hillier-Brown F, Lake AA. . BMC Public Health 2017, 17, 808.
    • Hillier-Brown FC, Summerbell CD, Moore HJ, Wrieden WL, Adams J, Abraham C, Adamson A, Araujo-Soares V, White M, Lake AA. . BMC Public Health 2017, 17, 93.
    • Smith SA, Lake AA, Summerbell C, Araujo-Soares V, Hillier-Brown F. . Systematic Reviews 2016, 5(1), 20.
    • Adams J, Hillier-Brown FC, Moore HJ, Lake AA, Araujo-Soares V, White M, Summerbell C. . Systematic Reviews 2016, 5(164), 1-11.
    • Goffe L, Wrieden W, Penn L, Hillier-Brown F, Lake AA, Araujo-Soares V, Summerbell C, White M, Adamson AJ, Adams J. . PLoS One 2016, 11(9), e0163093.
    • Goffe L, Hillier-Brown F, Doherty A, Wrieden W, Lake AA, Araujo-Soares V, Summerbell C, White M, Adamson AJ, Adams J. . International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2016, 13, 102.
    • Cairns J, Bambra C, Hillier-Brown F, Moore H, Summerbell C. . Journal of Public Health 2015, 37(4), 659-670.
    • Hillier-Brown FC, Moore HJ, Lake AL, Adamson AJ, White M, Adams J, Araujo-Soares V, Abraham C, Summerbell CD. . Systematic Reviews 2014, 3(17).
    • Hillier F, Bambra C, Cairns J, Moore H, Kasim A, Summerbell C. . International Journal of Obesity 2014, 38, 1483-1490.
    • Hillier-Brown F, Bambra C, Cairns J, Kasim A, Moore H, Summerbell C. . BMC Public Health 2014, 14, 834.
    • Hillier-Brown F, Bambra C, Cairns J, Kasim A, Moore H, Summerbell C. . International Journal of Obesity 2014, 38(12), 1483-1490.

  • Reviews

    • Phillips SM, Spiga F, Moore THM, Dawson S, Stockton H, Rizk R, Cheng H-Y, Hodder RK, Gao Y, Hillier-Brown F, Rai K, Yu CB, O'Brien KM, Summerbell CD. . Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2025, 2025(6), CD015326.
    • Phillips SM, Summerbell C, Hobbs M, Hesketh KR, Saxena S, Muir C, Hillier-Brown FC. . International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2021, 18(1), 141.