Substance misuse, diet and physical (in)activity have all be linked to increased risk for a range of long-term physical and mental health conditions.
Behaviour change interventions have been targeted at populations across the age range, and evidence syntheses have focused on the effects of specific interventions on both behaviour and on health outcomes.
Several University of Plymouth staff have published such reviews which have had a direct impact on policy.
There is extensive research experience among staff of designing and evaluating interventions targeted at changing substance misuse, diet, and physical activity.
For example, original research and reviews of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of exercise interventions have involved middle age and older adults with existing elevated risk of reduced physical and mental health, quality of life and health and social care dependence in old age.
Expertise across the University of Plymouth in the promotion of wellbeing spans from understanding motives and behaviour, to identifying epidemiological risks and associations, and conducting rigorous randomised trials with mixed research methods.
Our other strength is in understanding wellbeing in the context of long-term medical conditions (for example, asthma, chronic fatigue, COPD) and how behavioural and cognitive interventions can enhance the quality of life and address medically unexplained symptoms.
