Motivation, eating behaviour (in children) and diabetes in young adults

Speakers’ talks are available to view at the following times:
Dr Emma Haycraft, Reader in Psychology at Loughborough University: Eating behaviour in children (1 min 25 secs)
Dr Jack Sargeant, Postdoctoral Researcher at NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre: Type 2 Diabetes in young adults: nuances and special considerations (33 mins 36 secs)
Dr Ian Taylor, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Loughborough University: Myths and misconceptions about motivation (1 hr 04 mins 55 secs)

Healthcare professional lifestyle education series – Session 3

This session was the third in a series of five expert talks providing a continued professional development opportunity for individuals working within healthcare who have a special interest in lifestyle medicine.

Each talk provided cutting-edge information relating to developments within the fields of exercise as medicine, nutrition, and behaviour change. Led by a team of world-leading academics, each talk conveyed the key take-home messages from the latest research with the aim of extending the knowledge and understanding of those with a basic interest in the field.

This Autumn series covered a range of topical areas spanning the physical activity continuum with application to physical and mental health. Further information on the speakers and content is below.

Dr Emma Haycraft: Eating behaviour in children

This session exploreed evidence-based ways to support parents/caregivers with feeding their children. It provided practical tips and tools for GPs to share with families who they work with to facilitate healthy eating habits in young children. Less than 1 in 5 UK children currently eat the recommended five portions of fruit/vegetables per day, food refusal and fussy eating are common, and levels of childhood overweight/obesity continue to rise. Parents/caregivers have asked for support to promote varied diets in their children and this talk will share evidence-informed strategies which GPs can use to support the families in their care to establish healthy eating behaviours in children.

Dr Emma Haycraft is an academic psychologist within the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University. Her research focuses on healthy development in children and adolescents. She has particular expertise in children’s eating behaviours (e.g., conducting research to discover effective ways to help children to eat a wider variety of foods), as well as caregiver feeding practices (e.g., identifying successful methods to support parents/caregivers with feeding infants/children). Emma is a co-creator of the award-winning Child Feeding Guide; an evidence-based website and web app which supports caregivers to achieve healthy, happy mealtimes with their children. The Child Feeding Guide is disseminated by the NHS and is also available as a CPD-UK accredited online training course for health professionals and for childcare professionals. Emma is also a co-creator of the Feeding A Baby educational intervention for teenagers and young mums.

Dr Jack Sargeant: Type 2 Diabetes in young adults: nuances and special considerations

This talk focused on the growing problem of type 2 diabetes in younger individuals, including adults under the age of 50 (early-onset adults type 2 diabetes). It covered trends in the prevalence of early-onset adult type 2 diabetes over recent decades, the burden at an individual and societal level and existing research evidence of interventions/care approaches specifically in these younger individuals.

Whilst fairly diverse Dr Jack Sargeant’s research interests share the common theme of the development, prevention and management of obesity and obesity-associated cardiometabolic conditions. He completed his PhD at Loughborough University under the primary supervision of Dr James King and working within the research group of Professor David Stensel. His PhD studies focussed on the impact of structured exercise on the development and management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and tissue-specific insulin sensitivity. He is currently a Researcher at the Diabetes Research Centre (University of Leicester) where he works closely with Professor Melanie Davies CBE and Professor Tom Yates as part of NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), and through which he is pleased to continue working closely with Dr King, Professor Stensel, and other colleagues at Loughborough University. He works on several projects including a £2.5million NIHR Programme Grant focussed on developing and testing a novel, tailored model of care for younger adults with type 2 diabetes.

Dr Ian Taylor: Myths and misconceptions about motivation

Motivation is a critical, but often misunderstood, determinant of healthy lifestyles. Ian’s talk will begin by defining what motivation is, and more importantly, what it is not. This talk also explained why the most important question regarding motivation is not “What motivates?” but “How does motivation work?”. Building on these foundations, the talk also outlined several motivational principles that can be applied to help all individuals adopt a healthier lifestyle.

Dr Ian Taylor is a senior lecturer at Loughborough University and expert on the science of human motivation. Over a period of fifteen years, he has written over fifty scientific papers explaining what drives humans and the optimal motivational states for successful living. This expertise has led him to speak about motivation in over fifteen countries, and appear on TV, radio, and festivals across the globe.

Other events in the series

• Physical activity, energy balance and adiposity Wednesday 22nd September 17:30
• Stress, sitting time and physical activity caloric equivalents Wednesday 6th October 17:30
• Hearing loss, health and wellbeing Wednesday 3rd November 18:00
• Physical activity, cancer and cardiometabolic health Wednesday 17th November 17:30

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