The Behaviour and Health Research Unit contributes evidence to national and international efforts to achieve sustained behaviour change to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities.The main focus of our work is on developing effective ways of changing three sets of behaviour – smoking, and excessive consumption of food and alcohol. Changing these behaviours positively would help to prevent the majority of the preventable non-communicable diseases, including many cancers, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. From 2010-2019, our main programme of research was funded by NIHR. In 2018 we received a Collaborative Award in Science from Wellcome for a new programme of research ‘Behaviour Change by Design’.

Nutritional labelling on menus in restaurants and cafes may reduce our calorie intake, according to new Cochrane Review evidence

New evidence published in the Cochrane Library shows that adding calorie labels to menus and next to food in restaurants, coffee shops and cafeterias, could reduce the calories that people consume, although the quality of evidence is low.

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Professor Susan Jebb and Professor Theresa Marteau discuss the findings of this Cochrane Review in The Conversation.

How are low/er strength wine and beer products marketed online?

Our study compared the main marketing messages conveyed by retailers and producers for low/er and regular strength wine and beer products in the UK.

We found that compared with regular strength wines and beers, low/er strength products were more often marketed in association with occasions deemed to be suitable for their consumption including lunchtimes, outdoor events/barbeques, or on sports and fitness occasions.

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Does placing unhealthy snacks further away reduce the likelihood of consumption?

In two studies, we found that people are less likely to take chocolates when they are placed an extra 50cm away. This effect seemed to work similarly regardless of a person’s current level of self-control.

This shows that placing unhealthy food further away may be a simple but effective way to reduce the likelihood of consuming these snacks.

Effect of snack-food proximity on intake in general population samples with higher and lower cognitive resource. Hunter, Hollands, Couturier, Marteau, 2018.

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