Dr Jean Adams
Lecturer in Public Health

I am social and behavioural epidemiologist with key research interests in socio-economic inequalities in health behaviours, and food policy.  With formal training in medicine, epidemiology and health psychology, I bring a wide range of perspectives to my research and collaborate with colleagues across a variety of disciplines.  My most significant work to date includes an evaluation of national restrictions on food advertising to children; the description of Intervention Generated Inequalities; explorations of the role of time perspective in socio-economic inequalities in health behaviours; and work describing the role of biological ageing in socio-economic inequalities in health.  To date, I have published 42 research papers in peer reviewed journals (37 as first author); and have been awarded £2,150,566 in research funding as principal applicant, co-applicant or as personal funding (with a further £1,932,894 currently pending).


2011             Research to support the evaluation and implementation of adult cooking skills interventions in the UK.  Public Health Research Consortium.  £24,636.  Co-applicant with M White & AJ Adamson.

2011-14        Outreach programmes for health improvement of traveller communities: a pluralistic synthesis of evidence.  NIHR Public Health Research Programme.  £329,179.  Co-applicant, with S Carr, A Bancroft, L Geddes, M Lhussier, S Michie & M Pennington.

2010-13        Evaluation of the ‘Change4Life’ convenience store programme to promote sales and consumption of fruit and vegetables.  NIHR Public Health Research Programme.  £1,407,206.  Co-applicant, with M White, AJ Adamson, G Cairns, S Cummins, C Donaldson, A Findlay, A Lake, S Macintyre, M Petticrew, V Ryan, L Sparks & M Stead.  N.B. This grant was withdrawn after award due to changes in circumstances making the project unfeasible (final value awarded: £79,380).

2010-12        Evaluation of the School Sport Partnership Dance Mat Scheme in Redcar & Cleveland and Middlesbrough: The "IDEAS" study (Impact of Dance Exercise Activity in Schools) North Tees Primary Care Trust.  £91,312.  Co-applicant with A Batterham, L Azevedo, C Lock, and D Burges Watson.

2009             The new TV diet – evaluating the effect of the UK 2007 OfCom restrictions on television food advertising to children.  National Prevention Research Initiative.   £92,198.  Principle investigator with M White and AJ Adamson.

2005-09        MRC Special Training Fellowship in Health Services and Health of the Public Research.  £157,565.  Personal award.

2001-04        Faculty of Public Health Medicine and BUPA Joint Research Fellowship.    £42,500.  Personal award.

  • Associate of the Higher Education Academy
  • Module leader, Introduction to Quantitative Methods, MSc Public Health and Health Services Research
  • Deliver lecturers and seminars to undergraduate and postgraduate courses
  • Currently co-supervising four PhD students, three MSc dissertation projects, and two undergraduate dissertation projects
  • Successful supervision of nine previous MSc dissertation projects and nine previous undergraduate dissertation projects