Background

Summary

Having previously worked as a nursery nurse for several years in local authority nursery schools I decided to change careers to follow a lifelong interest in nutrition and health. I enroled as a mature student and graduated in BSc (Hons) Food, Nutrition and Health at the University of Abertay Dundee. Having enjoyed my time as a student I decided to continue in higher education and secured a FUSE  1+3 funded PhD studentship at Newcastle University.

My PhD was a mixed methods feasibilty study to determine which behaviour change strategies to improve diet, physical activity and sedentary behaviours in preschool children aged 3-5 years would be acceptable to nursery practitioners and parents

My research interests are in obesity, behaviour change interventions and qualitative research. I have worked on several public health projects including:

• The NAtional Trial of Tonsillectomy in Adults: a clinical and cost effectiveness study (NATTINA). A multicentre, randomised, controlled trial with feasibility study and internal pilot. NATTINA is looking to determine the cost effectiveness and efficiency of tonsillectomy versus conservative therapy (delayed surgery) in adults with recurrent acute tonsillitis over a 24 months follow-up period with an embedded qualitative study.

• Parental perceptions of the hospital food environment – a qualitative interview study to determine whether hospital shops and outlets cater for families whose children visit or are in hospital.

• Early Life and Adolescence Programme (ELAP) - is a research programme within Fuse which includes research on pregnancy, infancy, preschool and school years, adolescence and the transition to independence http://www.fuse.ac.uk/research/earlylifeandadolescence/

• GestationaL Obesity Weight-management: Implementation of National Guidelines (GLOWING) - Use of a theory-based intervention to facilitate the implementation of maternal obesity management guidelines in order to: Change midwives behaviour in clinical practice and improve obese pregnant women’s weight related behaviours (and postnatal).

I am currently working on the LITMUS project which is a pioneering European research project aiming to lead to new diagnostic tests to assess patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and identify those most at risk for developing severe inflammation and liver scarring.

Research Income

• Dr Lorraine McSweeney, Dr Wendy Wrieden, Dr Suzanne Spence, Dr Catherine Haighton, Mrs Julie Anderson. Parental perceptions of the hospital food environment: a qualitative interview study. Fuse Pump Prime Research Funds Oct 2016- Oct 2017                                                                                                                         £4760.19 

• Dr Suzanne Spence, Prof A Adamson, Dr W Wrieden, & Dr L McSweeney, Prof J Matthews, Dr L Panzone,  J Reilly, J MacMorran, R Rigby, D Stobbs, G Battista, M Lamb, Prof D Just. An evaluation of food choice architecture on food and drink consumption in 11-16y olds in North East England: a pilot study. Academy of Medical Sciences Springboard - Health of the Public 2040 Award March 2017                                                                                                                                                     £38,691.37

   

Research

Publications

• McSweeney LA, Wilson JA, Wilkes S, Haighton CA. Is Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network guidance for GP management of tonsillitis suitable? A qualitative study. Family Practice 2018, 35(5), 633-637.
• McSweeney L, Araujo-Soares V, Rapley T, Adamson A. A feasibility study with process evaluation of a preschool intervention to improve child and family lifestyle behaviours. BMC Public Health 2017, 17, 248.
• McSweeney LA, O'Hara JT, Rousseau NS, Stocken DD, Sullivan F, Vale L, Wilkes S, Wilson JA, Haighton CA. ‘Thinking that somebody's going to delay [a tonsillectomy] for one to two years is quite horrifying really’: a qualitative feasibility study for the NAtional Trial of Tonsillectomy IN Adults (NATTINA Part 2). Clinical Otolaryngology 2016, 42(3), 578-583.
• McSweeney LA, Rapley T, Summerbell CD, Haighton CA, Adamson AJ. Perceptions of nursery staff and parent views of healthy eating promotion in preschool settings: an exploratory qualitative study. BMC Public Health 2016, 16, 841.
• McSweeney LA, Rousseau NS, Wilson JA, Wilkes S, Haighton CA. Stakeholders’ views of recurrent sore throat, tonsillitis and their management: a qualitative interview study for the NAtional Trial of Tonsillectomy IN Adults (NATTINA Part 1). Clinical Otolaryngology 2017, 42(2), 301-306.
• McSweeney L, Rapley T, Adamson A. The Preschool Child, Food Photography and a Parent's Bed; A Feasibility Study to Determine Acceptable Visual Data Collection Methods. Journal of Nutrition and Health Sciences 2015, 2(4), 406.
• McSweeney LA, Summerbell CD, Rapley T, Adamson AJ. Can nursery schools help prevent childhood obesity?. In: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NUTRITION SOCIETY. 2011, EDINBURGH BLDG, SHAFTESBURY RD, CB2 8RU CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND: CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS.
• McSweeney LA, Stamp E, Jones AR, Parkinson KN, Adamson AJ. Parenting styles, child and mother dietary behaviour: are there relationships. In: Nutrition Society Summer Meeting. 2010, Edinburgh: Proceedings of the Nutrition Society.