Reflections on the 2024 BSPHN Conference on Using Behavioural Science to Address Shared Challenges for Prevention

‍Dr Weronika Reed, University of West London & Thrive Tribe Ltd.

Corresponding address: weronika.reed@gmail.com

Attending the BSPHN annual conference

In February 2024, I attended the Behavioural Science and Public Health Network (BSPHN) Annual Conference focusing on ‘Using Behavioural Science to Address Shared Challenges for Prevention’. It was a thought-provoking and well-organised event with a specific focus on health inequalities and a great range of inspiring speakers. My place at the event was funded by the conference organisers and I was offered the opportunity to present my research titled: ‘It’s like a metronome in my life’ – Exploring the Impact of Fitness Trackers in Weight Management Interventions’.

Overview of my research

This qualitative work constitutes the second phase of a mixed-design research project conducted as part of my PhD in Psychology at the University of West London. It investigated service users’ experiences of utilising fitness trackers as part of the Tier 2 weight management programme ‘Healthy Hearts’ delivered by Thrive Tribe. ‘Healthy Hearts’ is an intervention designed for obese individuals living in the most deprived areas of central London. This research explored the perceptions of both service users and health professionals delivering the intervention with the addition of fitness trackers.

Impact of fitness trackers on weight management outcomes

As part of my research, Healthy Hearts service users from deprived areas were provided with a free fitness tracker to enable self-monitoring of physical activity, sleep etc. The study tested whether receiving such a tool leads to different intervention outcomes in terms of weight and physical activity. The results showed improved intervention outcomes (i.e., weight loss, waist circumference, physical activity) as well as improved programme attendance by 1.72 sessions (out of 10 sessions) in those using fitness trackers.

Professional background and role in smoking cessation

I am very thankful for the opportunity to present my work at the conference and share my reflections on the event that is so closely aligned with my area of work. Aside from focusing on Tier 2 weight management intervention as part of my PhD research, my professional role involves working in the domain of smoking cessation. Smoking stands out as one of the most influential factors contributing to health inequalities and poor health outcomes. Since completing my MSc in Health Psychology in 2011, I have been delivering and evaluating numerous stop-smoking programmes for various communities across London. Currently, as Head of Stop Smoking Services at Thrive Tribe, my role involves working closely with Local Authority commissioners to ensure our stop-smoking services deliver what is expected and that we innovate and tailor our provision to ensure the services we provide reach the most deprived segments of the population.

Key conference presentations and their relevance

All of the conference speakers were truly inspiring and witnessing Sir Marmot deliver his powerful talk was a key highlight of the event. Many other presentations were particularly relevant to my work and I would like to highlight a few.

Co-production of interventions

As my work increasingly evolves towards the co-production of interventions, I found the presentation delivered by Ashley Gould on ‘Behavioural Science and Public Health: Certainty, Complexity, Contexity’ particularly useful. It highlighted that what experts often assume to be a solution to a problem regarding a particular behaviour, often does not align with what intervention users feel. I found the quote by Brene Brown used by Ashley ‘Rather than walking in someone else’s shoes, I need to learn how to listen to the story of what it’s like in your shoes and believe you even when it does not match my experiences’ to be very powerful and one I will remember in my work.

As deprived communities often face complex social, economic, and environmental factors that influence smoking behaviours, it is crucial to listen to lived experiences and involve community members in the co-production process, so that interventions can be tailored to the specific contexts and realities of these communities. Moreover, co-production fosters a sense of ownership and empowerment within the community, as service users are actively involved in shaping solutions to the issues they face. This can lead to more sustainable interventions and long-term behaviour change.

Application of the COM-B model

As prevention and the reduction of health inequalities have been the main drivers of my work in smoking cessation, the BSPHN event provided a unique opportunity to learn about the most recent developments in the field. Since my doctoral work involved looking at the COM-B model, I found the workshop on COM-B/TDF application delivered by Dr Lou Atkinson and Dr Grainne Dickerson particularly useful. The examples of COM-B utilisation provided by presenters and colleagues in the room strengthened my understanding of the model and its applications. Thanks to this, I will aim to utilise COM-B and TDF more often in my work, especially in the co-production context.

Embedding behavioural science in Local Government

Being involved in academic work as well as spending a big portion of my time delivering interventions working for Thrive Tribe, it was refreshing to see such a great attendance of delegates from the Public Health (PH) domain. It was especially interesting to hear about the focus on the creation of Behaviour Change Units and how these are becoming more popular within Local Authorities. As someone who concentrates on the delivery of behavioural change interventions and works closely with PH commissioners, it was interesting to learn how much interest there was in embedding behavioural science at the core of what Local Authorities do. The presentation titled ‘Reflections on, and considerations for, embedding behavioural science in local government’ delivered by Dr Ellie Whittaker was particularly insightful. It demonstrated the recognition of behavioural science and the increasing number of behavioural science specialist roles within Local Authorities which create great career development opportunities for those with an MSc and/or PhD in Psychology. As my current role involves the development and evaluation of evidence-based behaviour change interventions, knowing that there is a greater focus on behaviour science also at the PH level, gives me hope that a more joint-up collaboration can lead to a more synchronised and efficient approach and greater health improvements.

Interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing

The conference created a great opportunity to share knowledge and learn from top experts in the field. It also provided a chance to examine various behavioural approaches across multiple sectors e.g., intervention providers, academia, and PH. All perspectives were unique and the conference highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and coming together to address the challenges we face.

Building connections and sharing knowledge

The sessions I attended provided great opportunities to expand my knowledge and get involved in productive discussions. The conference enabled me to build several new connections and share my work with others. I was also able to share the learning with my teams at Thrive Tribe and bring everyone up to speed with the latest developments in the behavioural science and PH domain I learnt about during the conference. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to be funded to attend this conference and I wish to express my genuine appreciation to the organisers.

Applying conference learnings to my work

I am looking forward to applying the knowledge absorbed during this event in my work, especially as my role evolves to focus more on the co-production of interventions to empower communities we work with and contribute to the collective effort towards reducing health inequalities. As Sir Marmot so eloquently reminded us all - there is plenty of work to be done to reduce health disparities. But with all the expertise, the wealth of knowledge and energy that we collectively have, there is also hope.