Established by Professor Louisa Ells (LBU), Dr Catherine Homer (SHU) and Nicola Corrigan (OHID), the alliance is co-coordinated by Dr Jordan Marwood (LBU) and Dr Alice Bullas (SHU), and supported by Kristen Bash (UoS). YORA currently has over 150 members from universities, local authorities, the NHS, businesses, VCS groups, and the public across the region, all with an interest in obesity research.
YORA contributes to effective regional action on obesity by facilitating collaborative working in the field of obesity research. The alliance brings people together to share learning and information about what’s happening across the region, identify regional-specific issues, and develop new research ideas by:
- supporting research activities (e.g. grant applications, events, training etc.)
- hosting events (e.g. looking at regional research priorities; patient and public involvement (PPI) in obesity research)
- creating and collating research, practice and policy resources (e.g. through a monthly newsletter, blogs, and social media engagement)
- promoting relevant opportunities (e.g. research funding calls and studentships)
YORA works across disciplines but has a particular focus on the following themes:
- Emotional eating: In a world where we are often surrounded by food, eating can be a common response. Some of the research questions to investigate in this area include:
- What is the role of disordered and emotional eating in weight management and how this is currently managed in weight management services for young people and young adults?
- What is the cause vs consequence of emotional eating and obesity?
- Food poverty & insecurity: Food poverty and food insecurity are about people’s inability to obtain an adequate and nutritious diet in socially acceptable ways, or the uncertainty that they will able to do so. The causes are complex, including income, access to transport, housing quality, and poor physical and mental health. Some of the research questions to investigate in this area include:
- How can food banks be tailored to encourage users to make healthy/healthier choices?
- How do other types of low/zero-cost food providers (i.e. community shops) compare in terms of encouraging healthy food choices?
- Children & young people: The environment significantly effects children and young people’s (C&YP) behaviour choices, and it is vital that we explore what an environment for C&YP to flourish should look like. Some of the research questions to investigate in this area include:
- How could person centred approaches support teenagers / young people with body confidence, body image, self-belief? What interventions could be developed
- What are the influences on the food behaviours of teenagers?
- Weight management strategies: Hundreds, if not thousands, of weight-loss strategies, diets, potions, and devices have come and gone. The multi-factorial causes of being overweight challenges practitioners and researchers to identify permanent, effective strategies for weight loss and maintenance. Some of the research questions to investigate in this area include:
- Why peer support is an effective model and it’s impact on health behavioural theories?
- How does the information given to individuals affect their adherence to weight management programmes?
“The NIHR Clinical Research Network Yorkshire and the Humber were pleased to support YORA in its early development. We are delighted to see that the energy and passion of the team have created outstanding outcomes in such a short period of time. The YORA team have been keen and enthusiastic to engage with the wider CRN agenda, providing invaluable support for our Ethnic Minorities Research Inclusion project. Working with the team has been a delight, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration” Duncan Courtney Project Manager, LCRN Yorkshire and Humber Core Team, NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN)
Read more about YORA from Leeds Beckett University and PaRC
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