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Zoë Bell

Dr Zoë Bell

Research Associate

Biography

My portfolio of work aims to improve our understanding of maternal health and nutrition to move towards interventions that improve outcomes for women before, during and after pregnancy. My research adopts multiple methods, with a particular focus on qualitative and co-development approaches. I’m currently holding a 12-month postdoctoral fellowship from the Economic and Social Research Council. This programme of work involves a collaborative placement with Lambeth Council’s Health Determinants Research Centre (HEART) to explore food insecurity across the perinatal period in Lambeth. Phase one involves interviews with women both during and after pregnancy. Phase two involves a series of co-design workshops using creative methodologies.

I have supervision experience at PhD, master’s and undergraduate level and previously led the BSc/MSc Clinical Nutrition module. I’m currently serving as a co-opted events operations committee member for The Association for the Study of Obesity (ASO). My work is informed by my research background within the fields of biomedical science, human nutrition, and social science research methods training.

    Research

    public health inequality mask 780x440
    Health Inequalities, Societies and Systems

    Central to our research is understanding and tackling the systemic and intersecting drivers of disparities in health over the life course such as racism, gender, crime, precarious livelihoods, environmental pollution, and inaccessible health care. We work collaboratively across the School of Life Course and Population Sciences to strengthen the theoretical aspects of population health research.

    Migrateful food
    Behavioural and psychosocial determinants of food choice

    Numerous factors influence individuals' food choice and in turn their intake. This broad topic involves investigations of widers behaviours, including food safety behaviours

    Maternal health
    Maternal and child nutrition

    Women and children have unique nutritional requirements. Emerging evidence highlights that nutrition during early life, especially the period from conception until the first two years of life, plays an important role in setting the health trajectory of an individual and even future generations.

    News

    Food insecurity putting mums-to-be at risk

    Pregnant women who have limited access to affordable, nutritious and healthy foods have a higher chance of developing both physical and mental health...

    A pregnant person reaching towards a bowl of vegetables.

    Features

    Health policy priorities: What should the incoming UK government focus on?

    Whoever takes up residence at Number 10 after the general election will have a bursting in-tray. What are the health priorities the next government should be...

    general-election-2019

      Research

      public health inequality mask 780x440
      Health Inequalities, Societies and Systems

      Central to our research is understanding and tackling the systemic and intersecting drivers of disparities in health over the life course such as racism, gender, crime, precarious livelihoods, environmental pollution, and inaccessible health care. We work collaboratively across the School of Life Course and Population Sciences to strengthen the theoretical aspects of population health research.

      Migrateful food
      Behavioural and psychosocial determinants of food choice

      Numerous factors influence individuals' food choice and in turn their intake. This broad topic involves investigations of widers behaviours, including food safety behaviours

      Maternal health
      Maternal and child nutrition

      Women and children have unique nutritional requirements. Emerging evidence highlights that nutrition during early life, especially the period from conception until the first two years of life, plays an important role in setting the health trajectory of an individual and even future generations.

      News

      Food insecurity putting mums-to-be at risk

      Pregnant women who have limited access to affordable, nutritious and healthy foods have a higher chance of developing both physical and mental health...

      A pregnant person reaching towards a bowl of vegetables.

      Features

      Health policy priorities: What should the incoming UK government focus on?

      Whoever takes up residence at Number 10 after the general election will have a bursting in-tray. What are the health priorities the next government should be...

      general-election-2019