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Amanda Avery

Associate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Science

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Biography

Until 2009 worked as a community dietitian in Southern Derbyshire, having worked in this capacity for over 22years with both clinical and public health remits. A period of time was spent working in the Public Health department with the remit to develop a local Obesity Strategy. This was developed and launched in 2000 so was very much one of the first local obesity strategies available! During the secondment period there was also the opportunity to explore the feasibility of Primary Care working in partnership with the commercial slimming sector and project managing this piece of research. This became the evidence base for the slimming on referral scheme which is now part of many local weight management pathways across the country. It was also the start of my involvement with Slimming World where I have now worked on a part-time basis for the past 15 years as a Consultant dietitian in weight management. This provides many opportunities to keep totally up-to-date with all the developments in weight management and to be involved in developments within the Company - for example being involved in the development of a programme for teenagers and more recently involvement in RCTs developing interventions to support appropriate weight management during pregnancy or the postpartum period.

Other areas of interest, developed throughout those many years of community work, are community development, infant nutrition - chairing the group involved in the development of a local infant feeding policy (all 4 editions), school meals, diabetes management and behaviour change techniques. A great achievement was the Change to Cup campaign, discouraging the extended and inappropriate use of a feeder bottle and improving infant drinking practices, which has the potential to have a significant influence on nutritional intake. It is great to see that at last more emphasis is being placed on getting nutrition right from a very young age and indeed re-prioritising pregnancy as a key time to influence subsequent nutrition..

For the past 8 years i have been at the University of Nottingham, currently as an Associate Professor and Admissions tutor for the Masters of Nutrition and Dietetics programme and over the past couple of years have managed the two PGT programmes, MSc Clinical Nutrition & MSc Advanced Dietetic Practice and convene and deliver on a number of the PGT modules as well as supervising project students at all levels.

I am currently the Chair of the Obesity specialist group of the British Dietetic Association (BDA), a member of the BDA Education committee and committee member of the European Federation of Dietetic associations Public health specialist group.

Expertise Summary

  • weight management - adult and children
  • commercial slimming organisations
  • infant feeding
  • behaviour change/motivational interviewing/ participatory appraisal
  • community development projects
  • public health nutrition

Teaching Summary

Learning beyond registration and Interprofessional learning.

Research Summary

Weight management during pregnancy and postpartum period.

The delivery of an intervention in primary care to improve the glycaemic management of people presenting with diabetes resistant to first-line interventions.

Improving the iron status of people with obesity..

Recent Publications

Past Research

STUBBS, J, PALLISTER, C, AVERY, A, ALLAN, J. and LAVIN, J., 2102. Weight, body mass index and behaviour change in a commercially run lifestyle programme for young people. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics: J.Hum.Nutr.Diet.. 25(2), 161-166

BROWN, A and AVERY, A, 2012. Healthy weight management during pregnancy - what advice and information is being provided.: healthy weight management during pregnancy Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics: JHND. 25(3),

Stubbs, RJ, Pallister, C., Whybrow, S., Avery, A., Lavin J., (2011) 'Weight outcomes audit for 34,271 adults referred to a primary care/commercial weight management partnership scheme' Obes Facts 4(2): 113-120

Pallister, C. Avery, A., Stubbs, RJ., Lavin, J. (2009) 'Influence of Slimming World's lifestyle programme on diet activity behaviour and health of participants and their families.' J Hum Nutr Diet 22(4): 351-9

Lavin, J., Avery, A., Whitehead, SM., Rees, E., Parsons, J., Bagnall, T., Barth, JH., Ruxton, ch., (2006) 'Feasibility and benefits of implementing a Slimming on Referral service in primary care using a commercial weight management partner' Public Health 120(9): 872 -81

Bye, C., Avery, A., Lavin, J., (2005) 'tackling obesity in men - preliminary evaluation of men-only groups within a commercial slimming organisation' J Hum Nutr Diet 18(5): 391-4

Avery, A., Baxter, A., (2001) ' Change to cup: an audit to determine potential awareness and practices in changing from bottle to cup' J Hum Nutr Diet 14(3) 217-223

Black AE, Ravenscroft, C., Sims, AJ., (1984) 'The NACNE report: are the dietary goals realistic? Comparisons with the dietary patterns of dietitians' Hum Nutr Appl Nutr 38(3) 165-75

Abstracts published;

Talbot, A., Avery, A., (2011) 'An investigation into how satiety and hunger influence food choice in slimmers and non-slimmers' Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 24(4):

Avery, A., Allan, J., Lavin, J. and Pallister, C. 2010. Supporting post-natal women to lose weight. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 23(4): 439

Pallister, C., Allan, J., Lavin, J. and Avery, A. 2010. Changes in well-being, diet and activity habits of pregnant women attending a commercial weight management organisation. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 23(4): 459

Lavin, J., Pallister, C., Avery, A. and Stubbs, R.J. 2010. Weight, body mass index and behaviour change in young people accessing slimming world's family affair programme. Obesity Reviews. 11(s1): 433

Pallister, C., Avery, A., Stubbs, J., Lavin, J. and Bird M. 2010. Slimming World on Referral in partnership with NHS Bristol: repeated referral up to 48 weeks. Obesity Reviews. 11(s1): 236

Pallister, C., Avery, A., Stubbs, J. and Lavin, J. 2010. Slimming World on Referral: evaluation of weight management outcomes when working in partnership with a commercial organisation. Obesity Reviews. 11(s1): 237

Stubbs, R.J., Pallister, C., Avery, A., Allan, J. and Lavin, J. 2010. Behaviour change in a survey of weight-loss maintainers using the Slimming World programme. Obesity Reviews. 11(s1): 292

Brown, A., Avery, A., (2010) 'Healthy weight management of women during pregnancy' Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 23 (4): 441

Avery, A., Allan. J., Pallister. C. & Lavin. J. 2009. An investigation into the dietary advice given by health professionals to Slimming World members with diabetes and how members are fitting this advice into Slimming World's eating plan. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 22(6) pp582-3.

Future Research

a research programme looking at the fluidity of expectations during weight loss and how these changing expectations are supported and thus the impact on long-term weight loss outcomes will commence autumn, 2013.

School of Biosciences

University of Nottingham
Sutton Bonington Campus
Nr Loughborough
LE12 5RD, UK

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www.nottingham.ac.uk/enquire

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