School of Health Sciences
 

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Jessica Jackson

Associate Professor (Research & Teaching), Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

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Biography

Jessica is an Associate Professor for the Centre for Children and Young People's Health Research (CYPHR).

She is a registered Nurse Prescriber, Specialist Public Health Nurse (Health Visitor) and Mental Health Nurse. She has over 18 years of experience working within a variety of acute and community settings for the public, private and voluntary sector, caring for vulnerable children and families.

Her research adopts innovative and mixed methodologies to foster community collaboration and address systemic predictors of inequalities in health. Some of her previous research includes exploring the complexities around key public health priorities such as infant feeding, childhood obesity, and children's mental health.

Expertise Summary

Jessica has teaches nurses at Undergraduate, Post-graduate, and Doctorate levels in the School of Health Sciences. As a mental health nurse, she has worked in child and adolescent inpatient and community services (CAMHS), as well as addiction, domestic abuse, youth offending, and probationary services. As a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (Health Visitor), she has delivered the 0-19 Healthy Child Programme and implemented several health promotion interventions for vulnerable families.

Jessica has previous experience working as an Academic Research Nurse where she was successfully awarded funding to deliver multiple mixed-method service evaluations for the NHS, local authorities, and the Office of Health Disparities and Improvements.

Research Summary

Jessica's research focus is Family, Infant, Children and Young People's Health.

INFANT FEEDING Jessica's specialist body of work explores the biopsychosocial complexities of breastfeeding. This includes understanding global predictors of breastfeeding to the WHO recommendations, examining partners' experiences of continued breastfeeding, understanding the stigma of tandem breastfeeding and understanding attitudes towards breastfeeding in UK higher institutional settings. She has also worked with the LGBTQIA+ community to explore the healthcare experiences of infant feeding for trans and non-binary parents. Her work has been used by the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers to inform guidance for GPs, Paediatricians and Lactation Consultants. Jessica continues to build on this area of work through engagement with local services and infant feeding initiatives.

PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES Jessica has been commissioned to conduct several studies for the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities, such as an evaluation of Child & Family Public Health Services, developing guidance for commissioners of physical activity interventions to address inequalities, and leading on the implementation of a cluster randomised controlled trial which used a behavioural insight intervention to encourage healthy packed lunches in Derby City Schools. Derbyshire County Council also commissioned Jessica to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on inequalities in local Public Health Services. Jessica has also conducted studies which explore parent choices for children's school pack lunches, and evaluate an intervention where families created online Vlogs and used peer influence techniques to encourage healthy eating. Jessica continues to engage with local Public Health Commissioners to explore innovative ways to improve children and young people's public health.

MENTAL HEALTH Jessica is currently working with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to develop innovative digital inventions to improve assessments of social anxiety. She has also recently contributed to a book chapter exploring self-compassion and mental well-being among youth in Mindfulness for Child and Adolescent Well-Being: International Perspectives. She has contributed to the construction and factorial validation of a short version of the Attitudes Towards Mental Health Problems Scale (SATMHPS), examined Urban Forest Bathing to improve adolescent nature connection and well-being, and explored online representations of anxiety among adolescent users on Reddit

Jessica is currently working with a team of academics which explores climate change well-being and understanding how children are coping with climate change anxiety. She has recently explored parent relationships between talking to children about climate change, family eco-behaviours and climate change anxiety.

NURSING PRACTICE AND EDUCATION Jessica received funding to work with Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust to understand how nurse researchers can use social media to increase engagement in Clinical Research Trials. She has also worked with the Open University examining public decision-making on the acceptability of nurses' online behaviours and e-professionalism and patient-targeted googling. She has also conducted a variety of primary studies examining the management of clinical pathways and advanced nursing care practice.

RESEARCH NETWORKS Jessica is also engaged with global research networks such as the Research Ensemble for Advancement in Cross-cultural Healthcare (Global-REACH) and the East Midlands Interdisciplinary Partnership on Health Inequalities and Race (IPHIR).

Recent Publications

  • CREER, SARAH, KUFORIJI, OLUWATOYOSI, TURVEY, ANDREW and JACKSON, JESSICA EVE, 2024. How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect wellbeing of staff working in child and family teams?: Journal of Health Visiting Journal of Health Visiting. 12(3), 108-114
  • KOTERA, YASUHIRO, EDWARDS, ANN-MARIE, WILKES, JULIET, TAYLOR, ELAINA, COLMAN, RORY, JACKSON, JESSICA, ALEDEH, MUHAMMAD, BARNES, KRISTIAN and RUSHFORTH, ANNABEL, 2024. Self-compassion and mental well-being among youth. In: Mindfulness for Child and Adolescent Well-Being Routledge. 143-165
  • SHIELLS, KATE, WILLIAMS, SOPHIE, HALLAM, JENNY and JACKSON, JESSICA, 2024. ‘You have to be guided by yourself, your feelings and your child’: Women's experiences of weaning after breastfeeding beyond infancy: Journal of Health Visiting Journal of Health Visiting. 12(1), 30-37
  • ALLEN, STEPHANIE, WILLIAMS, SOPHIE, HALLAM, JENNY and JACKSON, JESSICA EVE, 2023. Breastfeeding Experiences of Women Who have Survived Intimate Partner Violence: Journal of Health Visiting Journal of Health Visiting. 11(5), 204-214

School of Health Sciences

B236, Medical School
Queen's Medical Centre
Nottingham, NG7 2HA

telephone: +44 (0)115 95 15559
email: mhssupport@nottingham.ac.uk