Professor Lesley Smith

Professor Lesley Smith

Professor of Women's Public Health

Faculty and Department

  • Faculty of Health Sciences
  • School of Nursing and Midwifery

Summary

Lesley joined the University of Hull in 2018. She has published extensively on alcohol research including alcohol and pregnancy, maternal health, midwifery-led intrapartum care and more recently adolescent sexual and reproductive health sub-Saharan Africa. She has a background in quantitative research methods, Currently she is an Academic Adviser Panel member for the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK. In 2020, with Professor Monica Magadi, she set up the Hull Global Health Research Network.

From 2013 to April 2018 she led the Oxford Brookes University Maternal and Women’s Public Health research group (OXBUMP). In 2012, Lesley and Dr Ethel Burns, Senior Lecturer in Midwifery set up Zumba 4 Bump, a community-based antenatal exercise, education and support group for pregnant women in Oxford. This is now an established social enterprise, and has received support from The Big Lottery ‘Awards For All’. Before joining the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at Oxford Brookes University in 2003 she held post-doctoral research posts at the Centre for Statistics in Medicine and the Pain Research Unit at the University of Oxford. Before this Lesley had a background in nursing.

Recent outputs

View more outputs

Digital Artefact

HVs' role in providing alcohol advice to women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy

Walker, J., Smith, L., Hilton, A., Alfred, L., Scholin, L., & Ahankari, A. (2024). HVs’ role in providing alcohol advice to women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy

Journal Article

Measuring the unknown: we need to measure all experiences important to women regarding their antenatal care

Davenport, C., & Smith, L. (online). Measuring the unknown: we need to measure all experiences important to women regarding their antenatal care. Evidence-Based Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1136/ebnurs-2023-103915

Associations between physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and alcohol consumption among UK adults: Findings from the Health Behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic (HEBECO) study

Akwa, L. G., Smith, L., Twiddy, M., Abt, G., Garnett, C., Oldham, M., Shahab, L., & Herbec, A. (2023). Associations between physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and alcohol consumption among UK adults: Findings from the Health Behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic (HEBECO) study. PLoS ONE, 18(10 October), Article e0287199. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287199

Midwives and service users' perspectives on implementing a dialogue about alcohol use in antenatal care: A qualitative study

Dyson, J., Onukwugha, F., Howlett, H., Combe, K., Catterick, M., & Smith, L. (in press). Midwives and service users' perspectives on implementing a dialogue about alcohol use in antenatal care: A qualitative study. Journal of advanced nursing, https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15622

Newspaper / Magazine

Planning for a baby? Why both men and women should consider quitting alcohol before and during pregnancy

Alfred, L., Walker, J., & Smith, L. (2023). Planning for a baby? Why both men and women should consider quitting alcohol before and during pregnancy

Research interests

My research takes a prevention and behavioural science approach to improving reproductive health of women with a particular focus on preconception and pregnancy.

I am interested in carrying out research to understand the factors that influence health, and using participatory approaches to develop interventions and strategies to change behaviours to improve health and wellbeing of women, family and community health.

I am particularly interested in understanding how to reduce the harm from alcohol exposure before and during pregnancy through development of behaviour change interventions.

Lead investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

CHAMPION: AlCohol HArM PreventIOn iN pregnancy

Funder

NIHR National Institute for Health Research

Grant

£168,068.00

Started

4 January 2021

Status

Complete

Project

An Intervention Model to Reduce Alcohol Exposed Pregnancies in England (ROSEANNE)

Funder

NIHR National Institute for Health Research

Grant

£500.00

Started

1 September 2019

Status

Complete

Project

Development of a community based intervention to increase bowel screening uptake in South Asians living in a diverse area of Oxford City (OX4): a mixed methods study - date extension 31/07/20

Funder

Bowel Cancer UK

Grant

£2,584.00

Started

15 October 2018

Status

Complete

Co-investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

NIHR Mental Health Research Group

Funder

NIHR National Institute for Health Research

Grant

£8,288,666.00

Started

1 October 2024

Status

Ongoing

Project

Vital Knowledge Exchange Visits: Bolstering Ongoing Collaborative Responsible AI Projects at IIT-M and UoH

Funder

University of Hull

Grant

£7,500.00

Started

1 February 2024

Status

Complete

Postgraduate supervision

I welcome enquiries from motivated students from anywhere in the world who have a passion and commitment to making a difference through population health research.

Applications from students with an interest in research aiming to improving reproductive health and wellbeing of women, and research taking prevention/behavioural science approaches are particularly welcome. Especially students with an interest in preconception health and reducing harm from alcohol before and during pregnancy.

Current PhD students:

2020

Amena Dilmohamed, HIV/AIDS and sexual related violence in armed conflict in DRC (part-time) (co-supervisor)

2019

Lady Gwendoline Akwa, Alcohol and physical activity amongst women University Cluster Scholarship (Alcohol) 2020, (Director of Studies)

Saphsa Codling, Alcohol and physical activity. amongst adolescents University Cluster Scholarship (Alcohol) 2020, (Director of Studies)

Past PhD students

Dr Sarah Howcutt (2021); Dr Sarah Hennelly (2018); Dr Jane Henderson (2017); Dr Victoria Coathup (2016); Dr Ethel Burns (2013)

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