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.
Journal Article
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
Reflections of experts by experience and research team members on research and development about a sensitive issue that attracts stigma
Howlett, H., Catterick, M., Onukwugha, F., Roberts, H., Dyson, J., Smith, L., & Cohen, J. (2023). Reflections of experts by experience and research team members on research and development about a sensitive issue that attracts stigma. Research for All, 7(1), https://doi.org/10.14324/RFA.07.1.02
Prevention of alcohol related harm though preconception care: A scoping review of barriers and enablers
Smith, L., Hilton, A., Walker, J., Alfred, L., Ahankari, A., & Schölin, L. (2022). Prevention of alcohol related harm though preconception care: A scoping review of barriers and enablers. Dialogues in Health, 1, Article 100040. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dialog.2022.100040
Perspectives of Adolescents, Parents, Service Providers, and Teachers on Mobile Phone Use for Sexual Reproductive Health Education
Ochieng, B. M., Smith, L., Orton, B., Hayter, M., Kaseje, M., Wafula, C. O., …Kaseje, D. C. O. (2022). Perspectives of Adolescents, Parents, Service Providers, and Teachers on Mobile Phone Use for Sexual Reproductive Health Education. Social Sciences, 11(5), Article 196. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11050196
Visualizing community networks to recruit South Asian participants for interviews about bowel cancer screening
Howcutt, S. J., Saini, P., Henshall, C., Brett, J., Watson, E., & Smith, L. A. (2022). Visualizing community networks to recruit South Asian participants for interviews about bowel cancer screening. Journal of Cancer Policy, 32, Article 100333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcpo.2022.100333
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
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)