http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/25262 2026-04-18T06:24:21Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33070 Title: Co-designing tobacco control health communication with young people in Southern Nigeria Authors: Aienobe-Asekharen, Charity Agbonisan Abstract: Co-design is a participatory approach that seeks to increase end users’ involvement in designing products and services. However, there is a lack of active participation by young people in the design of tobacco control health communication, especially in African countries. This thesis has therefore engaged young people in determining and designing tobacco control health communication to inform campaign interventions. A scoping review was conducted first to map the types of health communication focused on young people in Africa. Data sources included 20 peer-reviewed papers, WHO Global Health Observatory on anti-tobacco mass-media campaigns for 54 African countries, and 6 WHO Framework Convention reports on Tobacco Control. The review revealed the limited participation in tobacco control health communication design by young people. To address this gap, a co-design approach using creative methods (drawing and writing, group discussions, diary) was employed. Two secondary schools in Benin City were involved in the research, with eighty-nine participants segregated into seven groups (13-19 years) engaging in 4 interconnected phases of the co-design process. The co-design process involved engaging participants in: (1) Discovery, to identify the root causes of smoking using a problem tree; (2) Idea generation, to generate communication ideas to address the identified causes using the socioecological model as a template for idea generation and message framing; (3) Ideation and prototyping, to create a health communication roadmap, including a song, twelve poster designs, and a short film using the generated ideas and messages (4) Feedback, to review co-designed materials which led to the short film being transformed into an animation. From a co-design approach and the use of creative methods, this thesis showed that participants can actively be engaged in tobacco control health communication design in Nigeria, for example via schools. It also revealed that tobacco control campaigns focused on young people could be enhanced textually and visually to align with three key themes; the health consequences of smoking (Seeing is Believing), peer influence (Just Try it: Shades of Influence), and influence of authority figures (Positioning Authority Figures: Dimensions of Power). This thesis has demonstrated that young people are willing to inform health interventions that will impact their lives when they are made aware of the opportunity, and using a process inherently built for sharing knowledge and power. This thesis moreover contributes one of the first examples of a participatory study using co-design in tobacco control health communication with young people in Nigeria and Africa. Description: This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University London 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/32852 Title: Exploring the impact of training in psychological support for long-term injured athletes on sport psychologists’ professional development and practice Authors: Pickford, Helen Abstract: This research explores the professional development of sport and exercise psychologists in supporting long-term injured athletes. The objectives of this research were to design and deliver a theoretically grounded professional skills workshop (‘Injury informed Acceptance and Commitment Therapy’- IACT) for sport psychology practitioners and explore the practitioners’ perceptions of the impact of training on their practice. Injury is well-recognised to have significant psychological consequences for athletes, and while practitioners regularly work to support them, there is currently a paucity of training available on this important topic. The study used an applied interpretive methodology with principles of integrated knowledge translation and a practice-based approach to explore professional development. Sport psychology practitioners attended a one-day CPD workshop that aimed to equip practitioners with the necessary skills and knowledge to better support long-term injured athletes. The CPD was designed and developed to meet the needs of practitioners including understanding the injury journey and the associated mental health risks for athletes, ACT therapeutic skills, and evidence-based practice. Data were collected through questionnaires, focus-group interviews, and follow-up interviews with practitioners at 3- and 6-months post workshop. Results showed that the IACT workshop was effective CPD training, improving practitioners’ knowledge and understanding of the injury journey, the potential impacts on athlete mental health, and their confidence in being able to effectively support injured athletes. Results from follow-up interviews showed that practitioners perceived the workshop to have significant, wide-ranging impacts on their practice, and findings were organised into five general dimensions; ‘Self’, ‘Therapeutic Alliance’, ‘Working Alliance’, ‘Process and Organisation’, and ‘Beyond’, conceptualised as a ‘ripple effect’. This research adds important practice-based evidence and concludes that current training requirements for sport psychologists in this area are insufficient, and more training of this kind needs to be available to protect athlete wellbeing, bridge the research-practice gap, and develop the profession. Description: This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University London 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/32692 Title: Understanding the eating behaviours of low-income families during the cost-of-living crisis: Informing future interventions Authors: Froome, Hannah Mary Abstract: Establishing healthy dietary behaviours in childhood is critical for long-term growth and development. However, the Cost-of-Living Crisis in the UK has substantially increased food insecurity and diet quality, with food prices rising 25% from 2022 to 2024. This left 4.3 million children in relative poverty in 2024. This has increased demands on food charities supporting low-income families. This PhD thesis addresses key gaps in the literature, including (1) A lack of behaviour change interventions for low-income families, (2) Limited understanding on the impacts of the Cost-of-Living Crisis on dietary interventions, (3) Lack of real-time perspectives and experiences on children’s eating behaviours from charity stakeholders and parents in low-income families. Therefore, this thesis aimed to identify evidence-based proposals for future interventions to promote healthy eating behaviours in children from low-income families during the Cost-of-Living Crisis, through application of the Behaviour Change Wheel and the Theoretical Domains Framework. Study 1 comprised of a systematic review of existing digital interventions targeting child dietary behaviours in low-income families. Using the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology, five eligible studies were synthesised, identifying key characteristics. The most common Behaviour Change Techniques used amongst the five studies were Goal Setting (k=4), Problem Solving (k=3), Instruction on how to perform a Behaviour (k=3) and Prompts and Cues (k=3). This review highlighted core characteristics and gaps within existing child dietary interventions. Study 2 and 3 explored experiences of stakeholders in 12 food charities (n=22) and parents in low-income families (n=23) using qualitative interviews and dyads. Following an interpretivist methodological approach, a combination of inductive and deductive coding and using reflective thematic analysis was conducted. Findings were mapped to the Theoretical Domains Framework to identify behavioural determinants influencing charity support and parental feeding practices. Across stakeholder and parent perspectives, key barriers and facilitators centered on ‘Physical Opportunity’; resources and environmental constraints, ‘Social Opportunity’; community networks and reducing stigma, ‘Psychological Capability’; knowledge, child involvement and adaptive strategies, and ‘Reflective Motivation’; communication and reaching populations directly, are all required to support child healthy eating during economic crises. Integrating findings across all three studies, the Behaviour Change Wheel was applied to identify intervention functions, policy categories, Behaviour Change Techniques, and mode of deliveries, which inform future intervention design. This thesis demonstrates how combining enablement and service provision with practical social support and flexible delivery modes may strengthen both parental capacity and food support systems. This research contributes a novel, theory-driven, multi-level approach to designing dietary interventions for children in low-income families, highlighting the importance of behavioural and systemic adaptation during periods of economic crisis in the UK. Description: This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University London 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/31344 Title: The relationship between social media, body image and exercise motivation in physically active men Authors: Bell, Christopher Abstract: Little is known about the relationship between social media, body image and exercise motivation in adult men. Previous research has suggested that social media can have negative implications on some individual’s body image, but this has predominantly been investigated in female and undergraduate samples. Social media that claims to provide inspiration and motivation for exercise has also shown limited efficacy in prior studies. This thesis sought to investigate the relationship between social media, body image and exercise motivation in physically active men. This was investigated using a mixed methods approach that comprised of three studies. Study 1 used a cross sectional survey design to explore relationships between social media and body image, and social media and exercise motivation and behaviour using a sample of 224 men (M age = 32.76). Study 2 used a qualitative methodology comprising of interviews with 20 men (M age = 32.45) about their experiences of social media, body image and exercise. Study 3 used an experimental methodology to investigate the impact of different types of fitness social media imagery (body aesthetic and function focused) on 165 men’s (M age= 32.69) body image and exercise motivation. Together these studies found that social media was frequently associated with a higher drive for muscularity and increased awareness of appearance in men, with some experiencing body image concerns driven by social media. Social media was not deemed to be motivational by most men, but it was found to be a useful educational tool by many. Men showed evidence of critical thinking and media literacy to combat the negative influence of body image threats. This thesis used a novel methodology to explore a previously understudies population group. These findings have implications for future research, social media policy and interventions seeking to encourage physical activity and improve body image in adult men. Description: This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University London 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z