The University of Sheffield
Public Health

Dr Michelle Holdsworth PhD, RD

Director of Learning and Teachingmichelleholdsworth

The University of Sheffield
Section of Public Health
ScHARR (School of Health and Related Research)
Regent Court
30 Regent Street
Sheffield
S1 4DA
UK

Tel: +44(0)114 222 0723
Fax: +44(0)114 272 4095

Office:  Room 2045

email: michelle.holdsworth@sheffield.ac.uk

Biography

I joined the Public Health section of ScHARR (School of Health and Related Research) in October 2011 and I am currently a Senior Lecturer in Public Health and Director of Learning and Teaching for the School.  I studied human nutrition as an undergraduate and then completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Dietetics.  After working in various NHS community and public health posts, I developed research interests in incorporating the use of evidence to community nutrition interventions and went on to study for a PhD in Public Health at the University of Leicester.  Since then I have pursued a career in academic public health nutrition, working for 4 years at the University of Nottingham, as Lecturer then Associate Professor and for 8 years in Montpellier, France as a Senior Civil Servant Researcher - conducting research and capacity building work in public health nutrition, mainly in francophone Africa, for the Government funded Institute of Research for Development (IRD), various research bodies in Europe about research strategy development, as well as being invited on numerous occasions to speak about my research overseas.  I am also external examiner and international academic advisor to nutrition programmes in London and Kuala Lumpur respectively.

Research Interests

The common thread in my research is combining qualitative and quantitative approaches to answer interdisciplinary research questions in public health nutrition.  The research approach integrates social science with that of public health nutrition, to investigate determinants of health behaviour at an individual level, within the context of social and ecological determinants of health, followed by studies of policy processes that directly feed into informing preventive strategies.

I have significant research experience which has involved working in different cultural contexts (especially the UK, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and more recently in Asia), falling broadly within three areas of public health nutrition:  nutrition transition in low and middle-income countries, obesity policy development and integrating sustainability into nutrition policy.  I lead a multidisciplinary research theme of 'Food, Nutrition and Society'.

Teaching Interests

I am Director of Learning and Teaching for ScHARR and have strategic responsibility for our postgraduate programmes in health.  We run an exciting range of distance learning and face to face Masters programmes in public health, health economics and decision science, health technology assessment, clinical research and emergency care http://www.shef.ac.uk/scharr/prospective_students.  I teach on the Key issues in National and Global Health module on the MPH programme and supervise MPH dissertations.

I am strongly committed to enhancing the quality of the student experience at the University, particularly using technology enhanced learning to improve the student experience for blended and on-line learning.  ScHARR's range of MOOCs (Massive Open On-line Courses) in a range of health topics (launched in 2013) provide a free taster of our approach to on-line learning.  http://www.shef.ac.uk/scharr/prospective_students/moocs/moocs

Professional Activities

I am a  Registered Dietitian and Member of UK Faculty of Public Health and the British Sociological Association's Food study group.  I am also a member of the UK Nutrition Society (International Nutrition and Public Health themes). 

Current Research Projects

  1. Social Networks and Obesity/ (2012-2013)
    The role of social networks in preventing obesity.  NHS Nottingham City (Flexibility and Sustainability Funding) to investigate the social determinants of obesity in deprived communitie with a focus on the role of family, intergenerational and community social networks.  I lead the project.
  2. SUNRAY (Sustainable Nutrition Research for Africa in years to come) (2011-2-13)
    Funded by the  EC (Framework 7) to investigate sustainable solutions to improve nutritional status in Africa - tacking obesity and under-nutrition.  My main contribution is to use Multi-Criteria Mapping to explore stakeholders' viewpoints of a new nutrition research strategy for Africa.
  3. Bridging Health Promotion and Sustainability Science (2013-)
    (World Universities Network.  The question driving this project is:  How can we better connect social and environmental sciences to enhance the well-being of people and their environments, especially in the context of poverty?  http://www.wun.ac.uk/research/briding-health-promotion-and-sustainability-science-transition-green-economy.

Previous projects

  1. ALIMI (Food culture and migration in France, Mali and Morocco), financed by the French National Research Council.  Coordinated by the Food Sociology team of the School of Higher Studies in Social Science (EHESS-CNRS) Paris.  I lead on the aspects assessing changing body size norms (2009-2012).
  2. OBE-MAGHREB (Understanding nutrition transition in the Maghreb to prevent obesity and chronic disease) funded by the French Ministry of Overseas Affairs and DG International Development and Cooperation).  Conducted in Morocco and Tunisia.  I lead on i) Assessing stakeholder views of policy options to prevent obesity using a Multi-Criteria mapping approach and ii) Psycho-socio determinants of health behaviour (eating/physical activity/body weight)(2007-2012).
  3. PolMark (Assessing Policy options for Marketing food and beverages to children) Funded by the EC, Executive Agency for Health and Consumers.  The project explored stakeholder views of current policies on marketing controls in relation to children's foods and beverages in  Europe (11 countries participated).  I was the coordinator in France (2008-2010).
  4. PorGrow (Assessing Policy Options for Responding to the Growing challenge from Obesity: a cross-national comparative study), funded by EC-6th Framework Programme.  9 European partners, coordinated by Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex.  I was the coordinator in France (2004-07).

PhD Supervision

I am interested in supervising Research Students in topics related to the following themes:

  1. Investigating the determinants of health at an individual level, e.g. health behaviour, particularly diet and healthy body weight.  Competency for individuals to implement healthy behaviour is also of interest, including looking at ways of communicating nutrition and healthier 'lifestyles' more effectively to the public.
  2. Exploring Societal and ecological determinants of health (social, cultural, economic) particularly those that influence dietary and physical activity behaviour, but this could be broader to incorporate other behaviours that impact on health.  Sustainability is incorporated here as a driver of health, but it is also integral to the policy making process.
  3. Linking research, policy and practice.  Including how we can increase the use of evidence of the individual and societal determinants of health into the development of policy and public health practice.  The evaluation of policy processes (local, national, global) are inevitably part of this, in particular in relation to obesity and diet related chronic disease prevention.  

Key Publications 

Van Royen K, Lachat C, Holdsworth M, Smit K, Kinabo J, Roberfroid D, Nago E, GarimoiOrach C, Kolsteren P (2013) How can operating environment for nutrition research be improved in sub-Saharan Africa?  The views of African researchers, Plos On.  Vol 8,1-9.

Landais E, Gartner A, Bour A, McCullough F, Delpeuch F, Holdsworth M.  (2013) Reproducibility and relative validity of a quantitative food frequency questionnaire for assessing fruit and vegetable intakes in North-African women.  Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics [epub 19 May 2013].

Holdsworth M, Bour A, Elati J, Kameli Y,  Derouiche A, Millstone E, Delpeuch F. (2012)
Developing national obesity policy in middle-income countries: a case study from North Africa.  Health Policy and Planning(2012 Dec 10) Epub ahead of print.  http://heapol.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/12/heapol.czs125.long

Clonan A, Holdsworth M.(2012)
The challenges of eating a healthy and sustainable diet.  Editorial.
 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition  96: 3 459-460

Verstraeten R, Roberfroid D, Lachat C, Leroy J, Holdsworth M, Maes L, Kolsteren K.(2012)
Effectiveness of preventive school-based obesity interventions in low-and middle-income countries: a systematic review. 
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 96:227-8

Relton C, Strong M, Holdsworth M. (2012)
Plastic food packaging encourages obesity.
British Medical Journal 344

Clonan A, Holdsworth M, Swift J, Leibovici D, Wilson P.  (2011)
The dilemma of healthy eating and environmental sustainability: public understanding and consumption of fish.
 Public Health Nutrition.  15(2):277-84.

Holdsworth M. (2010)
Sustainability should be integral to nutrition and dietetics.
Editorial. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 23, 467-468.

Holdsworth M, Delpeuch F, Kameli Y, Lobstein T, Millstone E. (2010)
The acceptability to stakeholders of mandatory nutritional labelling in France and the UK.
Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 23,11-19

Gonzalez-Zapata Ll, Alvarez-Dardet C, Millstone E, Clemente V, Holdsworth M, et al. (2010)
The potential role of taxes and subsidies on food in the prevention of obesity in Europe.
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.  64:696-704.

Brown E, Drury S, Holdsworth M. (2009)
Motivations of consumers that use local, organic fruit and vegetable box schemes in Central England and Southern France.
Appetite 53 183-188

Gonzalez-Zapata Ll, Alvarez-Dardet C, Ortiz-Moncada R, Clemente V, Millstone E, Holdsworth M et al. (2009)
Policy options for obesity in Europe - A comparison of public health specialists with other stakeholders. 
Public Health Nutrition 12(7) 896-908

Holdsworth M (2008)  How important are differences in national eating habits in France?  Special edition on: 'The French Paradox: fact or fiction?
Dialogues in Cardiovascular Medicine13, 200-208, invited review.
http://www.dialogues-cvm.com.document/DCVM49.pdf

Simpson EJ, Holdsworth M, Macdonald IA. (2008)
Interstitial glucose profile associated with symptoms attributed to hypoglycemia by otherwise healthy women.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  87:354-361

Tlili F, Manjoub A, Lefevre P, Bellaj T, Ben Romdhane H, Eymard-Duvernay, Holdsworth M. (2008)
Tunisian women's perceptions of desirable body size and chronic disease risk.
Ecology of Food and Nutrition. 47, 1-16.

Pettinger C, Holdsworth M, Gerber M. (2008)
'All under one roof?' differences in food availability and shopping patterns in Southern France and Central England.
European Journal of Public Health.  18:109-114.

Holdsworth M, Kemeli Y, Delpeuch F. (2007)
Stakeholder views on policy options for responding to the growing challenge from obesity in France: findings from the PorGrow project
Obesity Reviews.  Special issue: 'Policy Options for Tackling Obesity'. 8 (2), 53-61.

Holdsworth M, Delpeuch F, Landais E, Gartner A, Eymard-Duvernay S, Maire B. (2006)
Knowledge of dietary and behaviour-related determinants of non-communicable disease in urban Senegalese women.
Public Health Nutrition. 9 (8) 975-978.

Pettinger C, Holdsworth M, Gerber M. (2006)
Meal patterns and cooking practices in Southern France and Central England.
Public Health Nutrition.9(8) 1020-1026

Holdsworth M, Gartner A, Landais E, Maire B,  Delpeuch F. (2004)
Perceptions of healthy and desireable size in urban Senegalese women.
International Journal of Obesity. 28, 1561-1568.

Books/Reports

Webster-Gandy J, Madden A, Holdsworth M. (2011)
Oxford Handbook of Nutrition and Dietetics
Oxford University Press.  Oxford Handbook Series 2nd edition. 

Holdsworth M, Tessier S, Delpeuch F. (2009)
Policies for Marketing food and beverages to children - findings from the PolMark Project

Delpeuch F, Maire B, Monnier E, Holdsworth M. (2009)
Globesity - a planet out of control.
Earthscan Books

Holdsworth M, Delpeuch F, Kameli Y. (2006)
Stakeholder views on policy options for responding to the growing challenge from obesity in France:  Findings from the PorGrow project.