Obesity Ambassadors

Project description

The Centre for Obesity Research at the University of Birmingham has introduced a new model for public engagement by appointing ambassadors to create a dialogue between the researchers and the public.

Over 25% of the UK population are obese. However public perceptions of obesity mean that very few people recognise they are obese - and the impact that this can have on their health. 

Obesity Research has been a growing research interest at the University for several years. Research groups have come together to co-ordinate their work with the aim of understanding the metabolic processes that contribute to obesity and metabolic disease as well as implementing novel treatment and prevention strategies. The University wanted to open a dialogue with members of the public - both to share the results of their research in a relevant way and to find out what the public thought about future research questions. The university decided to appoint Obesity Ambassadors to help develop their work in this area.

Purpose

The appointment of Obesity Ambassadors is designed to

• engage members of the local community in a real dialogue with researchers
• help the Centre communicate the results of its research out to a public audience
• explore the most pressing needs the public have about tackling obesity

Activity

Advertising for Ambassadors started in August 2009 with the aim to recruit six volunteers from the West Midlands region (four adults and two children) who were willing to become the public faces of the Centre. The main selection criteria was that the ambassadors had an interest in obesity, healthy living and the health impacts of being overweight.

There was a concern that many of the public believe that obesity, and therefore obesity research, was only something very overweight people need to worry about. The ambassadors could play a key role in dispelling this myth - and encouraging many more people to engage with the work of the centre.

The Centre received around 30 applications and following a series of interviews and screenings for the shortlisted candidates, finally recruited five Ambassadors (with one place left vacant).

Resources

The Centre has developed an area of their website for the Ambassadors which features video content, blogs, myth-busters, short opinion pieces and reports, as well as a host of links out to useful information elsewhere. The whole purpose of this site is to make obesity research relatable and useful for members of the public, as well as other potential audiences such as GPs and journalists, and to create a resource which is supportive and encouraging rather than judgemental and unengaging.

The ambassadors came together with researchers from the university for an inaugral meeting in December 2009.

I'm excited about the challenge coming into next year as well, and hopefully starting to make a bit of a difference in the local region, and just enthusiastic about getting the programme off the ground, really. It should be good! 

Obesity Ambassador

Following this there have been a number of ways that the ambassadors have been involved in the project. For example, they have participated in the national conference 'Tackling Obesity 2010' and explored the need to tackle choldhood obesity with researchers from the centre.

Results/ Outcomes

Key challenges to date have been:

• the difficulty of measuring success of the project
• ambassador 'casting' and drop-outs
• subjective nature of obesity issue-based research

Eliot Marsten

 Eliot has a PhD in leukaemia research from the University of Birmingham CRUK Institute of Cancer Studies, and has significant research funding and technology transfer experience. His primary remit is as the Translational Research Manager for the developing Centre for Obesity Research at the University of Birmingham, in which he is responsible for driving new collaborative, interdisciplinary research initiatives, developing and assisting with funding proposals, liaising with internal and external partners and the promotion of internal research excellence to an external audience.

As a core part of his primary remit, Eliot also provides Senior Research Facilitator support across the School of Clinical & Experimental Medicine's portfolio of activity, assisting with expert advice relating to funding opportunities and proposal development. He is also working on the complex array of metrics relating to research activities across the School/College to provide improved management information to both PIs and Senior Management.