Academic staff
Ms Jane Wills
willsj@lsbu.ac.uk
Social Work, Community and Public Health
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9564-0075 (unauthenticated)
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I am Professor of Health Promotion, was the Director of Research and Enterprise 2017-2021 and am the founding head of the Centre for Applied Research in Improvement and Innovation (CApRII). I am now co-investigator of PHIRST South Bank, a new research centre at LSBU that is evaluating national public health initiatives.
I have been at the forefront of developments in health promotion as a discipline over the last three decades through best selling textbooks which have been translated into five languages, extensive publications on the nature and scope of health promotion and latterly, health literacy.
My recent research has focused on what works to improve the health and wellbeing of health and social care workforces and how they can be developed to deliver opportunistic health education. I am also working on projects understanding how health literacy influences individual and community decision making and behaviour change. I am a founding member and advisor to PHIRST South Bank, an evaluation team funded by the National Institute of Health Research which is based at LSBU, who are helping local authorities to build an evidence base on successful and effective public health interventions.
I have worked with regional and government agencies in several low income countries to develop training for community health workers, to develop plans for sustainable behaviour change approaches in relation to paraffin safety, food growing, sanitation and physical activity and to investigate good practices and the transferability and scalability of innovation in public health. I have also acted as a facilitator and expert educator in numerous skills areas including social marketing and behaviour change communication and evidence informed practice.
I have been an Associate non-executive director for Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust as it moves into an integrated care system where I brought my expertise in public health and health promotion and commitment to addressing and reducing health inequalities.
Postgraduate Research Supervision
Current
| Miss Meriyam John | Doctoral Research Project | PhD |
| Mrs Rita Chineze Melifonwu | SOCIAL PARTICIPATION IN COMMUNITY DWELLING NIGERIAN STROKE SURVIVORS LIVING IN LONDON | PhD |
| Ms Helen Kate Graves | Implicit associations, ego depletion and disinhibition in dietary restraint | PhD |
| Miss Anna Marie Culloty | A case study exploration of patient safety culture within an Acute NHS Trust, utilising Open Systems Theory | PhD |
| Mr Joshua Sharman | Doctoral Research Project | PhD |
Awarded in the last 5 years
| Miss Catherine Jenkins | Public libraries as settings for the development of critical health literacy in children. | PhD |
| Funder | Year won | Project | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) | 2021 | Public Health Intervention Responsive Studies Team | Co-Investigator |
| Health Education England | 2020 | HSC_Post PhD Bridging Programme_HEE | Principal Investigator |
| Kent County Council | 2020 | HSC_Webinar Masterclass Series_KCC | Principal Investigator |
| National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) | 2020 | HSC_AppRes_NIHR_ Scoping project | Principal Investigator |
| Tower Hamlets Parents Centre | 2019 | Evaluation of the 'Health Matters' project | Principal Investigator |
| C3 Collaborating for Health | 2019 | Global nurse leaders survey | Principal Investigator |
| Kent County Council | 2019 | Practitioner masterclasses for London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex UKPHR participants | Principal Investigator |
| Kent County Council | 2018 | H585_Consultancy_KCC_MECC | Principal Investigator |
| UK Public Health Register | 2017 | H408_AppRes_UKPHR_Fit for the future | Principal Investigator |
| Age UK | 2017 | H405_App Res_Age UK_Age Allies | Principal Investigator |
| Public Health England | 2016 | H332_Contract Research_PHE_Supported Resources HWB | Principal Investigator |
| Leeds & York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust | 2016 | H171_HEE_PHP | Principal Investigator |
| Health Education South London | 2015 | H075_CPD_HIN_Raising awareness of personal health and wellbeing in the workforce: a social marketing campaign | Principal Investigator |
| Kent County Council | 2019 | H652_Consultancy_KCC_MECC Evaluation Handbook | Principal Investigator |
| Kent County Council | 2019 | H651_Consultancy_KCC_MECC Sandpit Project | Principal Investigator |
| Fulbright Commission | 2019 | Reducing unhealthy outcomes of gang activity | Co-Investigator |
| Proposal | Project | Role | Funder | Status | Status last updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHIRST South Bank (2) | PHIRST South Bank (2) | Co-Investigator | National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) | OPEN Approved for submission | Jul 2024 |
| PSL2324-0306 APS_Open Fund evaluation partner_Sport England | APS_Open Fund evaluation partner_Sport England | Co-Investigator | Sport England | OPEN Submitted | Apr 2024 |
| PSL1920-0485 HSC_Webinar Masterclass Series_KCC | HSC_Webinar Masterclass Series_KCC | Principal Investigator | Kent County Council | OPEN In preparation | Apr 2021 |
| PSL1819 0413 - Global nurse leaders survey | Global nurse leaders survey | Principal Investigator | C3 Collaborating for Health | OPEN Approved for submission | Oct 2019 |
Editor 2005-2008
Challenges to the real-world delivery of brief alcohol interventions in the custody suite: qualitative study
Jarrett, M., Mills, T., Mallion, J., Sykes, S., Wills, J. and Chaplin, E. (2024). Challenges to the real-world delivery of brief alcohol interventions in the custody suite: qualitative study. BJPsych bulletin. https://doi.org/doi:10.1192/bjb.2024.48
Involving Lived Experience in regional efforts to address gambling-related harms: going beyond ‘window dressing’ and ‘tick box exercises’
Jenkins, C., Mills, T., Grimes J, Bland C, Reavey, P., Wills, J. and Sykes, S. (2024). Involving Lived Experience in regional efforts to address gambling-related harms: going beyond ‘window dressing’ and ‘tick box exercises’. BMC Public Health. 24, p. 384. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3658745/v1
Harnessing lived experience in a community-based intervention to address gambling-related harms
Jenkins, C, Mills, T, Reavey, P, Moss, A, Sykes, S, Wills, J and Grimes, J (2023). Harnessing lived experience in a community-based intervention to address gambling-related harms. European Journal of Public Health. 33 (Supplement_2). https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckad160.1654
What works in advocating for food advertising policy change across an english region - a realist evaluation
Sykes, S., Watkins, M., Bond, M., Jenkins, C. and Wills, J. (2023). What works in advocating for food advertising policy change across an english region - a realist evaluation. BMC Public Health. 23 (1), p. 1896. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16829-8
‘Odds Are: They Win’: a disruptive messaging innovation for challenging harmful products and practices of the gambling industry
T. Mills, J. Grimes, E. Caddick, C.L. Jenkins, J. Evans, A. Moss, J. Wills and S. Sykes (2023). ‘Odds Are: They Win’: a disruptive messaging innovation for challenging harmful products and practices of the gambling industry. Public Health. 224, pp. 41-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2023.08.009
Public health practitioners as policy advocates: skills, attributes and development needs.
Sykes, S., Wills, J. and Watkins, M. (2023). Public health practitioners as policy advocates: skills, attributes and development needs. Health Promotion International. 38 (5), p. daad102. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daad102
Doing public health differently: How can public health departments engage with local communities through social media interventions?
Watkins, M., Mallion, J.S., Frings, D., Wills, J., Sykes, S. and Whittaker, A. (2023). Doing public health differently: How can public health departments engage with local communities through social media interventions? Public Health in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhip.2023.100412
Public health messages during a global emergency through an online community: A discourse and sentiment analysis
Watkins, M., Mallion, J., Frings, D., Wills, J., Sykes, S. and Whittaker, A. (2023). Public health messages during a global emergency through an online community: A discourse and sentiment analysis. Frontiers in Digital Health. 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2023.1130784
Settings for the development of health literacy: A conceptual review
Jenkins, C., Wills, J. and Sykes, S. (2023). Settings for the development of health literacy: A conceptual review. Frontiers in Public Health. 11, p. 1105640. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1105640
Multiple group membership, optimistic bias and infection risk in the context of emerging infectious diseases
Frings, D., Wills, J., Sykes, S., Wood, K. and Albery, I. (2023). Multiple group membership, optimistic bias and infection risk in the context of emerging infectious diseases. European Journal of Health Psychology. (30), pp. 115-125. https://doi.org/10.1027/2512-8442/a000127
Involving Children in Health Literacy Research
Jenkins, C., Wills, J. and Sykes, S. (2022). Involving Children in Health Literacy Research. Children. 10 (1), p. 23. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10010023
Public Libraries as Supportive Environments for Children’s Development of Critical Health Literacy
Jenkins, C., Sykes, S. and Wills, J. (2022). Public Libraries as Supportive Environments for Children’s Development of Critical Health Literacy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 19 (19). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191911896
Differences in digital health literacy and future anxiety between health care and other university students in England during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Frings, D., Sykes, S., Ojo,A, Rowlands, G, Trasolini, A, Dadaczynski, K, Okan, O and Wills, J. (2022). Differences in digital health literacy and future anxiety between health care and other university students in England during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Public Health. 22 (658). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13087-y
Sport and Exercise Science and Health
Mileva, K. and Zaidell, L. (2022). Sport and Exercise Science and Health. in: Wills, J. (ed.) Health Studies: an Introduction Springer Nature. pp. 84-124
Street Gangs and Coercive Control: The Gendered Exploitation of Young Women and Girls in County Lines
Havard, T., Densley, J., Whittaker, A. and Wills, J. (2021). Street Gangs and Coercive Control: The Gendered Exploitation of Young Women and Girls in County Lines . Criminology & Criminal Justice. https://doi.org/10.1177/17488958211051513
eHealth literacy during the COVID-19 pandemic: seeking, sharing, suspicion amongst older and younger UK populations
Sykes, S., Wills, J., Trasolini, A., Wood, K. and Frings, D. (2021). eHealth literacy during the COVID-19 pandemic: seeking, sharing, suspicion amongst older and younger UK populations. Health Promotion International. 37 (1), p. daab103. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daab103
The health of the nursing workforce. A survey of National Nurse Associations
Wills, J, Hancock, C and Nuttall, M (2020). The health of the nursing workforce. A survey of National Nurse Associations. International Nursing Review. https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12586
Multidimensional eHealth Literacy for Infertility
Sykes, S., Wills, J., Frings, D., Church, S. and Wood, K. (2020). Multidimensional eHealth Literacy for Infertility. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 17 (3), pp. 966-966. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030966
Shaping alcohol health literacy: a systematic concept analysis and review
Sykes, S, Wills, J, Okan, O and Rowlands, G (2019). Shaping alcohol health literacy: a systematic concept analysis and review. Health Literacy Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.3928/24748307-20191104-01
Critical health literacy for the marginalised: Empirical findings
Sykes, S. and Wills, J. (2019). Critical health literacy for the marginalised: Empirical findings. in: Orkan, O., Ullrich, B., Levin-Zamir, D., Pinheiro, P. and Sorensen, K. (ed.) International Handbook of Health Literacy: Research, Practice and Policy across the Life-Span Bristol
Gender and health literacy: men’s health beliefs and behavior in Trinidad
Wills, J., Sykes, S., Hardy, S., Joshua, K., Moorley, C. and Ocho, O (2019). Gender and health literacy: men’s health beliefs and behavior in Trinidad. Health Promotion International. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daz076
How parents describe the positive aspects of parenting a child who has intellectual disabilities: a systematic review and narrative synthesis
Wills, J and Beighton, C (2019). How parents describe the positive aspects of parenting a child who has intellectual disabilities: a systematic review and narrative synthesis. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities. 32. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.12617
IUHPE Position statement on health literacy: a practical vision for a health literate world
Bröder, J, Chang, P, Kickbusch, I, Levin-Zamir, D, McElhinney, E, Nutbeam, D, Okan, O, Osborne, R, Pelikan, J, Rootman, I, Rowlands, G, Nunes-Saboga, L, Simmons, R, Sørensen, K, Van den Broucke, S, Velardo, S, Wills, J and International Union for Health Promotion and Education (2018). IUHPE Position statement on health literacy: a practical vision for a health literate world. Montreal, Canada International Union of Health Promotion and Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/1757975918814421
Challenges and opportunities in building critical health literacy
Sykes, SM and Wills, JD (2018). Challenges and opportunities in building critical health literacy. Global Health Promotion. 25 (4), p. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1177/1757975918789352
Nurses as role models in health promotion: piloting the acceptability of a social marketing campaign.
Wills, J, Kelly, M and Frings, D (2018). Nurses as role models in health promotion: piloting the acceptability of a social marketing campaign. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 75 (2), pp. 423-431. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13874
Systematic review: What works to address obesity in nurses?
Kelly, M. and Wills, J (2018). Systematic review: What works to address obesity in nurses? Occupational Medicine. 68 (4), pp. 228-238. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqy038
Obesity prevalence among healthcare professionals in England: a cross-sectional study using the health survey for England
Kyle, RG, Wills, JD, Mahoney, C, Hoyle, L, Kelly, M and Atherton, IM (2017). Obesity prevalence among healthcare professionals in England: a cross-sectional study using the health survey for England. BMJ Open. 7 (12). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018498
Do nurses' personal health behaviours impact on their health promotion practice: a systematic review
Kelly, M, Wills, JD and Sykes, SM (2017). Do nurses' personal health behaviours impact on their health promotion practice: a systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies. 76, pp. 62-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2017.08.008
Investigating the attitudes of nurses who are obese
Wills, JD and Kelly, M (2017). Investigating the attitudes of nurses who are obese. Nursing Standard. 31 (46), pp. 42-48. https://doi.org/10.7748/ns.2017.e10645
The Role of Community Development in Building Critical Health Literacy
Sykes, SM, Wills, JD and Popple, K (2017). The Role of Community Development in Building Critical Health Literacy. Community Development Journal. 53 (4), pp. 751-767. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsx019
The health literacy dyad: the contribution of future GPs in England
Wills, JD, Groene, O, Rowlands, G and Rudd, R (2017). The health literacy dyad: the contribution of future GPs in England. Education for primary care : an official publication of the Association of Course Organisers, National Association of GP Tutors, World Organisation of Family Doctors. 28 (5), pp. 274-281. https://doi.org/10.1080/14739879.2017.1327332
What works to encourage student nurses to adopt healthier lifestyles? Findings from an intervention study.
Wills, JD and Kelly, M (2016). What works to encourage student nurses to adopt healthier lifestyles? Findings from an intervention study. Nurse Education Today. 48, pp. 180-184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.10.011
Should nurses be role models for healthy lifestyles? Results from a modified Delphi study.
Kelly, M, Wills, JD, Jester, R and Speller, V (2017). Should nurses be role models for healthy lifestyles? Results from a modified Delphi study. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 73 (3), pp. 665-678. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13173
How is rising obesity tackled in China and Europe?
Wills, JD and Liu, T (2016). How is rising obesity tackled in China and Europe? European Journal of Oriental Medicine. 8 (3).
Are parents identifying positive aspects to parenting their child with an intellectual disability or are they just coping? A qualitative exploration
Beighton, C and Wills, JD (2016). Are parents identifying positive aspects to parenting their child with an intellectual disability or are they just coping? A qualitative exploration. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744629516656073
Troubled, Troubling or in Trouble: The Stories of ‘Troubled Families’
Wills, JD, Whittaker, AJ, Rickard, W and Felix, C (2016). Troubled, Troubling or in Trouble: The Stories of ‘Troubled Families’. British Journal of Social Work. 47 (4), pp. 989-1006. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcw061
Using community development to build critical health literacy
Sykes, SM, Wills, JD and Crichton, N (2016). Using community development to build critical health literacy. 4th Health Literacy Conference - Health Literacy. Glasgow 18 Mar 2016
Healthy universities: an example of a whole-system health-promoting setting
Newton, J, Dooris, M and Wills, JD (2016). Healthy universities: an example of a whole-system health-promoting setting. Global Health Promotion. 23 (Supp 1), pp. 57 - 65. https://doi.org/10.1177/1757975915601037
Human Biology and Health
Cedar, SH (2015). Human Biology and Health. in: Naidoo, J and Wills, J (ed.) Health Studies An Introduction Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 23-47