Prof JANE OGDEN, UNIVERSITY OF SURREY
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Eating behaviour and obesity:I am interested in the control and loss of control over eating, aspects of weight concern, the development of dietary habits in childhood and the medical and surgical management of obesity. Communication in the consultation:
I am involved in research exploring how the language used in the consultation can influence patients in terms of their beliefs about their health problem, their behaviour and satisfaction. Women’s health: My research also focuses on aspects of women’s health including the psychological impact of abortion, women’s experience of miscarriage and their experiences of pregnancy and birth On going projects
- Food intolerance in Primary Care
- The psychological consequences of obesity surgery
- Choice and control: when is choice a good thing?
- The psychological impact of obesity medication
- Sustained behaviour change
- The use of language in the consultation
- The role of the home environment in explaining children’s diets
Measures
- Exercise Dependence Questionnaire
- Parental covert and overt control over their children's diet
- The psychological impact of obesity surgery
- Children’s snacking behaviour
- Parent’s snacking behaviour
- Beliefs about obesity
- Beliefs about heart failure
Books:
Health Psychology: a textbook (5th edition, 2012) (see image)
Essential readings in Health Psychology (2007)
The psychology of eating (2nd edition, 2009)
Health and the construction of the individual (2002)
Fat Chance: The Myth of dieting explained (1992)
Interview with Jane
1. Can you tell us about the major themes in your research program's?
I am involved in research exploring under and overeating and the role of cognition and emotion in when and how much we eat. I also study the medical and surgical management of obesity and am interested in the psychological implications on non psychological interventions. At the moment I am particularly interested in the role of life events and epiphanies in behaviour change and am carrying out work looking at how and when people chose to reinvent themselves and whether potential triggers such as a diagnosis or operation can be changed into a 'teachable moment' to bring about change.
2. If you had to pick 1 publication in the past 5 years as the "best of your best", what would it be and why?
My favourite empirical paper is probably:
Ogden, J., and Hills, L. (2008). Understanding sustained changes in behaviour: the role of life events and the process of reinvention. Health: an International Journal, 12: 419-437.
This is because this marked the start of a new research direction for me as I started to focus on the role of life events and moments of change.
My favourite theoretical paper is:
Ogden, J and Lo, J. (2012). How meaningful are data from Likert scales?: an evaluation of how ratings are made and the role of the response shift in the socially disadvantaged. International Journal of Health Psychology, 12, 350-361.
This is because it challenges some of the fundamentals of my discipline in terms of how things are measured.
3. How long have you been producing "Health Psychology"
The first edition was published in 1996 - 17 years!
4. How did you get interested in using Psychological Measures in your research?
As a psychologist all our research involves assessing cognitions, emotions and behaviours.
5. Can you see the research benefits of a minimally invasive technology such as Salivary Bioscience for the determination of Cortisol, Alpha-Amylase
At times psychologists get frustrated with self report measures and hanker after more objective measures. This leads them to using biological markers which can seem more scientific and less open to bias.
6. How has any one event changed the direction of your research plans?
Not really - I am very much a magpie and feel able to study what I want when I want and often get interested in a new area due to events in my own lives or that of my students.
7. What advice would give young investigators who might be considering Psychology Research?
Try and address questions that are interesting and that offers insights beyond what is simply common sense. Imagine what your study will find, put this in a sentence, read this sentence to a non academic friend and watch their face! If it says 'so what' don't do it!
8. Tell us something about you (a hobby or special interest) that we would be surprised to know?
For the past few years I have been trying to 'play to my weaknesses' and have therefore being doing lots of new hobbies that I am not very good at. So now I am mediocre at singing, modern art, playing the piano and playing tennis. I am soon to become mediocre at dancing.
How you would like to be contacted?
By email: [email protected]
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