Jean Adams (epidemiologist)
Jean Adams is a British epidemiologist specializing in public health nutrition and policy. Her research focuses on the environmental and behavioral factors that influence dietary choices and physical activity, with a particular emphasis on reducing health inequalities. She is known for her work on the effectiveness of interventions aimed at promoting healthier diets and lifestyles, often employing complex systems thinking approaches.
Adams currently holds a position as Professor of Public Health Nutrition at the MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge. Her research spans various methodologies including systematic reviews, meta-analyses, longitudinal studies, and the development and evaluation of interventions in real-world settings like schools and communities. She has contributed to the understanding of how food environments shape eating behaviours and the implications for public health policy.
Key areas of interest and expertise include:
- Food environment: Examining the availability, affordability, and promotion of foods and their impact on dietary intake.
- Health inequalities: Investigating how socioeconomic factors influence dietary patterns and related health outcomes.
- Intervention development and evaluation: Designing and assessing the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving diets and physical activity levels in different populations.
- Systems thinking: Applying systems approaches to understand the complex interactions between factors that influence health behaviors.
- Public health policy: Providing evidence-based recommendations for policy changes that support healthier lifestyles.
Adams' work has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals and she is actively involved in informing public health policy and practice in the UK and internationally. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and workshops related to nutrition, public health, and policy. Her research aims to contribute to the development of effective and equitable strategies for promoting healthier populations.