Dr Lynne Kennedy

Dr Lynne Kennedy is Senior Lecturer in Public Health and is the Programme Leader for the new Masters in Public Health, Honorary Lecturer at the University of Liverpool (Public Health/Health Promotion) and consultant in Public Health Nutrition. Kennedy was previously a lecturer in Public Health (1994-2008) at the University of Liverpool where she acquired extensive experience in the planning, development and delivery of postgraduate programmes in public health. She has also been a member of the European Consortia for Public Health and Health Promotion in Europe for a period of five years, providing experience of public health in the European and international contexts.

Dr Kennedy completed her PhD in public health in 2006, examining the role of lay health workers in the NHS, and has since published on this. Kennedy has published widely on the subject of public health nutrition (social inequalities in nutrition, food poverty, community wide prevention programmes and obesity) and on health promotion (healthy cities, community organisation and societal change, participatory action, intersectoral collaboration) at national and international levels, including invitations to speak at national and international conferences.

Developing research in the field of obesity, children and families

Dr Kennedy has considerable experience working in a public health nutrition consultancy role in the North West of England, where she was involved in setting up the North West Food and Health Task Force. A key role here was the development and implementation of public health nutrition strategies including the Obesity & Healthy Weight Strategy for North West England (population 6 million). Whilst at Liverpool she was successful in securing funding through the Wellcome Trust for a small pilot investigation into obesity referral pathways for children (Evans & Kennedy, 2006). She has since been developing collaborative links with colleagues (Evans) at Manchester and Loughborough around critical discourses on the obesity epidemic and focusing on family and the children. They have recently submitted a collaborative grant to the ESRC for funding a 3-year interdisciplinary study examining young people’s decision making with regard to public health messages on obesity, body image and health (Evans, Evans, Kennedy & Rich, 2009).

In parallel, Kennedy, Parry and Warren are developing a theme around obesity, body image and public health using critical discourses. This work builds on Parry and Warren's work involving school children and their understandings and narratives on obesity and health. They are currently developing a small grants research application to the ESRC to support and extend this work. One area of work is to examine whether current obesity discourse amongst adolescent girls is socially excluding some females and affecting health, drawing on Putnam's theory of social capital and the work of Bordiea as a potential theoretical framework.

Research

Abrahams D, Scott-Samuel A, Kennedy L et al (December 2008-May 2009) University of Liverpool Health Impact Unit. HIA of European food Safety Agency.

Date MRC/National Prevention Research Initiative (2006)University of Liverpool.  Feasibility Study of a Randomised Control Trial (RCT) of Lay Heath Trainers (2006-2008). Co-Applicant and Member of Intervention Study Design & Implementation; Training Adviser. 

Wellcome VIP Funding (2006)
University of Liverpool, Public Health & Geography Interdisciplinary Project: developmental study looking at childhood obesity from the perspective of the child, including NHS referral systems and appropriate research methodology (2006 – 6 months)

Kennedy LA. (May-October 1999). The development of Computer Assisted & Web Based Learning in Nutrition & health promotion for health care students. NWRHA.

Kennedy LA. Judd S. (October 1996-April 1999) Identifying and developing the capacity for nutrition training for health professionals in Primary Care in the North West region. North West Regional Health Authority. 

Koelen MA (Netherlands), Colomer C (Spain), Contu P (Italy), Kennedy LA (UK) (September 1996 - March 1997). The Super programme: A European Nutrition & Health Promotion Research Network. The evaluation of volunteer health advisers in a UK city. European Community (EC) Biomed programme for concerted action.  Role: supervisor to a visiting research assistant from Spain.

Kennedy LA , Patterson A, Price S. (September 1995 – September 1997) Development and evaluation of cost effective strategies in community nutrition: the Bolton Lay nutrition advisors project NWRHA.
 
Public Health Observatory, Kennedy LA. (September 1996- March 1997) A review of existing food and nutrition research. Wirral Health Authority. Principal supervisor.

Mullan AP, Cleave N, Kennedy-Haynes LA, Hackett AF, Williams G. (1996). Validation of a simple nutrition risk score for use with the elderly in the community. Sefton Health Authority

Publications

Kennedy LA, Milton B & Bundred P (2008) Lay Food & Health Worker (LFHW) Involvement in Community Nutrition and Dietetics in England: definitions from the field. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 2008 The British Dietetic Association Ltd 2008 J Hum Nutr Diet, 21, pp. 196–209

Kennedy LA, Milton B & Bundred P (2008) Lay Food & Health Worker (LFHW) Involvement in Community Nutrition and Dietetics in England: Roles, responsibilities and relationship with professionals Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 2008 The British Dietetic Association Ltd 2008 J Hum Nutr Diet, 21, pp. 210–224

Clare Bambra, Katherine Smith and Lynne Kennedy (2008) Politics and Health (Chapter 8) In: Health Studies Jane Wills & Naidoo J (eds) 2nd edition

Kennedy LA., M.Mwatsama., S, Capewell., & D, Fox. (2005) Choosing Health? Priorities for a food and health action plan. In: UK Health Watch 2005 - The experience of health in an unequal society. Politics of Health Group, UK, 2005 isbn: 1 874038 76 7

Kennedy LA, (2001) Community Involvement at what cost? – local appraisal of a pan-European nutrition promotion Programme in low income neighborhoods Health Promotion International 2001, Vol. 16,1, pp 35-45.

Kennedy LA, El Hassan S, Sephton J, Price A, Ubido J. (1999). The development of non-professionals as nutrition advisers in communities in the UK.  Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 1999, 12, 501-512.

Kennedy LA, Hunt C, Hodgson P (1998).  Evaluation of a nutrition education programme for low income women based on the American EFNEP model. The American Journal of Nutrition Education. March , 1998, 89-99.

Thomas A; Kennedy LA; Colomer C. (1998). The role of Volunteers in reorienting health services. Atencion Primaria, 22 (7) October 1998. Pp.94-108. (Journal of public health & primary care – English Abstract)
 
Flanagan C & Kennedy LA (1999). Nutrition in Childhood. In: Working with children and their parents a practical handbook for community health nurses. Eds. Booth K and Luker K. Blackwells London.1999. pp. 100-118.