Maria Bryant
Biographic Data
| ID | 4156023 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Maria Bryant |
| GIVEN NAMES | Maria |
| FAMILY NAME | Bryant |
| SIGNATURE | BRYANT M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Leeds |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7690-4098 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 0 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 25 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 0 |
Holiday Activities and Food Programme
School holidays are typically a time of anxiety for families, particularly those who are socially and economically disadvantaged. Food insecurity is heightened during school holidays in the United Kingdom as children eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) do not have access to them. Since 2018, the UK government’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme has offered free activities and nutritious meals during holidays. In 2020, HAF operated acro…
Impacts of discretionary universal free school meal schemes on primary school children’s education attainment and school absence
Some areas of high child poverty offer free school lunch for all 4-11-year olds. • No effects were found on attainment or absence after 6 years of implementation. • Longest running schemes (7+ years) showed positive effects on reading and maths. • Scheme effects differed by local authority. Discretionary Universal Free School Meal (UFSM) schemes for 4-11-year-olds were implemented in four local authorities with high child poverty levels in London…
Co-design of a systems-wide approach (CONNECTS-Food) to promote adoption of whole-school approaches to food
Objective: To co-design a systems approach aimed at promoting the wide-scale adoption of whole-school approaches to food in UK primary schools to improve school food environments, food provision and dietary intake in children. Design: A systems framework (Action Scales Model) was used to guide the co-design of the systems approach. The process involved identifying leverage points within the UK primary school food system that, if influenced, could…
Auto-enrolment of free school meals
Will my fingerprint be enough?’
Objective: Free school meals (FSM) are a crucial form of support for families. This study aimed to investigate whether the FSM allowance can provide what is perceived to be, healthy, sustainable and satisfying food. Design: A mixed methods study incorporating co-production, citizen science and participatory approaches was conducted. Citizen scientists were given a daily budget equivalent to the FSM allowance and asked to purchase a ‘tasty, health…
The Regenerative Lens
Societies must transform their dynamics to support the flourishing of life. There is increasing interest in regeneration and regenerative practice as a solution, but also limited cohered understanding of what constitutes regenerative systems at social-ecological scales. In this perspective we present a conceptual, cross-disciplinary, and action-oriented regenerative systems framework, the Regenerative Lens, informed by a wide literature review. T…
Interventions to Strengthen Environmental Sustainability of School Food Systems
School food systems play a role in the wider food system, but there is a scarcity of literature exploring interventions that aim to improve the environmental sustainability of school food systems. The present review aimed to understand and describe the types of interventions that have previously been explored to strengthen the sustainability of school food systems along with their impact. We applied a scoping review methodology guided by Arksey a…
Development of Public Health Core Outcome Sets for Systems-Wide Promotion of Early Life Health and Wellbeing
We aimed to develop a core outcome set (COS) for systems-wide public health interventions seeking to promote early life health and wellbeing. Research was embedded within the existing systems-based intervention research programme 'ActEarly', located in two different areas with high rates of child poverty, Bradford (West Yorkshire) and the Borough of Tower Hamlets (London). 168 potential outcomes were derived from five local government outcome fra…
Obesogenic home food availability, diet, and BMI in Pakistani and White toddlers
Individuals of South Asian ethnicity have an increased risk for obesity and related diseases. Foods available in the home during the first 1000 days (conception to 24 months old) are an important determinant of diet, yet no study has examined the association of early-life home food availability (HFA) with later diet and obesity risk in South Asian households. We examined whether obesogenic HFA at 18 months of age is associated with dietary intake…
A whole system approach to increasing children’s physical activity in a multi-ethnic UK city
This protocol offers an innovative approach on the use of process evaluation feeding into an iterative programme intended to generate evidence-based practice and deliver practice-based evidence. This paper advances knowledge regarding the development of process evaluations for evaluating systems interventions, and emphasises the importance of process evaluation
Taking a deep breath
Air quality initiatives such as CAZs were felt to be likely to financially disadvantage communities already living in socio-economic and environmental poverty. Policy makers need to carefully consider appropriate mitigation strategies to ensure that health and economic inequalities are not increased by implementation of CAZ. Given air quality is low priority for some groups, careful engagement and communication will be required to increase accept…
Measuring commissioners’ willingness-to-pay for community based childhood obesity prevention programmes using a discrete choice experiment
Emphasis on high programme completion rates and success increasing children's fruit and vegetable intake has potential to increase commissioning of community based obesity prevention programmes
Assessing community readiness for early intervention programmes to promote social and emotional health in children
OBJECTIVE: Evidence for early intervention and prevention-based approaches for improving social and emotional health in young children is robust. However, rates of participation in programmes are low. We explored the dynamics which affect levels of community readiness to address the issues of social and emotional health for pregnant women, young children (0-4 years) and their mothers. SETTING: A deprived inner-city housing estate in the north of …
Integrating research and system-wide practice in public health
Many interventions that are delivered within public health services have little evidence of effect. Evaluating interventions that are being delivered as a part of usual practice offers opportunities to improve the evidence base of public health. However, such evaluation is challenging and requires the integration of research into system-wide practice. The Born in Bradford's Better Start experimental birth cohort offers an opportunity to efficient…
Participant engagement with a UK community-based preschool childhood obesity prevention programme
In summary, participant engagement is affected by multiple factors, working at different levels of the children's centre and local authority hierarchy, most of which are at play even before participants decide whether or not they choose to enrol and maintain attendance. For programmes to achieve their optimal reach and impact, factors at the commissioning and local implementation level need to be addressed prior to addressing participant facing i…
Use of progression criteria to support monitoring and commissioning decision making of public health services
Our methodology for monitoring the progression of interventions has resulted in a clear pathway which will support commissioners and intervention teams in local decision making within the Better Start Bradford programme and beyond. This work can support others wishing to implement a formal system for monitoring the progression of public health interventions
Dietary intake in the early years and its relationship to BMI in a bi-ethnic group
Objective To assess relationships between dietary intake at age 12, 18 and 36 months and BMI Z -scores at age 36 months in a bi-ethnic group. Design A prospective cohort study comparing cross-sectional and longitudinal data. Exposures included dietary intake at 12, 18 and 36 months (FFQ) with an outcome of BMI Z -score at age 36 months. Setting Born in Bradford 1000 study, Bradford, UK. Subjects Infants at age 12 months ( n 722; 44 % White Britis…
Addressing obesity in Roma communities
Purpose Participation in community programmes by the Roma community is low, whilst this community presents with high risk of poor health and low levels of wellbeing. To improve rates of participation in programmes, compatibility must be achieved between implementation efforts and levels of readiness in the community. The Community Readiness Model (CRM) is a widely used toolkit which provides an indication of how prepared and willing a community i…
Are babies conceived during Ramadan born smaller and sooner than babies conceived at other times of the year? A Born in Bradford Cohort Study
BACKGROUND: It is not known whether infants exposed to intermittent maternal fasting at conception are born smaller or have a higher risk of premature birth than those who are not. Doctors are therefore unsure about what advice to give women about the safety of Ramadan fasting. This cohort study aimed to investigate these questions in Muslim mother-infant pairs to inform prenatal care. METHODS: Routinely collected data accessed from maternity rec…
Born in Bradford’s Better Start
The focus of the BiBBS cohort is on intervention impact rather than observation. As far as we are aware BiBBS is the world's first such experimental birth cohort study. While some risk factors for adverse health and social outcomes are increasingly well described, the solutions to tackling them remain elusive. The novel design of BiBBS can contribute much needed evidence to inform policy makers and practitioners about effective approaches to impr…
The Happy (Healthy and Active Parenting Programmme for early Years) feasibility randomised control trial
Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN56735429
Ethnic differences in dietary intake at age 12 and 18 months
Objective To compare the intake of key indicator foods at age 12 months and 18 months between infants of Pakistani and White British origin. Design Logistic regression was used to model associations between ethnicity and consumption of key indicator foods defined by high or low energy density using an FFQ at age 12 and 18 months. Setting Born in Bradford 1000 study, Bradford, UK. Subjects Infants ( n 1259; 38 % White British, 49 % Pakistani), mea…
An exploration and comparison of food and drink availability in homes in a sample of families of White and Pakistani origin within the UK
Objective Knowledge of the types and quantities of foods and drinks available in family homes supports the development of targeted intervention programmes for obesity prevention or management, or for overall diet improvement. In the UK, contemporary data on foods that are available within family homes are lacking. The present study aimed to explore home food and drink availability in UK homes. Design An exploratory study using researcher-conducte…
Lessons learned from a family-focused weight management intervention for obese and overweight children
Objective Treatment for childhood obesity is characterised by high attrition rates and failure to achieve weight maintenance. It is therefore important to develop more effective programmes. The aim of the present qualitative study was to explore the views of parents, children and health trainers to identify issues which can inform the development of more effective programmes. Design A qualitative study combining in-depth interviews and focus grou…
Exhaustive measurement of food items in the home using a universal product code scanner
Objective We aimed to develop, test and describe the Exhaustive Home Food Inventory (EHFI), which measures foods in the home using scanning of the universal product code (UPC) and EHFI software to link codes to food identities and energy values. Design Observational design with up to three repeated measures in each household yielded a total of 218 inventories. Setting Eighty private households in North Carolina. Subjects Low-income African-Americ…
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Exhaustive measurement of food items in the home using a universal product code scanner
Objective We aimed to develop, test and describe the Exhaustive Home Food Inventory (EHFI), which measures foods in the home using scanning of the universal product code (UPC) and EHFI software to link codes to food identities and energy values. Design Observational design with up to three repeated measures in each household yielded a total of 218 inventories. Setting Eighty private households in North Carolina. Subjects Low-income African-Americ…
Lessons learned from a family-focused weight management intervention for obese and overweight children
Objective Treatment for childhood obesity is characterised by high attrition rates and failure to achieve weight maintenance. It is therefore important to develop more effective programmes. The aim of the present qualitative study was to explore the views of parents, children and health trainers to identify issues which can inform the development of more effective programmes. Design A qualitative study combining in-depth interviews and focus grou…
An exploration and comparison of food and drink availability in homes in a sample of families of White and Pakistani origin within the UK
Objective Knowledge of the types and quantities of foods and drinks available in family homes supports the development of targeted intervention programmes for obesity prevention or management, or for overall diet improvement. In the UK, contemporary data on foods that are available within family homes are lacking. The present study aimed to explore home food and drink availability in UK homes. Design An exploratory study using researcher-conducte…
Born in Bradford’s Better Start
The focus of the BiBBS cohort is on intervention impact rather than observation. As far as we are aware BiBBS is the world's first such experimental birth cohort study. While some risk factors for adverse health and social outcomes are increasingly well described, the solutions to tackling them remain elusive. The novel design of BiBBS can contribute much needed evidence to inform policy makers and practitioners about effective approaches to impr…
The Happy (Healthy and Active Parenting Programmme for early Years) feasibility randomised control trial
Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN56735429
Ethnic differences in dietary intake at age 12 and 18 months
Objective To compare the intake of key indicator foods at age 12 months and 18 months between infants of Pakistani and White British origin. Design Logistic regression was used to model associations between ethnicity and consumption of key indicator foods defined by high or low energy density using an FFQ at age 12 and 18 months. Setting Born in Bradford 1000 study, Bradford, UK. Subjects Infants ( n 1259; 38 % White British, 49 % Pakistani), mea…
Are babies conceived during Ramadan born smaller and sooner than babies conceived at other times of the year? A Born in Bradford Cohort Study
BACKGROUND: It is not known whether infants exposed to intermittent maternal fasting at conception are born smaller or have a higher risk of premature birth than those who are not. Doctors are therefore unsure about what advice to give women about the safety of Ramadan fasting. This cohort study aimed to investigate these questions in Muslim mother-infant pairs to inform prenatal care. METHODS: Routinely collected data accessed from maternity rec…
Dietary intake in the early years and its relationship to BMI in a bi-ethnic group
Objective To assess relationships between dietary intake at age 12, 18 and 36 months and BMI Z -scores at age 36 months in a bi-ethnic group. Design A prospective cohort study comparing cross-sectional and longitudinal data. Exposures included dietary intake at 12, 18 and 36 months (FFQ) with an outcome of BMI Z -score at age 36 months. Setting Born in Bradford 1000 study, Bradford, UK. Subjects Infants at age 12 months ( n 722; 44 % White Britis…
Addressing obesity in Roma communities
Purpose Participation in community programmes by the Roma community is low, whilst this community presents with high risk of poor health and low levels of wellbeing. To improve rates of participation in programmes, compatibility must be achieved between implementation efforts and levels of readiness in the community. The Community Readiness Model (CRM) is a widely used toolkit which provides an indication of how prepared and willing a community i…
Assessing community readiness for early intervention programmes to promote social and emotional health in children
OBJECTIVE: Evidence for early intervention and prevention-based approaches for improving social and emotional health in young children is robust. However, rates of participation in programmes are low. We explored the dynamics which affect levels of community readiness to address the issues of social and emotional health for pregnant women, young children (0-4 years) and their mothers. SETTING: A deprived inner-city housing estate in the north of …
Integrating research and system-wide practice in public health
Many interventions that are delivered within public health services have little evidence of effect. Evaluating interventions that are being delivered as a part of usual practice offers opportunities to improve the evidence base of public health. However, such evaluation is challenging and requires the integration of research into system-wide practice. The Born in Bradford's Better Start experimental birth cohort offers an opportunity to efficient…
Participant engagement with a UK community-based preschool childhood obesity prevention programme
In summary, participant engagement is affected by multiple factors, working at different levels of the children's centre and local authority hierarchy, most of which are at play even before participants decide whether or not they choose to enrol and maintain attendance. For programmes to achieve their optimal reach and impact, factors at the commissioning and local implementation level need to be addressed prior to addressing participant facing i…
Use of progression criteria to support monitoring and commissioning decision making of public health services
Our methodology for monitoring the progression of interventions has resulted in a clear pathway which will support commissioners and intervention teams in local decision making within the Better Start Bradford programme and beyond. This work can support others wishing to implement a formal system for monitoring the progression of public health interventions
Measuring commissioners’ willingness-to-pay for community based childhood obesity prevention programmes using a discrete choice experiment
Emphasis on high programme completion rates and success increasing children's fruit and vegetable intake has potential to increase commissioning of community based obesity prevention programmes
Obesogenic home food availability, diet, and BMI in Pakistani and White toddlers
Individuals of South Asian ethnicity have an increased risk for obesity and related diseases. Foods available in the home during the first 1000 days (conception to 24 months old) are an important determinant of diet, yet no study has examined the association of early-life home food availability (HFA) with later diet and obesity risk in South Asian households. We examined whether obesogenic HFA at 18 months of age is associated with dietary intake…
A whole system approach to increasing children’s physical activity in a multi-ethnic UK city
This protocol offers an innovative approach on the use of process evaluation feeding into an iterative programme intended to generate evidence-based practice and deliver practice-based evidence. This paper advances knowledge regarding the development of process evaluations for evaluating systems interventions, and emphasises the importance of process evaluation
Taking a deep breath
Air quality initiatives such as CAZs were felt to be likely to financially disadvantage communities already living in socio-economic and environmental poverty. Policy makers need to carefully consider appropriate mitigation strategies to ensure that health and economic inequalities are not increased by implementation of CAZ. Given air quality is low priority for some groups, careful engagement and communication will be required to increase accept…
Development of Public Health Core Outcome Sets for Systems-Wide Promotion of Early Life Health and Wellbeing
We aimed to develop a core outcome set (COS) for systems-wide public health interventions seeking to promote early life health and wellbeing. Research was embedded within the existing systems-based intervention research programme 'ActEarly', located in two different areas with high rates of child poverty, Bradford (West Yorkshire) and the Borough of Tower Hamlets (London). 168 potential outcomes were derived from five local government outcome fra…
The Regenerative Lens
Societies must transform their dynamics to support the flourishing of life. There is increasing interest in regeneration and regenerative practice as a solution, but also limited cohered understanding of what constitutes regenerative systems at social-ecological scales. In this perspective we present a conceptual, cross-disciplinary, and action-oriented regenerative systems framework, the Regenerative Lens, informed by a wide literature review. T…
Interventions to Strengthen Environmental Sustainability of School Food Systems
School food systems play a role in the wider food system, but there is a scarcity of literature exploring interventions that aim to improve the environmental sustainability of school food systems. The present review aimed to understand and describe the types of interventions that have previously been explored to strengthen the sustainability of school food systems along with their impact. We applied a scoping review methodology guided by Arksey a…
Impacts of discretionary universal free school meal schemes on primary school children’s education attainment and school absence
Some areas of high child poverty offer free school lunch for all 4-11-year olds. • No effects were found on attainment or absence after 6 years of implementation. • Longest running schemes (7+ years) showed positive effects on reading and maths. • Scheme effects differed by local authority. Discretionary Universal Free School Meal (UFSM) schemes for 4-11-year-olds were implemented in four local authorities with high child poverty levels in London…
Co-design of a systems-wide approach (CONNECTS-Food) to promote adoption of whole-school approaches to food
Objective: To co-design a systems approach aimed at promoting the wide-scale adoption of whole-school approaches to food in UK primary schools to improve school food environments, food provision and dietary intake in children. Design: A systems framework (Action Scales Model) was used to guide the co-design of the systems approach. The process involved identifying leverage points within the UK primary school food system that, if influenced, could…
Auto-enrolment of free school meals
Will my fingerprint be enough?’
Objective: Free school meals (FSM) are a crucial form of support for families. This study aimed to investigate whether the FSM allowance can provide what is perceived to be, healthy, sustainable and satisfying food. Design: A mixed methods study incorporating co-production, citizen science and participatory approaches was conducted. Citizen scientists were given a daily budget equivalent to the FSM allowance and asked to purchase a ‘tasty, health…
Holiday Activities and Food Programme
School holidays are typically a time of anxiety for families, particularly those who are socially and economically disadvantaged. Food insecurity is heightened during school holidays in the United Kingdom as children eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) do not have access to them. Since 2018, the UK government’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme has offered free activities and nutritious meals during holidays. In 2020, HAF operated acro…
Medicine (21 works) · Environmental health (16 works) · Nursing (11 works) · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet (11 works) · Public health (11 works) · Biostatistics (7 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Ethnic group (6 works) · Geography (6 works) · Obesity (6 works)