Deborah Lycett, RD

Dr Deborah Lycett is Reader in Nutrition, Dietetics and Spiritual Health, in the School of Health exploring whole person approaches to obesity and other nutrition related conditions which includes physical, psychological and spiritual aspects of care. She is on the Education Board of the British Dietetic Association and the Scientific Committee of the European Institute for Religion, Spirituality and Health. Deborah has over 20 years' clinical experience as a registered dietitian. She has worked for many years in the National Health Service (NHS) and also privately, running her own Nutrition and Dietetic Consultancy. She has a PhD in Behavioural Medicine.

Research:

Sometimes in providing specific clinical advice for one condition we fail to see the bigger picture of what this means for a person as a whole. My research has previously investigated multiple behaviour change, namely weight and glycaemic control during smoking cessation. Having seen similar behaviours in tobacco addiction and emotional eating my focus is currently exploring whole person approaches to obesity. Far from considering that obesity can be solved simply by addressing physical energy balance, we need to also consider the psychological and spiritual factors that drive eating. As a society I believe we need a more compassionate and non-judgemental approach towards obesity, viewing it as a chronic, relapsing, remitting condition, where our aim is to reduce the harms associated with it; rather than view it as a lack of self-control and seek weight loss at all costs. So far, very little attention has been given to the spiritual or religious causes and consequences of those struggling with food and weight issues, or how churches may be able to help those address these needs within the community, this is what I am working on. I am also interested more generally in the role of spiritual assessment within dietetic practice and how dietitians of the future can be trained to incorporate this into their care. I have several doctoral researchers working alongside me in these areas.

Area of Expertise:

• Research methods
• Religion, Spirituality and Health
• Nutrition and dietetics
• Behavioural Medicine
• Psychology of Eating and Weight Control
• Smoking Cessation and Weight Gain