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The further development of the UK Physical Activity guidelines in 2010 highlighted the need to consider the emerging research in the area of sedentary behaviour. Prof S. Biddle at Loughborough University, based upon his and the Unit's leading research in this area, was invited to Chair a working group to review and make recommendations regarding the incorporation of guidance on sedentary behaviour into these new national policies. This group, drawing on the original work of Biddle and co-workers, set out clear recommendations for the incorporation of sedentary behaviour into the UK national Physical Activity Guidelines through the `Sedentary Behaviour and Obesity: Review of the Current Scientific Evidence' report (2010).
Physical Activity guidelines in the UK had never included recommendations for sedentary behaviour, until the publication of `Start Active, Stay Active' (2011), as a direct result of the Unit's research.
The Centre for Decision Research and Experimental Economics (CeDEx) at Nottingham is a world leader in the development and application of experimental and behavioural economics. CeDEx's research is increasingly influential in affecting the way in which experimental methodology is utilised by public sector agencies (e.g. Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, DEFRA) and in fashioning the public and policy makers' understanding of how human motivations and decision processes affect individual and group behaviour and, in particular, their responses to different policy tools (e.g. incentives, regulation, information, `nudges' etc). The research of the CeDEx group has had broad and diffuse impacts on public decision-making and public debate; through public events, the provision of advice to government departments and regulators, the delivery of training workshops, commissioned research and an active strategy of engagement in public debate.
`The best thing I've ever done', `It has changed my life' — just two comments from users of Do Something Different, a behaviour-change technique developed by Professor Fletcher and colleagues at the university's Psychology Department. Do Something Different is having significant commercial impact in companies and communities worldwide. Health professionals in deprived communities report that it has successfully tackled unhealthy behaviours such as overeating, stress or smoking. It has also been used in large organisations, including professional services companies, law firms and health insurance bodies, where it has demonstrably improved workplace welfare in connection with bias, wellbeing and stress.
Research carried out at Cardiff University refined an addiction counselling method, motivational interviewing, co-founded previously by Rollnick, to improve the consultation for changing health behaviour (e.g. diet, exercise, smoking and drinking). Their published findings and resulting method are now used in health care worldwide, with good evidence for effectiveness. The impact of this work has been described as `immeasurable' and is reflected in industry guidelines and policy documents, and diverse clinical efforts that include the treatment of children with HIV-AIDS in Africa.
This research on those with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) who exhibit challenging and/or criminal behaviour has impacted on public policy, professional practice, and carers' and service users' quality of life, both in the UK and internationally (e.g. Japan, New Zealand). The impact has been maximised by the researchers serving on government advisory committees, writing government policy documents and delivering training to service providers and their staff. The research was also fundamental in establishing the need for networks to support service users and their families, leading to the formation of the Challenging Behaviour Foundation.
Research at the University of Manchester (UoM) using a `sustainable practices' approach has made a significant contribution to reconceptualising behaviour change in relation to sustainable consumption. Impact emerges via a landmark report written for the Scottish Government (focusing broadly on the field of environmental sustainability) which provides an alternative framework, alongside policy guidance for considering behaviour change. Working with policy partners, the ISM (Individual, Social, Material) approach to behaviour change, outlined in the report, has been converted into a scalable ISM toolkit; positioned as a `practical device for policy makers and other practitioners' who want to influence people's behaviours and bring about social change.' (Scottish Government Website).