Jason G C Halford

I am an advocate for a person focused approach in obesity research and intervention. As a Professor of Psychology I have studied appetite and eating behaviour for most of my career with the aim of supporting weight management. Through my involvement with ECPO having the patients and people living with obesity involved in science, health practice and advocacy has also become part of my professional role.

I was Head of Department (Experimental Psychology, the Psychological Sciences) at the University of Liverpool from 2010 to 2019 and am the Head of the School of Psychology at the University of Leeds from 2010. I am the treasurer and president elect of the European Association for the Study of Obesity and former chair of the UK ASO. I also lead the Nutrition, Behaviour and Health theme for N8 Agrifood (for the UK Northern research Universities), part of the food systems project iKnowFood, and has coordinated European FW7 and H2020 projects on food reformulation (SATIN and SWITCH).

My interests include the links between physical and mental health, the behaviour effects of clinical and nutritional interventions, and the role of stress and coping in eating. I’ve worked on clinical trials and interventions (WRAP, ENERGIZE) In the public health area I have worked on the impact of junk food marketing on children and have the interest in the impact of food insecurity on family health .

Like most people I struggle to maintain / achieve a healthy weight