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Staff Profile

Dr Jack Birch

Research Associate

Background

Jack completed his PhD in Public Health in the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge in 2023. His PhD examined if there were inequalities in the adherence and effectiveness of behavioural weight management interventions for obesity. Jack has conducted policy research on obesity, public health, and health inequalities across a range of settings including academia, local and national government, and for non-governmental organisations.

Prior to joining the Policy Research Unit in Behavioural and Social Sciences in July 2024, Jack worked as a Research Fellow in in Evidence Synthesis in the Coventry Health Determinants Research Collaboration. This role involved increasing the use of academic evidence in local government policy and decision making.

He is a member of the Society for Social Medicine and Population Health and serves as the Communications Officer on the Early Career Researcher committee.

Research

Conway-Moore K, Graham F, McKinlay AR, et al. Exploring how to widen the acceptability of public health interventions: a systematic review protocol. BMJ Open. 2024;14:e088418. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-088418


Kelly MP, Arora A, Banerjee A, et al. The contribution of behavioural science to addressing the social and wider determinants of health. Geneva: World Health Organization 2023.


Birch JM, Mueller J, Sharp S, et al. Are there inequalities in the attendance and effectiveness of behavioural weight management interventions for adults in the UK? Protocol for an individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2023;13:e067607. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-067607


Birch JM, Mueller J, Sharp SJ, et al. Association between Indicators of Inequality and Weight Change following a Behavioural Weight Loss Intervention. Obesity Facts. 2023;16:194–203. doi: 10.1159/000528135


Mueller J, Ahern AL, Sharp SJ, et al. Association between patient activation, self-management behaviours and clinical outcomes in adults with diabetes or related metabolic disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol. BMJ Open. 2022;12:e056293. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056293


McDonald MD, Hunt K, Sivaramakrishnan H, et al. A systematic review examining socioeconomic factors in trials of interventions for men that report weight as an outcome. Obesity Reviews. 2022;23:e13436. doi: 10.1111/obr.13436


Davey F, McGowan V, Birch J, et al. Levelling up health: A practical, evidence-based framework for reducing health inequalities. Public Health in Practice. 2022;4:100322. doi: 10.1016/j.puhip.2022.100322


Blodgett JM, Birch JM, Musella M, et al. What Works to Improve Wellbeing? A Rapid Systematic Review of 223 Interventions Evaluated with the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scales. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022;19. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192315845


Birch JM, Jones RA, Mueller J, et al. A systematic review of inequalities in the uptake of, adherence to, and effectiveness of behavioral weight management interventions in adults. Obesity Reviews. 2022;23:e13438. doi: 10.1111/obr.13438


Walsh S, Chowdhury A, Braithwaite V, et al. Do school closures and school reopenings affect community transmission of COVID-19? A systematic review of observational studies. BMJ Open. 2021;11:e053371. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053371


Jones RA, Lawlor ER, Birch JM, et al. The impact of adult behavioural weight management interventions on mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Obesity Reviews. 2021;22:e13150. doi: 10.1111/obr.13150


Hutton GB, Brugulat-Panés A, Bhagtani D, et al. A systematic scoping review of the impacts of community food production initiatives in Kenya, Cameroon, and South Africa. Journal of Global Health Reports. 2021;5:e2021010. doi: 10.29392/001c.19468


Birch JM, Critchlow N, Calman L, et al. The Frequency and Content of Discussions About Alcohol Use in Primary Care and Application of the Chief Medical Officer’s Low-Risk Drinking Guidelines: A Cross-Sectional Survey of General Practitioners and Practice Nurses in the UK. Alcohol and Alcoholism. Published Online First: 12 November 2020. doi: 10.1093/alcalc/agaa120


Birch JM, Griffin SJ, Kelly MP, et al. Inequalities in the uptake of, adherence to and effectiveness of behavioural weight management interventions: systematic review protocol. BMJ Open. Published Online First: 2020. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-039518


Birch J, Petty R, Hooper L, et al. Clustering of behavioural risk factors for health in UK adults in 2016: a cross-sectional survey. Journal of Public Health. 2019;41:e226–36. doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdy144


Hooper L, Anderson AS, Birch J, et al. Public awareness and healthcare professional advice for obesity as a risk factor for cancer in the UK: a cross-sectional survey. Journal of Public Health. 2018;40:797–805. doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdx145

Publications