Southampton nutritionist wins European research award
A nutritionist from the University of Southampton has won European recognition for her research into how a mother’s lifestyle and background can affect her child’s diet.
Megan Jarman, of the University's Medical Research Council Epidemiology Resource Centre, based at Southampton General Hospital, received the Louis Bonduelle Research Award and a prize of €10,000 to support her project.
The award, presented at a ceremony in Paris last month, is part of a series of initiatives run by the Louis Bonduelle Foundation, an organisation formed in 2004 to bring about changes in food consumption and promote healthy living, to reward nutrition research.
As part of the Southampton Initiative for Health (SIH), a programme aimed at improving the diets of disadvantaged women and their families, Megan will investigate the influence of a mother’s diet, well being, education and parenting style, as well as the household mealtime environment, on children’s eating habits.
The SIH is one of the projects being undertaken at the city’s nutrition, diet and lifestyle biomedical research unit, a clinical research facility managed jointly by the National Institute of Health Research, Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Southampton.
Her findings will be used to help improve the diets of young women through the SIH’s work with Sure Start children’s centre staff.
“I am really pleased to be recognised for my research, which is a reflection of Southampton’s growing international reputation as a nutrition centre of excellence,” says Megan.
“The award will enable me to hire a part-time field worker to assist me with my data collection and focus group discussions, while also giving me the opportunity to publicise my results at national and international conferences and meetings.”