Dr Helen Eborall

Lecturer in Social Science Applied to Health

Social Science Applied to Healthcare Improvement Research (SAPPHIRE) Group

Health Sciences
University of Leicester
George Davies Centre
University Road 
Leicester, LE1 7RH

Tel: +44 (0)116 252 5400
Email: hce3@le.ac.uk

Personal details

My first degree was a BSc in Psychology at the University of Warwick. After graduating, I worked as a youth worker, which triggered my interest in and passion for addressing socioeconomic inequalities. I picked this up in my MSc in Health Psychology at the University of Surrey, undertaking a dissertation focused on school pupils’ habits and attitudes towards breakfast, in the context of a piloting scheme of funding school breakfast clubs.

My interest in social inequalities led me to the sociology of health and illness, and I moved to the University of Edinburgh to undertake a PhD: ‘Lay attitudes towards cardiovascular risk in the context of screening, prevention and trial participation’.

I extended my research in screening, first as a postdoctoral Research Psychologist at the Primary Care Unit at the University of Cambridge on projects investigating the psychological impact and experience of screening for type 2 diabetes, and second through an ESRC/MRC interdisciplinary postdoctoral fellowship (also at the University of Cambridge).

I joined the SAPPHIRE Group in September 2008, and soon began collaborating with colleagues in the Diabetes Research Centre, enabling me to continue to undertake research relating to screening and prevention, and develop an interest in self-management of chronic conditions. With SAPPHIRE colleague Natalie Armstrong, I edited a special issue of the journal Sociology of Health and Illness in 2012: ‘The Sociology of Medical Screening: Critical Perspectives, New Directions.’

My expertise is developing and evaluating complex interventions for the prevention and management of long-term conditions, through rigorous methodology, informed by social and behavioural science.

External activities:

• Associate Editor of Pilot and Feasibility Studies (2014-present)
• Member of Editorial Board – Family Practice (2015-present)
• Member of NIHR RDS East Midlands Regional Management Board (2014-present)
• Member of Steering Committees and Advisory board for several trials
• Co-Convenor of the British Sociological Association Medical Sociology Group Committee (2012-14) and Committee Member (2008-2012)
• Editor (with Natalie Armstrong) of 18th Monograph of the Sociology of Health and Illness (2012): The Sociology of Medical Screening: Critical Perspectives, New Directions.
• A regular peer reviewer for several journals and funding bodies

Teaching

• Co-Director – Quality and Safety in Healthcare MSc, PGDip, PGCert and associated CPD courses
• Contribution to the Qualitative Methods Module on the MRes in Applied Health Research, Department of Health Sciences and undergraduate MBChB course module Applied Social, Behavioural and Healthcare Delivery Science

Publications

• Hadjiconstantinou M, Byrne J, Bodicoat DH, Robertson N, Eborall H, Khunti K, Davies MJ  Do Web-Based Interventions Improve Well-Being in Type 2 Diabetes? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis J Med Internet Res 2016 (Oct 21); 18(10):e270
• Morton K., Sutton S., Hardeman W., Troughton J., Yates T., Griffin S., Davies M., Khunti K., Eborall H. A Text-Messaging and Pedometer Program to Promote Physical Activity in People at High Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: The Development of the PROPELS Follow-On Support Program. JMIR mHealth uHealth 2015; 3(4):e105
• Tom Yates, Simon Griffin, Danielle H Bodicoat, Gwen Brierly, Helen Dallosso, Melanie J Davies, Helen Eborall, Charlotte Edwardson, Mike Gillett, Laura Gray, Wendy Hardeman, Sian Hill, Katie Morton, Stephen Sutton, Jacqui Troughton, Kamlesh Khunti. PRomotion Of Physical activity through structured Education with differing Levels of ongoing Support for people at high risk of type 2 diabetes (PROPELS): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials 2015; 16:289.
• Eborall, H; Dallosso, H; McNicol, et al. Explaining engagement in self-monitoring among participants of the DESMOND Self-Monitoring Trial: a qualitative interview study. Family Practice 2015; doi: 10.1093/fampra/cmv060
• Eborall H. Long term impact of screening for type 2 diabetes mellitus – a commentary on new evidence. Evid Based Med 2015; doi:10.1136/ebmed-2015-110208
• Helen C Eborall, Satnam K Virdee, Naina Patel, Sabi Redwood, Sheila M Greenfield, Margaret A Stone. (2015) And now for the good news…the impact of negative and positive messages in self-management education for people with Type 2 diabetes: a qualitative study in an ethnically diverse population. Chronic Illness doi:10.1177/1742395315577965

• Patel N, Stone MA, McDonough C, Davies MJ, Khunti K, Eborall H. Concerns and perceptions about necessity in relation to insulin therapy in Type 2 diabetes, in an ethnically diverse UK population: a qualitative study. Diabetic Medicine. 2015; 32(5):635-644.
• Eborall HC, Dallosso HM, Daly H, Martin-Stacey L, Heller SR. The face of equipoise - delivering a structured education programme within a randomized controlled trial: qualitative study. Trials 2014; 15:15.

• Sutton E, Eborall H, Martin G. Patient involvement in patient safety: current experiences, insights from the wider literature, promising opportunities? Public Management Review 2014
• Chen JY, Eborall H, Armstrong N. Stakeholders' positions in the breast screening debate, and media coverage of the debate: A qualitative study. Critical Public Health 2014; 24(1): 62-72.
• Naughton F, Eborall H, Sutton S. Dissonance and disengagement in pregnant smokers: a qualitative study. Journal of Smoking Cessation Feb 2013, 1-9.
• Dallosso HM, Eborall HC, Daly H, Martin-Stacey L, Speight J, Realf K, Carey ME, Campbell MJ, Dixon S, Khunti K,  Davies MJ, Heller S. Does self monitoring of blood glucose as opposed to urinalysis provide additional benefit in patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes receiving structured education? The DESMOND SMBG randomised controlled trial protocol. BMC Family Practice 2012, 13:18.
• Patel N, Eborall H, Khunti K, Davies MJ, Stone MA. Disclosure of type 1 diabetes status: a qualitative study in a mixed South Asian population in central England. Diversity in Health and Care 2011;8:217–23.
• Eborall HC, Stone MA, Aujla N, Taub N, Davies MJ, Khunti K. Testing times: influences on the uptake of diabetes screening: a qualitative study. BJGP 2012; 62(596).
• Eborall HC, Will CM. Prevention is better than cure, but...’: Preventive medication as a risk to ordinariness? Health, Risk and Society 2011; 7-8:653-668.
• Armstrong N, Eborall H. The sociology of medical screening: past, present and future. Sociology of Health and Illness 2012; 34(2): 161-176.
• Eborall HC, Stewart MCW, Cunningham-Burley S, Price JF, Fowkes FGR. Accrual and drop out in a primary prevention randomised controlled trial: qualitative study. Trials 2011; 12:7.
• Jackson CJ, Dixon-Woods M, Eborall H, Kenyon S, Tooz-Hobson P, Tincello D. Women’s views and experiences of a patient preference trial in surgery: a qualitative study of the CARPET1 trial. Clinical Trials, 2010; 7:696-704.
• Paddison CAM, Eborall HC, French DP, Kinmonth A-L, Prevost AT, Griffin SJ & Sutton S. Predictors of anxiety and depression among people attending diabetes screening: A prospective cohort study embedded in the ADDITION (Cambridge) Randomised Control Trial. B J Health Psych 2010.
• Paddison CAM, Eborall HC, Sutton S, French DP, Vasconcelos J, Prevost AT, Kinmonth A-L, Griffin SJ. Are people with negative diabetes screening tests falsely reassured? Parallel group cohort study embedded in the ADDITION (Cambridge) randomised controlled trial. BMJ 2009;339:b4535.
• French D, Eborall H, Griffin S, Kinmonth AL, Prevost AT, Sutton S. Health questionnaires are not reactive: evidence from a randomised controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 2009: 62 74-80.
• Eborall H, Davies R, Kinmonth AL, Griffin S, Lawton J. Patients’ experiences of screening for type 2 diabetes: prospective qualitative study embedded in the ADDITION (Cambridge) randomised controlled trial. BMJ,2007;335:490-3.
• Eborall H, Griffin S, Prevost AT, Kinmonth AL, French DP, Sutton S. Psychological impact of screening for type 2 diabetes: controlled trial and comparative study embedded in the ADDITION (Cambridge) randomised controlled trial. BMJ, 2007;335:486-9.

Research

Current:

• NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Research, Scalable low-cost interventions to support medication adherence in people prescribed treatment for hypertension in primary care (Co-Investigator. Principal Investigator: S. Sutton). June 2017 – May 2022.
• NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Research, Increasing uptake of effective self-management education programmes for type 2 diabetes in multi-ethnic primary care settings (The Embedding Study) (Co-Investigator. Principal Investigator: M. Davies). Jan 2016 – Jan 2021.
• NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programmes, The PRomotion Of Physical activity through structured Education with differing Levels of ongoing Support for those with prediabetes (PROPELS): randomised controlled trial in a diverse multi-ethnic community. (Co-Investigator. Principal Investigator: K Khunti). Nov 2011 – May 2018.

Recent:

• NIHR CLARHC Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, Exploring the feasibility, acceptability and efficiency of screening and management for depressive symptoms and diabetes distress for the prevention of poor glycaemic control in people with Type 2 diabetes: The 3D Study. (Co-Investigator. Principal Investigator: K Khunti) Sept 2011 – April 2014.
• NIHR CLARHC Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland and NIHR CLARHC for South Yorkshire, To test an integrated approach for promoting effective self-management in people with established type 2 diabetes mellitus - a cluster randomised feasibility trial of the Ongoing DESMOND education programme. (Co-Investigator. Principal Investigators: M Davies M & S Heller) Dec 2010 - Nov 2013.
• NIHR CLARHC Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland and  Birmingham and Black Country CLARHC, A randomised controlled trial of the DESMOND Foundation Programme for people with established type 2 diabetes in a multi-ethnic population in Leicester and South Birmingham (Co-Investigator. Principal Investigators: M Davies K Khunti, S Gough) April 2010-Oct 2013.
• NIHR CLARHC Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, The evaluation of two pharmacy based stepwise methods of screening for type 2 diabetes (PRISM). Co-Investigator. Principal Investigator: K Khunti. Oct 2008–Sept 2013.
• NIHR CLARHC Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, The ATTEND study: Assessment of response rates and yields for two tools for early detection of non-diabetic hyperglycaemia and diabetes. Co-Investigator. Principal Investigator: K Khunti. Oct 2008-Sept 2013.
• Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness, Symposium: The Sociology of Medical Screening - Critical Perspectives, New Directions. (Co-Investigator. Principal Investigator: N Armstrong) Oct 2012.
• DESMOND SMBG RCT ('Does self-monitoring of blood glucose as opposed to urinalysis provide additional benefit to newly diagnosed individuals with type 2 diabetes receiving structured education?') (Principal Investigator: S Heller)
• MY-WAIST Study ('Self-assessment of waist circumference for screening for type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes and cardiovascular risk') (Principal Investigator: K Khunti)

Supervision

• PhD supervisor to Rebecca Linnett
  (with Prof Noelle Robertson and Dr Stephanie Hubbard)
  Working title: Perfectionism, self-compassion and intuitive eating in the context of Type 2 diabetes mellitus: Effect on health outcomes.

• PhD supervisor to Jennifer James (University of Liverpool)
  (with Prof John Wilding and Dr Wendy Hardeman)
  Development and feasibility of a behavioural intervention to increase physical activity in people who have undergone bariatric surgery.

• PhD supervisor to Caroline Kristunas 
  (with Dr Laura Gray and Dr Karla Hemming, Birmingham) 
  Working title: Feasibility studies for Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomised Trials, appraising and informing practice.
• PhD supervisor to Liz Sutton
  (with Professor Graham Martin and Dr Carolyn Tarrant).
  Working title: Staff and patients’ perspectives and experiences of patient involvement in patient safety.
• PhD supervisor to Michelle Hadjiconstantinou 
  (with Professor Melanie Davies, Dr Noelle Robertson and Professor Kamlesh Khunti). PhD awarded July 2018
  Title: The development of an online emotional support programme, to improve diabetes-related distress and well-being in type 2 diabetes.
• PhD supervisor to Jessica Wright 
  (with Professor Mary Dixon-Woods). PhD awarded July 2015.
  Title: What influences the harmonisation of cancer tissue banks in the UK?: An ethnographic study.
• PhD supervisor to Andy Willis 
  (with Professor Kamlesh Khunti and Professor Melanie Davies). PhD awarded July 2015. 
  Title: The effectiveness of screening for Type 2 diabetes within community pharmacies.
• Intercalated BSc Medical Research Supervisor to Lucy Taylor 
  (with Prof Christina Faull, LOROS) BSc (1st) awarded July 2017.
  Title: Thinking ahead in advanced illness: Exploring clinicians’ perspectives on discussing resuscitation with patients and families from minority communities
• PhD supervisor to Nicola Perrin 
  (with Professor Melanie Davies, Dr Noelle Robertson and Professor Kamlesh Khunti). PhD awarded July 2017
• PhD supervisor (lead) to Sue Cradock 
  (with Professor Richard Baker, Professor Melanie Davies and Dr Wendy Hardeman (UEA)). PhD awarded January 2017
  Title: Assessing a quality assurance tool used to assess educator delivery of a structured self-management education programme: a case study