Deborah Lycett is a NIHR School for Primary Care Research Fellow and consultant dietitian working in Behavioural Medicine.
Her main area of research is in smoking cessation related weight gain and its impact on type two diabetes. She is chief investigator on randomised controlled trials exploring effective dietary management of this weight gain within primary care. She is also chief investigator on a primary care database study examining the association of smoking cessation with diabetes control.
Deborah is interested in the similarities between tobacco and 'food addiction' and the role of 'food addiction' in obesity. She has a developing interest in the holistic management of obesity which includes addressing psychological and spiritual needs.
Deborah has 16 years clinical experience as a dietitian and continues to work as a consultant dietitian within primary care. She is a regular speaker at conferences in both the field of smoking cessation and nutrition/dietetics. She is a member of the Association of Higher Education, and teaches undergraduate medical students and supervises postgraduate research students.
Deborah interested in supervising doctoral research students in the following areas:
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Weight gain associated with smoking cessation
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Dietary interventions in smokers trying to quit
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Holistic obesity management in primary care
If you are interesting in studying any of these subject areas please contact Deborah on the contact details above
Current Research
Chief investigator for "Slimming World In Stop Smoking Services (SWISSS) – A randomised controlled phase 2 trial". This trial is investigating the efficacy of referral to Slimming World from Stop Smoking Services for preventing post cessation weight gain. Positive results will lead to a phase 3 non-inferiority trial to investigate whether stop smoking support at the same time as a Slimming World programme impairs quitting success compared to usual care alone.
Chief investigator for the Smoking Cessation and Diabetes Control (SCDC) Study. This is a cohort analysis using the THIN database. It is an investigation of the association of smoking cessation with glycaemic control in type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus during the first six years of quitting, compared to those who continue to smoke. Previous studies have suggested diabetes control may deteriorate before it improves and therefore smoking cessation may be an important time for enhanced diabetes care.
Chief Investigator for evidence synthesis investigating the risk of developing diabetes according to length of smoking abstinence.
Chief investigator for cross sectional analyses of national datasets investigating behaviours that moderate cardiovascular risk and mental wellbeing within the obese population.
Co-investigator on the BWel trial - A randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of brief weight management for obese adults in primary care.
Co-investigator on the development and evaluation of an attentive eating intervention for weight management in primary care.
Previous Research
Co-investigator of a Cochrane review of Interventions to prevent weight gain and co-investigator on a meta-analysis of weight gain trajectories from these studies (see publications).
Doctoral research
Deborah's PhD was in smoking cessation related weight gain. She ran several related studies using mixed research methods:
• Cohort analysis of the extent, and predictors, of weight gain over eight years in continuous abstainers compared to smokers (see publications).
• Development of a hunger and food craving score for use in quitting smokers.
• Development of a dietary quality score for use in primary care and the investigation of its agreement with nutritional intake assessed from 7 day food intake diaries in smokers.
• Development of an individualised dietary intervention to prevent weight gain during smoking cessation.
• Dietary Management in Smokers Trial (DeMiST). A three-armed feasibility trial of usual stop smoking support with a Very Low Calorie Diet or with Individualised Dietary Intervention compared with usual care alone to prevent weight gain during smoking cessation.
• Qualitative exploration of the acceptability of DeMiST interventions to participants.
• Multi-level modelling of trajectories of change in body composition, hunger and cigarette cravings according to DeMiST trial arm.
Aubin H-J, Farley A, Lycett D, Lahmek P, Aveyard P How much weight do smokers gain after quitting cigarettes? A meta-analysis. BMJ 2012 in press
Farley A; Hajek P; Lycett D; Aveyard P. Interventions for preventing weight gain after smoking cessation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 1, 2012
Lycett D, Munafò M, Johnstone E, Murphy M, Aveyard P Weight change over eight years in relation to alcohol consumption in a cohort of continuing smokers and quitters. Nicotine & Tobacco Research 2011 13, 11490 (2011).
Lycett D, Munafò M, Johnstone E, Murphy M, Aveyard P. Associations between weight change over 8 years and baseline body mass index in a cohort of continuing and quitting smokers. Addiction. 2011 Jan;106(1):188-96. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-443.2010.03136.x.
Lycett D, Hajek P, Aveyard P. Trial Protocol: randomised controlled trial of the effects of very low calorie diet, modest dietary restriction, and sequential behavioural programme on hunger, urges to smoke, abstinence and weight gain in overweight smokers stopping smoking. Trials. 2010 Oct 7;11:94
Parsons A, Lycett D, Aveyard P. Response To Spring et al.: What Is The Best Method To Assess The Effect Of Combined Interventions For Smoking Cessation And Post-Cessation Weight Gain? Article First Published Online: 7 Feb 2011doi: 10.1111/J.1360-0443.2010.03255.X Addiction Volume 106, Issue 3, Pages 675–676, March 2011
Parsons A, Lycett D, Aveyard P, Behavioural Interventions To Prevent Weight Gain On Smoking Cessation: A Response Addiction Volume 104, Issue 12, Date: December 2009, Pages: 2119-2120
Lycett D, Aveyard P, Munafò M, Johnstone M, Murphy M. What happened to their weight 8 years after nicotine patch treatment? Rapid Responses. BMJ 7 May 2009. http://www.bmj.com/content/327/7405/28.extract/reply#bmj_el_213283