Professor Vivien Swanson

Professor

Psychology University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA

Professor Vivien Swanson

Contact details

About me

Health Psychologist; C Psychol, MSc Course Director Scottish Diabetes Group Psychology Working Group member - 2007 to date Member, Psychology Advisory Group to Chief Medical Officer, Scotland. March 2004 to 2006. Health Education Board for Scotland : Breastfeeding Education in Schools : Member of Special Working Group Committee. October 2001 - 2003. Member of NHS Health Scotland Breastfeeding Expert Group, October 2003 to 2006. Health Psychology Chair – British Psychological Society, Division of Health Psychology – Scotland. Feb. 2010 to date Secretary – British Psychological Society, Division of Health Psychology – Scotland. Feb. 2004 to 2007 Founder member of BPS Division of Health Psychology Scottish Committee. Feb. 2003 Division of Health Psychology, Exam Board. Member 2004 – date Stage 2 Examiner 2008 Division of Health Psychology, Training Committee. Member, 2004 - date Review Panel : Validation of MSc Course, Liverpool John Moore’s University, 2005 Member, Psychology Advisory Group to Chief Medical Officer, Scotland. 2004-6

Infant Feeding

Health Education Board for Scotland : Breastfeeding Education in Schools : Member of Special Working Group Committee. October 2001 - date. Founder member Scottish Infant Feeding Research Network. April 2002 to date. Fife PC NHS Trust : Breastfeeding in Schools Project Committee. June 2002 to date. Member of NHS Health Scotland Breastfeeding Expert Group, October 2003 to date

Diabetes

Member of Scottish Diabetes Group Psychology Working Group – 2007 – date Member Diabetes Education Action Group 2008 to date SIGN Guideline Group – Diabetes Lifestyle September 2008 - 2009

University of Stirling

Mental Health Panel University of Stirling: November 2000 – October 2003 Education Design Committee Psychology, June 2003 to date. Stress at Work : University Working Group, University of Stirling. Jan 2004 to date

My research falls into 4 broad areas, all using health psychology models and theories with a broad social-cognitive focus. I am particularly interested in ‘testing’ theories which are often developed in an academic context, by putting them into practice in applied settings. These include : The relationship between stress and health : My PhD investigated occupational stress in health professionals. More recent work related to the relationship between role conflicts, stress and wellbeing, including student wellbeing and adjustment to university life. I also have an interest in psychosocial stress and diabetes, and parental stress in parents of pre-term babies.1995- 2002 I was a founder and principal member of Anxiety and Stress Research Centre, Psychology, University of Stirling.Infant feeding - psychosocial factors influencing early feeding patterns; attitudes to infant feeding in different groups, including adolescents, new mums and dads, and parents of premature babies Diet and obesity : Investigating multiple risk factors for obesity as a basis for clinical interventions. Assessing social-cognitive influences on the diet of disadvantaged children. Diabetes : Including evaluating behaviour change interventions for Type 2 diabetes, and current proposal re: understanding self-monitoring of blood glucose. Research Grants (since 2005) Crombie IK, Irvine L, Swanson V, Power KG, Slane P, Wrieden W, Coyle J. (2004) How can we improve the diet of young children living in areas of high deprivation? £115,020 CSO Swanson V. Auditing of Smoking Cessation Services and Client use in Forth Valley NHS. £15,722. Forth Valley NHS Board, October 2005 Dixon D, O’Carroll R, O’Connor R, Swanson V. Banning Smoking in public places : the impact on smoking, physical activity and diet. Forth Valley NHS Trust, £5,000. February 2006 Swanson V., McInnes R., Cheyne H., Mactier H, Callander E, Nicol H. Centre for Integrated Healthcare Research : Developing Maternal Confidence in the Neonatal Unit: Which infant feeding practices promote self-efficacy in mothers of pre-term babies? £19,135. (9 months) Swanson V., Chambers J. Dixon D (2008) Evaluation of Patient Safety Project. Forth Valley and Tayside. £11,000. Evans, J., Lawton, J., Swanson V., Donnan P., Emslie-Smith, A., Morris A., Self-monitoring behaviour and its association with glycaemic control among non-insulin treated patients with type 2 diabetes. £164,536. CSO Commence June 2009 Keeley A, Dennison F, Swanson V, McCoy J., Napier C (2010) A Multi-Method Assessment of Barriers to Breastfeeding in Obese Women NHS Lothian health Services Support Programme. £65,156

Other Academic Activities

NICE Guideline Committee member
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

NICE Maternal and Child Nutrition Guideline Committee member

SIGN Guideline Update Committee Member
Scottish Government

SIGN Guideline Prevention Early Recognition and Treatment and Remission of Type 2 Diabetes.