ECO 2009: EASO Award Application Form
The deadline for receipt of completed award application forms is 15th November 2008 – late
submissions will NOT be considered. All application forms MUST be submitted by email:
E-mail: enquiries@easo.org
You must save your application form as follows: ECO2009 Award Application – INSERT
SURNAME. For example: ECO2009 Award Application – SMITH.
Personal details:
First name(s) Surname:
Address:
Telephone(s):
Email:
Nationality:
Date of Birth:
Gender:
Member National Association (see EASO website
for a list of Member Associations):
Nicola Heslehurst
School of Health and Social Care
University of Teesside
Middlesbrough
England
TS1 3BA
UK
+44 (0) 1642 342758
n.heslehurst@tees.ac.uk
British
21st October 1977
Female
Association for the Study of Obesity (ASO)
Please indicate which award you would like to apply for (application can be for more than one
award):
X
X
Young Investigator Award for Basic Science
Young Investigator Award for Clinical Research
Young Investigator Award for Public Health
Young Investigators United Best Thesis Award
EASO Travel Grant
Please tick below, additional items submitted with your application:

A signed letter of approval from your Supervisor

Additional evidence provided with this form to support your application
A copy of your thesis (Young Investigators United Best Thesis Award only)
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Award application:
Please justify in no more than 300 words why you should receive the EASO award, for which
you are applying. Please see the EASO website (www.easo.org) for guidance.
Evidence of your most important publications, awards and involvement with your National
Obesity Association should be highlighted. Please attach documents that you feel would be
relevant to back up your application (e.g. full publication list).
My research focuses on maternal obesity, and my long-term aims are in developing interventions in pregnancy,
particularly focusing on inequalities. My top publications to date are those in peer-reviewed international
journals, including Obesity Reviews (2008), and two in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (2007).
The Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH) have cited my publications, and invited me
to join the Consensus of Standards group for developing maternal obesity standards of care in the UK.
CEMACH are one of the leading organizations in the UK providing clinical recommendations to improve the
health of mothers, babies, and children, and are commissioned by the Department of Health. My involvement
with this organization indicates how my research is contributing to the development of maternal obesity services.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) also invited me to be among their select group
of experts for the development of the Prevention of Excessive Weight Gain during Pregnancy scope guideline,
and NICE cited my research as key evidence for the required development of these guidelines.
My research has received recognition and awards include a travel bursary from the ASO (ECO 2008), the ASO
Student Researcher Award for producing exemplary work in the field of obesity (2007), the ICO Presidents
Poster Award for the most outstanding research in the area of clinical management of obesity (2006), and the
Dr. O’Hare award at the University of Teesside for the best MSc research (2006). In addition to the two ASO
awards, I have also been an invited speaker at the ASO Women, Weight, and Reproductive Health conference
(2007). I have been an invited speaker at eight conferences in the UK in the last 2 years, I was selected for an
oral presentation at ECO 2008, and 2 poster presentations at ICO 2006.
(300 words)
Work Experience (most relevant and recent):
Dates:
Occupation or position held:
Main activities and
responsibilities:
Name and address of employer:
Type of business or sector:
01/10/2007
Lecturer in Research
Lead for maternal obesity research, member of the School of
Health and Social Care ethics committee,
University of Teesside, Middlesbrough, England, TS1 3BA
Academic
Education and Training (most relevant and recent):
Dates:
Title of qualification awarded:
Principal subjects/ occupational
skills covered:
2004-2006
MSc Health Sciences: Public Health
Public Health, Epidemiology, Research Methods, Health &
Social Care in Context (Health Policy), Evidence Based
Practice
Dissertation (Maternal Obesity and Pregnancy Outcome: A
Study of Incidence and Trends of Maternal Obesity in a Local
Maternity Unit, and Regional Clinical Issues Relating to
Service Delivery when Obese Women Become Pregnant)
University of Teesside
Name and type of organisation
providing education and training:
Level in National or International 1st (Distinction)
classification:
N.B: If you do not receive receipt of your application within 48hrs of submission, please
contact the EASO Secretariat.
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Publication List for EASO Young Investigator Award 2009
Top 3 Publications:
Heslehurst, N., Simpson, H., Ells, L.J., Rankin, J., Wilkinson, J., Lang, R., Brown,
T.J., Summerbell, C.D. (2008) The Impact of Maternal BMI Status on Pregnancy
Outcomes with Immediate Short-Term Obstetric Resource Implications: A Metaanalysis. Obesity Reviews; 9 (6): 635-683
Heslehurst, N., Ells, L.J., Simpson, H., Batterham, A., Wilkinson, J., Summerbell,
C.D. (2007) Trends in maternal obesity incidence rates, demographic predictors,
and health inequalities in 36 821 women over a 15-year period. BJOG: An
International Journal of Obestrics and Gynaecology; 114:187-194
Heslehurst, N., Lang, R., Rankin, J., Wilkinson, J., Summerbell, C. (2007) Obesity
in pregnancy: a study of the impact of maternal obesity on NHS maternity services.
BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology;114:334–342
Additional Publications:
Book Chapters:
Heslehurst, N. (In Editorial Phase 2008) The 'Obesity Cycle': The impact of
maternal obesity on the exogenous and endogenous causes of obesity in the
offspring. In Tremayne, S. and Unnithan, M., Fatness Food and Childbearing.
Bergham Books: Oxford
Conference Proceedings:
Heslehurst, N., Simpson, H., Ells, L.J., Rankin, J., Wilkinson, J., Lang, R., Brown,
T.J., Summerbell, C.D. (2008) The impact of maternal BMI status on pregnancy
outcomes with immediate short-term obstetric resource implications: a metaanalysis. International Journal of Obesity, 16th European Congress on Obesity
(ECO) Conference Proceedings; 32(S1):S21, T2 OS2.1
Heslehurst, N., Lang, R., Wilkinson, J., Rankin, J., Summerbell, C.D. (2006)
Trends in maternal obesity incidence rates, predictors, and health inequalities in
36,821 women over a 15-Year period. Obesity Reviews, 10th International
Congress on Obesity (ICO) Conference Proceedings; 7(S2): 227, PO0389
Heslehurst, N., Lang, R., Wilkinson, J., Rankin, J., Summerbell, C.D. (2006)
Maternal obesity and pregnancy outcome: a scoping study. Obesity Reviews, 10th
International Congress on Obesity (ICO) Conference Proceedings; 7(S2): 114,
PP0061
Other Research Outputs:
Heslehurst, N., Lang, R., Mannion, K., Porch, J., Rankin, J., Summerbell, C.D.,
Wilkinson, J. North East Public Health Observatory, Occasional Paper OP22:
Maternal Obesity and Pregnancy Outcome: A scoping study. 2006,
http://www.nepho.org.uk
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Copy of Abstract Submitted to ECO 2009
Trends in Maternal Obesity and Health Inequalities in a Nationally Representative Sample of 619,323 Births
in England, UK, 1989-2007
Heslehurst, N1, Rankin, J2, Wilkinson, J3, Summerbell, C.D4
1
University of Teesside, Middlesbrough, England
Newcastle University, Newcastle, England
3 The North East Public Health Observatory, Stockton-on-Tees, England
4 Durham University, Stockton-on-Tees, England
2
Introduction: There is an absence of national statistics for maternal obesity in the UK. This study is the first to
describe a nationally representative maternal obesity research dataset in England.
Methods: The study was carried out over 2 years, and incorporated an audit of data collection practice in all 243
maternity units in England to establish availability of electronic data required (89% response). 34 maternity units
were sampled. The population demographics were nationally representative when compared with national census
data. Retrospective data from 1989-2007 were collated, and included 619,323 deliveries. Trends in 1st trimester
maternal obesity incidence (BMI>30kg/m 2) were calculated using Chi2. Demographics of “at risk” women were
tested for multicollinearity and logistic regression adjusted for all demographics as confounders.
Results: Maternal obesity is significantly increasing over time, having more than doubled from 7.6% to 15.6%
(p<0.001, figure 1). There are increased odds of being obese with increasing age (1.02, 95% C.I. 1.02, 1.02), parity
(1.17, 95% C.I. 1.16, 1.18), black ethnic group (1.78, 95% C.I. 1.70, 1.87), and deprivation (2.20, 95% C.I. 2.13,
2.28).
Figure 1: Change in Maternal 1st Trimester BMI Distribution 1989-2007
Conclusion: The increase in maternal obesity has consequences for the health of mothers, infants, and service
providers, yielding an additional of 47,500 women per year requiring high dependency care in England (92,500
women in 2007 compared with 45,000 in 1989). The demographics of women most at risk highlight health
inequalities associated with maternal obesity which needs to be addressed.
1. Conflict of Interest:
None Disclosed
2. Funding:
Research relating to this abstract was funded by the University of Teesside
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