Research Associate

Prevention of Diabetes and Related Metabolic Disorders in High Risk Groups

Current work and interests

Tamla Evans is a Health Psychologist and Postdoctoral Research Associate for the Prevention of Diabetes and Related Metabolic Disorders in High Risk Groups. Her research focuses on the use of behavioural and implementation sciences to develop, evaluate, and implement complex behaviour change interventions to prevent and treat morbidities.

Tamla is an NIHR Academy Fellow within a 5-year NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Research aiming to refine and evaluate a guided self-help intervention to support weight loss maintenance (SWiM), underpinned by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. She will be leading the intervention refinement, programme theory, and process evaluation within a national randomised trial.

Background and experience

Tamla obtained a BSc (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Leeds, where she developed a keen interest in obesity and the psychology of appetite. She pursued her MSc in Health Psychology and BPS Stage 1 Practitioner Psychologist training at the Manchester Metropolitan University, where she developed and evaluated a brief web-based intervention for stress-related snacking. Tamla was awarded a doctoral scholarship within an NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research Programme, evaluating the implementation of the NHS Low-Calorie Diet (now known as NHS Path to Remission). She obtained a PhD in Nutrition & Dietetics from Leeds Beckett University, in collaboration with the University of Leeds. Tamla’s thesis evaluated the design and delivery of behavioural support, which had direct implications for policy reformulation and service provision. She was an invited member of the commissioning panel for national procurement, providing behavioural science expertise to NHS England. Alongside her PhD, she completed her BPS Stage 2 training, providing HCPC registered Health Psychologist status. She was also awarded the Health Behaviour International Collaborative Award (2023). Tamla went on to split her time between postdoctoral research at Leeds Beckett University and working as an NHS Health Psychologist at Mid Yorkshire Teaching Hospitals.

Publications and links

• Twitter/X handle: @tamlahealthpsyc
• MRC Epidemiology Unit publications on the Online Publications Database

Selected publications

• Can the delivery of behavioural support be improved in the NHS England Low-Calorie Diet Programme? An observational study of behaviour change techniques. Evans TS, Drew KJ, McKenna J, Dhir P, Marwood J, Freeman C, Hill AJ, Newson L, Homer C, Matu J, Radley D, Ells LJ. Diabet Med. 2024 Apr;41(4):e15245. doi: 10.1111/dme.15245. Epub 2023 Nov 4.
• Does the design of the NHS Low-Calorie Diet Programme have fidelity to the programme specification? A documentary review of service parameters and behaviour change content in a type 2 diabetes intervention. Evans TS, Dhir P, Radley D, Duarte C, Keyworth C, Homer C, Hill AJ, Hawkes R, Matu J, McKenna J, Ells LJ. Diabet Med. 2023 Apr;40(4):e15022. doi: 10.1111/dme.15022. Epub 2022 Dec 18.
• How is the NHS Low-Calorie Diet Programme expected to produce behavioural change to support diabetes remission: An examination of underpinning theory. Evans TS, Hawkes RE, Keyworth C, Newson L, Radley D, Hill AJ, Matu J, Ells LJ. Br J Diabetes. 2022 Jun;22(1):20-29. doi: 10.15277/bjd.2022.341.
• Working with stakeholders to translate health psychology research into practice: Reflections from evaluations of two national behaviour change programmes. Evans TS, Hawkes R. Health Psychology Update. 2023 Oct;32(1):17-26. doi: 10.53841/bpshpu.2023.32.1.17
• Views, perceptions, and experiences of type 2 diabetes or weight management programs among minoritized ethnic groups living in high-income countries: A systematic review of qualitative evidence. Dhir P, Evans TS, Drew KJ, Maynard M, Nobles J, Homer C, Ells L. Obes Rev. 2024 May;25(5):e13708. doi: 10.1111/obr.13708. Epub 2024 Feb 11.
• Understanding eating behaviours, mental health and weight change in young adults: protocol paper for an international longitudinal study. Whatnall M, Fozard T, Kolokotroni KZ, Marwood J, Evans T, Ells LJ, Burrows T. BMJ Open. 2022 Sep 30;12(9):e064963. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-064963.