study

Free online depression therapy in Devon

In January, the most depressing month of the year, researchers are urging people to take up free therapy courses in a bid to help them find a definitive answer to what works best in online treatment for depression.

It has long been known that online cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) can be effective in treating depression – but scientists do not know which aspects work best. Now...

Study suggests January the worst time to diet

People have evolved to have subconscious urges to over-eat, and limited ability to avoid becoming obese, especially in winter, a University of Exeter study has found.

There is not yet an evolutionary mechanism to help us overcome the lure of sweet, fatty and unhealthy food and avoid becoming overweight for understandable and sensible reasons, according to researchers.

This is...

Study suggests second home owners feel they have positive impact on tourist communities

Second home owners in the South West believe they have an overwhelmingly positive impact on the region, generating opportunities for employment and boosting the economy.

They do not believe they are taking homes away from local people – instead filling properties that would otherwise lay vacant – but are creating jobs that enable people to live in the county.

They are among the...

One in three of us drinking too much

A new study released yesterday (16 November) reveals that one in three adults in the South West are drinking too much alcohol, consuming it at levels that pose an increasing or higher risk of damaging their health.

But 83% of those drinking above the Government’s recommended guidelines underestimate their drinking, seeing themselves as ‘moderate’ or ‘light’ drinkers and 69% are not...

Study highlights impact of poverty and gender on children's welfare

A new research paper by a Plymouth University academic shows that children all over the world are more likely to be at risk if they’re female and below the poverty line.

Associate Professor Penelope Welbourne explains that “ideas about gender and the role of women in some societies may place girl children in added danger from birth, compared with male children,” in Child protection and...

Study explores challenges parents face when choosing schools

The techniques parents use when determining the best secondary school for their children are to be explored in a new study by Plymouth University.

David Carter, Associate Lecturer in the Faculty of Business, is appealing for families across the city to take part in research analysing how they make one of the most important choices relating to their child’s education.

...

First dental clinical trial in SW achieves full recruitment

A research study at Plymouth University Peninsula School of Dentistry which aims to develop a simple saliva test for gum disease (periodontitis), is the first dental clinical trial to take place in the region and has achieved a significant milestone with the full recruitment of participants to the study.

The recruitment was achieved by the Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise through its...

Volunteers wanted for Parkinson’s study

Researchers from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry and Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, in collaboration with the Oxford Computational Neurosciences Lab and the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), are looking for volunteers in the South West of England to assess a new technology for detecting Parkinson’s disease at an early stage.

This...

Volunteers wanted for GP referral study

Local patient volunteers are being sought by researchers investigating whether or not adding web-based coaching to the GP exercise referral scheme would lead to increased uptake and sustained health enhancing physical activity.

The exercise referral scheme an established method whereby doctors can ‘prescribe’ exercise to patients with medical conditions such as obesity, hypertension,...

Alcohol treatment programmes cutting reoffending

Offenders enrolled in alcohol treatment programmes as part of their sentence are significantly less likely to be charged or reconvicted in the 12 months following their programme, a study led by Plymouth University has shown.

Researchers from the University’s School of Psychology led a project, supported by the European Social Fund, which saw males with alcohol problems related to...

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