Optimising health and wellbeing through the lifespan group

Our research

Research topics include those which seek to understand the lived experiences of individuals across the lifespan, as well as the development of interventions to support wellbeing for parents and their children (in the perinatal period and early years), people with chronic conditions (e.g. gastrointestinal conditions, atopic conditions and diabetes), lifelong disability (e.g. cerebral palsy), loneliness, older adults and dementia. We work closely with NHS, charity and industrial partners.  

Methodological expertise in the group includes: secondary data analysis; qualitative methods; systematic, realist and scoping reviews; co-design; co-production; clinical trials; randomised controlled trials; mixed methods, validity and reliability testing; cross-sectional studies. 

Current PhD student topics include menopause and olfaction, plant-based diets in care homes, dementia screening in prisons, and realist evaluation of psychosocial approaches in dementia care.

Funding 

Members of the team have secured funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Innovate UK, the Economic and Social Research Council, Diabetes UK, Coeliac UK, the Vivensa Foundation (formerly Dunhill Medical Trust), the Food Standards Agency and Diabetes UK. The team has also secured funding to work in collaboration with local service providers, such as the joint University of Surrey and Royal Surrey County Hospital ‘Bid for Better’ scheme and the UKRI Higher Education Innovation Funding.

Example projects

Olfaction and Ageing (2023–2026). Funded by Innovate UK, this study investigates olfactory acuity as we age, formulating new fragrance to support cognitive health in older people. The project is a partnership between University of Surrey and Givaudan UK.  

CP Link: Developing a specialised link worker role to support adults with cerebral palsy to age well (2024–2027). Funded by the Vivensa Foundation (formerly Dunhill Medical Trust) https://www.surrey.ac.uk/research-projects/cp-link-developing-specialised-link-worker-role-support-adults-cerebral-palsy-age-well  

Anxiety and Anaphylaxis (2025–2028). Funded by Innovate UK, this project will develop and deliver support for people with serious allergies and address the psychological aspects of living with anaphylaxis, such as anxiety. The project is a partnership between the University of Surrey and Anaphylaxis UK. 

Use of video feedback in perinatal mental health teams. An NIHR-funded randomised controlled trial commencing in March 2026. Dr Iles (co-applicant) will deliver the intervention training and supervision, alongside oversight of the Surrey recruitment team.

Selected publications 

Byrne, E.M., Eneberi, A., Acharya, R., Barker, B., Grimas, E., Iles, J., et al. (2024). Psychometric properties of the preschool strength and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) in UK 1-to-2-years-olds. European Journal of Pediatrics, 183 (12). DOI: 10.1007/s00431-024-05801-2. 

Loughnane, M., Tischler, V., Khalid Saifeldeen, R., Kontaris, E. (2024). Ageing and Olfactory Training: A Scoping Review. Innovation in Aging. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igae044

Tischler, V., Zeilig, H., O’Malley, M & Asker, C. (2023). Together yet apart: rethinking creativity and relational dementia care during the Covid-19 pandemic. Geriatric Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2023.08.012 

Smith KJ, Gupta S, Fortune J, Lowton K, Victor C, Burke E, Carew MT, Livingstone E, Creeger M, Shanahan P, Walsh M. Aging well with a lifelong disability: a scoping review. The gerontologist. 2024 Sep;64(9):gnae092. 

Smith KJ, Victor C. Typologies of loneliness, living alone and social isolation, and their associations with physical and mental health. Ageing & Society. 2019 Aug;39(8):1709-30. 

Tunks, A., Berry, C., Strauss, C., Nyikavaranda, P., & Ford, E. (2023). Patients' perspectives of barriers and facilitators to accessing support through primary care for common mental health problems in England: A systematic review. 

Piper, M.A., Tunks, A., Humfrey, S., Calderwood, L., Tayabali, S., Taylor, S., Kaul, A., Dalby, E., Ahmed, S., Farrington, S., Pollak, T.A., & Sloan, M. (2025). “My world has shrunk”: a mixed-methods exploration of the impact of systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases on patients’ lives. Rheumatology International, 45(11), 247. 

Williams, S., Darwin, Z., Lee-Carbon, L., & Iles, J. (2025). A phenomenological exploration of non-carrying mothers in same-gender relationships experiences of a psychologically traumatic birth. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/02646838.2025.2503936 

Herbert, L., Protudjer, J., Jones, C.J., Marchisotto, M.J., Brough, H., Warren, C., et al. (2025). A global survey of mental health treatment experiences among food allergy patients and caregivers. Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology: In Practice, 13(8):2142-2150. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2025.05.015. 

Jones, C.J., Tallentire, H., Edgecumbe, R., Sherlock, G., & Hale, L. (2024). Online, group, low-intensity psychological interventions for adults, children and parents with food allergy. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, 133(4):453-461. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2024.07.025

Nagy, V., Poole, L., Banting, E., & Satherley, R.-M. (2025). An interpretative phenomenological analysis of lived experiences and psychological processes in internalized weight stigma. British Journal of Health Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12804 

Satherley, R.-M., Lerigo, F., Higgs, S., & Howard, R. (2022). An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the development and maintenance of gluten-related distress and unhelpful eating and lifestyle patterns in coeliac disease. British Journal of Health Psychology, 27(3), 1026–1042. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12588