Staff profile

I am an Associate Professor of Behavioural Science at Durham University. I previously worked at Newcastle University, first at the Population Health Sciences Institute (2013-17) and then as a lecturer in the School of Psychology (2017-21). I obtained my PhD from Durham University in 2013.

Research interests

My research focuses on the psychology of eating and weight. I am particularly interested in understanding change in eating behaviours, body image, and concomitant psychological factors with a view to intervention development. Examples of current projects include:

- understanding the effectiveness of interventions to reduce eating disorder risk in low and middle income countries;

- examining constructions of weight stigma in UK media and charity campaigns;

- coproducing autistic-led priorities for research to understand eating behaviour in autism;

- intervening to reduce eating disorder risk and perfectionism amongst UK undergraduates;

- a family of systematic reviews summarising the relationships amongst body image, sociocultural variables, and media use in low and middle income countries;

- establishing expert consensus on research priorities in children's body image research for the coming decade.

Availability for research supervision

I am happy to discuss PhD or MRes supervision in the following areas:

- disordered eating & eating behaviour;

- body image;

- weight-related psychological variables (e.g., weight stigma);

- intervention design and evaluation.

I am particularly interested in work that focuses on developmental aspects of the above, and work that involves populations that have not been (sufficiently) included in existing research.

Funding

2025 – 2027 Mytton, O., Llwelyn, C., (joint PIs) Evans, E.H. (Co-I) Evaluating the National Child Measurement Programme: impact on mental health and wellbeing, and delivery cost models. National Institute of Health Research: Policy Research Programme. £499,994.10. 

2025 - 2028 Nagpal, T., (PI), Evans, E.H. (Co-I) Open Research Area 8 (ESRC, SSHRC, DFG). An international and intersectional exploration of weight stigma across the life-course of women. £981,728.

2024 - 2029 Boothroyd, L.G. (PI), Evans, E.H. (Co-I) et al. ERC Advanced Grant / UKRI Frontier guarantee scheme. Building body image resilience in populations undergoing rapid economic development. €2,500,000

2023 - 2024 Evans, E.H. & Maclennan, K. Building ground-up hypotheses of disordered eating in autism: stakeholder engagement and rapid scoping review. Durham University Seedcorn Fund, £4245

2020 - 2022 Boothroyd, L.G., Evans, E.H., Thornborrow, T., Diedrichs, P. Establishing best practice in eating disorder prevention for rapidly developing populations. Wellcome Trust Seed (RF010135) £96,958

2020 - 2025 Adamson, A.J., Araujo-Soares, V., Arnott, B.M., Evans, E.H., Oluboyede, O.A., Matthews, J.N.S., Jones, A., Basterfield, L. A definitive trial of the MapMe tool and its impact on child weight. NIHR-PHR £1,722,198.82 

2015 - 2016 Sniehotta, F.F. & Evans, E.H. Development and stage 2 RCT with internal pilot of a weight loss maintenance intervention for obese adults after clinically significant weight loss. MRCMR/J000477/1 (full-cost project extension) £73,177

2014 - 2015 Parkinson, K., Adamson, A., Pearce, M., Basterfield, L., Jones, A., Newbury-Birch, D., McGovern, R. & Evans, E.H. Gateshead Millennium Birth Cohort study: 15-year data collection. Children’s Foundation. £17,000

2006 - 2011 Evans, E.H. & Drewett, R.F. Predictors of disordered eating attitudes in preadolescent girls. Economic and Social Research Council Open competition (personal) 1+3 doctoral studentship. ~ £72,000

Teaching & administrative activities

I am deputy chair of the Board of Examiners for Psychology and a member of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. I lead the Level 3 module Eating Disorders and lead the clinical component of Differential and Clinical Psychology. I contribute to a range of other teaching across the department and as a regular guest lecturer at Newcastle University Medical School.

Doctoral supervision

2023-2027: Charlie Greenall (ESRC 1+3 studentship; first supervisor, with Dr Keren Maclennan, Durham University & Dr Fiona Gullon Scott, Newcastle University)

2022-2025: Shuang Hua (co-supervisor with Prof Lynda Boothroyd)

2021-2025: Alice Roberts (SPHR studentship, co-supervisor with Dr Suzanne Spence & Dr Frances Hillier-Brown, Newcastle University)

2020-2025: Manya Sawhney (co-supervisor, with Dr Amy Fielden & Dr Efstathia Tzemou, Newcastle University)

2021-2024: Louise Hanson (ESRC +3 studentship; co-supervisor with Prof Lynda Boothroyd & Prof Dorothy Cowie, Durham University) - successful completion

2021-2024: Farhana Chowdhury (Newcastle University studentship, co-supervisor, with Prof Candy Rowe, Newcastle University & Prof Vera Araujo-Soares, Uni Heidelberg) - successful completion

2018-2021: Vicky Roberts, DClinPsy (first supervisor, with Dr Fiona Gullon-Scott, Newcastle University) - successful completion.

2018-2024: Katy Jacques; part time (co-supervisor, with Prof Lynda Boothroyd) - successful completion.

Chapter in book

• Evans, E. H., Ahern, A. L., Dombrowski, S. U., & Vasiljevic, M. (2025). The role of health behaviour in obesity. In R. Sanderman, & K. Morgan (Eds.), The Routledge International Handbook of Health Psychology: Global and Contemporary Issues (242-256). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003318026-17

Journal Article

• Basterfield, L., Rowland, M., Rigg, R., Reilly, J. J., Janssen, X., Pearce, M. S., Evans, E. H., & Adamson, A. J. (online). Health behaviours of 17- to 19-year olds in North East England: assessing adherence to current recommendations for young people at the adolescent-adult boundary. Perspectives in Public Health, Article 17579139241308824. https://doi.org/10.1177/17579139241308824
• Longhurst, P., Nimbley, E., Evans, E. H., MacLennan, K., Gillespie-Smith, K., & Duffy, F. (online). Measuring eating disorders in Autistic people: a proposal for future research. Eating Disorders, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2024.2416340
• Evans, E. H., Ridley, B. J., Cornelissen, P. L., Kramer, R. S. S., Araújo‐Soares, V., & Tovée, M. J. (2025). Determinants of child body weight categorization in parents and health care professionals: An experimental study. British Journal of Health Psychology, 30(1), Article e12765. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12765
• Evans, E. H., Jones, C. M., Adamson, A., Jones, A. R., Basterfield, L., Greca, J. P. D. A., Sermin‐Reed, L., Patterson, M., McSweeney, L., Dhami, R., Ells, L., Gahagan, A., Robinson, T., Shahrokhabadi, M. S., Teare, D., Tovée, M. J., & Araújo Soares, V. (2025). Mechanisms and outcomes of a very low intensity intervention to improve parental acknowledgement and understanding of childhood overweight/obesity, embedded in the National Child Measurement Programme: A sub‐study within a large cluster Randomized Controlled Trial ( MapMe2 ). British Journal of Health Psychology, 30(1), Article e12784. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12784
• Andres, F. E., Boothroyd, L. G., Thornborrow, T., Chamorro, A. M., Dutra, N. B., Brar, M., Woodward, R., Malik, N., Sawhney, M., & Evans, E. H. (2024). Relationships between media influence, body image and sociocultural appearance ideals in Latin America: A systematic literature review. Body Image, 51, Article 101774. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2024.101774
• Ridley, B. J., Evans, E. H., Cornelissen, P. L., Kramer, R. S. S., & Tovée, M. J. (2024). The MapMe Body Scales: Validity and Reliability of a Biometrically Accurate, Photorealistic Set of Child Body Size Scales. Children, 11(10), Article 1243. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11101243
• Hanson, L. N., Gott, A., Tomsett, M., Useh, E., Yeadon-Caiger, E., Clay, R., Fan, J., Hui, K., Wang, H., Evans, E. H., Cowie, D., & Boothroyd, L. G. (2024). Examining body appreciation in six countries: The impact of age and sociocultural pressure. PLoS ONE, 19(7), Article e0306913. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0306913
• Joyal-Desmarais, K., Rothman, A. J., Evans, E. H., Araújo-Soares, V., & Sniehotta, F. F. (2024). Furthering Scientific Inquiry for Weight Loss Maintenance: Assessing the Psychological Processes Impacted by a Low intensity Technology-Assisted Intervention (NULevel Trial). Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 58(4), 296-303. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaae002
• Andres, F. E., Thornborrow, T., Bowie, W. N., Chamorro, A. M., De la Rosa, G., Evans, E. H., Fontalvo Acuña, L. S., Kolar, D. R., Mebarak, M. R., Tovar Castro, J. C., & Boothroyd, L. G. (2023). Validation of a Latin-American Spanish version of the Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults (BESAA-LA) in Colombian and Nicaraguan adults. Journal of eating disorders, 11(1), Article 219. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-023-00942-5
• Piran, N., Counsell, A., Teall, T. L., Komes, J., & Evans, E. H. (2023). The developmental theory of embodiment: Quantitative measurement of facilitative and adverse experiences in the social environment. Body Image, 44, 227-245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.12.005
• Evans, E. H., Tovée, M. J., Hancock, P. J., & Cornelissen, P. L. (2023). How do looking patterns, anti-fat bias, and causal weight attributions relate to adults’ judgements of child weight?. Body Image, 44, 9-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.11.001
• Heslehurst, N., Evans, E. H., Incollingo Rodriguez, A. C., Nagpal, T. S., & Visram, S. (2022). Newspaper media framing of obesity during pregnancy in the UK: A review and framework synthesis. Obesity Reviews, 23(12), https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13511
• Galvin, J., Evans, E. H., Talbot, C., Wilson, C., & Richards, G. (2022). The associations between autistic traits and disordered eating/drive for muscularity are independent of anxiety and depression in females but not males. PLoS ONE, 17(10), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276249
• Thornborrow, T., Evans, E., Tovee, M., & Boothroyd, L. (2022). Sociocultural drivers of body image and eating disorder risk in rural Nicaraguan women. Journal of eating disorders, 10(1), Article 133. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-022-00656-0
• Marques, M. M., Matos, M., Mattila, E., Encantado, J., Duarte, C., Teixeira, P. J., Stubbs, R. J., Sniehotta, F. F., Ermes, M., Harjumaa, M., Leppänen, J., Välkkynen, P., Silva, M. N., Ferreira, C., Carvalho, S., Palmeira, L., Horgan, G., Heitmann, B. L., Evans, E. H., & Palmeira, A. L. (2021). A Theory- and Evidence-Based Digital Intervention Tool for Weight Loss Maintenance (NoHoW Toolkit): Systematic Development and Refinement Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(12), Article e25305. https://doi.org/10.2196/25305
• Boothroyd, L., Tovée, M., & Evans, E. (2021). Can realistic dolls protect body satisfaction in young girls?. Body Image, 37, 172-180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.02.004
• Baker, R., Evans, E. H., Fielden, A., & Arnott, B. (2021). Healthcare professionals’ perspectives on infant feeding support in paediatric inpatients: single-centre qualitative study. BMJ Paediatrics Open, 5(1), https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2021-001247
• Tommerup, K., Smith, A. D., Evans, E. H., Croker, H., Steptoe, A., Tovee, M. J., Fildes, A., & Llewellyn, C. (2021). The acceptability and feasibility of using a 3D body size scale to initiate conversations about weight in toddlerhood: a mixed‐methods study. Pediatric Obesity, 16(2), https://doi.org/10.1111/ijpo.12715
• Jacques, K., Evans, E., & Boothroyd, L. (2021). Experimental manipulation of muscularity preferences through visual diet and associative learning. PLoS ONE, 16(8), Article e0255403. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255403
• Stubbs, R., Duarte, C., Palmeira, A., Sniehotta, F., Horgan, G., Larsen, S., Marques, M., Evans, E., Ermes, M., Harjumaa, M., Turicchi, J., O’Driscoll, R., Scott, S., Pearson, B., Ramsey, L., Mattila, E., Matos, M., Sacher, P., Woodward, E., Mikkelsen, M.-L., …Heitmann, B. (2021). Evidence-Based Digital Tools for Weight Loss Maintenance: The NoHoW Project. Obesity Facts, 14(3), https://doi.org/10.1159/000515663
• Barnett, A., Edwards, K., Harper, R., Evans, E., Alexander, D., Choudhary, M., & Richards, G. (2021). The Association Between Autistic Traits and Disordered Eating is Moderated by Sex/Gender and Independent of Anxiety and Depression. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 51(6), https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04669-z
• Boothroyd, L., Jucker, J.-L., Thornborrow, T., Barton, R., Burt, D., Evans, E., Jamieson, M., & Tovee, M. (2020). Television Consumption Drives Perceptions of Female Body Attractiveness in a Population Undergoing Technological Transition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 119(4), 839-860. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000224
• Kant, R. N., Wong-Chung, A., Evans, E. H., Stanton, E. C., & Boothroyd, L. G. (2019). The Impact of a Dissonance-Based Eating Disorders Intervention on Implicit Attitudes to Thinness in Women of Diverse Sexual Orientations. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, Article 2611. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02611
• Scott, S. E., Duarte, C., Encantado, J., Evans, E. H., Harjumaa, M., Heitmann, B. L., Horgan, G. W., Larsen, S. C., Marques, M. M., Mattila, E., Matos, M., Mikkelsen, M.-L., Palmeira, A. L., Pearson, B., Ramsey, L., Sainsbury, K., Santos, I., Sniehotta, F., Stalker, C., Teixeira, P., & Stubbs, R. J. (2019). The NoHoW protocol: a multicentre 2×2 factorial randomised controlled trial investigating an evidence-based digital toolkit for weight loss maintenance in European adults. BMJ Open, 9(9), https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029425
• Sniehotta, F. F., Evans, E. H., Sainsbury, K., Adamson, A., Batterham, A., Becker, F., Brown, H., Dombrowski, S. U., Jackson, D., Howell, D., Ladha, K., McColl, E., Olivier, P., Rothman, A. J., Steel, A., Vale, L., Vieira, R., White, M., Wright, P., & Araújo-Soares, V. (2019). Behavioural intervention for weight loss maintenance versus standard weight advice in adults with obesity: A randomised controlled trial in the UK (NULevel Trial). PLoS Medicine, 16(5), Article e1002793. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002793
• Evans, E., Sainsbury, K., Marques, M., Santos, I., Pedersen, S., Lähteenmäki, L., Teixeira, P., Stubbs, R., Heitmann, B., & Sniehotta, F. (2019). Prevalence and predictors of weight loss maintenance: a retrospective population‐based survey of European adults with overweight and obesity. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 32(6), https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12666
• Ruddock, H. K., Orwin, M., Boyland, E. J., Evans, E. H., & Hardman, C. A. (2019). Obesity Stigma: Is the ‘Food Addiction’ Label Feeding the Problem?. Nutrients, 11(9), https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11092100
• Sainsbury, K., Evans, E. H., Pedersen, S., Marques, M. M., Teixeira, P. J., Lähteenmäki, L., Stubbs, R. J., Heitmann, B. L., & Sniehotta, F. F. (2019). Attribution of weight regain to emotional reasons amongst European adults with overweight and obesity who regained weight following a weight loss attempt. Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 24(2), https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-018-0487-0
• Pedersen, S., Sniehotta, F. F., Sainsbury, K., Evans, E. H., Marques, M. M., Stubbs, R. J., Heitmann, B. L., & Lähteenmäki, L. (2018). The complexity of self-regulating food intake in weight loss maintenance. A qualitative study among short- and long-term weight loss maintainers. Social Science & Medicine, 208, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.05.016
• Jucker, J., Thornborrow, T., Beierholm, U., Burt, D., Barton, R., Evans, E., Jamieson, M., & Boothroyd, L. (2017). Nutritional status and the influence of TV consumption on female body size ideals in populations recently exposed to the media. Scientific Reports, 7(1), Article 8438. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-08653-z
• Sainsbury, K., Cleland, C. L., Evans, E. H., Adamson, A., Batterham, A., Dombrowski, S. U., Gellert, P., Hill, M., Kwasnicka, D., Scott, D., Sniehotta, F. F., White, M., & Araújo-Soares, V. (2017). Supporting the transition from weight loss to maintenance: development and optimisation of a face-to-face behavioural intervention component. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 5(1), https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2016.1269233
• Evans, E. H., Adamson, A. J., Basterfield, L., Le Couteur, A., Reilly, J. K., Reilly, J. J., & Parkinson, K. N. (2017). Risk factors for eating disorder symptoms at 12 years of age: A 6-year longitudinal cohort study. Appetite, 108, 12-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2016.09.005
• Boothroyd, L., Jucker, J., Thornborrow, T., Jamieson, M., Burt, D., Barton, R., Evans, E., & Tovée, M. (2016). Television exposure predicts body size ideals in rural Nicaragua. British Journal of Psychology, 107(4), 752-767. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12184
• O'Brien, N., Heaven, B., Teal, G., Evans, E. H., Cleland, C., Moffatt, S., Sniehotta, F. F., White, M., Mathers, J. C., & Moynihan, P. (2016). Integrating Evidence From Systematic Reviews, Qualitative Research, and Expert Knowledge Using Co-Design Techniques to Develop a Web-Based Intervention for People in the Retirement Transition. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 18(8), https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.5790
• van der Linde, R. M., Dening, T., Stephan, B. C., Prina, A. M., Evans, E. H., & Brayne, C. (2016). Longitudinal course of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia: systematic review. British Journal of Psychiatry, 209(5), https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.114.148403
• Lara, J., O’Brien, N., Godfrey, A., Heaven, B., Evans, E. H., Lloyd, S., Moffatt, S., Moynihan, P. J., Meyer, T. D., Rochester, L., Sniehotta, F. F., White, M., & Mathers, J. C. (2016). Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial of a Web-Based Intervention to Promote Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Meaningful Social Connections Compared with Usual Care Control in People of Retirement Age Recruited from Workplaces. PLoS ONE, 11(7), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159703
• Evans, E., Boothroyd, L., Muscariello, E., Stephan, B., Nasti, G., Colantuoni, A., & Siervo, M. (2015). Lower weight loss expectations and healthier eating attitudes in older overweight and obese women attempting weight loss. Clinical Obesity, 5(3), https://doi.org/10.1111/cob.12093
• Heaven, B., O’Brien, N., Evans, E. H., White, M., Meyer, T. D., Mathers, J. C., & Moffatt, S. (2015). Mobilizing Resources for Well-being: Implications for Developing Interventions in the Retirement Transition. The Gerontologist, 56(4), https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnu159
• Evans, E. H., Araújo-Soares, V., Adamson, A., Batterham, A. M., Brown, H., Campbell, M., Dombrowski, S. U., Guest, A., Jackson, D., Kwasnicka, D., Ladha, K., McColl, E., Olivier, P., Rothman, A. J., Sainsbury, K., Steel, A. J., Steen, I. N., Vale, L., White, M., Wright, P., & Sniehotta, F. F. (2015). The NULevel trial of a scalable, technology-assisted weight loss maintenance intervention for obese adults after clinically significant weight loss: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials, 16(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-015-0931-7
• Lara, J., Evans, E. H., O’Brien, N., Moynihan, P. J., Meyer, T. D., Adamson, A. J., Errington, L., Sniehotta, F. F., White, M., & Mathers, J. C. (2014). Association of behaviour change techniques with effectiveness of dietary interventions among adults of retirement age: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMC Medicine, 12(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-014-0177-3
• Lara, J., Godfrey, A., Evans, E. H., Heaven, B., Brown, L. J., Barron, E., Rochester, L., Meyer, T. D., & Mathers, J. C. (2013). Towards measurement of the Healthy Ageing Phenotype in lifestyle-based intervention studies. Maturitas: An international journal of midlife health and beyond, 76(2), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2013.07.007
• Evans, E., Tovee, M., Boothroyd, L., & Drewett, R. (2013). Body dissatisfaction and disordered eating attitudes in 7 to 11-year-old girls: testing a sociocultural model. Body Image, 10(1), 8-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2012.10.001