Andrew Wills

Professor Department of Nutrition and Public Health

Email: andrew.wills@uia.no

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Background and experience

I am a Professor of Applied Statistics and Epidemiology at the Department of Nutrition and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Agder. Previously I have worked at the University of Bristol (2011-2021), University College London (2009-2011) and the University of Southampton (2007-2009).

I am also a Royal Statistical Society Chartered Statistician (CStat) and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Teaching

I currently deliver ad-hoc training and workshops in epidemiology, statistics and good data practice to researchers and interested staff within the Centre for Lifecourse Nutrition.

While at the University of Bristol, I made wide-ranging contributions to teaching across schools and faculty, acquiring extensive skills and experience in teaching leadership, administration, and delivery. This included the creation of several undergraduate and postgraduate units and key contributions to the development of post-graduate programs. Much of my teaching during this period can be described as “teaching statistics to non-statisticians", although I have also taught more advanced level statistical and epidemiological topics on short course programs.

Research

My research falls under population health sciences. As an applied statistician, my contributions and interests have spanned several research areas over the years. These include life course epidemiology (and their statistical methods), health services research and outcomes (eg; cleft care in the UK), clinical epidemiology and more recently in nutritional epidemiology and public health nutrition.

My current research interests include:

- Utility of novel methods, designs and approaches to improve causal inference.

- Application of advances in data science and AI, and systems thinking to find new and more timely ways of generating data from existing sources and generating evidence in Public health.

Projects

Research groups

Centre for Lifecourse Nutrition

Osorio, Natalie Garzon; Vik, Frøydis Nordgård; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord; Helland, Sissel Heidi; Love, Penelope & Abel, Marianne Hope [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2026). A Formative Evaluation of Parental Perceptions Related to Acceptability, Appropriateness, Feasibility, and Reported Use of an e-Learning Resource Targeting Diet in the First 1000 Days: Survey Study. JMIR Formative Research. 10, p. 1–13. doi: 10.2196/84277. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Background In October 2022, the Nutrition Now (NN) e-learning resource was implemented within Maternal and Child Healthcare centers and Early Childhood Education and Care centers of a southern Norwegian municipality. The e-learning resource targets expectant parents, parents of children aged 0‐2 years, and Early Childhood Education and Care staff, aiming to promote healthy dietary behaviors during the first 1000 days of life. Objective This study aimed to explore parental perceptions related to the acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, and reported use of the NN e-learning resource among parents. Methods From October 2022 to May 2023, expecting parents and parents of children aged 0‐2 years were recruited from 2 Norwegian municipalities, one intervention group receiving access to the NN e-learning resource, and one control. Participants in the intervention group received a web-based follow-up questionnaire 7 months after gaining access to the NN e-learning resource. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the 179 participants in the NN study intervention group, 48 completed the web-based follow-up questionnaire administered 7 months after enrollment. Parents rated the e-learning resource positively on items assessing whether they liked and appreciated the resource, perceived it as an appropriate source of information, and found it doable and easy to use. Most respondents reported visiting the resource (38/48, 79%), although only 21% (10/48) reported frequent visits. Less than half of the participants answering the web-based follow-up questionnaire reported having watched the theme films (20/48, 42%), the recipe films (17/48, 35%), or making food using recipes provided in the e-learning resource (20/48, 42%). Conclusions Parents rated the NN e-learning resource positively but reported limited use. These findings point to the need for strategies that enhance engagement with self-guided digital interventions among expectant parents and parents of young children. Future efforts should focus on identifying how to maximize potential adoption of the e-learning resource and evaluate its impact to promote healthy dietary behaviors during the first 1000 days of life.
Valen, Erlend Nuland; Wills, Andrew Keith; Medin, Anine Christine; Vik, Frøydis Nordgård; Engeset, Dagrun & Salvesen, Lorentz [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2026). Effect of a digital dietary intervention on diet quality in young adults in Norway – The PREPARED randomised controlled trial. BMC Nutrition. 12. doi: 10.1186/s40795-026-01278-4. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Background Nutritional status and lifestyle during the preconception phase, the months and years before conception, may have substantial impact on the health of the next generation. Diet quality during these years has been a neglected in previous dietary assessments. Methods The PREPARED study is a digital intervention with a randomised controlled trial design with the aim to assess its effectiveness on diet quality and micronutrient adequacy. Individuals with a Norwegian identification number without biological children aged 20–35 were recruited using social media platforms. Data was collected digitally using a dietary screener which was recoded into a diet quality score (DQS) and a 24-hour recall recoded into binary variables to compare adherence to the average requirement defined by the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023. The intervention group received access to a digital resource where all components were created using the Determinants of Nutrition and Eating framework (DONE), with new weekly content across 6 months. Results From the total sample of 1374, the follow-up sample consisted of 186 participants (13.5%) (Control: 99, Intervention: 87) on DQS, and 150 (10.9%) on micronutrient adequacy. The mean difference between intervention and control in total diet quality score was + 1.0 (IQR − 3.0, 4.9) (adjusted p = 0.63). The results showed no improvement in diet quality or change in proportion of participants reaching average requirements between the intervention and control group. Conclusions We found no evidence towards having a healthier diet in any of the groups at the end of the trial, and there were no differences in proportions reaching average requirement for selected micronutrients. The substantial loss to follow-up might have had a significant impact on the results. Improving or developing strategies for recruitment and keeping retention rates is an important area for future intervention studies.
Sitzman, Thomas J.; Chee-Williams, Jessica L.; Temkit, M'Hamed; Wills, Andrew Keith; Toms, Stu & Sell, Debbie [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2025). Comparison of secondary surgery before and after centralisation of cleft services in the UK: A whole-island cross-sectional analysis. BMJ Open. 15(8). doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-105396. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Objective Cleft lip and palate significantly impact a child’s speech and facial appearance. Children undergo cleft repairs in infancy, but poor results from these initial repairs often lead to secondary surgery. In the late 1990s, cleft care provision in the UK was centralised to approximately 11 managed clinical networks or centres. This centralisation has been associated with improvements in speech and aesthetic outcomes, but little is known about the effect of centralisation on the use of secondary surgery. The purpose of this study was to compare the cumulative incidence of secondary cleft surgeries before and after centralisation and the proportion of children achieving good clinical outcomes without secondary surgery. Design Retrospective, cross-sectional. Setting and participants Two cross-sectional studies of 5-year-old children with non-syndromic unilateral cleft lip and palate were conducted, one precentralisation and one postcentralisation. Outcome measures The cumulative incidence of secondary surgery from birth through age 5 was compared precentralisation and postcentralisation using Fisher’s exact test, as were facial appearance and speech outcomes at age 5. Risk ratios (RR) were estimated using log-binomial multivariable regression models that adjusted for sex and age at evaluation. Results Postcentralisation, the proportion of children achieving good or excellent facial appearance increased from 16% to 42% (p<0.0001), good speech outcomes improved from 82% to 90% (p=0.02) and those avoiding secondary surgery rose from 45% to 67% (p<0.0001). The risk of secondary surgery decreased by 40% (RR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.48 to 0.74), with notable reductions for secondary lip, palate and nose surgeries (RR: 0.19, 0.54 and 0.13, respectively; p<0.0001). The proportion of children achieving an ideal surgical outcome—good facial appearance, good speech and no secondary surgery—increased from 7% precentralisation to 28% postcentralisation (p=0.01; 4.1-fold increase). Conclusions Centralisation of cleft care was associated with improved outcomes of primary lip and palate repairs and a corresponding reduction in secondary surgery.
Brandtzæg, Marthe; Danielsen, Kjersti Karoline; Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Helle, Christine; Wills, Andrew Keith & Sveaas, Silje Halvorsen (2025). Higher Physical Activity Level is Associated With Increased Well-being and Better Mental Health in Women up to 4 Years Postpartum: A Cohort Study. Journal of Physical Activity and Health. ISSN 1543-3080. 22(1), p. 1409–1417. doi: 10.1123/jpah.2024-0654. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Background: Many women reduce physical activity (PA) level during pregnancy, which may contribute to increased risk of mental health challenges. The aim was to describe changes in PA levels in women over a 4-year postpartum period and to investigate associations between PA level and mental health. Methods: Seven hundred fifteen Norwegian women recruited from child health centers and social media completed web questionnaires. PA was measured 5, 12, 24, and 48 months postpartum as frequency per week (>30 min short of breath/sweating): <1/week, 1 to 2/week, and ≥3/week. Mental health was measured 5, 12, and 24 months postpartum and included psychological distress, self-efficacy, joy/anger, and depression. Change in PA levels was analyzed with Friedman test using longitudinal data, and associations were analyzed with multiple linear/logistic regression using cross sectional data. Results: In the 207 women completing all PA measurements, the levels showed a consistent pattern throughout the period. On a group level, there was a decrease in PA frequency from 5 to 12 months (P < .001) and an increase from 12 to 24 months (P = .024). Higher PA levels were associated with increased joy (β = 0.17; 95% CI, 0.04–0.31; P = .012) and self-efficacy (β = 0.25; 95% CI, 0.12–0.39; P < .001) 5 months postpartum and reduced depression symptoms (β = −0.16; 95% CI, −0.30 to −0.01; P = .036) and risk of psychological distress (odds ratio = 0.27; 95% CI, 0.09–0.79; P = .017) 12 months postpartum. Conclusion: Most of the women had a low PA level postpartum, and the levels showed a consistent pattern throughout the period. The findings indicated that higher levels of PA were associated with better mental health in postpartum women.
Medin, Anine Christine; Vik, Frøydis Nordgård; Helle, Christine; Helland, Sissel Heidi; Wills, Andrew Keith & Osorio, Natalie Garzon [Show all 22 contributors for this article] (2024). Scaling up evidence-based digital early life nutrition interventions in a county setting: an implementation trial – protocol for Phase 2 of the Nutrition Now project. Frontiers in Public Health. 11. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1326787. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Background: Few effective health interventions transition from smaller efficacy or effectiveness studies to real-world implementation at scale, representing a gap between evidence and practice. Recognising this, we have developed Nutrition Now – a tailored digital resource building on four efficacious dietary interventions, aiming to improve nutrition in the important first 1,000 days of life. Nutrition Now targets and guides expectant parents and parents of 0–2 year olds, serves as a reliable source of evidence-based information for midwives and public health nurses at maternal and child healthcare (MCH) centres, and offers pedagogical tools for early childhood education and care (ECEC) staff. The aim of this study is to implement Nutrition Now at scale and evaluate the impact of different sets of multifaceted implementation strategies on implementation outcomes. Methods: A quasi-experimental design with three study arms will be used, providing either low, medium or high implementation support, when rolled out in 50 municipalities in 2 counties in Norway. Nutrition Now will be implemented in MCH and ECEC settings and made available to expectant parents and parents of 0–2 year olds through social media and MCH. The implementation support builds on strategies described in the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) implementation framework and is informed by dialogues with stakeholders. Impact of the different degree of implementation support will be assessed by examining reach, adoption, fidelity, and sustainability using usage data generated from the Nutrition Now resource, publicly available municipal data and qualitative interviews with MCH and ECEC staff. Discussion: Nutrition Now Phase 2 will break new ground by scaling up successively delivered and complementary dietary interventions in the first 1,000 days of life in a real-life context. The project also seeks to identify what level of implementation support is most effective when implementing digital, scalable, evidence-based early-life nutrition interventions in community settings. The project will inform implementation research and provide knowledge about effective implementation strategies to be used in a national scale-up of Nutrition Now. Trial registration: The study is registered prospectively (submitted 14/06/2022, registration date: 19/06/2022) in the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number registry (ISRCTN): reg. Number: ISRCTN10694967, https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN10694967.
Wills, Andrew Keith; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord; Lippevelde, Wendy Van; Barker, Mary Elizabeth; Vik, Frøydis Nordgård & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2024). Preconception diet in adolescence and its association with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and preterm birth. Results from The HUNT study. British Journal of Nutrition. ISSN 0007-1145. p. 1–8. doi: 10.1017/S0007114524000746. Full text in Research Archive
Salvesen, Lorentz; Wills, Andrew Keith; Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Engeset, Dagrun & Medin, Anine Christine (2023). Relative validity of a non-quantitative 33-item dietary screener with a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire among young adults. Journal of Nutritional Science (JNS). 12, p. 1–13. doi: 10.1017/jns.2023.57. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
The objective of the study was to assess the concordance and ranking ability of a non-quantitative 33-item dietary screener developed to assess the diet of young adults in Norway, ‘MyFoodMonth 1.1’, compared to a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Data were collected in a cross-sectional dietary survey evaluating the diets of students at the University of Agder, in southern Norway. The students were asked to complete both a dietary screener and an FFQ. Data collection was carried out from September to December 2020. Participants were first-year university students aged ≥18 years familiar with Scandinavian language. Almost half of the eligible sample (n 344) was excluded due to not completing the FFQ, compared to 1⋅7 % not completing the dietary screener, resulting in 172 (66 % female) participants with a median age of 21 years. For most items of the dietary screener (n 27/33, 82 %), all aspects of diet quality and components of the Diet Quality Score showed moderate-to-strong concordance with the FFQ evaluated using Kendall's tau-b analyses (t > 0⋅31), supported by visual inspection of box and whisker plots and descriptive ranking ability in a cross-tabulation. There was little evidence to suggest that concordance was dependent on sex. The concordance and ranking ability of ‘MyFoodMonth 1.1’ is considered satisfactory compared to a semi-quantitative FFQ. This rapid dietary assessment instrument presents a valuable addition to traditional instruments and a possible solution to recruit hard-to-reach parts of the population.
Øvrebø, Bente; Kjøllesdal, Marte Karoline Råberg; Stea, Tonje Holte; Wills, Andrew Keith; Bere, Elling Tufte & Magnus, Per Minor [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2023). The influence of immigrant background and parental education on overweight and obesity in 8-year-old children in Norway. BMC Public Health. 23(1). doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-16571-1. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Background Little is known about the prevalence of overweight/obesity and socio-economic position (SEP) in children with immigrant background in Scandinavia. The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of overweight/obesity by immigrant background among children in Norway and to explore the role of SEP in explaining diferences in weight status. Methods Anthropometric data from 8,858 children (age 8.3 years) from the population-based Norwegian Childhood Growth Study were used. Information about immigrant background, country of origin, and parental education (used as an indicator of SEP) were provided by Statistics Norway. For children with immigrant background, regional background was determined based on country of origin. Prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated for overweight/obesity and weight-to-height-ratio (WHtR)≥0.5 by immigration and regional background, using generalized estimating equation log-binominal models adjusting for sex, age, survey year (model 1), residential area, population density (model 2) and parental education (model 3). Results Children with immigrant background had a higher prevalence of overweight/obesity and WHtR≥0.5 than non-immigrant background children. Adjusted for parental education, children with an immigrant background from Southern and Eastern Europe, Asia except South-Asia, and Africa had a higher prevalence of overweight/ obesity [PR: 1.37 (95% confdence interval (CI): 1.10–1.72), 1.28 (1.05–1.57), 1.47 (1.13–1.91), respectively] than children with a non-immigrant background. Children originating from Asia except South-Asia had a higher prevalence of WHtR≥0.5 (PR: 1.64, CI: 1.25–2.15) compared to non-immigrant background children. The adjustment for parental education did not substantially change the results. Conclusion Children with immigrant background had higher prevalence of overweight/obesity than non-immigrant background children. The diference varied according to region of origin but not substantially according to parental education. There is a need for culturally acceptable preventative measures targeting the parents of immigrant background children.
Salvesen, Lorentz; Valen, Erlend Larsen; Wills, Andrew Keith; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord; Vik, Frøydis Nordgård & Engeset, Dagrun [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2023). Developmental origins of health and disease knowledge is associated with diet quality in preconception young adult men and women. Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. ISSN 2040-1744. 15(5). doi: 10.1017/S2040174423000314. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) approach supports that nutritional exposures in early life affect an individual’s later health and risk of disease. Dietary exposure during the preconception period may also influence individual, and inter- and transgenerational health and disease risk, in both men and women. This study aimed to describe knowledge of the DOHaD approach (DOHaDKNOWLEDGE) and diet quality in preconception young adults in Norway, to assess associations between DOHaDKNOWLEDGE and a Diet Quality Score (DQS), and to assess gender differences in those above. Data from 1362 preconception young adults was obtained from the PREPARED study baseline dataset. The sample had 88% women participants, a mean age of 27 years, 36% had overweight or obesity, and 77% had higher level of education. DOHaDKNOWLEDGE was assessed by the participants’ agreement to five statements using a Likert scale. Diet quality was assessed using aspects of diet quality and a DQS derived from a dietary screener. We found moderate level of both DOHaDKNOWLEDGE (12/20 points) and diet quality (DQS: 60/100 points), indicating potential for improvements. Specifically, the greatest potential for diet quality improvements were observed for sugary foods, red and processed meats, legumes, and unsalted nuts and seeds. Gender differences were observed for both DOHaDKNOWLEDGE and diet quality. DOHaDKNOWLEDGE was positively associated with DQS, adjusted for sociodemographic factors, with little evidence of an interaction effect by gender. This study indicates that knowledge of the DOHaD approach is positively associated with diet quality in preconception young men and women. Future studies should consider incorporating pregnancy intentions, relationship status, and health literacy.
Øvrebø, Bente; Stea, Tonje Holte; Bergh, Ingunn Holden; Bere, Elling Tufte; Suren, Pål & Magnus, Per Minor [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2022). A nationwide school fruit and vegetable policy and childhood and adolescent overweight: A quasi-natural experimental study. PLoS Medicine. ISSN 1549-1277. 19(1). doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003881. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Background School free fruit and vegetable (FFV) policies are used to promote healthy dietary habits and tackle obesity; however, our understanding of their effects on weight outcomes is limited. We assess the effect of a nationwide FFV policy on childhood and adolescent weight status and explore heterogeneity by sex and socioeconomic position. Methods and findings This study used a quasi-natural experimental design. Between 2007 and 2014, Norwegian combined schools (grades 1–10, age 6 to 16 years) were obligated to provide FFVs while elementary schools (grades 1–7) were not. We used 4 nationwide studies (n = 11,215 children) from the Norwegian Growth Cohort with longitudinal or cross-sectional anthropometric data up to age 8.5 and 13 years to capture variation in FFV exposure. Outcomes were body mass index standard deviation score (BMISDS), overweight and obesity (OW/OB), waist circumference (WC), and weight to height ratio (WtHR) at age 8.5 years, and BMISDS and OW/OB at age 13 years. Analyses included longitudinal models of the pre- and post-exposure trajectories to estimate the policy effect. The participation rate in each cohort was >80%, and in most analyses <4% were excluded due to missing data. Estimates were adjusted for region, population density, and parental education. In pooled models additionally adjusted for pre-exposure BMISDS, there was little evidence of any benefit or unintended consequence from 1–2.5 years of exposure to the FFV policy on BMISDS, OW/OB, WC, or WtHR in either sex. For example, boys exposed to the FFV policy had a 0.05 higher BMISDS (95% CI: −0.04, 0.14), a 1.20-fold higher odds of OW/OB (95% CI: 0.86, 1.66) and a 0.3 cm bigger WC (95% CI: −0.3, 0.8); while exposed girls had a 0.04 higher BMISDS (95% CI: −0.04, 0.13), a 1.03 fold higher odds of OW/OB (95% CI: 0.75, 1.39), and a 0-cm difference in WC (95% CI: −0.6, 0.6). There was evidence of heterogeneity in the policy effect estimates at 8.5 years across cohorts and socioeconomic position; however, these results were inconsistent with other comparisons. Analysis at age 13 years, after 4 years of policy exposure, also showed little evidence of an effect on BMISDS or OW/OB. The main limitations of this study are the potential for residual confounding and exposure misclassification, despite efforts to minimize their impact on conclusions. Conclusions In this study we observed little evidence that the Norwegian nationwide FFV policy had any notable beneficial effect or unintended consequence on weight status among Norwegian children and adolescents.
Slator, Rona; Perisanidou, Lydia I.; Sell, Debbie; Sandy, Jonathan; Ness, Andrew R. & Wills, Andrew Keith (2022). Surgical sequence, timing and volume, and variation in dento-facial outcome, speech and secondary surgery in children with unilateral cleft lip and palate: The Cleft Care UK Study. Orthodontics & craniofacial research. ISSN 1601-6335. doi: 10.1111/ocr.12612. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Objectives: To estimate both the association of surgical variables in complete uni-lateral cleft lip and palate (cUCLP) in the UK with outcomes at age 5 years, and the association of secondary speech surgery, volume of surgery, and surgeon with the same outcomes.Setting and Sample Population: The Cleft Care UK study, a cross-sectional study of 268 5- year- olds, born from 2005 to 2007, with cUCLP.Materials and Methods: Information on surgical variables was extracted from a stand-ardized questionnaire. Dento-facial outcomes were derived from dental study casts of dental arch relationships. Three speech outcomes – intelligibility, structure and ar-ticulation – were derived using the Cleft Audit Protocol for Speech-Augmented tool.Results: Surgical and outcome data were available for 211 (79%) children from all cleft centres in the UK. Later soft palate surgery was associated with a 17% increased chance of a poor intelligibility score (P= .02), and high volume surgery with a 249% increased chance of a good articulation score (P= .01). There were no between sur-geon effects identified. No association between the surgical variables examined and dento- facial outcome, or secondary speech surgery by the age of 5 years were found.Conclusion: This study found associations between surgical variables and speech out-comes at 5 years of age, but not between surgical variables and dento-facial outcome, nor between surgical variables and secondary speech surgery. High surgical volume should be maintained, and any changes towards later surgery monitored for changes in speech outcome.
Øvrebø, Bente; Bergh, Ingunn Holden; Stea, Tonje Holte; Bere, Elling; Surén, Pål & Magnus, Per Minor [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2021). Overweight, obesity, and thinness among a nationally representative sample of Norwegian adolescents and changes from childhood: Associations with sex, region, and population density. PLOS ONE. 16(8). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255699. Full text in Research Archive
Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Medin, Anine Christine; Valen, Erlend Larsen; Salvesen, Lorentz; Wills, Andrew Keith & Engeset, Dagrun [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2021). Effectiveness of a digital dietary intervention program targeting young adults before parenthood: protocol for the PREPARED randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open. 11(12). doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-055116. Full text in Research Archive
Blomkvist, Eli Anne Myrvoll; Wills, Andrew Keith; Helland, Sissel Heidi; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2021). Effectiveness of a kindergarten-based intervention to increase vegetable intake and reduce food neophobia amongst 1-year-old children: a cluster randomised controlled trial. Food & Nutrition Research (FNR). ISSN 1654-6628. 65. doi: 10.29219/fnr.v65.7679. Full text in Research Archive
Agnihotri, Neha; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord; Bere, Elling Tufte; Wills, Andrew Keith; Brantsæter, Anne Lise & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2021). Development and description of New Nordic Diet scores across infancy and childhood in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). Maternal & Child Nutrition. ISSN 1740-8695. 17(3). doi: 10.1111/mcn.13150. Full text in Research Archive
Agnihotri, Neha; Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Bere, Elling Tufte; Wills, Andrew Keith; Brantsæter, Anne Lise & Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord (2020). Childhood adherence to a potentially healthy and sustainable Nordic diet and later overweight: The Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). Maternal & Child Nutrition. ISSN 1740-8695. 17(2). doi: 10.1111/mcn.13101. Full text in Research Archive
Lippevelde, Wendy Van; Vik, Frøydis Nordgård; Wills, Andrew Keith; Strømmer, Sofia; Barker, Mary E. & Skreden, Marianne [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2020). The impact of diet during adolescence on the neonatal health of offspring: evidence on the importance of preconception diet. The HUNT study. Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. ISSN 2040-1744. p. 1–13. doi: 10.1017/S2040174420001087. Full text in Research Archive
Helle, Christine; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord; Wills, Andrew Keith & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2019). Evaluation of an eHealth intervention aiming to promote healthy food habits from infancy -the Norwegian randomized controlled trial Early Food for Future Health. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 16(1), p. 1–16. doi: 10.1186/s12966-018-0763-4. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Strategies to optimize early-life nutrition provide an important opportunity for primary prevention of childhood obesity. Interventions that can be efficiently scaled-up to the magnitude needed for sustainable childhood obesity prevention are needed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of an eHealth intervention on parental feeding practices and infant eating behaviors.
Helle, Christine; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord; Wills, Andrew Keith & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2019). Examining the effects of an eHealth intervention from infant age 6 to 12 months on child eating behaviors and maternal feeding practices one year after cessation: The Norwegian randomized controlled trial Early Food for Future Health. PLOS ONE. 14(8), p. 1–19. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220437. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
The Norwegian randomized controlled trial Early Food for Future Health provided parental anticipatory guidance on early protective feeding practices from child age 6 to 12 months through an eHealth intervention. Previously published outcomes at child age 12 months indicated that the eHealth intervention increased daily vegetable/fruit intake and promoted more beneficial mealtime routines. The objective of the current paper is to evaluate the effects of the intervention at child age 24 months, one year after cessation.

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Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord; Helland, Sissel Heidi; Helle, Christine; Wills, Andrew Keith & Lamu, Admassu Nadew [Show all 23 contributors for this article] (2023). Evaluating the effectiveness and implementation of evidence-based early-life nutrition interventions in a community setting a hybrid type 1 non-randomized trial – the Nutrition Now project protocol. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 13. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2022.1071489. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Disappointingly few efficacious health interventions are successfully scaled up and implemented in real world settings. This represents an evidence-to-practice gap, with loss of opportunity to improve practice. Aiming to improve nutrition in the first 1000 days of life, we have combined four efficacious dietary interventions into a single adapted digital resource (Nutrition Now) for implementation in a Norwegian community setting. Nutrition Now targets pregnant women and parents of 0–2-year-olds with messages focusing on healthy dietary behaviours. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) staff are provided with pedagogical tools addressing healthy food exposure and child food acceptance. Objectives: a) evaluate the effectiveness of provision of the Nutrition Now resource on child diet and diet-related outcomes, with special attention to the influence of socio-economic position, b) gather information on the effectiveness of the implementation process to inform forthcoming scale-up and c) perform trial- and model-based economic evaluations. This is a hybrid type 1 implementation study, focusing on evaluation of effectiveness. A quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-tests, where one municipality gets access to the resource (n~800), while a matched non-equivalent control municipality (n~800) does not, will be used. Effectiveness will be assessed by examining e.g., diet outcomes, developmental outcomes, and feeding practices. The resource will be implemented in ECEC settings and made available to pregnant women and parents through the Norwegian system of maternal and child health (MCH) care. The implementation process includes iterative adjustments and implementation strategies from the implementation framework Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) informed by dialogues with stakeholders. Implementation outcomes (e.g., acceptability and adoption) will be assessed through questionnaires and interviews with parents, ECEC and MCH staff, with particular attention to ethnic diverse groups. Both within-trial and modelling-based economic evaluation will be performed. Nutrition Now will bridge the existing evidence-to-practice gap through rigorous scientific effectiveness evaluation of municipal scale up and inform subsequent county scale up. The study is the first to implement efficacious nutrition interventions in early life with potential for health improvement using technology to maximise the reach and impact of both parental and MCH dietary guidance and ECEC practice.
Øvrebø, Bente; Kjøllesdal, Marte Karoline Råberg; Stea, Tonje Holte; Wills, Andrew Keith; Bere, Elling Tufte & Suren, Pål [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2022). Prevalence of overweight, obesity and central adiposity among children with immigrant background in Norway. Full text in Research Archive
Medin, Anine Christine & Wills, Andrew Keith (2022). Closing the gap between research and practice - moving from efficacy trials to effectiveness and scale-up. Full text in Research Archive

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Published Apr. 16, 2024 11:13 AM - Last modified Apr. 23, 2026 1:55 PM