
Professor Ruth Kipping
MA(Cantab.), MSc, MSc(Lond.), PhD, FFPH, PGCE
Expertise
I aim to improve public health and reduce health inequalities by developing interventions to prevent ill health, protect and promote health. I have an interest in children, particularly ages 0-5, their families and preconception.
Current positions
Professor of Public Health
Bristol Medical School (PHS)
Contact
Press and media
Many of our academics speak to the media as experts in their field of research. If you are a journalist, please contact the University’s Media and PR Team:
Biography
I am a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health and hold an honorary Consultant in Public Health contract with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. I bridged public health service and academic work for 12 years and worked as a Consultant in Public Health alongside academic work. Prior to training in public health I worked in health services management and research.
Research interests
Research
I collaborate with multi-disciplinary colleagues in academia, the NHS, local government, public health services and the public to conduct research with the aim of improving public health and reducing inequalities. My methods include systematic reviews, epidemiology, randomised controlled trials, natural experiments, qualitative methods, cost-effectiveness analysis and process evaluations with the aims to:
1. Develop and evaluate complex interventions to prevent ill health, protect and promote health, with a particular interest in children aged 0-5, their families and early years’ settings.
2. Prevent and manage obesity in children through improvement of nutrition and activity including portion size, eating practices, eating environment, indoor and outdoor activity.
3. Investigate effective methods to promote preconception health with the aim of improving maternal and infant health.
4. Evaluate the impact of health optimisation policies before surgery on inequalities.
Teaching
I set up the MSc in Public Health in 2018 and co-led the course as Director for five years. I continue to teach on the MSc, tutor students and supervise dissertations. I am Specialty Tutor for public health specialty registrar training with the Severn Deanery, overseeing the academic training provided by the University of Bristol to registrars, academic clinical fellows and lecturers. I am supervising four PhD students funded by NIHR and the MRC.
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
Poverty proofing maternity services
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
01/09/2023 to 28/02/2025
A systematic review of interventions to improve men’s knowledge of fertility and fertility-related risk factors and their effectiveness
Principal Investigator
Role
Principal Investigator
Description
MSc Public Health, dissertation supervisionManaging organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
31/05/2023 to 30/09/2023
Using systems maps of child health inequalities in practice
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
01/01/2023 to 30/09/2023
8071 COVID Restart: NAPSACC UK : NIHR127551
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
01/02/2022 to 31/10/2024
8356 - OAFI - [BRTC] Air Filtration to reduce Respiratory Infections in older people’s care homes (AFRI-c)
Principal Investigator
Role
Co-Investigator
Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
01/07/2021 to 31/12/2024
Thesis supervisions
An exploration of physical activity and sedentary time in preschool-aged children
Supervisors
Investigating the use of mentoring in improving the health, educational outcomes and employability of young people
Supervisors
Addressing the key uncertainties of improving preconception health in the UK
Supervisors
Mixed methods investigation of the public health impact of pre-surgical health optimisation interventions in elective arthroplasty
Supervisors
What exactly are ‘me’ sized meals for one- to five-year-olds?
Supervisors
Publications
Recent publications
11/03/2025Adapting the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment (NAPSACC)
Childhood Obesity
HEALTH ECONOMICS ANALYSIS PLAN (HEAP) NAP SACC UK
Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC UK Trial)
Exploring the associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and adolescent cancer risk behaviours in the ALSPAC cohort
BMC Public Health
Health optimisation for patients with obesity before elective orthopaedic surgery
Perioperative medicine
Teaching
I am Specialty Tutor for public health specialty registrar training with the Severn Deanery, overseeing the academic training provided by the University of Bristol to registrars, academic clinical fellows and lecturers.
I am supervising four PhD students funded by NIHR and the MRC.