Francine Cheater

Francine joined the School of Nursing Sciences, University of East Anglia in January 2013. She is the Director of Research and leads the Community and Family Health research theme in the School.  

Prior to this appointment she was the founding director of the Institute for Applied Health Research at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, and previously held a chair in Public Health Nursing at the University of Leeds and an honorary appointment at Leeds NHS Primary Care Trust. She has also worked in the Universities of Leicester and QMU. She has a first degree in Psychology from the University of St. Andrews, subsequently qualified as a nurse from Lothian College of Nursing and Midwifery Edinburgh in 1983 and obtained a PhD from the University of Nottingham in 1990.  Her research interests and experience are focused on public health and primary care and include: lifestyle behaviour change; preventative care; development and evaluation of complex interventions for syndromes including urinary incontinence and delirium; decision-making; outcome measurement, quality improvement and implementation science.

Professor Cheater has held positions on research funding bodies including Department of Health (England) National Coordinating Centre for Research Capacity Development doctoral/post-doctoral and career scientist awards, National Institute for Health Research for Patient Benefit (Yorkshire & Humber) and the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) Scotland Health Services Research and Public Health committee. She is on the editorial board of the journal Quality in Primary Care.   

I teach at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the areas of public health, primary care, translating evidence into practice and research methods (quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods).  

I am an experienced PhD supervisor in the areas of: lifestyle behaviour change and preventative care; health literacy, development and evaluation of complex interventions, including urinary symptoms, long term conditions and implementation science.

I have worked in the applied health field for 18 years, with a specific focus on public health and primary care.  My research interests and experience include: lifestyle behaviour change and preventative care; health literacy, development and evaluation of complex interventions for syndromes in later life including urinary incontinence; outcome measurement, quality improvement and implementation science.  

Selected Grants:

Reilly J , Price L,  Lang S,  Robertson C,  F.M Cheater,  McNamme S,  A.Chow    Randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of two hand hygiene techniques using alcohol based hand rub on hand surface coverage and reducing bacterial hand contamination. Scottish Infection Research Network, Chief Scientist Office. £89,622. Start date May 1^st 2013 

Siddiqui N, Young J, Cheater FM, Goddfrey M, Forster A, et al. Stop Delirium! A complex intervention in care homes. NIHR RfPB £244,877 Start date: 1 September 2011 

McPherson K, Kerr S, Cheater FM, Morgan A. G The Role and Impact of Social Capital on the Health and Wellbeing of Children and Adolescents: a systematic review. Glasgow Centre for Population Health £15,000. July 2012-December 2012.      

Cheater FM and McVey C. Parenting and Family Support Research Programme.
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, £393,139. Start date: May 1st 2010-July 2013.

Young J, Brooker D, Brown A, Cheater FM, Farrin A, Forster A, George J and Inouye S. An investigation of the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) system of care in NHS acute trusts to prevent delirium. National Institute for Health Research: Five year programme Grant: £1,910,852. Start date: 1st December 2009- July 2013.

McClurg D, Hagen S and Cheater FM. F.  A national survey of pre-qualifying clinical education in continence: is it sufficient for this growing patient population?
Dunhill Medical Trust, £100,000. Start Date: 1st December 2009.

Dowding D, Cheater FM, Booth J, Watt I, Horseman R, Bland M and Torgeson D. The development of a decision tool to assist with the management of urinary incontinence in women in the community.
National Institute for Health Research: RfPB Programme, £249,576. Start date: January 2009-April 2009..

Watkins C, Campbell C, Thomas L, Cheater FM, Barrett J, Roe B, Sutton C, Leathely M, Carter B, Brittain K, Burton C and Booth J. ICONS: Identifying Continence Options after Stroke. National Institute for Health Research: Five year programme Grant, £1,190,051. Start date: 1st September 2008-2012.

Jackson C, Cheater FM, Bleasby B, Bekker H, Schweiger M, Harrison W and Hammond L. Supporting informed parental decision-making for MMR (the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine): Evaluation of a web based decision aid (Cluster RCT)
National Institute for Health Research: RfPB Programme £238,319. Start date: September 1st 2008-2011.

Robinson M, Jackson C, Cheater FM, Newbound P, West R, Perry S. The S.W.I.T.C.H. Study: Supporting disadvantaged women in their choices about health. National Institute for Health Research: RfPB Programme £215,453. Start date: January 1st 2008-2011.

Cheater FM, McMurray R, Leese B, Gill C, Sutcliffe R. What makes a good first contact nurse in primary care? A national study of patient perspectives and nurse aspirations. Department of Health Policy Research Programme; Value: £210,192.  Start date: 1 June 2004; End date: 31 August 2006

Cheater  FM , Baker R, Spiers N, Wailoo A, Robertson N, Cawood C. An RCT of the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of audit and feedback and educational outreach in improving community nursing practice and health care outcomes. Funding body: NHS R&D programme (Research Implementation, now SDO programme) Value: £238,348 Start date: 1 June 1998;            End date: 30 September 2001

Selected Publications

Smith J, Cheater FM, Bekker H. Parents’ experiences of living with a child with a long-term condition: a rapid structured review of the literature, Health Expectations: 2013 doi:10.111/hex 12040 

Leask, J., Kinnersley, P., Jackson, C., Cheater, FM., Bedford, H., Rowles, G. (2012), Communicating with parents about vaccination: a framework for health professionals. BMC Pediatrics. 12(1), 154. [Abstract]

Jackson C, Cheater FM, Harrison W, Peacock R, Bekker H, West R, Leese B. Randomised cluster trial to support informed parental decision-making for the MMR vaccine. BMC Public Health. 2011 (highly accessed)

Cam Donaldson, Rachel Baker, Francine Cheater, Morag Gillespie, Neil McHigh, Stephen Sinclair. Social business, health and wellbeing. Social Business. 2011;1:17-35.

Study protocol: ICONS: Identifying continence options after stroke: A randomised trial

Lois H Thomas, Caroline L Watkins, Beverley French, Christopher Sutton, Denise Forshaw, Francine Cheater, Brenda Roe, Michael J Leathley, Christopher Burton, Elaine McColl, Jo Booth and The ICONS Project Team and the ICONS Patient, Public and Carer Involvement Groups. Trials 2011, 12:131 doi:10.1186/1745-6215-12-131

French B, Thomas LH, Leathley MJ, Sutton CJ, Booth JM, Brittain K, Burton C, Cheater FM, Roe B, Hay-Smith EJC., McAdam J, ICONS Patient, Carer and Public Involvement Group, Watkins CL. Combined conservative interventions for urge, stress, or mixed incontinence in adults. Cochrane Protocol 2011

France Légaré, Hilary Bekker, Sophie Desroches, Renée Drolet, Mary C Politi, Dawn Stacey, Francine Borduas,Francine M Cheater et al. How can continuing professional development better promote shared decision-making? Perspectives from an international collaboration. Implementation Science 2011,:68http://www.implementationscience.com/content/6/1/68 

Dyson J, Lawton R, Jackson C, Cheater FM. Does the behaviour of a theoretical approach tell us more about hand hygiene behaviour? The barriers and levers to hand hygiene. Journal of Infection Prevention. 2011; 12: 17-24. 

Donaldson C, Baker R, McHugh N, Gillespie M, Sinclair S, Cornish F, Cheater FM, Godwin J, Tombs J. Markets and Health. In the home of Smith and Yunus. Journal of Social Business.2011 1; 155-167.  

France Legare, Hilary Bekker, Sophie Desroches, Mary Politi, Dawn Stacey, Francine Borduas, Francine M. Cheater et al. Effective continuing professional development for translating shared decision making in primary care: A study protocol.  Implementation Science 2010; 5:83 (27 October 2010) 

Galdas P, Cheater FM. Indian and Pakistani men’s accounts of seeking medical help for angina and myocardial infarction in the UK: Constructions of marginalised masculinity or another version of hegemonic masculinity? Qualitative Research in Psychology. 2010: 7:122-139. 

Jackson C, Cheater FM, Peacock R, Leask J, Revena L. A feasibility study of a web-based MMR decision aid to support informed decision-making in UK parents. Health Education Research.  2010; 69(1):74-83. 

Cheater FM. Improving primary and community health services through nurse-led social enterprise. (Editorial). Quality in Primary Care. 2010;18:5-7.  

Baker R, Camosso-Stefinovic J, Gillies C, Shaw E, Cheater FM, Flottorp S, Robertson N. Tailored interventions to overcome identified barriers to change: effects on professional practice and health care outcomes. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 3. Art. No: CD005470. DoI: 10.1002/14651858. CD005470.pub2. 

Edwards, J, Jackson C, Cheater F, Holt J, Robinson M. Healthy eating and physical activity in socioeconomically disadvantaged women: the role of health literacy. J. Epidemiology and Community Health. 2009: 63 (Supp II):A1-A36. 

Leese B, Storey C, Cheater F. Retaining primary and community nurses over the age of 50 year: the views of managers. Journal of Nursing Management.2009;17:975-985.  

Cheater FM. Overcoming the barriers to optimum continence care: the need for an expanded approach to implementation. International Journal of Older People Nursing. 2009;4:70-75. 

Storey C, Cheater F, Ford J, Leese B. Retention of older nurses in the primary and community care workforce after the age of 50 years: database analysis and literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2009;65 (8: 1596-1605.; 

Siddiqi N, Young J, Cheater FM, Harding RA. Educating staff working in long-term care about delirium: The Trojan horse for improving quality of care? Journal of Psychosomatic Research.2008;65:262-266. 

Jackson C, Cheater FM, Reid I. A systematic review of decision support needs of parents making child health decisions. Health Expectations.2008; 11:232-251. 

Bonsall K, Cheater FM. What is the Impact of Advanced Primary Care Nursing Roles? International Journal of Nursing Studies. 2008; 45:1090-1102. 

Cheater FM. Carers living with stroke survivors who have incontinence had minimal social interaction and felt socially isolated. Invited Commentary. Evidence-Based Nursing, 2008. 11(2): 64 

Redsell S, Cheater FM. Nurses’ roles in primary care: developments and future prospects. Guest editorial, Quality in Primary care. 2008; 16:69-71. 

Cheater FM, Baker R, Gillies C, Wailoo A, Speirs N, Reddish S, Robertson N, Cawood C. The nature and impact of urinary incontinence experienced by patients receiving community nursing services: a cross-sectional cohort study. International Journal of Nursing Studies. 2008; 45:339-351. 

Storey C, Ford J, Cheater FM, Buchan J, Leese B. Nurses in primary and community care settings in England: problems and challenges with identifying numbers. Journal of Nursing Management.  2007; 15:847-852.  

Galdas P, Cheater FM, Marshall P. What is the role of masculinity on white, Indian and Pakistani men's decision to seek medical help for cardiac chest pain? Journal of Health Services Research and Policy.2007; 12:223-229.   

Jackson C, Coe A, Cheater F.M, Wroe S, Specialist health visitor-led weight management intervention in primary care: exploratory evaluation. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2007; 58(1):23-34. 

Cheater FM & Redsell S. Nurse-led consultations: enhancing or diminishing the quality of primary care? Guest editorial. Quality in Primary Care. 2007; 14:203-4.

Cheater FM, Baker R, Reddish S, Speirs N, Wailoo A, Gillies C, Robertson N, Cawood C. Cluster randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of audit and feedback and educational outreach on improving nursing practice and patient outcomes. Medical Care. 2006; 44(6): 542-551. 

Martin LJ, Williams KS, Abrams KR, Turner DA, Sutton AJ, Chappel C., Assassa RP, Shaw C and Cheater F.  Systematic review and evaluation of methods of assessing urinary incontinence. Health Technology Assessment Monograph.  2006; 10 (6)

Cheater FM. Mothers’ decisions about MMR vaccinations were framed by their children’s vulnerabilities and wider social trends. Invited Commentary, Evidence-Based Nursing.2006; 927.  

Cheater FM, Hearnshaw H, Baker R, Keane M. Can a facilitated programme promote multidisciplinary audit in hospital teams? An exploratory trial. International Journal of Nursing Studies. 2005; 42:779-791.

 Shaw B, Cheater F, Baker R, Gillies C, Hearnshaw H, Flottorp S, Robertson N. Tailored interventions to overcome identified barriers to change: effects on professional practice and health care outcomes. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2005, Issue 3.

 Leese B, Storey C, Ford J, Cheater F. Researchers’ responses to research management and governance for primary care research in England. Journal of Health Organisation and Management. 2005; 19: 495-503.

 Galdas P.M. Cheater F.M and Marshall P. Men and Health Help-Seeking Behaviour: A Literature Review. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2005; 49:616-623.

Tim Coleman, Elspeth Pound, Catherine Adams, Linda Bauld, Janet Ferguson, Francine Cheater. Implementing a national treatment service for dependent smokers: Initial challenges and solutions. Addiction. 2005; 100 (Suppl 2):12-18