Visiting Scientist

Population Health Interventions

Current work and interests

Dolly Theis’ research examines government policy processes and evidence use in England, particularly how policy entrepreneurs and policymakers influence policy processes to achieve policy change and how they understand, engage with and use public health and epidemiological research in the process.

Background and experience

Dolly recently completed a PhD at the Unit under the supervision of Professor Martin White and Dr Dennis Grube. Prior to joining the Unit, she completed an MPhil in Public Health and Epidemiology at the University of Cambridge, and previously worked as a policy researcher at the Centre for Social Justice think tank specialising in the link between childhood obesity and social deprivation.

Publications and posters

• MRC Epidemiology Unit publications on Publications Database

PhD Thesis

• Theis, D. R. Z. (2022). What influences government policymaking? The case of childhood obesity in England (Doctoral thesis). DOI: 10.17863/CAM.88736

Selected publications

• Differences in energy and nutrient content of menu items served by large chain restaurants in the USA and the UK in 2018. Yuru Huang, Thomas Burgoine, Dolly RZ Theis, Jean Adams. PHN 2022. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980022001379
• Monitoring the Nutrient Composition of Food Prepared Out-of-Home in the United Kingdom: Database Development and Case Study. Yuru Huang, Thomas Burgoine, Michael Essman, Dolly R Z Theis, Tom R P Bishop, Jean Adams. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2022. https://doi.org/10.2196/39033
• Trends in energy and nutrient content of menu items served by large UK chain restaurants from 2018 to 2020: an observational study. Yuru Huang, Dolly R Z Theis, Thomas Burgoine, Jean Adams. BMJ Open 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-054804
• Is Obesity Policy in England Fit for Purpose? Analysis of Government Strategies and Policies, 1992–2020. Dolly R. Z. Theis, Martin White. The Milbank Quarterly 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0009.12498
• Differences in energy and nutritional content of menu items served by popular UK chain restaurants with versus without voluntary menu labelling: A cross-sectional study. Dolly R. Z. Theis, Jean Adams. PLOS One 2019 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222773
• Conference poster: What influenced the UK Government’s Childhood Obesity Plans (jpg)

Selected Preprints

• Associations between trajectories of obesity prevalence in English primary school children and the UK soft drink industry levy: an interrupted time series analysis of surveillance data. Nina T. Rogers, Steven Cummins, Hannah Forde, Catrin P. Jones, Oliver Mytton, Harry Rutter, Stephen J. Sharp, Dolly Theis, Martin White, Jean Adams. medRxiv 17 Dec 2022. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.09.16.22280030