The paper, entitled ‘Development of a planning and evaluation methodology for assessing the contribution of theory to a diabetes prevention lifestyle intervention’, was written by Professor Thompson and colleagues from the University of New Mexico in the USA, and published in Health Promotion Practice in October 2008. It is based on work conducted by Professor Thompson, Professor Deborah Helitzer, Arlana Bobo Peterson and Shannon Fluder as part of a National Institutes of Health-funded diabetes prevention randomised controlled trial with American Indian women. Professor Thompson, who is Head of the Department of Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences, was principal investigator on the project and continued to work on the study after her arrival at the University of Bristol in 2005.

The award is given in recognition of a manuscript that significantly contributes to the advancement of health promotion practice or policy. The award will be presented at the Annual Society of Public Health Education awards dinner on 7 November. Professor Thompson and her colleagues will be donating the prize money to the American Diabetes Association to support tribal diabetes prevention programmes.