A health promotion expert, and researcher associate at the Centre for Lifestyle Medicine and Behaviour (CLiMB), Dr. Charity Aienobe-Asekharen, has bagged her doctoral award from Brunel University along with an award from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Her PhD focused on “Co-designing tobacco control health communication with young people in Southern Nigeria”, supervised by Dr Wendy Martin and Dr Emma Norris and was funded by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom. The participatory co-design study which is one of the first in Nigeria and Africa, engaged Nigerian secondary school students directly in developing messages and materials that resonate with their peers to prevent smoking.
Charity is the co-chair of the Education Subcommittee of the Global Research Network (GRN) in the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT). She has received numerous recognitions in tobacco control including the World Health Organisation World No Tobacco Day (WHO WNTD) award for the African Region in 2018 and 2025.
The WHO WNTD award acknowledges individuals and organisations making significant strides in advancing tobacco control efforts worldwide. Charity was recognised for her participatory research approach to tobacco control focusing on young people in Nigeria.
To tackle the increase in smoking among young people in Nigeria, Charity worked with secondary school students from public and private schools to co-design targeted communications and identify local resources to help address the causes of tobacco use. Communications produced included twelve posters, a song and an animation.
Charity said she dedicates her work to the schools, students, media firms, key stakeholders in tobacco control and non-governmental organizations who trusted her and worked with her despite competing responsibilities.
“It is a testament to their drive for inclusive health and wellbeing in Nigeria.”
The 2025 awards honoured recipients from all six WHO regions for their commitment to exposing industry tactics, strengthening policies, and supporting healthier communities.