The Living Roots Project: Building a community asset and research consortium in Ealing, West London to address health equity
Lead Research Organisation:
Institute of Development Studies
Department Name: Research Department
Abstract
This grant will support the scoping and formation of a 'community asset and research partnership' to build a 'living roots bridge' that brings together and explores community and public health linkages within the North West London (NWL) Integrated Care System (ICS) to tackle health inequity. Ealing is a 'superdiverse' borough in West London with racially minoritised and migrant communities, longstanding histories of mobilising for racial justice, and rich cultural and community assets. These assets include local parks, allotments, youth centres, a vibrant music scene, art galleries, and food hubs, to name a few. Here, there are vast inequities in health between groups linked to intersecting social determinants of health, including ethnicity, wealth and income.
Focusing on Ealing and through a 'syndemics' framework and participatory action research, we will (1) create shared understandings of the main problems related to health (in)equity and potential areas for change, (2) map and scope community assets and facilitate collaboration, and (3) explore collaborative models with a view to establishing one (or more) community asset and research hubs with linkages to the NWL ICS.
A 'syndemics' approach enables us to view health problems as interconnected, specifically looking at the social context which drives multiple health problems in disadvantaged populations. This is more robust than 'single disease' approaches which often dominate public health thinking. We will use transdisciplinary, inclusive approaches which critically, seek to build trust amongst partners, and with the aim of facilitating long-term collaboration through a sustainable, engaged research consortium for systems change, health equity and wellbeing in Ealing.
We envision that this project will benefit the wider Ealing community through 1) focusing on an 'assets' or strengths-based approach, which includes a better understanding of wellbeing, and 2) bringing together diverse, and also under-represented, voices to take action on health equity in the borough.
Focusing on Ealing and through a 'syndemics' framework and participatory action research, we will (1) create shared understandings of the main problems related to health (in)equity and potential areas for change, (2) map and scope community assets and facilitate collaboration, and (3) explore collaborative models with a view to establishing one (or more) community asset and research hubs with linkages to the NWL ICS.
A 'syndemics' approach enables us to view health problems as interconnected, specifically looking at the social context which drives multiple health problems in disadvantaged populations. This is more robust than 'single disease' approaches which often dominate public health thinking. We will use transdisciplinary, inclusive approaches which critically, seek to build trust amongst partners, and with the aim of facilitating long-term collaboration through a sustainable, engaged research consortium for systems change, health equity and wellbeing in Ealing.
We envision that this project will benefit the wider Ealing community through 1) focusing on an 'assets' or strengths-based approach, which includes a better understanding of wellbeing, and 2) bringing together diverse, and also under-represented, voices to take action on health equity in the borough.
