Mechanisms for population strategies to prevent diet- and activity-related chronic disease
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Abstract
In the UK, almost all deaths and disabilities are caused by chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart disease. These diseases are becoming more common, especially among people living in poorer circumstances, who tend to develop them earlier and experience more severe effects.
People who are more physically active and eat healthier diets are less likely to develop chronic diseases. The way we live is influenced by personal choices and the environments in which we make them. For example, a tax-free bike scheme can make it easier to choose to cycle to work. Wealthier people often live in environments that support healthier lifestyles, which is one reason they are more likely to be active and eat well.
Traditional ways of preventing chronic diseases focus on identifying people with the least healthy behaviours and helping them make healthier choices. While this does help some people, it is often less effective for people in poorer circumstances because it does nothing to address the root of the problem. To do that, we need to change environments in ways that make healthier choices easier for everyone, especially for those who most need help. There are many ways of changing the economic, physical and social conditions we live in, which makes it hard to know where we should focus our efforts.
Our goal is to identify common characteristics of successful strategies that could be applied more widely to prevent chronic diseases related to diet and physical activity. To do this, we will:
Revisit existing research. Instead of doing traditional systematic reviews we will examine previous studies through a new lens, focusing on how interventions work and what we can learn about where and for whom they work best. Instead of narrow questions like ‘Does taxing soft drinks reduce sugar consumption?’ we will ask broader questions like ‘Is raising the cost of less healthy foods an effective way to support healthier diets?’
Investigate what causes change. Many studies show a link between environment and behaviour, but they rarely show that one causes the other. For example, people living in neighbourhoods with more takeaway shops tend to eat more takeaway food, but that might be because they like takeaway food and choose to live in those areas. Using data from the UK and around the world, we will explore which environmental changes actually lead to increased physical activity, healthier diets and lower risk of disease over time
Assess combinations of changes. We will assess whether certain combinations of environmental changes are more effective than single changes alone. For example, limiting advertising for less healthy foods might work better if healthier foods are also made cheaper. We will also explore the ways in which strategies work better in some places, or for some groups of people, than others. For example, congestion charging might be ineffective or unfair for people who work shifts and live in areas with poor public transport.
Our findings will be valuable to public health policymakers locally, nationally, and internationally. We have well-developed systems for sharing our insights with these decision-makers through written briefings, online platforms and in-person meetings. The methods we develop will also be useful for researching other health topics, so we will share them with experts in those fields and encourage them to develop them further.
People who are more physically active and eat healthier diets are less likely to develop chronic diseases. The way we live is influenced by personal choices and the environments in which we make them. For example, a tax-free bike scheme can make it easier to choose to cycle to work. Wealthier people often live in environments that support healthier lifestyles, which is one reason they are more likely to be active and eat well.
Traditional ways of preventing chronic diseases focus on identifying people with the least healthy behaviours and helping them make healthier choices. While this does help some people, it is often less effective for people in poorer circumstances because it does nothing to address the root of the problem. To do that, we need to change environments in ways that make healthier choices easier for everyone, especially for those who most need help. There are many ways of changing the economic, physical and social conditions we live in, which makes it hard to know where we should focus our efforts.
Our goal is to identify common characteristics of successful strategies that could be applied more widely to prevent chronic diseases related to diet and physical activity. To do this, we will:
Revisit existing research. Instead of doing traditional systematic reviews we will examine previous studies through a new lens, focusing on how interventions work and what we can learn about where and for whom they work best. Instead of narrow questions like ‘Does taxing soft drinks reduce sugar consumption?’ we will ask broader questions like ‘Is raising the cost of less healthy foods an effective way to support healthier diets?’
Investigate what causes change. Many studies show a link between environment and behaviour, but they rarely show that one causes the other. For example, people living in neighbourhoods with more takeaway shops tend to eat more takeaway food, but that might be because they like takeaway food and choose to live in those areas. Using data from the UK and around the world, we will explore which environmental changes actually lead to increased physical activity, healthier diets and lower risk of disease over time
Assess combinations of changes. We will assess whether certain combinations of environmental changes are more effective than single changes alone. For example, limiting advertising for less healthy foods might work better if healthier foods are also made cheaper. We will also explore the ways in which strategies work better in some places, or for some groups of people, than others. For example, congestion charging might be ineffective or unfair for people who work shifts and live in areas with poor public transport.
Our findings will be valuable to public health policymakers locally, nationally, and internationally. We have well-developed systems for sharing our insights with these decision-makers through written briefings, online platforms and in-person meetings. The methods we develop will also be useful for researching other health topics, so we will share them with experts in those fields and encourage them to develop them further.