Obesity strategic network: whole systems approach

Increasing volumes of 'data' about individual behaviours are becoming available through social media, mobile phone geotagging, store loyalty cards and purchasing transaction data. There are many opportunities to use these data to benefit society. One key example is to better understand how the environment in which we live influences our behaviours leading to health concerns such as overweight and obesity. This is something which the Chief Medical Officer and other policy makers have begun to recognise as important. A better understanding of these complex interactions offers scope for designing interventions to addressing this significant 'wicked' challenge.
Obesity continues to be a problem in the UK with the most recent figures reporting 67% of men and 57% of women classed as overweight or obese. Overweight and obesity are serious health concerns and are risk factors for other non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis and certain cancers. In many places the environment in which we lives makes it easy to gain weight. For example, fast food outlets are regularly closer to our homes and workplaces than supermarkets with healthier food choices and it is often safer or more convenient to drive to work rather than walk. These factors encourage individuals to eat unhealthy foods and be sedentary rather than physically active, contributing to weight gain and subsequent overweight and obesity. This setting has been termed an 'obesogenic environment'.
In order to promote healthier eating and more physical activity; groups of professionals need to work together to better understand how to modify these environmental influences so that it is easier to eat a good diet and be more active. These groups of professionals include researchers with an interest in diet and physical activity as well as involved with promoting active travel, reducing crime and improving retail planning. Real changes also need the involvement of local government, planning organisations, retailers, charities and health practitioners. Experts in data analytics are required to harness the volumes of information available and use these in a meaningful way.
This network aims to do just that - bring together many different types of researchers with policy makers, retail and third sector organisations to work together collaboratively in order to plan how to make best use of the large volumes of data now available to inform research, policy and practice in the prevention of obesity.
A network like this is a prime example of how the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts and together there is great potential to make a difference.

To ensure maximum impact of the research generated by this cross disciplinary, multi-site network a range of stakeholders will be involved. These stakeholders include academics, local authorities (Leeds City Council), charity organisations (Association for the Study of Obesity and NESTA), industry partners (Anytime Fitness, Marks and Spencer's), practitioners (MoreLife) and policy makers (Town and Council Planning Association, Public Health England and the Department of Health, Scottish government Paths for All). Through these network partnerships there is great potential to co-produce new work with wide reaching impact. The innovative use of large data and novel methods in data analytics across many disciplines areas will be of benefit to many.
Who will benefit from this network?
Academic beneficiaries of this network will fall predominantly into two areas:
1) Those with interest in data analytics methods
2) Those with interest in a systems approach and the environmental factors influencing obesity.
There will also be cross over between the two groups. The network will generate new ideas and methods for how to best handle the large volumes such as those which will form the backbone of this network such as: the ESRC Administrative Data Research Centres from Scotland and Northern Ireland, the Health and Social Care Information Centre and the data held within the Leeds Institute for Data Analytics from both the Consumer Data Research Centre and the Medical Bioinformatics Centre.
Other beneficiaries will include a range of professionals working towards the reduction of obesity and associated improvements in health. The long term benefit would be societal if research generated could lead to changes in the environment making is easier to maintain a healthy weight and more difficult to gain weight.
The network will explore how the analytical methods and big data can be applied to address important interdisciplinary research questions around the obesogenic environment. Outcomes of these research questions will be of benefit to researchers from a range of areas including but not limited to: geography, spatial epidemiology, nutritional epidemiology, public health, sport science, active lifestyles, active travel, nutrition and diet. The applied methods will be of benefit to quantitative researchers and data analysts worldwide from within and beyond academia.
Policy makers and practitioners will benefit from this network as they will be able to contribute to inform research questions generated and ensure that these are applicable to their target populations. These collaborations will ensure that pathways to impact for the research will be clear and well informed.
How will they benefit from this network?
This network proposes to generate proof of concept work and collaborative funding proposals for further research using big data to answer important questions about the influences of the environment on obesity. Proof of concept results and methodological developments will be published in peer reviewed journals. Other news will be shared via virtual networks such as twitter, LinkedIn and JISCmail in attempt to ensure widespread impact of the network.
Through co-production with non-academic partners who are central to defining activities, including local authorities, industry partners and practitioners, benefits of the network will have a direct path to society for them to reap the benefits where possible. These can be operationalised through examples such as local council initiatives. Societal benefits will likely be longer term dependent upon the outcomes of collaborations beyond the network funding period.