NIHRDataInsights/HRCSData huggingface dataset:
Title: Shine - Increasing physical activity levels for Over 50s
Funder: Innovate UK

Abstract: Shine Public Health is a social enterprise company with a mission to connect everyone with physical activities that they will enjoy and keep enjoying. Shine uses an innovative technological platform to empower community-based health campaigns to increase levels of physical activity, improving quality of life and drastically reducing long-term healthcare costs. Physical inactivity is one of the leading causes of premature death. Even small increases in activity, particularly for older people, can help prevent and manage long-term conditions. Shine helps people get more active, in a way that is right for them, removing barriers to participation, supporting changes in behaviour and encouraging healthy habits for life. This project addresses three of the priorities of the Healthy Ageing Challenge Framework: 1.sustaining physical activity 2.maintaining health at work and work in later life 3.supporting social connections. At an individual level, changing behaviour to increase activity levels can be difficult. On a large scale this is a complicated problem requiring collaboration across policy makers, healthcare services and activity providers. Changing individual behaviour on a community-wide scale is the challenge that Shine is designed to achieve.


Research activity codes: 3.1 PRIMARY PREVENTION INTERVENTIONS TO MODIFY BEHAVIOURS OR PROMOTE WELL-BEING
Health categories: CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;CARDIOVASCULAR;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL;STROKE
Title: Zopresso – leveraging scientifically-proven effects of konjac fibre as ready-to-drink beverages
Funder: Innovate UK

Abstract: **In 2019, 64% of adults in England were overweight, with 28% obese, and 3% morbidly so**. Some of the major risks of obesity include Type 2 Diabetes, coronary heart disease, many types of cancer, stroke and depression. Just over 1 million hospital admissions were recorded in England 2019/20 where obesity was a factor (a 17% increase on 2018/19). The Zopresso project targets the development of a range of naturally **appetite-supressing beverage products** to enable people to lose and control weight safely and cost-effectively. This project is particularly innovative as it focuses on the use of _konjac_, an FDA-approved and EFSA endorsed plant fibre that has been scientifically proven to contribute significantly to weight loss. Although it is already used widely in drugs, foods and food additives as a thickening agent, there are no konjac-containing beverages on the market in the UK, Europe, USA or MENA. The Ziro team have successfully developed pilot samples of konjac-infused plant-based beverages and proved the fibre can be incorporated into flavoursome and palatable drinks at small scale. We have still to overcome technical challenges around processing konjac-containing formulations, whilst retaining excellent palatability and flavour. As an early stage start-up, Zopresso is critical to Ziro's plans for growth. Our 15-month industrial research-based project has a budget of £487,088 and we request a grant of £340,962\.


Research activity codes: 3.3 NUTRITION AND CHEMOPREVENTION
Health categories: CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;CARDIOVASCULAR;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL;STROKE
Title: Eco-Labelling for sustainable, healthy diets
Funder: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Abstract: In order to meet Defra’s Net Zero contributions, Defra has commissioned a project to Kantar Public to look at the role of Eco-labels on healthy and sustainable diets. Labelling products with environmental information (such as the CO2 emission data) has the potential help consumers and citizens change their purchasing behaviour across a whole range of consumer goods if a carbon labelling scheme for food is successful. Making a success of carbon labels is an inherently behavioural challenge that will require insight into what people actually do, as opposed to what they should do, or what we might like them to do. Eco-labels,defined as ‘information or claims provided with a product that tell consumers about the quality, features or production methods that reduce environmental impact, aiming to facilitate informed decision making', are clearly one solution that could provide the information consumers tell us they need. There is evidence to suggest that people do pay attention to eco-labels at least some of the time, but whether or not this translates into measurable population level behaviour change is less clear. The programme of research will provide Defra with: -Proof of concept for the performance of carbon labels in real world consumer purchasing decisions from a field trial in a physical supermarket. -Analysis of the current state of knowledge on eco and carbon labels, and the various designs and systems proposed for their use or introduction drawing on both academic work and business practice. -Behavioural insight so Defra can be confident about the specific consumer (and producer) behaviours that eco-labelling in general and carbon labelling specifically could influence, and the tools from the behavioural science literature that would be most effective in driving the desired positive social and environmental impacts.


Research activity codes: 3.1 PRIMARY PREVENTION INTERVENTIONS TO MODIFY BEHAVIOURS OR PROMOTE WELL-BEING
Health categories: CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;CARDIOVASCULAR;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL;STROKE
Title: Can eating healthily lead to obesity? The role of food label information
Funder: The British Academy

Abstract: UK consumers are getting fatter, although the trend for buying "healthy" food is on the rise. Although the food marketers have devised innovative ways to communicate the health benefits of food through package labelling (e.g. "low in calories", traffic lights), the outcome is not satisfactory. One of the reasons for this apparent anomaly could be that the consumers are overeating. This study proposes a consumer behaviour framework to answer: 1. Do consumers tend to eat more (frequency or portion size) by misjudging the health claims made on the food labels? 2. Is it due to misinterpretation of the health labels or lack of self control? This study will address how consumers can eat more healthily using the health information on food labelling; how such information can be made more effective based on the food type and buying situation; and how policymakers can use it for better consumer welfare.


Research activity codes: 3.3 NUTRITION AND CHEMOPREVENTION
Health categories: CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;CARDIOVASCULAR;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL;STROKE
Title: Does childhood obesity hinder human capital development?
Funder: The Health Foundation

Abstract: Childhood obesity is a major risk factor for long-term health outcomes. It is a social phenomenon and societal action is needed to prevent it or to minimise its impacts. Engaging and motivating policymakers and others to act requires a fuller understanding of the social and economic benefits of curbing the spread of obesity in children. This project aimed to establish evidence of the causal impacts of childhood obesity on education, labour market and social outcomes, and on the role of known confounders (which may distort the associations between variables) such as children’s socioeconomic background. The project team started by conducting the first systematic review of the impact of childhood obesity. Then they carried out analyses of data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), the British Cohort Study of 1970, and the National Child Development Study. The research leveraged biomarkers in the ALSPAC cohort and genetic information in all three cohorts to analyse causal pathways.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS;8.2 HEALTH AND WELFARE ECONOMICS
Health categories: CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;CARDIOVASCULAR;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL;STROKE
Title: Integrating places of worship (PoWs) into the primary care pathway to prevent and control non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Caribbean
Funder: Medical Research Council

Abstract: We will evaluate the integration of health advocates in places of worship into the primary care pathway and the potential impact on health literacy, adoption of healthy lifestyles, early detection and referral, and NCD management. The Caribbean has the highest NCD mortality in the Americas placing huge pressure on fragile health systems. Task shifting and collaborative community-based interventions are advocated to reduce inequalities in health and address the burden of NCD, but have seldom been evaluated in LMIC. The intervention will be conducted in 3 of the least affluent CARICOM countries with differing sociocultural contexts to enhance adaptability. We will recruit health advocates from places of worship in poor urban and rural communities to conduct health promotion activities, support treatment adherence, and ensure prompt referral. Our intervention has the features of a complex intervention, i.e. multiple components and outcomes, interactions and feedback loops between intervention and context. Based on the principles of realist evaluation and MRC guidelines for the evaluation of complex interventions, we will evaluate the intervention in real time to observe the interaction between the context of the intervention, the mechanism (how it works), and the outcomes. We will use a mixed methods approach including: 1) concept mapping with stakeholders to gather information on factors influencing implementation, prioritise areas for health system improvement, and foster collaboration; 2) observation and interviews with congregants and health advocates to track the implementation in context over time; 3) quantitative survey of congregants at baseline and endline to examine the influence of the intervention on lifestyle change, health literacy, satisfaction with services, and well-being. If the intervention is successful we will develop a toolkit for up-scaling across the Caribbean through established partnerships with health ministries and regional stakeholders.


Research activity codes: 3.1 PRIMARY PREVENTION INTERVENTIONS TO MODIFY BEHAVIOURS OR PROMOTE WELL-BEING
Health categories: CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;CARDIOVASCULAR;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;STROKE
Title: Super resolution imaging of protein dynamics and functions in physiology and disease
Funder: Medical Research Council

Abstract: Three main approaches to super-resolution imaging, available as either custom built instrumentation or commercially, are STED (Stimulated Emission Depletion, ~60nm resolution in XY), SIM (Structured Illumination Microscopy, ~100nm resolution in XY) and PALM/STORM (Photo-Activated Localisation Microscopy/Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy, ~20nm resolution in XY). We are currently building a new microscope (with inward investment from the University) capable of PALM/STORM. In this new proposal, we plan to build an innovative M2SIM microscope, that will allow multiplanar 3D SIM imaging of live cells as fast imaging rates, to capture high resolution images of dynamic processes inside cells. This will complement the PALM/STORM system by providing high resolution in live cells, at high speeds that are difficult to achieve with PALM. In addition, to maximise the opportunity from our inward investment in PALM, and to serve the general needs of the imaging community, we plan to develop novel caged-dyes and small quantum dots with an increased blinking rate, and develop new approaches to label and tag proteins of interest. Together, these new approaches will allow a range of biomedical researchers at Leeds, working in key strategic areas (Cancer, Cardiovascular, Musculoskeletal, Neuroscience) to answer important biomedical questions that cannot currently be answered using existing technologies.


Research activity codes: 1.5 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (UNDERPINNING);2.6 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (AETIOLOGY);8.4 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGIES (HEALTH SERVICES)
Health categories: CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;CARDIOVASCULAR;MUSCULOSKELETAL;NEUROLOGICAL
Title: The UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies (UKCTAS)
Funder: Cancer Research UK

Abstract: Our objectives will be to determine: 1. What are the determinants and risks to individuals and society of tobacco and alcohol use; can current theorisation of tobacco use and behaviour change be applied to alcohol? 2. How can population-level policies and interventions be used to maximise prevention of harm from tobacco and alcohol use? 3. How can face-to-face interventions to promote smoking cessation and reduce excessive alcohol consumption be improved; and their delivery and uptake maximised? 4. How can harm reduction strategies be applied to prevent harm from tobacco or alcohol in people otherwise refractory to behaviour change? 5. What are the political, social and ethical barriers to more effective tobacco and alcohol policy and how can these be overcome? 6. How do multinational industries influence consumers and regulators to maximise profitability; can policy address conflicting health and commercial interests? 7. How can health inequalities caused by smoking and alcohol be reduced? 8. How can we exploit the power of newly available electronic health datasets, and advances in analytic methods, to enhance this work? 9. How cost-effective are measures to prevent smoking and harmful use of alcohol; what are the wider economic costs and benefits of prevention? We will use methods from a spectrum of skills and disciplines including clinical and health psychology, functional neuroimaging, observational epidemiology, pharmacology, clinical trials, complex interventions, health services research, e-health data analysis, documentary analysis, genetics, economics, health economics, impact assessment, policy development and evaluation, advocacy, qualitative methods, social policy research, social marketing, ethics and statistics. Our work will lead to policy and practice changes that reduce the prevalence of smoking and harmful use of alcohol, and hence the mortality, morbidity and wider costs to individuals and society they cause.


Research activity codes: 3.1 PRIMARY PREVENTION INTERVENTIONS TO MODIFY BEHAVIOURS OR PROMOTE WELL-BEING;3.5 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (PREVENTION)
Health categories: CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL;RESPIRATORY;STROKE
Title: A Feasibility Study of the Effectiveness of 'Moving On In My Recovery'
Funder: Alcohol Change UK

Abstract: A Feasibility Study of the Effectiveness of 'Moving On In My Recovery' (MOIMR). MOIMR is an acceptance based group programme that was co-produced and co-facilitated by treatment professionals and service users in recovery. The aim of MOIMR is to bridge the gap between formal treatment provision and mutual aid.


Research activity codes: 5.6 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL;6.6 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL
Health categories: CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL;STROKE
Title: Faith in recovery? Service-user evaluation in faith-based alcohol treatment
Funder: Alcohol Change UK

Abstract: Religion and ‘faith’ have historically had significant influence on alcohol treatment and recovery provision. Yet the size, scope and significance of contemporary activities remain unclear. Indeed, the role of faith-based interventions in the field of alcohol treatment and recovery has been challenged with regards to concerns related to ‘indoctrination’ and associated questions of ‘ethics’, ‘good practice’ and ‘effectiveness’. Drawing on geographical theory, the research will highlight that faith-based recovery and treatment cannot be understood solely by focusing on ‘institutional’ spaces of service providers. Instead, we offer a more sophisticated approach to understanding of the role of ‘faith’ in the everyday lives of service-users within and beyond ‘formal’ contexts of treatment and recovery. In-depth interviews and participant observation will be undertaken with five diverse faith-based organisations throughout England and Wales.


Research activity codes: 7.1 INDIVIDUAL CARE NEEDS
Health categories: CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL;STROKE
Title: Taking back control: fractioning the homunculus to improve our understanding of the role of 'inhibitory control' in heavy drinking
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: Alcohol abuse imposes a substantial burden on society, yet our understanding of the psychological processes that influence drinking behaviours is inadequate. This is partly because psychological theories of substance use disorders (addictions) rely on a simplistic conceptualization of 'inhibitory control', defined as the ability to stop, change or delay inappropriate behaviour. These theories are founded on the assumption that behaviour is controlled by an unspecified 'inhibitory homunculus' or central control system, and that impairments to the functioning of this homunculus result in addiction. There is good reason to believe that this assumption is incorrect. In this project I aim to apply predictions from a recent theoretical framework of inhibitory control to the study of inhibitory deficits in heavy drinkers. Specifically, I will break down the inhibitory 'homunculus' into its component processes in order to more precisely specify the nature of inhibitory deficits in alcohol use disorders. In an initial study, I will investigate the extent to which different inhibitory sub-processes are influenced by alcohol-related cues in a naturalistic 'bar lab', and measure the association between these inhibitory sub-processes and individual differences in drinking behaviour. In a second study I will use ecological momentary assessment to investigate the effect of situational variables (including alcohol cues) on inhibitory sub-processes in participants' natural environments, and I will investigate which inhibitory sub-processes are associated with increased alcohol consumption. Finally, a third study will investigate whether alcohol-cues can be paired with the engagement of inhibitory control, and if this 'inhibitory control training' (ICT) can prompt a reduction in alcohol consumption that survives a change in context. The results from these studies will form the basis of a new theoretical understanding of inhibitory control in addiction. Findings will also impact the future development of behavioral treatments.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL;STROKE
Title: Reducing relapse in alcohol dependence with the NMDA receptor antagonist, ketamine
Funder: Medical Research Council

Abstract: Background: In the UK alone, nearly 9% of men and 4% of women today meet criteria for alcohol dependence - in all approximately 3.9 million British adults. Abstinence is key to allow recovery of physical and mental health as well as quality of life, but treatment for alcohol dependence is associated with high relapse rates of around 50% at 3 months, 70% at 6 months. Despite the huge burden on the NHS and UK economy, treating alcohol dependence and prolonging abstinence remains an unmet need. Proposed solution: Our proposed solution is three isolated doses of ketamine in combination with psychological therapy. Our own preliminary data suggest that ketamine reduces alcohol use in hazardous drinkers; and that psychotherapy combined with three weekly doses of ketamine in recently detoxified alcoholics may reduce 12 month relapse rates in alcohol-dependence from 76% to 34%. Ketamine's antidepressant properties may contribute significantly to these effects, as depressive symptoms are a key contributor to relapse. Mechanistically, ketamine promotes the growth of new synapses in the brain which has been found to be impaired in chronic alcoholism. Design: 96 recently detoxified alcoholics will be randomized to receive either 3 sessions ketamine (0.8 mg/kg IV over 45 minutes) or placebo plus manualised psychological therapy or ketamine and placebo alone, with a psychoeducation control. Patients will be assessed at 3 and 6 months on a range of psychological and biological variables. Primary endpoints will be % days abstinent at 3 and 6 months and relapse rates at 6 months. Secondary endpoints include depressive symptoms, craving and quality of life. Application/exploitation: The findings would have broad application given the worldwide prevalence of alcoholism and associated medical, psychological and social problems. The success of this study would provide a very strong impetus for a large scale clinical trial.


Research activity codes: 6.1 PHARMACEUTICALS
Health categories: CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL;STROKE
Title: Developing alcohol labelling interventions: the "what", "who" and "how"
Funder: Medical Research Council

Abstract: In England approximately 9 million individuals drink more than the recommended guidelines, according to NHS figures. Furthermore heavy episodic drinking (a.k.a., binge drinking) is common, particularly among young people, and is associated with increased risk of accidents, violence, alcohol abuse problems and ill-health. Excessive alcohol consumption substantially contributes to the global burden of disease, and is estimated to cost the UK government in excess of £21 billion annually. Choice architecture interventions are designed to encourage healthier choices by changing aspects of the environment. For example, health warnings on cigarette packets have proven effective at changing knowledge and behaviours in ways that promote health. However, there is a serious lack of research investigating the nature and potential impact of labelling for alcohol products. The effectiveness of alcohol product labelling is entirely dependent on the quality of the information, for which there should be a sound evidence base. It is essential that we understand which types of information will be most effective, and identify any unintended consequences (such as calorie information reducing food intake rather than alcohol consumption). This project will address this important gap in knowledge, by engaging a wide range of key stakeholders (brewers, the public, local authorities and clinicians) to gather informed opinion on the types of information that should be delivered, perceptions of feasibility, acceptability and impact. We will also address the additional questions of how the effects information may differ across consumer sub-types (in order to identify whether information can be tailored or targeted) and investigate novel and innovative methods of information delivery (introducing emerging technologies). These additional questions will be instrumental in maximising impact and reach of labelling interventions to be developed in the latter stages of this project.


Research activity codes: 3.1 PRIMARY PREVENTION INTERVENTIONS TO MODIFY BEHAVIOURS OR PROMOTE WELL-BEING
Health categories: CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL;STROKE