Title: Understanding and Use of Public Health Research
Funder: Medical Research Council

Abstract: As part of the MRC’s efforts to promote dialogue with the public about health research and policy, this programme of research aims to: Rapidly investigate public health discourses on emerging health issues and health policies to promote timely dialogue and better inform health advocacy strategies Develop practical ways to make research evidence more useful and accessible to users in order to promote the translation of scientific knowledge into public benefit. Conduct research into better understanding how we can connect and share our research with the public to build trust and increase the sector's relevance to, and impact on, civil society. This programme has four themes: 1. Understanding emerging health issues and polices: How health information is communicated and how people understand emerging public health issues and new policies are crucial to getting the most value out of research discoveries. Within this theme we have investigated lay perceptions on a range of topics including: the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) childhood vaccination controversy; swine flu pandemic; vaccine-preventable diseases; and childhood and adolescent vaccination. 2. Using and translating research evidence: There has been much debate in recent years about how research evidence can be made more useful to public health policymakers and to health care practitioners. We have carried out a number of projects in this area which produce syntheses of research on the health effects of social policies, and which explore how policymakers, both nationally and internationally, perceive and use research evidence to inform decision-making. Within this theme we have explored how MRC Units approach the dissemination of their research; the issues practitioners face in communicating about research evidence in practice (CHIRPP) and we are currently developing an electronic toolkit to help people distinguish good population health science from bad. 3. Media representations of health issues and policies: Media reporting of health-related news stories and health policies can be highly influential in shaping how people understand and use health knowledge. As part of the MRC’s commitment to engage in the timely translation of scientific knowledge, we aim to respond quickly to investigate media constructions of, and communications about, public health issues and policies that become newsworthy. These findings are used to inform health advocacy strategies. Recent projects include: coverage of the ‘obesity epidemic’ from 1996 to 2010; the 2009-2010 swine flu pandemic; and the introduction of the HPV vaccination programme for cervical cancer prevention in the UK (2005-2008). 4. Understanding participation and engagement with health research: Public engagement with research describes a myriad of ways in which the public can be involved in research and the benefits of research shared with the public. However, whilst public engagement is of huge strategic importance to the MRC and other Research Councils, there is currently a lack of empirical evidence on how this vision is being put into practice. In this theme we aim to further scientific understandings about public participation and engagement with research to promote better practices and support for health research. Current studies include explo


Research activity codes: 8.3 POLICY, ETHICS AND RESEARCH GOVERNANCE
Health categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE