NIHRDataInsights/HRCSData huggingface dataset:
Title: Physical Environment and Activity Relationships in Adolescents: The PEAR Project
Funder: Medical Research Council

Abstract: High rates of obesity in adolescents are a significant public health burden as they increase risk of current and future morbidity. Low physical activity is an important contributor to adolescent obesity. Manipulating the physical as well as social environment has the potential to increase the reach and effectiveness of health interventions. However evidence relating the physical environment to physical activity has been severely limited by methodological problems The major limitation is that most studies relate features of the physical environment to places they think adolescents visit for physical activity rather than places they actually visit. We will address this problem by using personal GPS receivers to measure where adolescents go in the environment to be physically active. Specifically we will determine which features of the physical environment relate to time spent in physical activity in different locations. We will also determine the validity and reliability of subjective self-report exposure measures of the environment in relation to objective measures to provide tools suitable for wider population health research.We will conduct this research in 2 phases. Phase 1 will identify from existing evidence and six adolescent focus groups candidate physical environment exposures for further investigation. In Phase 2 we will objectively measure these exposures (using GIS) in combination with an objective measure of location (using GPS). Physical activity will be measured by accelerometer. We will measures 900 adolescents aged 13-15yrs from 6 schools differing in geographical (urban/rural/suburban) and social composition. Multivariate regression analyses adjusting for clustering and confounders (e.g. BMI, pubertal status, daylight) will be carried out to determine which objectively measured environmental exposures relate most strongly to physical activity in different locations. Further we will compare self-report to objective exposure measures to determine their utility for use in wider public health research and ameliorate the need for the complex measures in this research. Output will be methodologically the strongest research to date investigating the association between the physical environment and physical activity and new self-report tools for use in observational and intervention population studies and to inform health policy. Thus this research directly addresses measurement needs within highlight notice (MRC005780: PSMB) for improved methods for health-related aspects of the built and natural environment.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS;2.5 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGIES (AETIOLOGY)
Health categories: STROKE;CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL
Title: The role of microRNA 146b in modulating inflammation in human adipose tissue
Funder: Medical Research Council

Abstract: Obesity and its associated metabolic complications represent a major public health issue. There is evidence that inflammation within adipose tissue in obesity predisposes to complications including insulin resistance and diabetes, with the toll-like signaling pathway playing a key role in this. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs which post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. Based on strong and consistent pilot data derived from multiple microarray experiments with confirmatory RT-PCR, we have identified microRNA-146b (mir146b) as being strongly regulated in human adipose tissue. Mir146b is postulated to negatively regulate the toll-like signalling pathway. I will test the hypothesis that mir146b modulates inflammation within adipose tissue, and that the magnitude of this effect is clinically significant. 1. In vitro work will study the impact of mir146b on inflammatory signalling in adipocytes and macrophages using mir146b transfection and inhibition. 2. Traditional bioinformatics based miRNA target prediction algorithms have limited sensitivity and specificity, so I will complement these with an experimental approach in order to predict the mRNA targets of mir146b. A variant of ribonucleoprotein immunoprecipitation-microarray (RIP-Chip) will be used. The miRNA, mRNA and Argonate protein within the RISC complex will be covalently cross linked using UV irradiation within cells in which mir146b is inhibited or in control cells. This will then be immunoprecipitated and the mRNA fraction purified and subjected to microarray analysis. This approach will be complemented by the validation of a selection of targets with luciferase reporter assays. 3. To verify the clinical significance of mir146b I will examine targeted cohorts of obese subjects with low and high adipose tissue inflammation phenotypes recruited from the general population using the Oxford Biobank. I will characterise subjects in terms of adipose tissue and whole body inflammation and inflammatory signalling, metabolic parameters including insulin resistance and mir146b expression, in order to test the hypothesis that mir146b negatively regulates adipose tissue inflammation, and therefore the complications of obesity, in vivo.


Research activity codes: 1.1 NORMAL BIOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTIONING;2.1 BIOLOGICAL AND ENDOGENOUS FACTORS
Health categories: STROKE;CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL
Title: 'Development and evaluation of biomarkers of infant nutrition, growth and body composition'
Funder: Medical Research Council

Abstract: This project aims to identify, validate and use novel and emerging biomarkers of early infant nutrition, growth and body composition. The objectives are to develop and evaluate biomarker assays, identify relationships between these potential biomarkers and patterns of infant growth and nutritional intake, and to recruit a new cohort subset with high-risk patterns of infant growth. It is known that the intrauterine environment but also early nutritional factors influence infant growth and predispose to later obesity and metabolic risk. It is hypothesised that biomarkers exist, which reflect infant growth and nutrition, for example Ong et al (2009) found that higher IGF-1 levels in formula-fed babies correlated with greater statural growth. However, they concluded that other hormones were likely to be implicated in the development of increased adiposity. We will begin by using data from the prospective Cambridge Baby Growth Study (CBGS) cohort, focussing on those showing rapid ‘catch up‘ and ‘catch down‘ growth. This large, population based cohort, recruiting newborns between 2001 and 2008, examines the prenatal and postnatal determinants of early growth, with anthropometric measurements, including body weight, length and skinfold thicknesses. Many of the babies have also had blood-spot samples taken. Blood will be analysed for novel biomarkers. We will develop assays, focussing on hormonal biomarkers, such as leptin, adiponectin and C-peptide. This will predominately be carried out in the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Cambridge. Work will also be done at the WellChild Laboratory (St Thomas‘ Hospital, London), using mass spectrometry to pilot whether a specific metabolite/metabolomic or protein/proteomic profile can discriminate between different extremes of body composition. We will enhance the CBGS, with recruitment of babies born to mothers with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, collecting the same comprehensive demographic, anthropometric and nutritional data, and blood spot samples. Understanding biomarkers of infant nutrition and body composition will have great scientific value, identifying and predicting risk factors for later adiposity and adult disease. This will then allow us to develop early targeted dietary or other interventions to high risk infants. There are large public health implications, for the health outcomes of the population, and this research fits in with MRC research priorities: living a long and healthy life, and obesity research and methodology development.


Research activity codes: 4.1 DISCOVERY AND PRECLINICAL TESTING OF MARKERS AND TECHNOLOGIES;4.2 EVALUATION OF MARKERS AND TECHNOLOGIES;4.5 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (DETECTION)
Health categories: STROKE;CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL
Title: The Economics of Food Consumption, Caloric Intake, and Obesity
Funder: Medical Research Council

Abstract: Background Over past decades, incomes have risen and innovations have changed the relative prices of expending and consuming calories such that food consumption has become cheaper. Despite this, there has been little research estimating the price elasticity of food consumption (caloric intake) and obesity. Similarly, there is little work examining the effects of income (changes) on consumption and obesity. The main reason for this is the absence of data. Food price data are scarce. If available, they generally cover very large geographical areas, are only observed for a limited number of food items/indices and show little variation across areas. In addition, almost all existing studies use data from one country: the USA. Estimates of income effects are hampered by a lack of individual-level consumption data that can be matched to information on household incomes. Aims I will examine the following research questions: RQ1: What are the food price elasticities of consumption and body size? RQ2: How do permanent and transitory income shocks affect food consumption and body size? RQ3: How do food prices and income shocks affect the intra-household allocation of resources, and does this vary by individual and family-level characteristics? Individual food consumption is defined by the percent of daily calories from fat and from protein and captures any short-term effects; body size captures the longer-term effect, and is proxied by individual BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, and obesity status. Methodology As existing UK/US/European data generally do not include enough information to examine these questions in detail, I will use a very rich, unique dataset on a country that experienced large price variations, many income shocks, and has high obesity rates: Russia. The Russian data and setting provide a unique opportunity to examine consumers‘ price and income responses for several reasons. First, the data include very detailed community-level prices, linked to individual- and household-level data. Second, the economic reforms caused large price differences, both across and within communities. Third, Russians experienced large income shocks due to the reforms If consumption and obesity is sensitive to prices and income, their large variation will allow me to detect this. Scientific/Medical opportunities This research examines whether changing prices and incomes (e.g. by using tax and subsidy tools) is likely to reduce obesity. It will result in (at least) three academic papers, which will be presented at national and international seminars and conferences, published as working papers and submitted to international high-quality peer-reviewed journals.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: STROKE;CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL
Title: Understanding the role of dog ownership and walking for better human health
Funder: Medical Research Council

Abstract: The UK, like much of the Western Industrialised world, is suffering an epidemic of obesity and an alarming increase in preventable conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This is in part due to declining levels of physical activity, especially in children, but previous efforts to promote physical activity have largely failed. However, there is now compelling evidence that something as simple as dog ownership can make a major contribution to physical activity levels. A dog walk a day is an ideal medium to achieve at least the recommended minimum thirty minutes of exercise. However, not all dog owners currently walk their dogs. A better understanding of the factors governing physical activity by dog owners could lead to a new national programme of improved health through dog ownership. Given that a quarter of UK household own dogs, and evidence that dog ownership, and detrimental health behaviours such as obesity, are most prevalent in similar populations, the attributable effects of improving dog walking behaviour has potential for substantial benefits. This can be by encouraging dog walking by those who do not currently do so and by altering the intensity of dog walking related activity of those that already do. In this Fellowship, I propose to investigate in detail the dog-owner relationship and the reasons why people do and don‘t walk with their dogs. I will combine the disciplines of public health, sociology, veterinary epidemiology and animal behaviour, using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including objective measures of physical activity of both owner and dog. I will investigate the owner, environment and dog-related factors that influence how often each household member, including children, walks with the dog, for how long, and the human and dog behaviours on walks that provide the physical activity that is potentially most beneficial. A key feature of those who walk seems to be feeling that their dog is a source of motivation and support, suggesting a strong dog-person bond may be required, or is developed through walking together. Dogs are an accessible and cheap prospective public health intervention that will also benefit significantly from this research. I hypothesise that there are modifiable factors that may be targeted during future health interventions that are appropriate to the barriers and incentives to effective dog walking. This study will provide a detailed understanding of the social context of dog ownership and identify these factors.


Research activity codes: 1.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC PROCESSES
Health categories: STROKE;CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL
Title: A UK on-line 24h dietary recall tool for population studies: development, validation and practical application
Funder: Medical Research Council

Abstract: Reliable assessment of the association between diet and health requires accurate and repeated measurements of diet in large prospective cohort studies. Incorporation of an internet based 24hr recall into such studies may substantially advance our understanding of the nutritional determinants of disease. Existing tools are limited in scope, and do not lend themselves to easy adaptation for different population groups due to their reliance on previously defined lists of foods. Presently, there is no on-line 24hr dietary recall tool available in the UK based on the principles of the Automated Multiple Pass Method, which could be suitable for use by groups from different ethnicities and of different socio-economic classes. We aim to develop, validate and apply this tool in practice. This project has three main components: 1) Development of a UK on-line 24hr dietary recall. Existing online tools from the US and France (ASA24, DietDay, Nutrinet Sante) will be compared using focus groups, 30 potential users will be divided into 3 groups according to age: adolescent; adult; elderly (post-retirement). Following this the new UK tool will be developed based on the ASA24 as template. 2) Validation of foods and nutrients measured by this new on-line tool by comparing it with foods and nutrients obtained using an interviewer administered multiple pass recall method(AMPM) both in comparison to independent biomarkers of nutrients: specifically urinary N (for protein); potassium; sucrose and fructose; and total energy expenditure from Actiheart. 200 participants will provide repeated measurements over 6 months. Primary analysis will assess differences in agreement between the urinary N biomarker and protein intakes as assessed by the average of the measurements from both the on-line recall and the AMPM. 3) Pilot study for practical application of the on-line 24hr dietary recall in two different epidemiological cohorts. A subgroup of 200 older women in the UK Women?s Cohort plus their adult children and adolescent grandchildren will be asked to complete 3 on-line recalls over a 6 month period. 100 participants from the Clinical Biobank at Imperial, a clinic based cohort with mixed population characteristics will be asked to do the same. Dissemination of the tool is key and open access vital. We intend to provide the software free of charge to other UK researchers.


Research activity codes: 2.6 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (AETIOLOGY);2.5 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGIES (AETIOLOGY)
Health categories: STROKE;CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL
Title: Wellbeing, health and fitness of children with mobility impairments (Well MI); Scoping and development of individually tailored child-centred ‘keep-fit’ interventions
Funder: Division for Social Care and Health Research (Wales)

Abstract: Children with mobility impairments (CMI) typically have low activity levels and are more likely to be obese and develop type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in later life. Consequently, wellbeing is reduced and demand on health and social care services escalates. Developing interventions to target health and fitness would significantly improve wellbeing and independence, and imbed healthy life-styles for adulthood. Long term benefits would likely include mental health and social interaction, as well as physical health. Presently, little is known about the health and fitness of CMI. The proposed study will establish children’s perspectives and needs to develop individually tailored, child-centred and fun keep fit interventions to improve the wellbeing, health and fitness of CMI. Interviews will be used to identify important outcomes for CMI and their families, develop assessment methods and explore preferences for exercise, e.g. motivation, location, duration, individual/group, music. Baseline data will then be collected and individual/condition-specific cases will be examined to develop fun child-centred activities. Each stage of this work will be advised and guided by information and feedback from CMI and their parents and carers. At completion, a protocol for a pilot trial to test individually-tailored interventions and assess cost-effectiveness, will be designed.


Research activity codes: 7.1 INDIVIDUAL CARE NEEDS
Health categories: STROKE;CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL
Title: Phase 1 - Interventions for Childhood Obesity (PICO)
Funder: Division for Social Care and Health Research (Wales)

Abstract: This study forms the phase 1 modelling stage of the development of a population-level intervention for targeting childhood obesity, with a focus on deprived communities. We will recruit mothers during pregnancy and take a mixed methods approach to examine (1) best intervention targets (pregnancy/early postnatal life, diet/activity) and (2) parental views and opinions of existing interventions and recommendations for future interventions relevant and feasible within the local context. We will over-sample deprived communities and will use the theoretical basis from existing interventions and model their application to the local population. This study is based on the framework of the Medical Research Council (MRC) guidelines for developing complex interventions and the World Health Organization’s ‘Guide to Cost-effectiveness Analysis’. Study findings will be used to develop effective, targeted evidence-based structural interventions to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity.


Research activity codes: 3.1 PRIMARY PREVENTION INTERVENTIONS TO MODIFY BEHAVIOURS OR PROMOTE WELL-BEING
Health categories: STROKE;CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL
Title: Positive Online WEight Reduction (POWER)
Funder: Department of Health (England)

Abstract: Design: Randomised controlled trial.Setting: Primary careTarget population: Patients with a BMI of over 30 or 28 with significant comorbidity excluding those referred for obesity surgery identified in primary care either through invitation or opportunistically.Phase 1. Development and piloting of the website.Research governance arrangements will be finalised practices recruited and trained in study procedures and intervention the development of the website will be extended to address maintenance issues and we will ensure the full trial protocol worksPhase 2. Randomised controlled trial. 660 patients will be randomized to one of three groups:1) web intervention with minimal nurse support (face to face contact only at weighing at 6 and 12 months; 2) web intervention with nurse support i.e. face to face consultations at 2 weeks 6 weeks and 3 months in addition to weighing at 6 and 12 months; 3) control group (normal care) brief structured advice and follow up for weighing.Primary outcome (baseline 6 months and 12 months): weightSecondary outcomes: diet physical activity lipids waist measurement blood pressure presence of the metabolic syndrome patient satisfaction psychological status (anxiety and depression) quality of life.


Research activity codes: 7.1 INDIVIDUAL CARE NEEDS;6.7 PHYSICAL
Health categories: STROKE;CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL
Title: A peer-support weight management programme to supplement brief advice in general practice for obese adults from deprived communities
Funder: Department of Health (England)

Abstract: Background: An increasing number of people are in need of interventions to help them to lose weight. General Practitioners are encouraged to measure BMI and monitor patients with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or greater. Such patients are expected to be recommended healthy eating and physical activity and to receive drug therapy and/or a referral to practice nurse or dietician if indicated. Aim: To evaluate the long-term efficacy of a community-based weight management intervention (WAP) compared to what is currently the most common approach in primary care i.e. a routine intervention delivered by practice nurses.Design: Randomized controlled trial.Methodology: Adults (n=330) 18 years and older who want to lose weight and have a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or more (or 28 kg/m2 or more with co-morbidities) referred for weight loss from within primary care will be randomized to the experimental (WAP) or the control group (weight loss intervention from a trained nurse). WAP comprise of weekly sessions for two months followed by monthly visits of 1-hour each for a duration of one year. Participants in the control intervention will receive an initial 20-30 minute session with a trained nurse followed by three further sessions over 8 weeks. Outcome measures: The primary outcome measure will be change in weight over 12 months from enrollment into the study. An intention to treat analysis will be undertaken with the assumption that participants lost to follow-up or dropping out before 12-month follow-up managed no weight loss at all. The secondary outcome measures will include change in BMI waist circumference proportion of participants losing at least 5% of baseline body weight and changes in knowledge of healthy eating and physical activity quality of life and cost-effectiveness


Research activity codes: 7.1 INDIVIDUAL CARE NEEDS;7.3 MANAGEMENT AND DECISION MAKING
Health categories: STROKE;CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL