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Could you be an ambassador for research?

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Patient Research Ambassadors needed to promote health research from a patient point of view

We have teamed up with colleagues at the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) to support their Patient Research Ambassador (PRA) initiative.

The Network is looking for patients, carers, and members of the public who have taken part in research and who are passionate about it.

The Ambassadors will help improve how local people across the North Thames patch find out about and participate in clinical research and also help to increase awareness of the importance of supporting clinical research. The PRAs will play their part in ensuring research is patient and public focussed.

Examples of the type of work PRAs do are below – 

Full training and support will be available. As well as a chance to learn new skills and improve how research is planned and carried out in your area you will be part of a network of PRAs.

To find out more contact CRN North Thames patient and public involvement manager Christine Menzies by emailing christine.menzies@nihr.ac.uk or calling 0207 679 9763

You can read a role description here..

Read tne full 10 things you can do to promote health research document here

Premature mortality twice as high in most deprived areas compared to most affluent

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A major new paper in the Lancet highlights rates of premature mortality that are two times higher in the most deprived areas of England (Blackpool) compared to most affluent (Wokingham).

Dr Harry Rutter, Clinical Research Fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine was among the prominent experts in the field who authored the paper.

Dr Harry Rutter

Dr Rutter, a public health physician, was Principal Investigator of the CLAHRC’s evaluation of the Greater London Authority’s Healthy Schools London programme. 

All-cause age-standardised years of life lost due to premature mortality (YLL) and years lost due to disability (YLD) per 100 000 population by UK country and English Upper Tier Local Authorities, 2016

The work presents findings from a new Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Public Health England. 

The Global Burden of Disease includes evidence collected and analyzed by a consortium of more than 3,000 researchers in more than 130 countries and provides a tool for goverments and policy makers to measure health loss from hundreds of diseases, injuries, and risk factors, so that health systems can be improved and inequalties tackled

The authors of the Lancet paper used the data to estimate years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and attributable risks from 1990 to 2016 for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the UK, and 150 English Upper-Tier Local Authorities. They estimated the burden of disease by cause of death, condition, year, and sex.

You can view via an interactive ‘Lost Years’ map – which reveals the extent of health inequality across the UK.

Changes in health in the countries of the UK and 150 English
Local Authority areas 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for
the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016
Nicholas Steel, John A Ford, John N Newton, Adrian C J Davis, Theo Vos, Mohsen Naghavi, Scott Glenn, Andrew Hughes, Alice M Dalton, Diane Stockton, Ciaran Humphreys, Mary Dallat, Jürgen Schmidt, Julian Flowers, Sebastian Fox, Ibrahim Abubakar, Robert W Aldridge,Allan Baker, Carol Brayne, Traolach Brugha, Simon Capewell, Josip Car, Cyrus Cooper, Majid Ezzati, Justine Fitzpatrick, Felix Greaves, Roderick Hay, Simon Hay, Frank Kee, Heidi J Larson, Ronan A Lyons, Azeem Majeed, Martin McKee, Salman Rawaf, Harry Rutter, Sonia Saxena, Aziz Sheikh, Liam Smeeth, Russell M Viner, Stein Emil Vollset, Hywel C Williams, Charles Wolfe,  Anthony Woolf, Christopher J L Murray

Our work is award winning

Posted on by CLAHRC

CLAHRC researchers enjoyed success at the recent Public Health England Annual Conference in Warwick.

They were among the authors of an award winning poster representing our partnership work with Islington Council.

We are working with the borough as it seeks to link NHS data with its own datasets to build a clearer picture of  local population needs and better target services and interventions.

Linking these sources of data can build a picture of how social determinants of health – the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age – might impact on residents’ wellbeing and use of health services. Examples would include how housing conditions impact on hospital admissions or how serious childhood illnesses could affect school attendance and attainment.

The poster was presented by Laura Scott, Principal Data Specialist at Islington Council and highlights how 90 data sources within the council are being joined up, already proving valuable in understanding local risk factors for ill health and improving access to services.

Islington insights population register: linking council data to understand local population needs for a fairer, healthier society

Laura Scott, Helen McDonald, Mahnaz Shaukat, Lawrence Vandervoort, Logan Robertson, Jessica Sheringham, Sarah Dougan

Over 1500 participants visited the PHE annual conference representing a wide range of organisations working to improve the health of the public. 

The CLAHRC’s Dr Jessica Sheringham (Senior Research Associate) was an author of the poster chosen from over 350 submitted – the award was presented at the conference dinner.

The project is funded by the Health Foundationas part of its Advancing Applied Analytics programme, aimed at improving analytical capability in support of health and care services.

Read more about this work via the link below

Linking health and local government data at household level to understand social determinants of health

Mayor launches school programme developed to improve self-management of asthma in young people

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The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has launched a programme to improve the self-management of asthma by school children in the Capital. My Asthma in School was developed by CLAHRC researchers based at the Blizard Institute within Queen Mary University of London.

My Asthma in School

The programme uses educational workshops and theatre performance to improve asthma control and peer support for asthma in London secondary school.

Asthma affects approximately one in 11 children and young people in the UK; and young people with asthma have higher rates of school absences and visits to their doctor or the hospital. According to the data collected for the study, nearly half of young people (aged 11-18 years) with asthma did not have control over their condition.

Dr Gioia Mosler, Outreach and Learning Manager for the ‘My asthma in school project’, said: 

“The number of deaths from asthma in the UK rank among the highest in the EU. Many of these deaths could be prevented with better self-management.”

She added: “Improving the ability and motivation to self-manage asthma gives many young asthma sufferers the opportunity to improve their asthma control. As a result they would suffer less from common symptoms like coughing at night or breathlessness.”

My asthma in School is one of the first school-based interventions for asthma self-management in the UK. Similar trials have been undertaken outside the UK, however, given that the health and education systems differ, results from these interventions may not be transferable to a UK setting.

The programme has been approved and supported by Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London. Mayor Khan was himself diagnosed with the conditon as an adult –  which he attributes to London’s poor air quality and pollution levels.

He said: “The Greater London Authority and I believe that the ‘My Asthma in School’ programme is likely to promote the necessary education young people require to effectively self-manage their asthma.”

He added: “I encourage all London secondary schools to take part in this programme.”

Using behavioural change theories as a framework, researchers have developed a variety of engaging and entertaining media, such as apps, videos, and interactive games.

The intervention includes an interactive theatre performance (below), lasting approximately two hours, to help raise awareness of asthma among peers. The performance has been developed with partners at Greenwich and Lewisham Young People’s Theatre.

Dr Mosler added: “The theatre intervention addresses asthma from a new angle, focusing on peer awareness and support around young people with asthma. The questionnaire data we collected during phase one showed many barriers related to a perceived stigma around asthma. The theatre intervention addresses stigma around asthma in the peer group.”

The intervention will be trialled in London during the next few months. Given a positive result of this intervention it could be adopted as a wider programme to improve asthma in young people.

The programme is run as part of the My Health in School initiative which aims to improve life and health of young people at school. The team works with Professor Jonathan Grigg, who leads several studies about asthma and lung health in children and young people.

Introduction to Evaluation

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Do you need to demonstrate the impact of projects in your organisation?

Do you want to improve the design and implementation of your programme?

Are you tasked with carrying out an evaluation, but don’t know where to start?

This one day, hands-on workshop, run by the NIHR CLAHRC North Thames Academy, addresses these challenges.  It is aimed at staff from NHS Trusts, CCGs and Local Authorities, who have limited experience of conducting service evaluations.

After attending this workshop, you will have the skills and knowledge to undertake your own evaluation of a local programme or service.

The course covers:

  • Different types of evaluation, including their pro and cons
  • How to select suitable methods and approaches for evaluating a local programme or service
  • Practical skills and tips in using evaluation methods and approaches
  • Ways of sharing your evaluation findings to make an impact

This workshop is suitable for staff from NHS Trusts, Local Authorities and CCGs.  It is not aimed at academics and/or researchers.  Participants should attend the course with an evaluation in mind that they may need to carry out.  No previous experience of study design, statistics or evaluation is needed.

All participants will receive a certificate of attendance.

Cost – This course is free for staff working in NIHR CLAHRC North Thames partner or organisations (please click here to see a list of our partners).  There is a delegate fee of £250 for other attendees.

Registration – Please complete the registration form and email to clahrc.academy@ucl.ac.uk by 5pm, Friday 5th October 2018.

Please note, a cancellation fee of £100 will be charged to both partner and non-partner delegates in the event of non-attendance without notice after 5pm, Tuesday 4th December 2018.


Professor Rosalind Raine on her research inspiration Sir Michael Marmot

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As part of a series of blogs from prominent members of the research community CLAHRC Director Professor Rosalind Raine pays tribute to Michael Marmot, who has consistently and eloquently pointed out the unequal distribution of the social determinants of health.

Professor Raine’s piece in the British Medical Journal, the last of a series of”research legends” blogs highlights the ongoing relevance of Marmot’s work in light of the widening health gap between the socially advantaged and disadvantaged.

Describing Professor Marmot as an “iconic figure” Rosalind highlights his drive to keep health inequalities high on the policy agenda, and his impact on the NHS, in particular the 2010 Marmot review examining health inequalities in England.

Rosalind Raine on Michael Marmot: A career devoted to tackling social injustice and health

Engaging school programme to reduce high levels of poorly managed asthma in young people

Posted on by CLAHRC

CLAHRC researchers based at Queen Mary University of London launched the My Asthma in School programme this week – an initiative that aims to improve the self-management of the respiratory condition by school children.

Developed by researchers at the University’s Blizard Institute, the programme will use films and apps in educational workshops and theatre performance to improve asthma control and peer support for asthma in London secondary schools.

The programme has been approved and supported by Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, who himself lives with the condition.

He said: “The Greater London Authority and I believe that the ‘My Asthma in School’ programme is likely to promote the necessary education young people require to effectively self-manage their asthma.”

He added: “I encourage all London secondary schools to take part in this programme.”

Asthma affects approximately 1 in 11 children and young people in the UK; and young people with asthma have higher rates of school absences and visits to their doctor or the hospital. According to the data collected for the study, nearly half of young people (aged 11-18 years) with asthma did not have good control over their condition [Harris K et al,J Asthma 2017,54(10):1033-1040].

Dr Gioia Mosler, Outreach and Learning Manager for the ‘My asthma in school project’ (below, left) was at the launch event and said:

“The number of deaths from asthma in the UK rank among the highest in the EU. Many of these deaths could be prevented with better self-management.”

She added: “We want to improve the ability and motivation of young people to self-manage their asthma so they can take control of their condition.”

The research team’s results showed that young people with asthma often faced many barriers to addressing their condition, including lack of knowledge, or embarrassment to use their asthma inhaler in front of others. Based on these findings, as well as behavioural change theories, the researchers involved young people to develop a series of engaging teaching elements for an intervention, including several games, apps and videos: www.myhealthinschool.org.

The intervention will also deliver an interactive theatre performance, lasting approximately two hours, to help raise awareness of asthma among peers. The performance has been developed with partners at Greenwich and Lewisham Young People’s Theatre [Mosler G et al,Lancet 2017,391(10118):303–304].

 

Dr Mosler added: “The theatre intervention addresses asthma from a new angle, focusing on peer awareness and support around young people with asthma. The theatre addresses barriers related to a perceived stigma around asthma in peers, young people with asthma reported during our initial data collection.”

My asthma in School is one of the first school-based interventions for asthma self-management in the UK. Similar trials have been undertaken outside the UK, however, given that the health and education systems differ, results from these interventions may not be transferable to a UK setting.

The intervention will be trialled in London during the next few months. Given a positive result of this intervention it could be adopted as a wider programme to improve asthma in young people.

The programme is run as part of the My Health in School initiative based at the Blizard Institute within Queen Mary University of London which aims to improve life and health of young people at school. The team works with Professor Jonathan Grigg, who leads several studies about asthma and lung health in children and young people.

Schools are encouraged to get in touch to join our research –  email: info@myhealthinschool.org.

Website: www.myhealthinschool.org

Twitter: @SchoolsAsthma

References

Harris, K.; Mosler, G.; Williams S. A.; et al. (2017): Asthma control in London secondary school children. Journal of Asthma; 23: 1–8.

Harris KM, Kneale D, Lasserson TJ, McDonald VM, Grigg J, Thomas J. School-based self-management interventions for asthma in children and adolescents: a mixed methods systematic review. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;(4)

Mosler G. & Euba T.  (2017): Taking control through drama. Lancet; 391: 10118, p303–304.