Public Health and Health Inequalities
The Public Health and Health Inequalities theme undertakes innovative research and teaching.
Our mission is to improve population health and well-being and reduce health inequalities across the life course. To achieve this we deliver world-class research, teaching and training.
We conduct research to understand the determinants of health and health inequalities. Our theme undertakes innovative research to improve population health locally, nationally, and globally. Our research develops, evaluates, and translates policy and practice interventions. As well as developing related theory and methods.
Our interdisciplinary research theme encompasses clinical and non-clinical colleagues. Interests include but are not limited to public health, geography, and political science.
We work closely with our local stakeholders in the North East. These include patients, carers, and medical professionals. As well as service providers in the NHS and local authorities, and central government.
We provide rigorous and informed contributions to debates about public services and inequalities. This work extends to clinical practice and health and social care systems.
Our theme hosts national initiatives:
We lead on the Inequalities and Marginalised Communities, and Prevention, Early Intervention and Behaviour Change. As part of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration in North East & North Cumbria.
Training
We lead on public health teaching to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Including the MSc in Public Health. We are part of many doctoral training programmes. Such as those funded by the NIHR School of Public Health Research, NIHR Applied Research Collaboration and ESRC. Our theme leads on academic training for Public Health Specialty Registrars. This includes training and placements for Registrars interested in public health research.
Applied Public Health
We conduct applied public health research. Our focus is on the development, evaluation, and translation of interventions. Our aim is to improve health and wellbeing, as well as develop related theory and methods.
Improving public health research areas include:
- behavioural science at individual and complex system levels
- public health nutrition and obesity
- prevention of alcohol, substance misuse and linked mental health problems
- evaluation of public health interventions, policy, and practice
- improving the health of vulnerable groups, including socially disadvantaged and older adults
- addressing inequalities in health and health and social care outcomes
- use of data science to develop and evaluate public health interventions
Social Determinants of Health
We examine inequalities in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy. We evaluate the impact of social determinants based interventions including:
- welfare rights advice
- social prescribing
- food security
- housing
- community control
- unequal health care access.
As well as the wider social epidemiology of health inequalities at the national and global level. Such as the Health Inequalities in European Welfare States (HiNEWS) project.
Health systems make up an important aspect of the social determinants of health. Our research examines health systems across the UK and around the world. Our work includes:
- world-leading research on marketisation of health care in the UK and globally. Specialising in the private finance initiative and public private partnerships
- analysis of the impact of socio-political and health systems on health and wellbeing. The world-wide responses to current global challenges
- the public health aspects of the regulation of medicines and medical devices
- the relationship between national health policies and inequalities in health care provision and health outcomes
Health Policy and Health Services Delivery
Our research areas of focus include:
- quality of care, patient experience, person-centred care, and shared decision-making
- improving health, equality, and equity
We also have strong methods expertise in implementation science and impact measurement. As well as patient and public involvement.
- Health literacy UK, a project led by Gill Rowlands
- Improving choices for care
- Shifting the gravity of spending
- ThinkSAFE, working with patients to improve patient safety in primary care, led by Susan Moloney and Richard Thomson
- RURALLY, investigating cancer management in people who live in rural locations. Led by Christina Dobson, and Greg Rubin
- Multiple unexplained symptoms study, led by Gill Rowlands, and Sian Russell
- UNFAIR a project looking at inequalities in hospital admissions, led by Sarah Sowden
- Exploring patient experience of the diagnostic pathway and opportunities for co-designing service quality improvement. Led by Sarah Sowden, Richard Thomson and Linda Sharp.
Global Impact
HiNEWS Project, health inequalities in European welfare states. This project studied the relationship between healthcare systems, welfare states and health inequalities.
The SCALA Project. Alcohol and heavy drinking cause a wide range of diseases and injuries. Tackling these is a public health priority. SCALA involves tailored intervention packages embedding programmes in primary health care. These will improve prevention, early detection, and advice for heavy drinking and co-morbid depression. We are evaluating if they are clinically and cost effective. Initially focussed on Latin America there could be global health policy implications.
In Malawi we are exploring gender specific barriers to accessing HIV and sexual reproductive health services. Especially by young people living with and at risk of contracting HIV. Our aim is to develop interventions that achieve gender equitable access.
AMASA project. Access to essential medicines in part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We research the processes by which people can or cannot obtain medicines. Our work has centred on India, Uganda, and South Africa. It is now expanding into Brazil.
We have conducted analysis of medicines legislation and regulation in India. Evidence shows inappropriate medicine use and poor regulatory oversight leading to increased use of antibiotics. Over use is a key factor in antibiotic resistance. We have made important interventions with senior policy makers. Contributing to the debate around pharmaceutical regulation in India. Acting to ensure that medicines are necessary, safe, and effective.
We work with European partners on health literacy. Understanding the geographical spread, and breadth of activity. We want to support wider uptake of, and more holistic approaches to, policy in the WHO Europe Region.
We contribute to the Independent Panel on Global Governance for Health. Developing an innovative approach to the health effects of extractive industries. Our broader definition includes large-scale foreign acquisitions of agricultural land for export production. We posit links between the global political economy and national politics. To institutional practices surrounding extraction to health outcomes and their distribution. There are direct health effects, such as toxic work and environmental exposures and assassination of activists. There are also indirect effects, including sustained impoverishment, water insecurity, and stress-related ailments.