Real-world evaluations to improve public health

The National Institute for Health and Care Research has announced £15 million funding for six academic teams of researchers into public health interventions.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has announced a five-year £15 million investment in its NIHR Public Health Intervention Responsive Studies Teams (PHIRST).

The six funded PHIRSTs are Connect, hosted by University of Hertfordshire; EMPower, hosted by the University of Exeter University in partnership with the McPin Foundation; Fusion, hosted by University of Glasgow and Northumbria University; Insight, hosted by University of Bristol and Cardiff University; REACH, hosted by University of York; and South Bank, hosted by London South Bank University.

The award will fund six academic teams of researchers based at universities across the UK that will each complete 10 evaluations of public health interventions over the next five years.

“The building blocks of health, things like decent housing, secure employment, clean air, and access to healthy food, are crucial to creating healthy places that support health and address inequalities,” said Adam Briggs, programme director for the NIHR Public Health Research Programme.

“The NIHR’s investment in the PHIRST scheme is a key part of how we work with local government to generate high-quality evidence on what works to strengthen these building blocks, helping local decision makers maximise their impact on how services and programmes improve population health and tackle inequalities,” he continued.

The six teams join an additional four academic teams, which have contracts running until 2027 and 2029. To date, the scheme has completed more than 40 evaluations on a diverse range of public health interventions, including services to help people into employment in Scotland; strategies to widen participation in local exercise schemes; using community champions to share accurate public health messages; and advertising restrictions on high-fat, salt and sugar foods in Wales.

First commissioned in 2020, the PHIRST scheme is part of the NIHR’s Public Health Research Programme that funds research that generates evidence to improve the health of the public and reduce health inequalities. The PHIRST scheme is open to any tier or function of local government across the UK, including the devolved nations – Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.