A new network has been established to bring together researchers from across the UK to boost research into sustainable and equitable population health improvement.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has established Population Health Improvement UK (PHI-UK) with a £35 million investment over four years, bringing together expertise and insight from across research, public health and community organisations.
Its aim is to find innovative and inclusive ways to improve the health of people, places and communities and reduce health inequalities through the development and evaluation of long-lasting and environmentally sustainable interventions.
Priority research areas include:
creating healthy urban spaces
supporting mental health and wellbeing
understanding and addressing the negative health effects of commercial products and practices
enhancing our modelling capabilities to address urgent policy and economic challenges
Improving healthy life
The health of populations is influenced by a complex interplay of individual, community, economic and societal factors. Despite the many gains of healthcare in recent years, physical and mental health challenges persist, with large differences in life expectancy and, for many people, years of life spent in ill health.
As well as the personal costs, these health challenges undermine economic prosperity and threaten unsustainable pressure on our health services. This underlines the need to act to create places and communities that can protect and sustain healthy lives for decades to come.
