The Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR) studies the population-level influences on what we eat and how much physical activity we do. We are developing and evaluating public health interventions, and helping to shape public health practice and policy.
Established in 2008 as one of five UKCRC Public Health Research Centres of Excellence, CEDAR is part of the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, and brings together the Unit’s public health research teams to work with other leading research organisations, and collaborate with public health organisations, schools, charities and policy bodies. A particular focus of CEDAR now is to communicate our public health research to practice and policy.
Our research
The physical, social and economic environment influences what we eat and how much we move around. These dietary and physical activity behaviours have an effect on our health, others around us, and the wider world.
We study these behaviours in different settings and across the life-course, examine how the environment shapes our behaviours, and discover how we might target whole populations and systems to bring about a positive shift in our health.
CEDAR people
CEDAR draws on the expertise of a wide range of scientific disciplines, including behavioural science, biostatistics, epidemiology, health economics, health geography, and nutrition research.
We are also continuing to build research capacity for the future by supporting the careers of MPhil and PhD students, and post-doctoral fellows in public health.
Our work is underpinned by the systems and structures of the MRC Epidemiology Unit, including specialist expertise in data management, study coordination, the measurement of diet and physical activity behaviours, and communications.
CEDAR partnerships
Our research is being used to develop and evaluate public health interventions, and is guided by the needs of public health practice. We work with public health organisations, schools, charities and a range of government, policy and guidance bodies.
Experience gained at CEDAR also informed the development of the NIHR Global Health Group on Diet and Activity Research (GDAR). GDAR is generating evidence on the factors that lead to poor diet and physical inactivity in low and middle income countries, evaluating interventions to change these factors, and using mathematical modelling to investigate the long-term health and economic effects of these interventions.
- Find out more at www.gdarnet.org
