The latest news from the Centre for Diet and Activity Research > Sign up for future issues
- Health and Social Care Committee Childhood Obesity Inquiry
- Propensity for Cycling Tool launches for Wales
- ISPAH 2018 – Cambridge hosts pre- and post- Conference Satellite Meetings
- ISPAH 2018 Conference – Air Pollution and Physical Activity symposium
- Physical Activity Measurement Seminar 2018 – still time to apply!
- MRC Festival of Medical Research – Science Slam!
- CEDAR Director delivers diabetes dispatch down under
- NIHR School for Public Health Research – PhD Studentships – deadline 9 May
- Upcoming conferences and talks
- Latest CEDAR publications
- Your information and preferences
House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee Childhood Obesity Inquiry
The Health and Social Care Committee is following up its predecessor’s work in the last Parliament (Childhood obesity: brave and bold action and Childhood obesity: follow-up) by holding further evidence sessions on childhood obesity.
CEDAR and the MRC Epidemiology Unit have submitted evidence to the latest inquiry from a number of research programmes.
- Evidence from the MRC Epidemiology Unit and CEDAR (pdf)
- Evidence from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) Evaluation, led by CEDAR (pdf)
- Supplementary evidence on takeaways and child obesity (pdf)
- Visit the Committee Inquiry homepage and read other evidence submissions. Oral evidence sessions are being held in May 2018.
- Review our previous submissions to policy and guidance bodies.
Propensity for Cycling Tool launches for Wales
The Propensity to Cycle Tool (PCT) – www.pct.bike – commuting layer has now been extended to Wales, thanks to funding from the Welsh Government.
The PCT now covers Wales in the interactive online map, allowing publicly accessible visualisation of cycling potential. The data downloads are also available, providing open access data to inform transport planning decisions. The four user manuals have also been translated into Welsh.
The results reveal that, on average, cycling potential in Wales is somewhat lower than in England. This reflects the fact that trip distances are slightly longer (the proportion of trips over 10km is 47% in Wales compared with 43% in England) and that the average hilliness is greater (mean gradient 3.6% vs. 2.2%). These factors help explain why the observed 2011 cycle mode share for commuting in Wales was half that seen in England (1.6% vs. 3.2%).
The potential for cycling increase in Wales is nevertheless substantial, with a mode share of 7% in all Welsh local authorities in the tool’s “Go Dutch” scenario.
- Read more about the Wales’ cycling potential
- Visit pct.bike/m/?r=wales
- Evidence Brief February 2017 – England’s Cycling Potential: Results from the Propensity to Cycle Tool
ISPAH 2018 – Cambridge to host pre- and post- Conference Satellite Meetings
Sedentary Behaviour Mechanisms and Data Harmonisation themes
Cambridge is hosting two satellite meetings for the 2018 ISPH Conference in London 15-17 October. Both are one day meetings, taking place in less than an hour by train from London, making it possible for attendees at the main conference to travel to them for the day.
Pre-Conference Satellite – Sedentary Behaviour Mechanisms. The Moller Centre, Cambridge, Saturday 13 October 2018
The ISPAH Sedentary Behaviour Council will run this one day workshop. It will examine established and emerging evidence on the biological mechanisms via which sedentary behaviour may affect disease risk. Understanding biological pathways is critical for causal inference. Better mechanistic understanding may also provide insight into the best way to alter sedentary behaviour (reduce total duration vs ’break up’ extended bouts) in order to optimise disease prevention.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Professor Nick Wareham, Director MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge
- Professor David Dunstan, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne
- Dr Thomas Yates, University of Leicester
- Dr Audrey Bergouignan, University of Colorado
Full details at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/ispahsedentary18/
Post-Conference Satellite – Data Harmonisation. Trinity Hall, Cambridge, Thursday 18 October 2018
This meeting will create a platform to discuss harmonisation of physical activity and sedentary behaviour data globally.
- Introducing the value of and need for data harmonisation
- Describing current and novel harmonisation methods
- Discussing objective and self-report measures, and travel surveys
- Sharing best practice and discussing future opportunities
Speakers include:
- Professor Fiona Bull, WHO
- Dr Søren Brage, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge
- Professor Ulf Ekelund, Norwegian School of Sports Sciences
- Dr Andrew Atkin, University of East Anglia
- Dr Esther van Sluijs, Centre for Diet and Activity Research, University of Cambridge
Full details at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/ispahdata18 #ispahDataCam18
ISPAH 2018 – Air Pollution and Physical Activity (APPA) symposium
Also at the main 2018 ISPAH Conference, London 15-17 October CEDAR researcher Dr Marko Tainio is organising a 90 minute symposium on Air Pollution and Physical Activity. The session, co-chaired with Marko and Fiona Bull from the WHO, will look at a range of settings, exposure and outcomes.
Full line-up:
- Air pollution and physical activity epidemiology: are long-term benefits of physical activity on health modified by exposure to air pollution? Zorana Jovanovic Andersen, University of Copenhagen.
- Exposure to air pollution while being physically active, Audrey de Nazelle, Imperial College London.
- Impact of Ambient Fine Particulate Matter Air Pollution on Physical Activity: A Longitudinal Study of University Students in Beijing, China. Ruopeng An, University of Illinois.
- Air Pollution and Physical Activity – a challenge for public health. Should you avoid cycling and walking in high pollution days? Marko Tainio, University of Cambridge.
- Panel discussion: air pollution/physical activity interactions. Chaired by Fiona Bull.
Physical Activity Measurement Seminar 2018 – still time to apply!
10-14 September 2018, Møller Centre, Cambridge
This September, the MRC Epidemiology Unit will be holding its 9th Physical Activity Measurement Seminar. The seminar’s goal is to promote high quality field work in epidemiological studies through understanding of the underlying measurement principles and methods of data analysis.
The five day seminar is expected to attract delegates from all over the world. It is primarily aimed at Research Assistants and PhD students interested or involved in the objective monitoring of free-living physical activity. However, anyone interested in this area of research is more than welcome to apply.
A maximum of 24 places are available, and that the closing date for applications is Friday 4 May 2018.
There is the possibility of a subsidised cost for those from low-middle income countries. These will be considered on a case-by-case basis based on the application. If eligible to apply, they can contact pa-seminar@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk for further information prior to application.
- More information at: www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/pa-seminar
Institute of Metabolic Science Slam
7pm, Monday 18 June, Portland Arms, Cambridge
As part of the MRC Festival of Medical Research (14-24 June), come and hear scientists take part in a Science Slam.
What’s a Science Slam? It’s a thrilling competition in which scientists present their work in a comprehensible, accessible, and, most importantly, entertaining way in just three minutes.
Our scientists will be without their slides, but they are allowed one prop or costume. At the end of the evening the audience will vote and decide: which scientists will thrive and which will struggle to survive.
The Institute of Metabolic Science includes researchers from the MRC Epidemiology Unit and CEDAR, as well as the University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories (MRL), MRC Metabolic Disease Unit, the Wolfson Diabetes and Endocrine Clinic, and the Weston Centre for Childhood and Adolescent Diabetes and Endocrinology. The Science Slam will be compered by scientists and occasional BBC presenter Dr Giles Yeo.
- Full details, and a link for booking when available, will be at: mrc.ukri.org/about/getting-involved/mrcfestival/cambridge – where you can find information on other Cambridge Festival events.
- More about the MRC Festival Research at www.mrc.ukri.org/about/getting-involved/mrcfestival/
CEDAR Director delivers diabetes dispatch down under
CEDAR and MRC Epidemiology Unit Director Prof Nick Wareham gave a public lecture in Dunedin, New Zealand attend by New Zealand Minister of Health, David Clark.
Prof Wareham called for bold moves needed if New Zealand is to counter rising obesity and a diabetes epidemic.
Prof Wareham said diabetes and obesity partly reflected, and magnified social inequality. These problems would not be solved just by asking individuals to change their lives, but by wider changes to the social and urban environments.
- Read more about Prof Wareham’s talk and message in the Otago Times.
NIHR School for Public Health Research – PhD Studentships – deadline 9 May
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) School for Public Health Research is funding up to 25 PhD Studentships as part of an initiative to build capacity in public health research.
The studentships will begin in October 2018 and will be distributed across the School’s eight academic Centres, including opportunities at CEDAR.
Studentships will be aligned to the School’s research programmes and themes:
- Public mental health
- Places and communities
- Children, young people and families
- Health inequalities
- Efficient and equitable public health systems
- Changing behaviour at a population level
Deadline for applications is 12 noon, Wednesday 9 May 2018.
- Full details at http://sphr.nihr.ac.uk/about-sphr/work-with-us/
Upcoming conferences and talks
Bradford Hill Seminars
- 4 May 2018, 13:00-14:00
Professor Richard Hobbs, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford. Title TBC
Large Seminar Room, 1st Floor, Institute of Public Health, Cambridge - 18 May 2018, 13:00-14:00
Professor Marian Bakermans-Kranenburg, Leiden University
The Power of Parenting Support
Large Seminar Room, 1st Floor, Institute of Public Health, Cambridge - 15 June 2018, 13:00-14:00
Dr Melanie Abas, Kings College London
Psychological Medicine in Global Health: research for impact
Large Seminar Room, 1st Floor, Institute of Public Health, Cambridge - 5 October 2018, 13:00-14:00
Professor Andrew Morris, Farr Institute, Scotland. Title TBC
Large Seminar Room, 1st Floor, Institute of Public Health, University Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge
More talks in Cambridge
- The Annual Lecture of the Behaviour and Health Research Unit (BHRU) – Professor Theresa Marteau
18 May, 18.00. Howard Theatre, Downing College. - Two cultures – can policy makers and academic institutions ever work together effectively?
11 June, 17.30 The Fitzpatrick Hall, Queen’s College, Cambridge.
Upcoming conferences of interest
- Comparative perspectives on social inequalities in life and death – conference and public lecture
1 June 2018, Old Divinity School, St John’s College Cambridge - 1st UK Implementation Science Research Conference: Strengthening partnerships between researchers, health professionals and policy makers.
Thursday 19 July 2018, King’s College London, Denmark Hill Campus. - 15th International Conference on Urban Health: Managing Urbanisation for Health: A Priority for All Nations. 26 – 30 November 2018, Kampala, Uganda
Latest CEDAR publications
The following papers have been published or added to our publications database since the last CEDAR Bulletin. All are Open Access.
General public health
- Associations between introduction and withdrawal of a financial incentive and timing of attendance for antenatal care and incidence of small for gestational age: natural experimental evaluation using interrupted time series methods. Adams J, van der Waal Z, Rushton S, Rankin J. BMJ Open.
- Burden of Mortality and Disease Attributable to Multiple Air Pollutants in Warsaw, Poland. Piotr Holnicki, Marko Tainio, Andrzej Kałuszko and Zbigniew Nahorski. Int J Environ Res Public Health.
- Correlates of fatality risk of vulnerable road users in Delhi. Goel R, Jain P, Tiwari G. Accid Anal Prev.
- The current and potential health benefits of the National Health Service Health Check cardiovascular disease prevention programme in England: A microsimulation study. Mytton OT, Jackson C, Steinacher A, Goodman A, Langenberg C, Griffin S, Wareham N, Woodcock J. PLoS Med.
- Experiences of connectivity and severance in the wake of a new motorway: Implications for health and well-being. Nimegeer A, Thomson H, Foley L, Hilton S, Crawford F, Ogilvie D; M74 study team. Soc Sci Med.
- The health impacts of women’s low control in their living environment: a theory-based systematic review of observational studies in societies with profound gender discrimination. Pennington A, Orton L, Nayak S, Ring A, Petticrew M, Sowden A, White M, Whitehead M. Health Place.
- How do public health professionals view and engage with research? A qualitative interview study and stakeholder workshop engaging public health professionals and researchers. van der Graaf P, Forrest LF, Adams J, Shucksmith J, White M. BMC Public Health.
- Improving public health evaluation: a qualitative investigation of practitioners’ needs. Denford S, Lakshman R, Callaghan M, Abraham C. BMC Public Health.
- Modelling of road traffic fatalities in India. Goel R. Accid Anal Prev.
- NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme in England: formative evaluation of the programme in early phase implementation. Penn L, Rodrigues A, Haste A, Marques MM, Budig K, Sainsbury K, Bell R, Araújo-Soares V, White M, Summerbell C, Goyder E, Brennan A, Adamson AJ, Sniehotta FF. BMJ Open.
Diet
- Association between intake of less-healthy foods defined by the United Kingdom’s nutrient profile model and cardiovascular disease: A population-based cohort study. Mytton OT, Forouhi NG, Scarborough P, Lentjes M, Luben R, Rayner M, Khaw KT, Wareham NJ, Monsivais P. PLoS Med.
- Developing a systems-based framework of the factors influencing dietary and physical activity behaviours in ethnic minority populations living in Europe – a DEDIPAC study. Holdsworth M, Nicolaou M, Langøien LJ, Osei-Kwasi HA, Chastin SFM, Stok FM, Capranica L, Lien N, Terragni L, Monsivais P, Mazzocchi M, Maes L, Roos G, Mejean C, Powell K, Stronks K. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act.
- Sociodemographic characteristics and frequency of consuming home-cooked meals and meals from out-of-home sources: cross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort study. Mills S, Adams J, Wrieden W, White M, Brown H. Public Health Nutr.
- The challenges of interventions to promote healthier food in independent takeaways in England: qualitative study of intervention deliverers’ views. Goffe L, Penn L, Adams J, Araujo-Soares V, Summerbell CD, Abraham C, White M, Adamson A, Lake AA. BMC Public Health.
- Toward Understanding How Social Factors Shaped a Behavioral Intervention on Healthier Infant Formula-Feeding. Guell C, Whittle F, Ong KK, Lakshman R. Qual Health Res.
Physical activity
- Barriers to Investing in Cycling: stakeholder views from England. Aldred R, Watson T, Lovelace R, Woodcock J. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice.
- Changes in Physical Activity During the Retirement Transition: A Series of Novel N-of-1 Natural Experiments. McDonald S, Vieira R, Godfrey A, O’Brien N, White M, Sniehotta FF. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act.
- Changes in the mode of travel to work and the severity of depressive symptoms: a longitudinal analysis of UK Biobank. Knott CS, Panter J, Foley L, Ogilvie D. Prev Med.
- Cross-Sectional Associations of Reallocating Time Between Sedentary and Active Behaviours on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Young People: An International Children’s Accelerometry Database (ICAD) Analysis. Hansen BH, Anderssen SA, Andersen LB, Hildebrand M, Kolle E, Steene-Johannessen J, Kriemler S, Page AS, Puder JJ, Reilly JJ, Sardinha LB, van Sluijs EMF, Wedderkopp N, Ekelund U; International Children’s Accelerometry Database (ICAD) Collaborators. Sports Med.
- Cycling injury risk in London: A case-control study exploring the impact of cycle volumes, motor vehicle volumes, and road characteristics including speed limits. Aldred R, Goodman A, Gulliver J, Woodcock J. Accid Anal Prev.
- Harmonising data on the correlates of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in young people: Methods and lessons learnt from the international Children’s Accelerometry database (ICAD). Atkin AJ, Biddle SJH, Broyles ST, Chinapaw M, Ekelund U, Esliger DW, Hansen BH, Kriemler S, Puder JJ, Sherar LB, van Sluijs EMF; International Children’s Accelerometry Database (ICAD) Collaborators. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act.
- Patterns of health behaviour associated with active travel: a compositional data analysis. Foley L, Dumuid D, Atkin AJ, Olds T, Ogilvie D. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act.
- Promoting Physical Activity Through Youth Sports Programs: It’s Social. Howie EK, Daniels BT, Guagliano JM. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.
- Sedentary behaviour and risk of all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality, and incident type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and dose response meta-analysis. Patterson R, McNamara E, Tainio M, de Sá TH, Smith AD, Sharp SJ, Edwards P, Woodcock J, Brage S, Wijndaele K. Eur J Epidemiol.
- Towards co-designing active ageing strategies: A qualitative study to develop a meaningful physical activity typology for later life. Guell C, Panter J, Griffin S, Ogilvie D. Health Expect.
You can search nearly 450 CEDAR scientific papers by author, journal, study, title and abstract keywords on our publications database at www.cedar.iph.cam.ac.uk/publications
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