Is a cluster randomised control trial evaluating effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a childhood obesity prevention programme delivered in community settings along with exploration of its influence on the childhood obesity system.

September 2022-September 2027

Project Lead: Professor Maria Bryant

Co-apps:

• Michelle Collinson, Principal Statistician, University of Leeds
• Professor Alicia O'Cathain, Professor of Health Services Research
• Dr Adam Martin, Associate Professor in Health Economics, University of Leeds
• Dr Bethan Copsey, Senior Statistician, University of Leeds

York Researchers

• Dr Wendy Burton
• Professor Philip Garnett

Funder: NIHR PHR

Link to project.

A Longitudinal qualitative study to investigate what approaches used by community food assets are most likely to help prevent the need for emergency food in two multicultural populations in the North and South of England and use the research to inform local authorities as to how best to invest in these or other resources.

March 2023-October 2025

Project leads: Professor Maria Bryant and Dr Laura Sheard

Co-apps

• Dr Madeleine Power, Research Fellow, University of York
• Rose Dunlop, Deputy Director Public Health, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
• Shahid Islam, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Dr Ariadne Kapetanaki, School for Business & Society, University of York
• Professor Bob Doherty, School for Business & Society, University of York
• Sairah Mirza, Member of the public (Public Involvement Representative)
• Professor Claire Cameron, Professor of Social Pedagogy, University College London
• Ellie Kershaw, Head of Tackling Poverty, The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
• Professor Kate Pickett, Professor of Epidemiology, University of York

York Researchers

• Dr Giorgia Previdoli
• Dr Wendy Burton
• Dr Philip Hadley, School for Business & Society
• Dr Rachel Benchekroun, University College of London

Funder: NIHR

Link to project. 

Act Early is a UK Prevention Research Partnership funded initiative that aims to improve the health and opportunities for children living in areas with high levels of deprivation; Bradford, West Yorkshire and Tower Hamlets, London.

2019-end of March 2025

Project lead: Professor John Wright (BIHR) and Professor Trevor Sheldon (QMUL).

Co-apps

• Professor Maria Bryant
• Dr Laura Sheard
• Professor Kate Pickett
• Professor Phil Garnett
• Professor Richard Cookson
• The Act Early team

York Researchers

• Dr Liina Mansukoski
• Louise Padgett
• Patience Gansallo

Funder: UKPRP

Link to project.

FixOurFood in Schools is a research and action partnership working across a number of school food-focused initiatives.  This is a work package within the greater FixOurFood project – an ambitious, visionary 5-year project – which started in 2020. FixOurFood in Schools has a vision for affordable, healthy, sustainable and tasty food for all; good for the health of our children and our planet. The aim is to support Yorkshire primary schools in delivering on the difficult task of providing healthy school meals to all children, which are created from fresh, sustainable and locally sourced produce. This is done by working with schools to help support positive change for all young people.

January 2021-January 2026

Project lead: Professor Bob Doherty

Co-apps

• Professor Maria Bryant

York Researchers

• Dr Sundus Mahdi
• Louise Padgett
• Nicola Nixon
• Georgia Irving
• Rob Oxley

Funder: UKRI

Link to project.

Auto-Enrolment is a nested project within FixOurFood. This is an  action-oriented project to support and evaluate the implementation of  free school meal (FSM) auto-enrolment processes within local authorities, both in Yorkshire and nationwide.

The project also aims to provide evidence for, and support campaigning on, FSM auto-enrolment on a national level, so that the process for being registered for FSM is taken on by government departments (Department for Education and the Department for Work and Pensions). Putting FSM auto-enrolment processes in place at this level will ensure that as many children as possible from very low income households are receiving the support to which they are entitled.

June 2023-December 2024

Project lead: Professor Maria Bryant

Co-apps

• Dr Shona Goudie, The Food Foundation
• Myles Bremner, Bremner & Co
• Dayna Brackley, Bremner & Co

York Researchers

• Sundus Mahdi
• Louise Padgett
• Rob Oxley

Funders: UKRI, TUKFS

Link to project.

Co-design of a system wide approach to support primary schools to implement a whole school approach to food. 

January 2021-June 2022

Project lead: Professor Maria Bryant

Co-apps

• Professor Jayne Woodside, Professor of Human Nutrition, Queens University Belfast
• Dr Charlotte Evans, Associate Professor, School of Food and Nutrition, University of Leeds
• Dr Suzanne Spence, Research Fellow, Newcastle University
• Dr Sara Ahern, Programme Manager of the Better Start Bradford Innovation Hub, Bradford Institute of Health Research
• Professor Amir Sharif, Associate Dean, University of Bradford
• Professor Harry Rutter, Professor of Global Public Health, University of Bath
• Tim Baker, Headteacher London

York Researchers

• Dr Wendy Burton

Link to project.

Study to find out whether the low-calorie diet programme that has been tested in studies can work as well when delivered as part of the NHS, in helping patients to lose weight and improve their diabetes.

Researchers in the PHN team lead the transferability work package.

July 2022-November 2023

Project lead: Professor Louisa Ells, Leeds Beckett University

Co-apps

• Professor Maria Bryant

York Researchers

• Dr Wendy Burton
• Nicola Nixon
• Louise Padgett

Funder: NIHR, HS&DR

Link to project. 

A coalition of researchers working together to evaluate a programme of interventions serving families of children aged 0-4 years in three wards of Bradford.

The Hub is funded by Better Start Bradford, as part of the £215 million 'A Better Start' project from the National Lottery Community Fund.

(2015-2025)

Project lead: Professor John Wright

Co-apps

• Professor Maria Bryant
• Dr Sarah Blower

York Researchers

• Dr Dea Nielsen
• Dr Behnam Tajik
• Professor Kate Pickett

Link to project.

Project to evaluate the impact of a Clean Air Zone on air quality, health and health inequalities in the city of Bradford.

PHN leads on work package 1 - implementation evaluation.

July 2020-June 2025

Project lead: Rosie McEachan, Bradford Institute of Health

Co-apps

• Professor Maria Bryant

York Researchers

• Dr Behnam Tajik

Funders: NIHR, PHR

Link to project.

Network of local electronic birth cohort studies. Supported by the Born in Bradford programme, BaBi sites invite pregnant women to join the project and allow health researchers to join together routinely colleting data about them and their baby.

March 2019-no end date

Project leads: Sally Bridges, BIHR, Professor Maria Bryant, University of York

York Researchers

• Dr Kath Roberts
• Dr Liina Mansukoski

Funders: NIHR, CRN

Link to project.   

Professor Bryant leads a portfolio of Diet, Nutrition and Obesity research within the Bradford Institute of Health Research. This work is focused on providing evidence to support policy and service change to improve health and wellbeing in pregnancy and in families with children.  Data that have been collected from thousands of families in the area over 15 years has been supported over 65 publications by multiple local, national and international collaborators. Research covers a range of areas, including food insecurity, childhood obesity and school food (see most recent Evidence Briefing here).