Principal Investigator: Dr Benedict Wheeler
Department: University of Exeter Medical School
Institution: University of Exeter
Tags: 15374, environment, epidemiology, Geography, health, physical activity
Summary:
Lead Collaborators: Dr Nicholas Osborne
Collaborating Institution Address:
University of Sydney, Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, Room
301, Blackburn Building, NSW 2006, Sydney, Australia
Funding body: NOTE – Applicant PI has own project budget so
1a: Our research aims to investigate associations between the environmental
characteristics of participants’ place of birth and current home location, and
health outcomes(e.g. mental health and wellbeing, diabetes, cardiovascular
disease and physical activity). We will focus on specific key questions:
1. Do individuals living in closer proximity to greenspace or blue space
participate in more physical activity?
2. Does proximity to greenspace or blue space influence mental health and
wellbeing? Does physical activity mediate this?
3. Are there associations between participants’ place of birth and/or current
living environment, and physical disease (specifically cardiovascular disease and
diabetes)?
1b: Growing evidence states that where you live can influence both your mental
and physical health. We will focus our analysis on mental health, diabetes,
cardiovascular disease, obesity and physical activity. These are critical modern
public health problems costing the UK billions of pounds per annum. Our
research will result in a better understanding of the geographical factors that
contribute to improved health and wellbeing which is essential for appropriate
policy changes. Further, we aim to understand the factors that mediate the
relationship between the natural environment surrounding an individual and
their physical and mental health, which are currently poorly understood.
1c: We propose to perform geographical analysis on the UK Biobank data. We
will use the current home and place of birth location grid references from the UK
Biobank to gain an understanding of the area(s) in which participants lived or
currently live. We will then utilise statistical techniques to investigate
associations between the participants’ surrounding environment (i.e. proximity
to bluespace/greenspace, and area deprivation) and a number of outcomes
including physical health, mental health and physical activity. The size of the UK
Biobank provides a powerful opportunity to investigate how a person’s
environment influences their health and wellbeing.
1d: Full cohort
