A NEW five-year research project has been launched to tackle health inequalities in Coventry.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research was awarded £5million to develop the Coventry Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC), which will help inform local and national health policy.
Coventrians were shown to have below-average health in a recent council report along with widely differing life expectancies with men dying ten years earlier than others depending on where they live in the city.
Coventry’s population also has a higher premature mortality rate than other similar cities and the report found avoidable differences in health outcomes which were in part to do with alcohol use, obesity, and tuberculosis.
Other findings which impact Coventry’s health and wellbeing include a high level of homelessness among young people and families.
The HDRC will be developed by Coventry University alongside the University of Warwick, University College London and University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire to help tackle these issues.
Researchers will help the HDRC to involve the public in identifying priorities, which will allow it to serve the needs of under-served groups and areas in the city.
Its hoped the HDRC will help Coventry City Council to make decisions based on evidence, with the research focusing on the main areas affecting public health including jobs, housing, education, and living environments.
Coventry HDRC director Sue Frossell said: “The creation of the HDRC is a great opportunity to improve research capacity and capability across our organisations.
“By better understanding the wider determinants of health, we will be able to find better solutions to the health challenges of our communities.”
