The causes of health inequalities in North Yorkshire are to be identified through a new research project.
Funding worth £5 million will be allocated to North Yorkshire Council, by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, to support the council and its partners to better understanding the capacity and skill issues that are impacting the health of North Yorkshire’s communities.
Coming as part of a wider £55 million scheme, the NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration North Yorkshire project is a five-year programme to not only inform but also shape how council services are delivered. In North Yorkshire, the council will be researching this alongside Hull York Medical School, the University of Hull, and the University of York.
Councillor Michael Harrison, North Yorkshire Council’s Executive Member for Health and Adult Services, said:
“Research shows us that education, income, housing, and access to transportation play a significant role in an individual’s overall health.
“This collaboration will help us better identify the local social economic and environmental factors that influence the health and wellbeing of our residents and help the council with our partners to shape policies and interventions that promote health equity.”
According to the latest English Indices of Deprivation report, one in every 17 people in North Yorkshire lives in an area that is among the 20% most deprived in the country.
Director of the NIHR Public Health Research Programme, Professor Brian Ferguson, also commented:
“We expect the Health Determinants Research Collaboration areas to engage actively with their local communities to listen to people’s views and involve them appropriately in shaping and undertaking research.
“By focusing on the wider determinants of health such as employment, housing, education and the physical environment, the areas we are supporting have a tremendous opportunity to make a lasting impact on health inequalities and wider deprivation.”
Image credit: iStock
