Lifelong Physical AcTivity TArgeting INequalities (ATTAIN): A Transformative Network for Healthy Ageing

为什么研究身体活动和不平等对健康老龄化很重要？英国人口的平均年龄在持续增长。虽然我们的寿命更长，但许多老年人在晚年的很大一部分时间里健康状况和生活质量都不佳，这在我们社会的最贫穷阶层和少数民族社区中更为明显。体育活动对健康老龄化至关重要，但支持社会贫困群体和少数民族群体体育活动有益健康的证据，以及阻止这些社区参与体育活动的因素，相对而言一直被忽视。因此，我们制定有效和可实现的身体活动干预措施的能力有限，这些干预措施有可能延长经历健康不平等的社区的健康预期寿命。我们该怎么办？包括伯明翰大学在内的研究清楚地表明，迫切需要进行研究，以了解贫困和少数民族社区体育活动的健康益处，以及这些人群参与和坚持体育活动生活需要克服的障碍。这一建议是为了建立一个研究网络，将具有不同知识和背景的人聚集在一起，共同应对这一挑战，并鼓励针对健康不平等的体育活动研究。这个网络会是什么样子？该网络将把研究人员聚集在一起；来自卫生、心理社会、环境科学等领域的学者，以及相关的医疗保健专业人员；政策制定者;以及志愿部门组织。那些经历过卫生不平等的人将作为领导者、合作伙伴和顾问成为我们网络的核心。网络指导将由专家咨询小组和利益攸关方代表指导。网络的主要目的是什么？该网络将解决核心问题：我们如何更好地了解社会贫困和少数民族社区体育活动的健康益处，克服他们面临的挑战，改善他们获得体育活动生活的机会，使他们能够健康地度过更长时间？我们的网络将集中在两个主题上：1。通过整合分子、细胞和人口水平的研究方法，了解体育活动对不同和贫困的英国社区的健康益处。确定在不同和贫困的英国社区中体育活动的物理、环境、文化和社会心理障碍，以及确保这些人群体育活动生活的有效性和公平性的解决方案。如何做到这一点？该网络将：-资助和支持这些领域的小型研究项目，为该领域的重要大规模合作奠定基础。-开展一系列活动，包括研讨会、工作坊、知识交流活动、跨学科沙坑和写作静修，将跨学科和部门的人们聚集在一起，增加跨学科的理解，并在项目的整个生命周期中促进研究人员和利益相关者之间的双向参与和反馈。-通过获得实习资金和其他培训和参与机会，培养下一代研究科学家。-运营一个专门的网站，并通过社交媒体吸引受众，使他们能够在整个网络生命周期及以后访问和参与研究和项目成果。我们的愿景是看到我们的网络惠及社会贫困和少数民族社区，并影响政策制定者和政府机构，如英格兰卫生和公共卫生部。为此，我们将与主要组织密切合作，并与所有能够为我们目标社区的福祉做出贡献的人进行公开沟通，以确保我们的工作在当地、全国乃至国际上产生影响。

Why is research in physical activity and inequality important for healthy ageing?Average age in the UK population is continually increasing. Although we are living longer, many older individuals spend a large proportion of their later years in poor health and quality of life, which becomes more apparent in the poorest sectors of our society and minority ethnic communities. Physical activity is essential for healthy ageing, but evidence to support the health benefits of physical activity in socially deprived and ethnic minority groups, and the factors that prevent these communities from participating in physical activity, has been relatively overlooked. As a result, our capacity to develop effective and attainable physical activity interventions with the potential to extend healthy life expectancy in communities who experience health inequalities is limited. What will we do?Research, including at the University of Birmingham, clearly shows an urgent need for research to understand the health benefits of physical activity in poorer and minority ethnic communities and the barriers that these populations need to overcome to participate and adhere to physically active living. This proposal is for a research network that brings together people with different knowledge and backgrounds, to work together on this challenge and encourage physical activity research that targets health inequality. What will this network look like?The network will bring together researchers; academics from health, psycho-social, environmental sciences and beyond, with relevant healthcare professionals; policy makers; and voluntary sector organisations. Those who experience of health inequality will be at the heart of our network as leaders, partners and advisors. Network steer will be guided by an Expert Advisory Group and stakeholder representatives. What is the network's main aim?The network will address the central question:How can we better understand the health benefits of physical activity in socially deprived and minority ethnic communities and overcome the challenges they face and improve their access to physically active living, so that they are able to spend more years in good health?Our network will focus on two main themes:1. Understanding the health benefits of physical activity in diverse and deprived UK communities by integrating molecular, cellular and population-level research approaches.2. Identifying physical, environmental, cultural and psycho-social barriers to physical activity in diverse and deprived UK communities and solutions to ensure effectiveness and equity in physically active living in these populations. How will this be done?The network will:- Fund and support small research projects in these areas, laying the groundwork for vital larger scale collaborations in this area.- Undertake a range of activities including seminars, workshops, knowledge exchange events, interdisciplinary sandpits and writing retreats to bring people together across disciplines and sectors, increase interdisciplinary understanding, and foster two-way engagement and feedback amongst researchers and stakeholders throughout the lifecycle of the project.- Foster the next generation of research scientists through access to funds for internships and other training and engagement opportunities.- Run a dedicated website and engage audiences via social media to enable access and engagement with research and project findings throughout the lifecycle of the network and beyond.Our vision is to see our network benefit socially deprived and ethnic minority commnunities, and influence policy makers and government bodies such as the Department of Health and Public Health England. We will do this by working closely with key organisations and communicating openly with all those who can make a difference to the wellbeing of our target communities to ensure our work has an impact locally, nationally and internationally.