Population Health Sciences

New baby sleep planner tool could help save babies lives at risk of sudden infant death

26 February 2024

A new web-based baby sleep planner, developed by researchers at the University of Bristol, could help save babies lives from sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS, a study suggests. The sleep planner tool is a new way to find out about babies risks and help keep them safe whilst sleeping. Although SIDS is rare, with one death in 3,000 to 4,000 births in England, this new tool, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), could help reduce unexplained infant deaths.

£1.6 million study will determine how bone size, shape and structure contributes towards arthritis and other musculoskeletal diseases

12 February 2018

How the size, shape and structure of bones and joints contribute towards the development of common age-related diseases such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis will be investigated by an international research team thanks to a £1.6 million Wellcome Trust award.

New £1.5M study will investigate what the ‘best interests’ are of patients who lack mental capacity

9 February 2018

A new study that will explore the healthcare decisions made in the “best interests” of patients who are unable to make decisions for themselves because they lack mental capacity or competence has been awarded £1.5 million by the Wellcome Trust.

Exposure to high humidity and temperature in pregnancy could influence blood pressure changes in childhood

10 January 2024

Outdoor humidity and temperature levels during pregnancy could affect the future blood pressure of the unborn child, according to new research by the University of Bristol, published in JACC: Advances.

Community-based early HIV testing and treatment could successfully manage and prevent emerging HIV outbreaks among people who inject drugs, study suggests

17 June 2024

Community-based testing and treatment response to Glasgow’s HIV outbreak among people who inject drugs (PWID) successfully brought the 2015 outbreak under control, modelling led by academics at the University of Bristol suggests. The study’s findings, published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases (JID), indicate that approximately three times as many people would have been infected by 2020 if these interventions had not been implemented.

Rapid realist review reveals how to achieve effective virtual wards for people with frailty

14 March 2024

Proactive care, a whole-system approach and a ‘team-of-teams’ are important elements in achieving effective virtual wards for people with frailty, according to the first rapid realist review of the evidence. The findings of the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded review, published in Age and Ageing and involving University of Bristol researchers, also apply to multidisciplinary virtual wards for other complex conditions.

Waist-to-height ratio detects fat obesity in children and adolescents significantly better than BMI, study finds

14 March 2024

An inexpensive measure of obesity in children and adolescents that could replace body mass index (BMI) has been identified in a new study as waist circumference-to-height ratio. This measure detected excess fat mass and distinguished fat mass from muscle mass in children and adolescents more accurately than BMI. The study, published in Pediatric Research, was conducted in collaboration between the universities of Bristol, Exeter and Eastern Finland.

£2.2 million for clinical trial to improve general practice response to men and children affected by domestic abuse

14 March 2024

A new clinical trial of a general practice programme to improve the identification and referral of men and children affected by domestic abuse begins in May thanks to a £2.2 million National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) award to University of Bristol researchers, in partnership with Oxford University and the social enterprise IRISi.

Weight loss intervention in people with type 2 diabetes influences cancer-associated proteins

30 January 2024

A weight loss intervention in people with type 2 diabetes was found to alter levels of cancer-related proteins, according to the findings of a new University of Bristol-led study. The study, published in eBioMedicine, is the first to show that weight loss in people recently diagnosed with diabetes can change the levels of cancer-related chemicals circulating in the blood.

Supporting childbearing women to maintain a healthy weight could reduce the risk of pregnancy complications, study finds

29 January 2024

Supporting women of childbearing age to have a healthy weight could reduce the risk of several pregnancy complications, new research led by the University of Bristol has found. The international collaborative study is published in BMC Medicine today [29 January].