Population Health Sciences

Light physical activity shows great promise in reversing childhood obesity caused by being sedentary

18 December 2023

Increased sedentary time from childhood through young adulthood caused increased body fat and abdominal fat in a new follow-up study. However, the results also showed that light physical activity (LPA) may completely reverse the adverse process. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) may only reduce the effect. The study, published in Nature Communications, was conducted in collaboration between the universities of Bristol and Exeter, University of Colorado and the University of Eastern Finland.

Assisted dying ethical review published

7 November 2023

The Minister for Health and Social Services has published the Assisted Dying in Jersey Ethical Review report, which has contributions by three experts of medical law and ethics from the universities of Bristol, Manchester and Toronto.

New treatment intervention for male urinary problems shown to reduce symptoms

24 November 2023

A new intervention for men with urinary problems trialled across GP practices has shown a sustained reduction in symptoms. Findings from the University of Bristol-led Treating Urinary Symptoms in Men in Primary Healthcare (TRIUMPH) study, involving over 1,000 participants and 30 GP practices, have been published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). The study was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Obesity may not be the only factor to link ultra-processed foods to higher risk of mouth, throat and oesophagus cancers

22 November 2023

Eating more ultra-processed foods (UPFs) may be associated with a higher risk of developing cancers of upper aerodigestive tract (including the mouth, throat and oesophagus), according to a new study led by researchers from the University of Bristol and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Patients need better information on usefulness of blood tests finds new audit of UK primary care tests

21 July 2023

An audit of blood tests in UK GP practices has found that 6.2% of test results led to a new diagnosis or confirmation of a diagnosis, and abnormal or borderline results were common with only around a quarter (26.6%) of patients having results in the normal range.

International research collaboration to investigate eliminating hepatitis C in Ethiopia

26 January 2022

An international research team will lead elimination efforts of Hepatitis C in Ethiopia - one of the worst affected African countries of the disease - thanks to funding of £2.2 million by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

New research project aims to change how people talk about death and grief, thanks to National Lottery funding

26 January 2022

Grief effects everyone but is still very much a taboo subject in the UK. A new research project - Good Grief Connects - led by the University of Bristol aims to change society's attitude towards grief, death and dying thanks to funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

Major new research study to improve antibiotic prescribing for urinary tract infections in primary care

18 July 2023

New research led by the University of Bristol aims to help GPs choose the best antibiotic for treating urinary tract infections (UTIs) and reducing antimicrobial resistance (AMR), thanks to a £3 million award by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Being overweight may cause more UK hospital admissions than previously thought, finds new study

14 January 2022

Being overweight may cause more hospital admissions and higher incidences of disease and mortality than previous studies report, according to new University of Bristol-led research. The study, published in Economics and Human Biology, used a genetic technique to identify the sole impact of body composition on hospital admissions from over 300,000 people.

Granddaughters and great-granddaughters of men who start to smoke before puberty, have more body fat than expected, research shows

21 January 2022

A new study, led by the University of Bristol and published in Scientific Reports today [21 January], has reported increased body fat in females whose grandfathers or great-grandfathers began smoking before puberty.