An initiative supporting research into heart disease prevention

National Prevention Research Initiative - Phase IV

Heart and circulatory disease cause thousands of deaths in the UK each year. The British Heart Foundation has awarded £1million over the next 5 years to continue its support for The National Prevention Research Initiative, a collaboration between government departments, research councils and medical charities to encourage research into the prevention of heart disease. This grass-roots work is vital to improving the health of people in the UK. For example, some projects are looking at particular communities and ways to encourage them to incorporate better lifestyle choices in their daily routine – such as walking, using green space, and healthier eating, particularly for children. Researchers are trying to understand at the community level what factors affect people’s behaviour and lifestyle choices. For campaigns to be effective, they need to consider the influence of social circumstances such as ethnic origin and financial factors. Methods of encouraging people to stop smoking are also being looked at. About a fifth of UK adults smoke, which substantially increases their risk of heart disease. Raising awareness of the impact of smoking and opening up access to stop-smoking aids could substantially help lower deaths from smoking-related disease.