Getting involved in public health research as a member of the public

Sylwch, mae’n bosibl bod gwefannau ac adnoddau allanol yn ddarparu eu cynnwys yn y Saesneg yn unig.

At the University of Bristol, researchers are looking at patterns in health data in large populations. These patterns can help uncover what might make people more at risk of health conditions such as cancer, poor mental health, heart disease, diabetes and pregnancy problems. This information can be useful in helping medical staff in advising on lifestyle and treatments. Public and Patient Involvement is an important part of health research. Members of the public provide important feedback on research plans, help keep research relevant to  and help to communicate research findings in a way that the public can understand.

The Caerphilly Prospective Study (CAPS) was conducted on over 2,500 men aged between 45-59 in the Caerphilly area between 1979-1996 to help improve our knowledge of the possible causes of heart disease, stroke, dementia and death. Many biological factors, e.g., blood pressure and molecules in the body, were studied as well as factors such as smoking, traffic noise, sleep quality and diet. So far, the study has highlighted how a healthy lifestyle e.g., non-smoking, an acceptable Body Mass Index, a high fruit and vegetable intake, regular physical activity, and low/moderate alcohol intake is associated with reductions in death the risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and cognitive impairment decline and dementia.

The researchers want to continue to use this important data in their research and the involvement of the public from the South Wales area in their continuing research would be particularly useful. They are holding a free webinar to let you know what they are working on and how you could help.

This webinar is being run by the University of Bristol if you have any questions, please contact the event team.