HealthWise Wales Welsh Public Health Conference

2nd November 2015

Dr Shantini Paranjothy

Clinical Senior Lecturer Cardiff University

Scientific Lead for HealthWise Wales

• Post-industrial legacy of socio-economic deprivation

• Widening inequalities gap in and health and wellbeing

• Rapidly changing environments -- ecology, economy,

demography

• Build resilience for an aging population

The public health challenge:

What we need:

• A new partnership between the public,

researchers and policy makers

• Public at the heart of knowledge

generation and translation into practice

HealthWise Wales A national cohort study that will:

1. Actively engage and encourage the public to be

informed, inspired and involved in research

identification of research priorities

design studies and provide data for analysis

2. Create a database of potential participants for

research studies

1. Create a cohort with regular follow up to obtain

exposure and outcome data that are not routinely

available from other sources

HealthWise Wales research platform

HealthWise Wales research platform

Impact of bundles of

interventions on health and

wellbeing across the life-

course

Multiple causal

pathways and

epigenetic mechanisms

of influence

Research topics

1. Impact of social inequalities on health and

wellbeing

1. Environment, neighbourhood and health

2. Maintenance of health and wellbeing in the

working age population

3. Wellbeing in later life

4. Innovation in health and social care services

Recruitment

May 2015 – Jan 2016 • Testing data collection systems, study materials, recruitment support

systems, record linkage (n=500)

• Task and Finish group to develop strategy for bio-sampling

• Focus groups with the public – community groups

• Workshops with researchers

• Scope research plans for phase 1, data collection modules 2 and 3,

case studies

• Strategy for recruiting children

• Formal Launch 1st February 2016

Recruitment to 7th Oct 2015

0

50

100

150

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350

400

Week 0

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

Week 17

Week 18

Week 19

Week 20

Week 21

Week 22

500 by December Actual 500 by Launch

Pilot Phase: Current Status

Characteristics of participants

Number (%)*

Sex:

Male

Female

130 (33%)

264 (67%)

Age:

16-24 years

25-59 years

60+ years

35 (9%)

314 (80%)

45 (11%)

* 394 of 418 (94%) registrants have completed “About Me”

Pilot Phase: Current Status

Characteristics of participants

%

Physical activity:

Inactive

Moderately inactive

Moderately active

Active

15

11

25

50

Estimated using the General Practice Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPPAQ)

How the pilot is helping us?

• Identifying bugs in web application

• Identifying ways of improving the user experience

- Automated system for password retrieval

- Automated email to confirm enrolment

- Make the application fully mobile responsive

• Develop study and participant management component

Will allow for:

- Scheduling of all tasks (e.g. module distribution)

- Recruitment and/or data collection by phone or by

“HealthWise Wales champions”

• Understand facilitators and barriers to participation, to

inform the development of a communications strategy

for the project

Public Opinion of HealthWise Wales

Initial thoughts on the idea of

HealthWise Wales

What can we

improve?

Would you

join up?

Would your family / friends /

neighbours / colleagues join

up?

Concerns

?

Incentives?

Communicating the

methodology

How can we sell it?

Get involved

• Join HealthWise Wales

• Visit our stand

• Circulate the link, pens and postcards to your networks

• Tell us what you think:

Complete the “What I think” questionnaire

Send us an email

Complete the feedback form on the website

• Take part in workshops

Thank you for listening

Please let us know what you think

Email: healthwisewales@cardiff.ac.uk

Project team: Lisa Hurt, Luke Heslop, Gareth

Watson, Ameeta Richardson, Julia Townson,

Fiona Lugg, Zoe Roberts, Tin Lau, Shantini Paranjothy, Ronan Lyons, David Ford