Non communicable diseases make up the vast majority of illnesses in the UK, accounting for an estimated 89 per cent of all deaths. UKPRP-funded projects, like TRUUD, aim to deliver real changes that reduce the burden of these diseases on our health and social care systems and enable people to live longer, healthier lives. Many aspects of the world around us influence our health, from the communities in which we live, to the design of our cities and transport systems, the quality of our housing and education.
There is strong evidence to show that wider factors such as these, often called ‘upstream determinants’, can have a great influence on how healthy our lives will be.
No single research funder has the resources or expertise to address these complex issues on their own, which is why a partnership of twelve funders including charities, UKRI research councils and the UK health and social care departments established the multi-million pound UKPRP in 2017. UKPRP research grants aim to develop, test, and refine new, practical, and cost-effective approaches to preventing non-communicable diseases at this bigger picture level, which will in turn help to reduce health inequalities across the UK.
