Health bodies seeking to promote air quality research

Two major public health bodies are looking to promote a series of projects to understand the effectiveness of measures to tackle air pollution.

Effectiveness of green walls will be among the areas covered in the research

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) are jointly seeking to promote research that will inform future guidance for local authorities and other organisations when improving air quality.

Research is being sought in the following areas:

• How physical barriers (including ‘green walls’) affect air quality
• The most effective way to encourage people to choose low to zero-emission modes of travel
• Whether clean air zones help to improve our long-term health
• Whether air quality alerts are an effective way to change someone’s exposure to air pollution
• How a person’s choice of transport affects the amount of air pollution they are exposed to, and whether this changes the amount of physical activity they participate in

Funding is available for researchers looking to contribute to the findings.

In documents detailing the scope of the studies, NIHR has stated: “Research is needed which aims to prevent a range of health conditions, deaths and reduce health inequalities by improving air quality. Studies which consider population level interventions, are multidisciplinary, address health inequalities and which may be conducted separately but link to each other would be welcome.”

In June, NICE published guidance outlining a number of key health recommendations for tackling air pollution. This included addressing vehicle idling and implementing clean air zones in areas of poor air quality.

Related Links
NIHR – Funding opportunities