Research Question: What are the effective* interventions to promote healthy eating in minority ethnic groups**? https://www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/1554-interventions-to-promote-healthy-eating-in-minority-ethnic-groups/11754
*‘Effectiveness’ in this context relates not only to the size of the effect, but it also takes into account any harmful or negative side effects, including inequitable outcomes.
**The Office for National Statistics considers minority ethnic groups to be people whose self-identity is not White British. However, ethnicity is recognised as a concept with multiple components, and applicants may propose any groups where approaches beyond usual population interventions for healthy diet may be needed.
Population: Minority ethnic groups. Relevant populations or sub-groups may be studied. Researchers to specify and justify.
Intervention (non-NHS): Interventions that aim to improve the healthiness of diet and improve nutrition.
Comparator: Non provision or usual practice.
Outcomes: Measures related to healthy eating and dietary intake. Researchers to specify and justify.
Intervention (non-NHS): Interventions that aim to improve the healthiness of diet and improve nutrition.
Comparator: Non provision or usual practice.
Outcomes: Measures related to healthy eating and dietary intake. Researchers to specify and justify.
Commissioning brief: People from some minority ethnic groups can be more susceptible to some illnesses such as diabetes, coronary disease, hypertension and stroke, which can be affected by dietary intake. There is a research gap about effective interventions for promoting healthy diet for minority ethnic groups.
There is a need for research focussing on primary prevention through promoting healthy eating. There are significant gaps in knowledge including about eating habits of minority ethnic groups in the UK, food purchasing behaviour, drivers for dietary patterns and dietary intake and the effect of food marketing and the retail environment.
There is a lack of studies adapting health promotion interventions to the needs of minority ethnic groups in the UK. Healthy eating interventions should consider income, socioeconomic status, food availability and access, health, religion & dietary laws, food beliefs and amount of time available for food shopping & preparation. Healthy eating resources should be translated into the preferred language of minority ethnic groups, where applicable.
Studies should generate evidence to inform the implementation of single or multi-component interventions. Studies may include evidence syntheses, studies evaluating interventions, including trials, quasi- and natural experimental evaluations, and feasibility and pilot studies for these. We welcome applications for linked studies (e.g. pilot + main evaluation). Secondary analyses of existing epidemiological data and/or impact modelling studies may also be funded. We encourage the adoption of a systems perspective where appropriate to the study context. In all cases a strong justification for the chosen design and methods must be made.
The primary outcome measure of the research, if not necessarily the intervention itself, must be health-related. The positive or negative impacts of the intervention, including inequitable outcomes should be considered. Researchers are asked to indicate how long-term impacts will be assessed. All applications should identify underlying theory and include a logic model (or equivalent) to help explain underlying context, theory and mechanisms. Proposals should ensure adequate public involvement in the research.
For all proposals, applicants should clearly state the public health utility of the outcomes and the mechanisms by which they will inform future public health policy and practice. Details about the potential pathway to impact and scalability of interventions, if shown to have an effect, should be provided, including an indication of which organisation(s) might fund the relevant intervention(s) if widely implemented.
Representatives of policy or practice communities relevant to the project should be directly engaged or involved with the development and delivery of PHR research because this produces research that is more closely grounded in, and reflective of, their concerns and makes the subsequent uptake and application of research findings more likely. By policy or practice, we mean any organisation that is involved in shaping policy or delivering public health services relevant to the research, whether at local or national levels. This might include local authorities, charities, voluntary organisations, professional bodies, commercial organisations, governmental and arms-length bodies.