The Early Life and Adolescence Cluster looks to improve the health and wellbeing of children, young people and their families through undertaking and promoting public health research of the highest quality, in a variety of settings, and to seek to translate findings into policy and practice wherever possible.

We aim to draw together and support collaborations between researchers, policy makers, practitioners and public contributors with interests in sustaining or improving the health and wellbeing of these groups. We explore how to provide a ‘healthy start’ through critical periods of development, from pre-conception, pregnancy, infancy, preschool and school years, adolescence and the transition to independence and adulthood. Our members have academic and practice expertise in a range of public health topics relevant to these life stages including obesity, smoking, alcohol, immunisations, mental and emotional wellbeing and sexual health.

The cluster objectives are to collaboratively develop, conduct,  evaluate and translate research to:

• Promote a healthy start in life by focusing on determinants affecting a healthy pregnancy (including preconception health), infancy, childhood and adolescence
• Promote healthy emotional and mental wellbeing among children, young people and their families
• Reduce risk taking behaviours among young people that adversely affect their health and wellbeing
• Inform and influence policy and practice on the linkages between child health and social/ structural inequalities through acting on social determinants of child health
• Promote the inclusion of children’s and families’ voice in the planning, implementation, delivery and evaluation of related national and local policies

To achieve this, we seek to build effective and lasting partnerships with policy and practice partners for collaborative co-production of public health research in these critical life stages. Additionally, we seek to increase research capacity by  fostering career development opportunities for early career researchers and post graduate researchers in this field.

The cluster aligns  with work taking place in the Fuse Behaviour change and Health inequalities research clusters, and the Children, Young People and Families theme in the NIHR School for Public Health Research.

Contact

Dr Ruth McGovern - Cluster Lead, Newcastle University

Email: r.mcgovern@ncl.ac.uk