The Mohn Centre, with colleagues in North West London, has secured funding to investigate barriers of children participating in research.

North West London Integrated Care Board (NWL ICB) with National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) in Northwest London, Mohn Centre for Children’s Health and Wellbeing, and the Association for Young People’s Health have received funding through the third round of the Research Engagement Network (REN) programme by NHS England. This work will seek to address the barriers to diverse and representative research engagement among children and young people (0-18 years).

Children and young people account for over 20% of the UK population, over 10% of healthcare spending but only around 5% of health research funding. Increasing participation of children and young people in research could lead to more effective and evidence-based interventions to improve childhood obesity, young people’s mental health, and growing health inequalities.

This funding will allow the collaborative team to explore and co-develop interventions to give researchers the experience and confidence to engage children and young people in health research and how to maximise the translation of this work.

The group will also explore the reasons why children, young people and their families sometimes choose to not take part in research. The findings of this work will be shared with colleagues across England to promote shared learning from this work nationally.

This grant is the third round of funding NWL ICB has received from the REN programme over the last 12 months to increase participation of underserved communities in research. The initial round of funding utilised roadshows, Community Research Champions and a Health Partnership Form to engage over 1,200 people from underserved communities in research. This latest round will seek to build on this impactful work.

Dr Dougal Hargreaves, Houston Reader in Paediatrics and Population Health, Imperial College London, said;

“We are delighted to receive this funding to increase our ability to work collaboratively with children and young people, building on the successful work of the Mohn Centre in North West London.

“The Research Engagement Network programme aims to learn about the barriers of children and young people engaging in research so we can improve and develop services accordingly. I am pleased that we can work to understand the barriers in North West London and share our findings nationally.”

Mr Ganesh Sathyamoorthy, Assistant Director for Partnerships and Business Development & Deputy Director Ethnicity & Health Unit, Imperial College London, said;

“This latest round of funding contributes to a significant investment by NHSE in Northwest London, to increase the diversity in research participation.  The importance of which was highlighted during the COVID pandemic. Having research trials that truly represent the diverse communities we serve are critical to providing modern and appropriate health services to all our communities.

“I am looking forward to our collaborative approach to understanding the barriers of children and young people engaging in research in North West London.”

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To find out more about the research already undertaken within the ICS REN programme visit the ARC NWL website.  

If you would like to find out more about the work of the REN programme in Northwest London in person, join us for ARC’s Collaborative Learning Event on Tuesday 7 November, more information and registration can be found on the ARC NWL website.

For more information about the Mohn Centre’s engagement work visit the Mohn Centre website.