Using community participatory arts to improve understanding and communication of the barriers and facilitators to weight management and cardiovascular disease support, among currently underserved communities most at risk

About the Project

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in the UK, and obesity is a significant risk factor. However, both cardiovascular disease and obesity do not affect all communities equally, resulting in significant inequalities across the country, where the north of England is most severely affected.

Methods

Transcultural and transgenerational community participatory arts-based research.

Significance and purpose of this research

People living in socio-economic deprivation, with learning disabilities, or severe mental illness, and from minoritised ethnic communities are amongst the populations most at risk of developing obesity and cardiovascular disease.

We therefore need to find better ways to work with our most high risk communities, to:

1. Help understand the barriers and facilitators to accessing support, and
2. Improve communication methods to help raise community awareness and promote more tailored research, policy and practice.

Aim and objectives

Aim: To use creative community participatory arts to improve the understanding and communication of the barriers and facilitators to weight management and cardiovascular disease support.

Objectives:

1. Co-design the research plan with the target community. This may include training community peer researchers.
2. Use community participatory arts methodologies to understand the barriers and facilitators to cardiovascular and weight management support.
3. Co-create a creative output to improve awareness within the target community.
4. Create and implement a dissemination plan to share the output to wider policy, practice and research stakeholders.
5. Evaluate the impact of the output among the target community, and wider policy, practice and research stakeholders.

Expected outcomes/impact

This research will be affiliated to the prestigious NIHR cardiovascular inequalities award, where Leeds Beckett University are part of the Trans Pennine consortium. In addition to the student’s doctoral thesis, it is hoped that the research will result in an arts-based output that will be used to share learning with communities, and across the NIHR cardiovascular disease consortium, the Northern Obesity Research Alliance and policy and practice partners across the Integrated Care Boards and Office of Health Improvement and Disparities, to influence change to research, policy and practice.

Additional information

Mode of study: Full-time
Start date: 01 February 2027
Shortlisting date: tbc (September 2026)
Interview date: tbc (October 2026)