A public health expert from the University of Sheffield has won a prestigious European award for research supporting groundbreaking enhancements in tackling obesity.
Dr Laura Gray, a research fellow at the University of Sheffield’s School of Medicine and Population Health, has been named as the winner of the EASO-Novo Nordisk Foundation New Investigator Award in Public Health. The award has been given in recognition for her excellence and commitment to obesity research.
Obesity is a huge public health problem, The Health Survey for England 2021 estimates that 25.9 percent of adults in England are obese. Unlike other major public health concerns, such as alcohol consumption and smoking, the prevalence of obesity continues to rise. Research is vital to understand how interventions can successfully reverse this trend and target the appropriate individuals in order to see a decrease in the prevalence of obesity across all age groups in the UK.
Dr Gray has conducted extensive research on obesity and population health. She has a particular interest in obesity across the life course and has led research on childhood obesity and obesity in older adults as well as analysing trends in obesity across time, with age and between birth cohorts.
In her most recent study Dr Gray looked at how changes in Body Mass Index (BMI) can significantly affect our health as we grow older.
Body Mass Index (BMI), a measure of body weight relative to height, has long been associated with various health issues, including diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
This comprehensive study, utilising data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, uncovered four distinct BMI trajectories among adults over the age of 50. Each trajectory represents a unique pattern of BMI change over time.
Whilst the study found that these BMI trajectories had minimal impact on overall mortality rates, cancer risk, or stroke risk, they were significantly linked to the risk of specific health conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, arthritis, and heart problems.
This research challenges the traditional approach of using single BMI measurements to assess health risks, especially in older adults. Instead, it emphasises the crucial importance of considering changes in BMI over time when evaluating potential health risks.
These findings hold considerable implications for healthcare professionals, potentially enabling them to identify individuals at risk for negative health outcomes tied to BMI fluctuations as they age. Additionally, this research could inform more accurate and tailored cost-effectiveness analyses and economic evaluations related to obesity prevention and treatment.
In addition to the New Investigator in Public Health award Laura will receive a 300,000 Danish Krone research grant. This will support further research into different measures of obesity, in particular waist related measures and to compare these with the more traditional BMI to determine the most appropriate way to identify obesity-related risks and inform future national guidelines, such as NICE guidelines, which currently state that more research is needed on these measures, particularly in children.
Dr Laura Gray, research fellow at the University of Sheffield’s School of Medicine and Population Health said: “Obesity is a growing public health problem and inequalities are increasingly playing a role. The costs of obesity and overweight to the NHS and the wider economy are significant. In order to better target obesity related interventions and policies at the right people, more research is needed on how we measure obesity to identify those most in need of support.
“I have been strongly committed to obesity and public health research since the start of my academic career so I am delighted to have received this recognition award.”
EASO President, Professor Jason Halford said:“Congratulations to the New Investigator Award winners. We are delighted to continue our partnership with the Novo Nordisk Foundation in supporting these research grants which are focused on groundbreaking advancements in obesity. We eagerly anticipate hearing the winners’ presentations and participating in their official recognition sessions during the upcoming European Congress on Obesity,”
Dr Gray will receive the The EASO-Novo Nordisk Foundation New Investigator Award in Public Health at the 30th European Congress on Obesity,12-15 May 2024.