The programme, PROMISE,
comprises five linked studies that aim to significantly improve the experience
and care of obese children in the UK, and help alleviate growing
pressure on the NHS.
PROMISE is led by Dr
Russell Viner at the UCL Institute of Child Health (ICH), and Dr Sanjay Kinra
at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) with funding from the
National Institute of Health Research (NIHR).
Dr Viner, reader in adolescent
medicine, and his collaborators will launch the programme today to a largely
professional audience.
The five linked studies
form a response to what are considered to be the most significant gaps in the
evidence based research to date. They are:
- To scope the impact of the National Child
Measurement Programme (NCMP) on families and on health services, introduced
in 2009
- The pilot trial of an electronic
management tool to improve decision making about onward referrals
- To improve management of adolescent
obesity by conducting an efficacy trial of the Healthy Eating and
Lifestyle Programme (HELP)
- To improve prescribing of anti-obesity
drug (AOD) in adolescence through evaluation of use in clinical practice.
- To investigate the safety and outcomes of
adolescent bariatric surgery in the UK
Dr Viner said: “PROMISE
is a response to one of the foremost health priorities in the UK. The NHS has
responsibility for treatment of the seven to ten per cent of children and young
people already obese.
“Our hope is that the
programme will have a positive impact across all levels of primary and
secondary care, resulting in significantly better outcomes for patients.”
To ensure that the
findings from this programme are implemented in practice, an implementation
work package will occupy the final 12 months of this programme. The researchers
hope to see their findings translated into patient benefit within three to five
years of completion.
Ends
Contact information:
For
further information, including an interview with Dr Viner, please contact
Hayley Dodman, Great Ormond Street Hospital press office, on 0207 239 3126 or
email dodmah@gosh.nhs.uk
For genuine and urgent out of hours call speak to switchboard on 020 7405 9200
