A centre that will tackle the issues of health and wellbeing is to be launched at Leeds Metropolitan University.

The Institute for Health and Wellbeing will undertake research into the health status of individuals and communities and will investigate issues including men’s health, healthy communities, health promotion and nutrition and childhood obesity.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Institute Director Professor Richard Hogston said: “One of our key strengths is that our research is rooted in finding solutions that will have real impact on communities and businesses. Creating the Institute will bring together a range of related disciplines and make it easier for us all to work together, generate and apply our research to even higher levels of excellence.”

The Institute for Health and Wellbeing will house a related range of disciplines within a single unit allowing innovation and collaboration to thrive.  The University’s research foundations and strengths are rooted in the practical implications of research (‘the doing’) and the impact the research has on communities which will be nurtured through the work of the institute.

The Institute has six distinct yet related research themes: Healthy communities, Health promotion, Men’s health, Men, gender and wellbeing, Nutrition&childhood obesity, pain science and management.      

Its key benefits will include:

• A greater focus on research and enterprise, reflecting the University’s strategic plan “Quality, Relevance and Sustainability”  
• The broad definition of “Health and Wellbeing” means the Institute will bring together a wide range of relevant research without being constrained by traditional boundaries  
• The creation of a critical mass across a related range of disciplines through which innovation and collaboration can thrive  
• Reflecting the latest directions and priorities in funding, including key Government policy priorities (including workplace health and wellbeing)  
• Presenting a cohesive portal to the external environment, making it easier for the research funding community, partners and clients to engage with our experienced researchers  
• Creating the Institute will build on the existing, high profile research work which the University delivers. Most recently, academics in the Centre for Men’s Health at Leeds Metropolitan University have just completed a report which put the spotlight on the health of men right across Europe.  

The report, led by Leeds Met’s Professor of Men’s Health Alan White, set out to inform policy makers, health professionals, academics and the wider population of the health challenges men face across Europe.  The report highlights the state of men’s health in Europe as a serious public health concern.

Patterns emerging from data taken from 34 European countries show marked differences in health outcomes amongst men both between and within countries. Poor lifestyles and preventable risk factors account for a high share of premature death and illness in men, illustrating that their health disadvantage is not necessarily written in the genes but can be remedied in part by targeted policies and actions.         

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