The Northern Hub for Veterans and Military Families Research at Northumbria University has received almost £125,000 in funding from the
Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust to broaden the understanding of the social
determinants of health among military connected children and young people.
The social
determinants of health are defined by the World Health Organisation as the non-medical factors that
influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work,
live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions
of daily life.
The
'Military Children' Promote, Protect, Prevent project, led by Dr Paul Watson, Assistant Director of the Northern
Hub for Veterans and Military Families Research and Assistant Professor in
Nursing at Northumbria University, will see the creation of a bespoke Social Determinants
of Health (SDH) survey designed to capture detailed information about the experiences
of military connected children and young people, to understand how these
experiences shape the conditions in which military connected children and young
people live, grow and age.
The SDH
survey will have three variations, suited to different age groups, and will aim
to gather information directly from children and young people on their own
experiences of numerous social determinants of health. These include economic
stability, educational attainment, access to healthcare, neighbourhood and
environment, safety in their communities, housing and living conditions.
Speaking about
the project, lead researcher Dr Paul Watson said: “This project is quite unique
as previous studies have collected similar information from parents and carers,
which ultimately provides us with an adult interpretation of a child’s life. In
this instance we will be collecting the data directly from the military
connected children and young people based on their own lived experience, so
we’re really excited about that.
“We’ve also
made the decision to look at all five of the groups of the social determinants
of health. Historically the focus of research within this population has been
focused on the educational opportunities and attainment levels. We’re hoping through
this study to gain a broader knowledge of the experiences of children and young
people connected to the military and as a result improve our understanding of how
their unique environment shapes their overall health and wellbeing.
“Ultimately,
we hope the findings of this project will provide a foundational benchmark to more
thoroughly inform the interventions we create and the work we do with
government, local authorities and statutory and third-party service providers
to support those living and working within the military going forward.”
The project
will be delivered through a collaborative partnership that also includes Kings
College London (KCMHR), Edinburgh Napier University, The University of Central
Lancaster, Anglia Ruskin University (VFi) and think tank RAND Corporation.
Speaking on
the project Dr Rachael Gribble, Lecturer in War and Psychiatry within the
Department of Psychological Medicine at Kings College London said: “I
am delighted to be involved in the project, along with the other members of the
research team.
“Previous work at the King’s Centre for Military Health Research has highlighted the impacts military service can have on children from military
families, not only when they are young but throughout their lives and into
adulthood. This project will provide much needed understanding of the
experiences affecting children from military families, give providers
additional insight and knowledge to support families and children, and help
improve their health and wellbeing”.
As part of
the process, the team will also be holding four individual co-design events to
give those who will use the SDH survey the chance to review any prototypes and
give their feedback to inform the final product, ensuring it is fit for
purpose.
Once
developed, the SDH survey will be shared via existing networks across the armed
forces sector allowing children and young people to answer questions and submit
information about their own lived experiences – providing the research team
with unique access to their perspectives.
Speaking on
the funding award, Sonia Howe, Director of Policy at the Armed Forces Covenant
Trust said: “Our overall outcome for these awards will be to have added
significantly to the understanding of complex problems so that solutions can be
developed, and to have funded innovative solutions that can demonstrate
positive outcomes for individuals.
These
solicited awards complement our wider suite of open programmes in 2024/25,
providing a range of funding opportunities for charities, CICs, local
authorities and other statutory organisations, and Armed Forces bases/units.”
The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust
supports the Armed Forces Covenant by delivering funding programmes that create
real change to Armed Forces communities in the UK. The Trust is a charity and a
Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Ministry of Defence. Find out
more by visiting their website.
The Northern Hub
for Veterans and Military Families Research is a multi-disciplinary team that
conducts translational research in the Armed Forces Community covering health
and social care, public health, psychology, social policy, human geography and
nursing. The team work to facilitate collaboration across the armed forces
sector and work with a variety of organisations including government, local
authorities, the NHS and third sector to improve the lives of those they
support. Find out more about the hub’s work by visiting their web pages.
Northumbria
University is dedicated to reducing health and social inequalities,
contributing to the regional and national workforce and improving social,
economic and health outcomes for the most marginalised in society. Through its
new Centre for Health and Social Equity, researchers will be delivering
world-leading health and social equity research and creating innovative,
evidence-based policies and data-driven solutions to bring impactful change
across the region, the UK and globally.
