The Prevention Research Network: Terms of Reference

The PRN is committed to the principle of transparency in matters of conflict of interest and to ensuring that PRN activities proceed without including or benefitting unhealthy commodity industry actors.

This means that a person who has worked for or on behalf of an unhealthy commodity industry organisation in the past three years, as defined below, may not be eligible to be a member of the PRN or to attend PRN events.

All declarations will be considered individually, so, for example, a person who has merely been in casual employment in a bar or shop selling unhealthy commodity products would not normally be excluded on that basis.

Unhealthy commodity industry (UCI)

This term is used to collectively refer to companies who manufacture, produce, process, distribute, import, sell and/or market products or services that are considered detrimental to physical or mental health, or a risk factor for non-communicable disease, as well as other organisations or actors representing or largely funded by such companies including business associations, social aspects organisations, charities, thinktanks, lobbyists, trade bodies, or professional services. Such products include but are not limited to alcohol, tobacco, ultra-processed/high salt/high sugar/high fat foods/beverages, breastmilk substitutes, cannabis arms/munitions, fossil fuels, and gambling. For the purposes of transparency, it also includes products where the risks or benefits are contested including, but not limited to, vaping and pharmaceutical industries.

Management of Declarations

All PRN members will be asked to make a declaration; you can do so here. Existing members will be asked to update this at regular intervals to be decided by the Co-ordinating Committee.

All members of the Co-ordinating Committee are asked to make a similar declaration prior to being accepted on the committee. Declarations will be reviewed by the leads of the PRN ‘Commercial Interactions’ Interest group, with support from the PRN RF & M and at least one of the Co-PIs, who may request further information. The leads of this interest group will provide advice to the core management group on eligibility as a PRN member or Co-ordinating Committee member, or to attend an event, and on other matters relating to management of interests and transparency with reference to contemporary standards within public health. Final decisions on eligibility will rest with the Core Management Group.

All activities of the PRN that are open to non-PRN members shall be organised to ensure that attendees, participants or speakers who are not members of the PRN provide adequate declarations to enable compliance with the principles set out above.

Existing members must notify the PRN Co-PIs should their circumstances change in future and update their declaration accordingly and promptly.

Failure to disclose or clarify relevant information may also constitute grounds for participation to be refused or for membership to be declined or revoked.

Anyone who believes they have been unfairly excluded on the basis of this policy may appeal by writing to the Co-PIs and provide clarification of their circumstances or outline why an exception should apply in their case. The PRN Co-PIs will then make the final decision, taking advice as they see fit.

What should I declare?

Based on work carried out by the PRN’s Management of Commercial Interactions in research Interest Group, it is deemed unfeasible to monitor all PRN members’ interests, interactions and past activity with all private sector actors. Due to the PRN having a focus on system level, up-stream drivers of NCDs, inter- and trans- disciplinary working is encouraged and so some PRN members may regularly or occasionally interact with private sector organisations that would not normally fulfil the definition of ‘unhealthy commodity industry’ provided above. This may include housing developers, town planners, architects, technology companies etc.

Therefore, all PRN members are asked to:

• be wary of the vested interests or alternate motives of private sector and other organisations who engage with academic and other organisations interested in prevention.
• be vigilant with regards to the principle of transparency and therefore declare any relevant interests (including links with private sector organisations) when engaging in PRN discussions and activities.
• demonstrate good practice in these matters, that is the principle of ‘if in doubt, declare’, therefore declaring any link or interest that might be relevant to PRN discussions and activities, so that listeners/readers are informed.
• declarations are not normally expected to cover a period earlier than the previous three years; however, members should declare any circumstances that could be perceived as a conflict of interest of sufficient significance or size that they are likely to be embarrassing to the individual or to the PRN if not declared and later come to light.

Declarations relating to presented/submitted work at PRN Conferences and events

A full declaration of relevant interests and support for the presented work must be provided by any speakers or presenters (including of posters) at any PRN events, activities, or conferences. Such a declaration must be included in abstracts for presentation at a Conference at the time of submission and disclosed at the start of any presentation. Particular attention should be paid to declaring any links with or funding from commercial sector organisations, or with bodies funded by such organisations.

“Funding” includes research costs, salaries, speaker fees, accommodation, transportation, and meals, but is not restricted to these. In case of such funding, any role of the funder in design, implementation and write-up of the research or project should be specified. In case there is no such interest to declare, the declaration can be “No conflict of interest to declare”.

If you are already a member, you can make a declaration here – Or if you’d like to become a member, please complete this form.