SPECTRUM

Shaping Public hEalth poliCies To Reduce IneqUalities and harM

UKPRP award £5.9 million for 5 years, with additional in-kind investment from the consortium’s partners

Our research

The consortium investigated the commercial determinants of health and health inequalities, building on the work of the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies by focusing mainly on tobacco and alcohol but extending work to unhealthy food (e.g. high in fat, salt and sugar). The research aimed to increase understanding of the complex systems of production, distribution and promotion underlying the consumption of these unhealthy commodities; and understanding of the influence of producers of the commodities on the systems that promote or harm health.

The consortium (SPECTRUM) evaluated policies and natural experiments implemented in England and the devolved nations, including, for example: the introduction of minimum unit pricing for alcohol and other alcohol policies; proposed restrictions on the number and clustering density of tobacco retailers in Scotland; proposed policies to address key elements of food marketing; and variations in policies arising from ‘Brexit’. Evidence was generated on the health and economic impacts of policy interventions, including on the wider economy.

The research also: (i) mapped the local commercial environments of the commodities and model the impacts (and unintended consequences) of approaches to change those local environments; (ii) examined the relationship between the commodities, mental ill health and stigma, and explore how these could be altered; and (iii) determined how health governance and regulatory mechanisms can enhance NCD prevention policy. The methods and insights derived from the research on alcohol and tobacco were extended to apply to food where appropriate.

The SPECTRUM consortium continues to generate impact through both research and public engagement activities. A recent documentary, Unmasking Influence, explores how commercial actors shape health-related behaviours and environments, bringing SPECTRUM’s research on the commercial determinants of health to a wider audience. Developed with input from researchers and partners, the film highlights the systems-level drivers of non-communicable diseases and the importance of policy action.

Alongside this, a series of impact case studies showcases how SPECTRUM’s work has informed policy and practice across the UK and internationally. These examples demonstrate the consortium’s contribution to strengthening evidence on the commercial determinants of health and supporting interventions to reduce harm from products such as tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food.

For further details see the SPECTRUM website.

Director

Consortium members

Membership of the consortium includes:

• More than 20 academic disciplines such as law, economics, political science and geography.
• Research users from Public Health England (PHE), NHS Health Scotland and Public Health Wales as co-investigators, and knowledge brokers seconded from two of these users who are embedded in the consortium.
• Commercial partners – Sandtable and The Retail Data Partnership – will provide data, analytical platforms and skills needed to undertake the research.
• Key multi-agency alliances which aim to improve health and reduce inequalities in the UK and beyond: Alcohol Health Alliance; Obesity Alliance; Smokefree Action Coalition; Poverty Alliance; NCD Alliance.