Re-prioritising health in urban development decision-making to prevent non-communicable disease
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN12310546 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN12310546 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | CPMS 47460 |
- Submission date
- 26/02/2021
- Registration date
- 30/03/2021
- Last edited
- 28/04/2025
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Ongoing
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
There is a large amount of evidence that links our urban environments with non-communicable disease (NCD, e.g. heart disease, mental health, diabetes). Alongside this evidence, there are more and more people who are diagnosed with some sort of NCD. We are trying to use the existing evidence of the impact of the quality of urban environments on health, to change the way decisions are made at the early stages of urban development. Eventually, we hope these changes to the decision-making process will make our communities healthier, by decreasing the number of people who have NCDs.
Our research aims to firstly map out the decision-making system for creating urban developments. We then plan to work with decision-makers to identify where changes could be made to prioritise health in urban developments. Alongside this, we are working to develop a way to calculate the monetary cost of the effect of the urban environment on health and who foots this bill (e.g. employers, NHS, individuals). We are also working with members of the public to find creative ways to tell decision-makers how living in a poor-quality urban environment has an impact on individuals’ health.
Who can participate?
The research includes working with professionals who work in urban development and members of the public.
What does the study involve?
We will work with study participants to identify how health is currently considered when making urban development decisions. We will use the information to map out the current decision-making system. We will then work with professionals in the field to identify potential points where we can influence and change the decision-making system to make long-term health a priority. Participants will be interviewed and/or invited to take part in focus groups/workshops. Each interview is expected to last around 1 hour, participants will take part in 2-3 interviews over the 5-year research programme. Focus groups/workshops are expected to last 2-4 hours (timings will depend on topics covered and the number of participants).
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
We do not anticipate any risks from participating in the research. Participants may benefit from knowing that their contribution could improve our urban environments to increase the health and well-being of society in the future.
Where is the study run from?
The study is a consortium of 5 universities: University of Bristol (lead), University of Bath, University of Manchester, University of Reading, University of the West of England (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
October 2019 to September 2025
Who is funding the study?
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (UK)
UK Prevention Research Partnership
Who is the main contact?
Dr David Williams, truud-research@bristol.ac.uk
Contact information
Scientific
Bristol Medical School
1-5 Whiteladies Road
Bristol
BS8 1NU
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)117 42 84679 |
|---|---|
| truud-research@bristol.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Non-randomized; Both; Design type: Prevention, Complex Intervention, Qualitative |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Observational |
| Secondary study design | Epidemiological study |
| Study setting(s) | Community |
| Study type | Prevention |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use the contact details to request a patient information sheet |
| Scientific title | TRUUD: Tackling Root Causes Upstream of Unhealthy Urban Development |
| Study acronym | TRUUD |
| Study objectives | Providing evidence to key decision-makers of health outcomes using economic valuation, alongside understanding of potential barriers and solutions, can lead to changes in policy and practice that may lead to substantial decreases in the incidence of non-communicable disease linked to urban planning, development and management in the future. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 09/09/2020, University of Bristol Faculty of Health REC (First Floor South, Senate House, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TH, UK; +44 (0)117 331 8197; nathan.street@bristol.ac.uk), ref: 94162 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Public Health |
| Intervention | Participants will be interviewed and/or invited to take part in focus groups/workshops. They will be asked about the decision-making systems for urban developments. For participants in focus groups/workshops, there will also be an opportunity for participants to discuss and debate information provided by other participants and/or the research team. Each interview is expected to last around 1 hour, participants will take part in 2-3 interviews over the 5-year research programme. Focus groups/workshops are expected to last 2-4 hours (timings will depend on topics covered and number of participants). In addition, there are embedded researchers in two local authorities, who will be conducting participant-observer research through working within local authority teams and attending relevant meetings. For this work, participation will be on an opt-out basis. |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure | Interviews and focus groups/workshops conducted at 3 time points over 5 years will be used to gather data in 3 phases: Phase One: 1. Systems map providing detail on the system of decision making by actors who operate upstream 2. Key areas for intervention in this system, using a qualitative multi-method design including participant co-production 3. Contextual factors of importance in case studies, using a participant-observer approach Phase Two: 4. Set of interventions, designed specifically for intervention points identified in Phase One, using a qualitative multi-method design including participant co-production 5. Efficacy of interventions, using qualitative multi-method design including participant co-production Phase Three: 6. Revised interventions, using qualitative multi-method design including participant co-production 7. Efficacy of interventions in short term, using qualitative multi-method design including participant co-production |
| Secondary outcome measures | There are no secondary outcome measures. |
| Overall study start date | 01/10/2019 |
| Completion date | 30/09/2025 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Other |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 200 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Professionals in the field of urban development with influence: 1.1. Formal position 1.2. Part of the process in which relevant decisions are being made 1.3. Causation/ centrality to the decision making process upstream 2. Individuals who have an understanding of the system |
| Key exclusion criteria | Individuals deemed to be mid- or downstream actors |
| Date of first enrolment | 20/04/2020 |
| Date of final enrolment | 30/05/2025 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- Scotland
- United Kingdom
Study participating centres
1-5 Whiteladies Road
Bristol
BS8 1NU
United Kingdom
Bath
BA2 7AY
United Kingdom
Manchester
M13 9PL
United Kingdom
RG6 6BZ
United Kingdom
Bristol
BS16 1QY
United Kingdom
Stirling
FK9 4LA
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
University/education
1 Cathedral Square
Bristol
BS1 5DD
England
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)117 3940177 |
|---|---|
| research-governance@bristol.ac.uk | |
| Website | http://bristol.ac.uk/ |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/0524sp257 |
Funders
Funder type
Government
No information available
Government organisation / National government
- Alternative name(s)
- National Institute for Health Research, NIHR Research, NIHRresearch, NIHR - National Institute for Health Research, NIHR (The National Institute for Health and Care Research), NIHR
- Location
- United Kingdom
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 30/09/2026 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Planned publication in a high-impact peer-reviewed journal. |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protocol article | 10/02/2021 | 15/03/2021 | Yes | No | |
| Other publications | Development and optimisation of intervention | 26/04/2025 | 28/04/2025 | Yes | No |
Editorial Notes
28/04/2025: Publication refrence added.
18/08/2024: The following changes were made:
1. The recruitment end date was changed from 30/05/2024 to 30/05/2025.
2. The overall study end date was changed from 30/09/2024 to 30/09/2025.
3. The intention to publish date was changed from 30/09/2025 to 30/09/2026.
4. The UK Prevention Research Partnership was added as a funder.
5. The main contact was updated.
6. The University of Stirling was added as an additional study participating centre, and Scotland was added as a Country of recruitment.
26/02/2021: Trial’s existence confirmed by National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
