ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Patterns of research activity related to government policy: a UK web based survey
Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr C Law
Centre for Policy Research, Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford St, London WC1N 1EH, UK; c.law{at}ich.ucl.ac.uk
Aims: To describe the patterns of child and family health and wellbeing research activity in the fiscal year (FY) 2002/2003 in relation to UK government policies.
Methods: Projects investigating the health and wellbeing of children and families were located through a web based survey of major research funders, including UK government departments and non-departmental public bodies, research councils, and medical charities. A budget was estimated for each project for the FY 2002/2003, and each project coded according to a framework which reflected government priorities and research methodologies.
Results: There was a substantial amount of project information posted on the websites of the funding organisations, but the level of detail varied. For the FY 2002/2003, 31 organisations were identified that commissioned 567 projects investigating the health and wellbeing of children and families. Based on information from organisations’ websites, this represented approximately 3% of their research budgets. Within this funding area, low proportions of research activity related to health inequalities (9% of total expenditure on child and family health research), health economic analysis (8%), primary and secondary prevention (12%), and children and adolescents at high risk of ill health (14%).
Conclusions: A limited amount of research activity on children and families health funded in the FY 2002/2003 is addressing UK government policy priorities. This suggests the need to commission further research to fill gaps in the evidence.
Keywords: mothers; public health; health policy; research activities
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Arch. Dis. Child. 2005 90: 1101.
Arch. Dis. Child. 2005 90: 1101.
This article has been cited by other articles:
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Patton, M A
(2005). Differing priorities for medical research funding. Arch. Dis. Child.
90: 1101-1101
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