Southampton researchers are to bring new insight into COVID-19 risk factors for children in South Africa. Most research during the pandemic has focused on middle to high income settings. This has led to successful vaccination and public health programmes to combat COVID-19. This new study will build understanding for children from low-income populations. It is led by Professor John Holloway from the University of Southampton and NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre. Risk factors Working with researchers at the University of Cape Town, Professor Holloway will analyse samples from 450 children who are part of the Drakenstein Child Health Study cohort in Cape Town. This will identify the major risk factors of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. The research will study disease spectrum, long-term outcomes, the role of antibody testing, and identify new targets for treatment in children. Global partnership The study is funded by an NIHR Global Effort on COVID-19 (GECO) grant and also supported by a Global Partnership Award from the University of Southampton. Professor Holloway said: “We are very proud to be starting this international study that will provide valuable information about Covid infections in children. This is a very different population to those that have been studied so far in the pandemic which mostly have been from resource rich settings. “As well as providing data that can be used to develop targeted interventions, it will also support training of South African scientists in the bioinformatic methodologies needed to analyse genomic data.”

New research in Southampton will delve into the underlying causes of asthma. The study will explore whether inflammation in the womb influences whether the baby will later develop asthma. Dr Hans Michael Haitchi will co-lead the study from the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre and University of Southampton. He will work with the University's Dr Alexandra Kermack and Dr Rob Ewing. The research is also supported by Dr Matthew Coleman from the Princess Anne Hospital. Pro-inflammatory environment Children whose mother has allergic asthma and is overweight during pregnancy are more likely to develop asthma. The reason for this is not fully understood. In this study, researchers seek to determine whether the underlying cause for this is a pro-inflammatory environment in the womb. Women having an elective caesarean birth at the Princess Anne Hospital will be asked if they would like to take part. If they agree, the researchers will collect samples of the fluid that surrounds the baby in the womb (amniotic fluid), cord blood and placenta during the birth. Scientists will measure asthma-related inflammatory and immune markers in these samples. They will then analyse how the mother having asthma and being overweight affects these. Ongoing pregnancy research The study is part of the Maternal Environment in Pregnancy (MEP) study at the University Hospital Southampton. It will be funded by the British Medical Association Foundation for Medical Research’s The James Trust grant 2022. Dr Haitchi, Associate Professor in Respiratory Medicine, said: “Several possible asthma mediators will be analysed together, with clinical data from mums and babies using multiple novel research techniques. “This may help us to explain why children born to asthmatic mothers who are overweight have an increased risk of developing asthma.”

A Southampton-led study has found almost a quarter of children needing surgery in 102 UK hospitals were overweight or obese. It calls for BMI to be routinely measured and for more support to address the burden of childhood obesity. Surgery carries a risk for everyone, but it is greater for children with obesity. This is because they are more likely to have health conditions which increase their risk of complications. Despite this, no UK data currently define the implications of childhood obesity for anaesthesia and surgery. Now a national study, led by Dr Mark Edwards and a team of trainee anaesthetists, has shown that children needing surgery in the UK are more likely to be obese than in the UK population as a whole. Yet they found children’s BMI is not routinely calculated, so may not be accounted for in assessments of risk during surgery. It is the first study in the UK to estimate the amount of obesity in children needing surgery. Greater risk of complications Rates of childhood obesity are increasing worldwide. In the UK, nearly a quarter of under-fives are overweight or obese. This increases to more than a third by the time children start secondary school. As children and teenagers with obesity are around five times more likely to become obese adults, this can have long-term consequences for their health. Children with obesity are more likely to have health conditions such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, asthma, obstructive sleep apnoea, fatty liver and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. These all increase their risk of complications during surgery. Assessments of surgery risk The Prevalence of perioperative childhood obesity in children undergoing general anaesthesia in the UK (PEACHY) study analysed data from 4,232 children having surgery at 102 hospitals in the UK. The results, published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia, found 24 percent of the children, aged between two and 16 years, were overweight or obese. Yet 76 percent of the hospitals did not routinely calculate children’s BMI before surgery, meaning this could not be considered in assessments of surgery risk. In some cases, this led to children’s risk being incorrectly assessed. For example, 39 percent of children with severe obesity were risk stratified as being equivalent to a healthy child of normal weight. Two-thirds of hospitals offered no weight management or lifestyle advice to children who were overweight or obese, or to their parents. The researchers suggest this is a valuable missed opportunity to help these children achieve a healthy weight and avoid long-term health problems. Dr Zoë Burton, trainee lead for the study and now a Consultant Paediatric Anaesthetist at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, said: “This large multicentre cohort study suggests a concerning prevalence of children with obesity needing surgery in the UK. “These results should be used to inform optimal provision of care for these children, and support healthcare initiatives, such as measuring BMI and offering advice on achieving a healthy weight, that could have lifelong benefits for these children’s health.”

NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre cancer researchers have joined experts across the country in a new collaboration to more rapidly turn scientific discoveries into real patient benefits. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oncology Translational Research Collaboration (TRC) brings together the country’s leading cancer researchers from across NIHR Biomedical Research Centres. They will collaborate on studies driving advances in key areas including early diagnosis, surgery, immunotherapy and radiotherapy. Working together Chaired by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) at The Royal Marsden and The Institute of Cancer Research, London – the UK's only NIHR BRC dedicated solely to cancer, the Oncology TRC aims to do research that would be impossible for individual centres by combining expertise and resources. In Southampton, Professor Mike Grocott and Dr Matthew Wheater will oversee our NIHR BRC’s role in the collaboration, and the studies it conducts will complement research undertaken by other cancer research networks. Improving cancer treatment By working together, the Oncology TRC will share expertise and best practice, spot gaps in research and areas of unmet need, and identify opportunities to work with external partners, including industry and charities. Professor Stan Kaye, Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden and Chair of the collaboration, said: “Progress in cancer research demands collaboration and I am delighted the NIHR's leading Biomedical Research Centres will unite through the Oncology TRC. Our programme of work is just beginning, and I am confident that it has the potential to make a significant contribution to improving cancer treatment and care in the next few years.” To find out more about the O-TRC, visit its page on the NIHR website or contact nocri@nihr.ac.uk.

The country’s largest clinical study investigating the best gap between first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses for pregnant women is launching in Southampton. The Preg-CoV study, which will take place in the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, will begin recruiting participants later this month. Dr Chrissie Jones, Associate Professor in Paediatric Infectious Diseases at University of Southampton, will be the local investigator for the trial. Finding the best dosage interval Led by St George’s, University of London, and backed by £7.5 million of government funding, the study will provide vital clinical trial data on the immune response to vaccination at different dose intervals. This will help determine the best dosage interval and tell us more about how the vaccine works to protect pregnant mothers and their babies against COVID-19. Participants will receive two doses of either the Pfizer/BioNTech or the Moderna vaccines (or one dose if they’ve already had their first), at either the shorter interval of four to six weeks, or the longer interval of eight to 12 weeks. More than 600 pregnant women will take part in the study across 13 NIHR-supported sites. Participants will need to be between 18 and 44-years-old, generally healthy and between 13 and 34 weeks pregnant on the day of vaccination. Participants will be closely monitored by health professionals throughout their pregnancy and following the birth, with the safety of the women taking part in the study the utmost priority. They will be scheduled to attend nine visits in total and will be required to complete an electronic diary between visits on any symptoms. They will also be given a 24-hour mobile number so they can contact one of the trial team at any time if they have concerns. "While we have a large amount of real-world data which tells us that it's safe for pregnant women to receive approved COVID-19 vaccines, the data gathered from a clinical trial like this will give us additional information about how these approved vaccines can be used in pregnancy to ensure optimal protection for the mother and baby,” said Dr Chrissie Jones. “All women taking part in the study will receive the approved Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, as well as additional monitoring and support from their local research team." Providing more data on COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy Pregnant women are more likely to develop severe COVID-19 or die from the disease, but are excluded from clinical trials with new vaccines. This means there is currently very limited clinical trial data on the immune response and side effects caused by the vaccines for these women. Following 130,000 pregnant women being vaccinated in the US and no safety concerns being raised, the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were recommended by the independent experts at the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) for pregnant women in the UK. Over 52,000 pregnant women in England have now been vaccinated - similarly, with no safety concerns. Recent data published last week by NHS England and the University of Oxford shows no pregnant women who have had both doses of a vaccine have been admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Only three have been admitted after having their first dose, meaning 99% of those admitted to hospital have not received a jab. The scientists behind the trial will analyse blood samples from the participants and one blood sample from their newborn babies, alongside samples from breastmilk. They will use the samples to help understand more about how the vaccines are protecting both pregnant women and potentially also their babies from COVID-19, with initial results expected by the end of the year. “Current experience strongly suggests that COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy is the safest choice in reducing the risk of occasionally serious COVID-19 illness for mothers and early birth for babies. However, more research is required to understand how COVID-19 vaccination achieves this, including the best timing for vaccination,” commented Dr Matthew Coleman, Consultant Obstetric Physician at University Hospital Southampton. “Pregnant women, especially later in pregnancy, seem to be at additional risk from more serious COVID-19 illness, so this study is important for women as individuals and for the wider community, including other pregnant women and their families.” Taking part Those interested in finding out more and taking part can visit the Prev-Cov study website. Participants will also be recruited to the study by invites sent through the NHS COVID-19 Vaccine Research Registry, which allows research teams to speak to suitable volunteers who have signed up to be contacted about taking part in vaccine studies. “Pregnant women are more likely to get seriously ill from COVID-19 and we know that vaccines are safe for them and make a huge difference – in fact no pregnant woman with two jabs has required hospitalisation with COVID-19,” said Minister for COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment Nadhim Zahawi. “This government-backed trial will provide more data about how we can best protect pregnant women and their babies, and we can use this evidence to inform future vaccination programmes. I encourage anyone who is pregnant and eligible to sign-up and contribute to research that will save lives for years to come.”

Pregnant women in Southampton are being invited to take part in a COVID-19 vaccine study. Preg-CoV is the UK’s largest clinical study to investigate the best gap between vaccine doses for pregnant women. The results will help shape national and international guidance around COVID-19 vaccination and pregnancy. Recent data shows that one in five of the most critically ill COVID-19 patients are pregnant women who have not been vaccinated. Over 84,600 pregnant women have received the first dose of the COVID-19 jab, and around 80,700 have received their second dose. Dr Chrissie Jones, Associate Professor in Paediatric Infectious Diseases at University of Southampton and local investigator for the study, said: “We are inviting women who are pregnant and have not yet had any COVID-19 vaccines, as well as those that have already had one or two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, to take part in the Preg-CoV study. “We now have lots of ‘real-world’ data to show that these vaccines are safe and effective, now we are investigating the best timing of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy to ensure that women have the best protection from these vaccines for themselves and their babies.” Identifying the best dosage interval The research will compare vaccines that are currently being used for the UK vaccination programme (Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna) as well as new vaccines as they are approved. It will provide vital clinical trial data on the immune response to vaccination at different dose intervals - either four to six weeks or eight to 10 weeks. This data will help determine the best dosage interval and tell us more about how the vaccine works to protect pregnant mothers and their babies against COVID-19. The Preg-CoV study will involve 600 pregnant women, across 14 NIHR-supported sites. Once successfully enrolled, most volunteers will be randomised to receive two doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine with either a short-time interval (4-6 weeks) or a long-time interval (8-10 weeks) between doses, with the majority of volunteers blinded to which vaccine they receive. For some volunteers, this means they will receive their second dose after delivery. Participants will receive a single dose if they have already received their first dose or if they just need a booster (3rd) dose. The study is also recruiting participants who have already had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in the community. Volunteers needed in Southampton In Wessex, the study will take place in the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility (CRF). Volunteers will need to be between 18 and 45-years-old, generally healthy and low-risk, carrying a single baby and between 13 and 34 weeks gestation. They will be closely monitored by health professionals throughout their pregnancy and following the birth, receiving additional support through study visits compared to those who receive their vaccine outside of the study. Volunteers will also be provided with a 24-hour phone line should they have any questions for the study team, and will be reimbursed for travel to their study appointments. Those interested in taking part can find out more by visiting the study website or contacting the local Southampton study team on UHS.RecruitmentCRF@nhs.net.

Pregnant women in the south are being invited to help discover the most effective use of booster vaccines during pregnancy. The Preg-CoV study, running at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, currently has around 300 pregnant women taking part nationally. It aims to determine the best vaccine schedules and doses to protect women and their babies against COVID-19. The study compares vaccines currently being used for the UK vaccination programme (Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna) as well as new vaccines as they are approved for use, such as Novavax. The research is also assessing the immune response to different doses and intervals between vaccines during pregnancy. Participants may also be eligible to choose to receive their COVID-19 booster dose alongside the routine whooping cough vaccine. Protecting women and their babies The current UK guidance is that COVID-19 vaccination should be offered to pregnant women at the same time as the rest of the population. Dr Chrissie Jones, local investigator for the study, said: “COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy has been shown to be safe in hundreds of thousands of women and to protect them against severe infection. Now we need to understand the very best ways to protect women and their infants with booster doses. This study will give us important information about the spacing of vaccines in pregnancy and whether a half dose of the booster is as good as the full dose of booster." Shaping future guidelines The study launched in August 2021, and will involve around 700 pregnant women in total, in sites across England. It is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Pregnant women in the study will receive monitoring and additional support through study visits, compared to those who receive their vaccine outside of the study. They will also be provided a 24-hour phone line should they have any questions for the trial team and an electronic diary to record any symptoms. They will also be reimbursed for travel to their study appointments. Professor Paul Heath, Chief Investigator and Professor of Paediatric Infectious Diseases at St George’s, University of London, said: “We are delighted that around 300 pregnant women have joined the study so far, but we need even more pregnant women across the country to participate. Not only will they receive special monitoring and support around their vaccines, but they will help shape future guidelines and protect pregnant women in the future. It is a really worthwhile, helpful thing to do.” Take part in the study The study is seeking low-risk, pregnant women who are carrying a single baby, are aged 18-45 years-old and are between 13-36 weeks gestation. The trial will collect blood samples from participants, with a cord blood sample taken after delivery for some participants. For all participants, a baby blood sample will be taken between 4 and 12 weeks of age. Breastmilk samples will also be collected for a sub-group of participants. Once enrolled, participants who have already received two or three doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the community will be eligible to receive a 3rd or 4th booster dose in the study. If they are also due their pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine booster they can have it at the same time, if they wish. All participants and their babies will be followed up until one year after delivery. If you are interested in the study, or know someone who could be eligible, you can find out more by visiting the study’s website.

The first COVID-19 vaccine study in the UK recruiting pregnant women has been launched across several National Institute of Health Research sites, including University Hospital Southampton. The phase 2/3 study aims to further understand the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in healthy pregnant women, with approximately 235 volunteers involved throughout the UK. Following updated guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) released in April, pregnant women are now offered approved COVID-19 vaccines at the same time as the rest of the UK population, based on their age and clinical risk group. Real-world data from the United States has been collected, in which over 100,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated (mainly with mRNA vaccines including Pfizer-BioNTech), without any safety concerns raised. The role of this placebo controlled study (COVID-19 Vacc Maternal Immunisation) is to provide more robust information on the vaccine immune response in pregnancy, as well as safety reporting and the potential transfer of maternal antibodies to infants. Each participant enrolled in the study will initially receive either two doses of the vaccine or a placebo 21 days apart. All participants will be unblinded one month post pregnancy, and those who were given the placebo jab (a salt water solution that does not contain any active ingredients) will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Recruitment will begin this week at the UK sites involved. The study has already been running in the US since February 2021. Research participants will be required to answer questionnaires about their health, provide blood samples, complete an e-diary and will receive extra monitoring while on the study, compared to those who receive a vaccine through the rollout. All volunteers will need to visit their site for four planned visits before their baby is born and then two more follow up appointments after the baby is born. Participants for the study will be identified via obstetricians and midwives at the hospital sites involved, with the study doctor determining whether each pregnant woman and their unborn baby would be suitable. Participation in the study is completely voluntary and participants can leave the study at any time. Dr Chrissie Jones, Associate Professor in Paediatric Infectious Diseases at University of Southampton, and Chief Investigator for the study said: "While we have a large amount of real-world data which tells us that it's safe for pregnant women to receive approved COVID-19 vaccines, the data gathered from a controlled research study like this is important because it will give us more information about the vaccine immune response in pregnant women, including the transfer of maternal antibodies to infants. “All women taking part in the study will receive two doses of the approved Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, as well as additional monitoring and support from their local research team." For more information, please contact uhs.southamptoncrf@nhs.net or call 023 8120 4989.

Southampton researchers have been awarded £1.8m to run a new clinical trial to improve treatment for people with heart failure. The BRITISH trial aims to work out which patients could benefit from having an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) fitted under the skin in their chest. Consultant cardiologists Dr Andrew Flett and Professor Nick Curzen at University Hospital Southampton will lead the trial. Professor Curzen is also a researcher at the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre. Re-assessing who needs an implantable defibrillator Researchers in 35 UK hospitals will recruit over 2,500 patients. These patients will all have non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) and evidence of scarring in the heart. They will be randomly allocated to have an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or not. NICM is a common cause of heart failure, accounting for around a third of cases. Non-ischaemic refers to the fact that there is no narrowing of the coronary arteries (the most common cause of heart failure). Some patients with NICM can be at higher risk of sudden cardiac death due to dangerous, very fast heartbeats which can cause cardiac arrest. ICDs can treat cardiac arrest and stop abnormal heart rhythms by delivering an electric shock to the patient’s heart. Current guidelines look at how well the heart is pumping to decide which patients get an implant, but this may not be the best method. “These guidelines use an arbitrary cut-off of pump function,” says Dr Flett. “But a previous large trial has shown that most patients with NICM and an implantable defibrillator will never benefit from it. This also needs to be balanced against the risk of complications from an ICD. We want to find a better way to assess which patients will truly benefit from one of these devices before it is fitted.” “Evidence suggests that it is actually scar tissue within the heart that causes abnormal heart rhythms. We believe this could be a better measure of the risk of sudden cardiac death for a patient, and so will identify patients most likely to need an ICD.” Finding scarring in the heart The trial will recruit NICM patients where an MRI scan has detected the presence of scar tissue in the heart. They will then be randomly allocated to one of two groups, with half fitted with an ICD. They will use patient data to compare outcomes after three and five years in the two groups, to find out whether these patients need an ICD or not. If their results support it, all patients with NICM could have an MRI scan of their heart to look for scar tissue. If they do, they could be offered an ICD. The trial, sponsored by University Hospital Southampton, is due to open next year across the UK. It will be funded by the British Heart Foundation and co-ordinated by the NIHR Southampton Clinical Trials Unit. Dr Flett concludes, “If the BRITISH trial is successful, it could stimulate a change in international and UK guidelines for the treatment of NICM heart failure and implantable devices. We hope this would improve clinical outcomes for these patients in the future, and help reduce costs for our health service by ensuring only those who will benefit from ICDs have them fitted.”

Allergic reactions to peanuts are worse for adults if they’ve had a bad night’s sleep, research has found. The national study also explored whether exercise affected the severity of the reaction, but found no significant effect. Prof Graham Roberts from the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre supported the project as chair of the study steering committee. Findings are being used by the Food Standards Agency to assess what level of peanut is safe for people with allergies in the UK. The team’s results are published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. How does lifestyle affect allergies? Allergic reactions are known to vary depending on what the person has been doing before being exposed to the allergen. This introduces a level of uncertainty that makes allergies difficult to manage, both from the patient’s perspective and the doctor advising them. Yet there is little research showing what lifestyle factors have the strongest influence on allergic reactions, so patients and doctors don’t know what to look out for. In this study, the researchers investigated the effects of exercise and lack of sleep on peanut allergy. Three peanut ‘challenges’ Over 100 participants with a peanut allergy took part, including some with a severe peanut allergy. They were split into three groups. All groups were given a dose of peanut flour in a dessert three times - this is known as an allergy ‘challenge’. One time they were only allowed two hours of sleep the night before, another time they did intense exercise immediately afterwards, and another they did neither of these. The three groups did all of these, but each group did them in a different order. The researchers gave each allergic reaction a severity score, and found they were worse after the poor night’s sleep. They also found the severity increased as participants had more doses of peanut. How will these results be used? The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) have to decide what is deemed a ‘safe’ level of peanut contamination for people with peanut allergy. They funded this study to help inform their decision making. Although sleep deprived people had a worse reaction, they only started to react at a very slightly lower level of peanut protein. This means the FSA does not need to lower their safe level any further to account for sleep deprivation. Prof Graham Roberts, Professor of Paediatric Allergy and Respiratory Medicine at the University of Southampton, said: “The minimal change in the amount of peanut protein causing an allergic reaction after being sleep deprived is reassuring for consumers with peanut allergy and the food industry. “It means that food manufactures do not have to minimise potential peanut protein contamination even further to prevent allergic reactions in the presence of cofactors like sleep deprivation.”

Southampton researchers are looking to improve the prevention and treatment of lung and airway infections. They plan to do this using the knowledge and experience gained by treating people in hospital with COVID-19. The UNIVERSAL study aims to better understand how and when viral lung and airway infections progress to more serious disease. It will also help develop effective antiviral treatments to combat these infections. The study is being led by Tom Wilkinson, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Southampton. Professor Wilkinson a key researcher at the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre. Identifying patients who may become seriously ill University Hospital Southampton was the first hospital to open the study last week. It has already recruited the first patient. Overall, the study is aiming to recruit 1,000 patients who test positive for a viral respiratory infection. It will involve up to 10 hospital sites around the UK. Patients admitted to hospital with respiratory infections will have blood and swab samples taken. The researchers will analyse these samples for signs of the body's immune and inflammatory responses. The patients will also be assessed by medical teams and fill in questionnaires. This will help track their symptoms and any progression of the infection. The researchers hope to use this information to identify patients who may become seriously ill. This could help predict their recovery and length of stay in hospital. It could also help them understand which viruses are affecting the population. “As seen over the course of the pandemic, individual response to respiratory virus infection is variable from patient to patient,” says Professor Wilkinson. “This can range from mild, self-limiting symptoms to severe infection requiring hospital care. There is a real need to better understand this patient journey, and to understand what drives these differences. This will enable the development of new, more effective therapeutics for respiratory viral illness beyond COVID.” Working with Synairgen UNIVERSAL is being supported by Southampton-based respiratory company Synairgen. It is investigating an inhaled antiviral as a potential treatment for hospitalised patients with COVID-19. It is also investigating its use in patients with severe viral lung infections. Synairgen is providing viral testing equipment and nursing staff at the Southampton clinical trial site. Richard Marsden, CEO of Synairgen, says: “The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the important link between research and clinical care, and the impact on the timely development of much-needed antivirals for severe lung viral infections caused by seasonal viruses and emerging respiratory viral threats. "Our collaboration on the UNIVERSAL study will help provide a better understanding of what could predict clinical outcomes in patients hospitalised with respiratory symptoms due to infection with a range of respiratory viruses. The trial will help to further inform the development programme of SNG001, our investigational broad-spectrum antiviral.” UNIVERSAL is funded by Janssen, with support from Synairgen. The Southampton Clinical Trials Unit is supporting the trial. University Hospital Southampton are the sponsor.

Innovative research is supporting teenagers make healthier choices that will help them live well for longer. Southampton researchers are leading the EACH-B programme. It involves fun science activities, support from teachers, a visit to the expert facilities, and access to a specially-designed smartphone app. Experiences from across the research programme are being shared in three new videos. Changing behaviours Poor diet and lack of exercise cost the NHS £7 billion a year and cause many to die early. Habits formed as teenagers tend to last. Physical and psychological changes during these years make it an important time to help them form healthier habits. Making small, sustained changes, such as eating more fruit and vegetables, can reduce risks of heart disease or diabetes in later life. Existing interventions for helping teenagers tend to only work for those ready to change, or who see diet and exercise as important. The EACH-B programme is working with teenagers, their parents and their teachers to engage more young people in eating well and being more active. A new intervention EACH-B - Engaging Adolescents in Changing Behaviour – has developed and is testing a new intervention with teenagers from state secondary schools. The young people take part in a LifeLab three-week science module linked to the national curriculum. This helps 13-14 year olds think about science and their health. They also receive encouragement from teachers trained to support students to improve their diets and exercise plus a specially-designed interactive smartphone app that involves friends and has game features that encourage students to eat better and move more. EACH-B is funded at the University of Southampton by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR). How to take part Schools can sign up to take part in EACH-B by contacting eachb@soton.ac.uk. Patient and public involvement is also at the heart of EACH-B's work. Teenagers and parent advisors play a key role in developing the research questions and helping make sense of the findings. You can find out more about participating in EACH-B or wider Southampton research by emailing Publicinvolvement@uhs.nhs.uk.