9 May 2019:
A new consortium involving the Alcohol Health Alliance has been awarded £5.9 million funding from the UK Prevention Research Partnership, a group of twelve funders including charities, research councils and government.
The SPECTRUM Consortium (Shaping Public hEalth poliCies To Reduce IneqUalities and harM) is one of four consortia successful in the inaugural round of UKPRP funding. SPECTRUM builds on and expands the work of the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, one of the AHA members.
SPECTRUM’s focus will be on the commercial determinants of health and health inequalities, considering alcohol, tobacco and unhealthy food. Commercial determinants are strategies and approaches used by commercial companies to promote products and choices that are detrimental to health.
SPECTRUM brings together the AHA as well as the Obesity Health Alliance, Smokefree Action Coalition and other alliances, together with 10 Universities in the UK and one in Australia that aim to improve health and reduce inequalities in the UK and internationally, along with Public Health England, Health Scotland, Public Health Wales and two independent companies specialising in statistical modelling and retail data.