The Olympic Park regeneration in east London is being put to a rigorous test: researchers are tracking whether the new housing, transport links, parks, and sports facilities actually improve the mental and physical health of local teenagers and their parents. This matters because major urban regeneration projects are often assumed to benefit residents, but the evidence is thin. The study compares families in Newham—the intervention area—with those in nearby boroughs that did not receive the same investment, using surveys and in-depth interviews to measure changes in wellbeing, physical activity, employment, and social cohesion over time. If the research succeeds, it will provide concrete evidence on whether large-scale regeneration can deliver genuine health improvements for local communities, or whether the benefits are unevenly distributed. This could reshape how future urban development projects are designed and evaluated, influencing decisions on transport, housing, and green space that quietly shape everyday life for millions.
View original technical description
Design: Two elements. 1. Controlled longitudinal quasi-experimental study comparing impacts on young people and their parents in regeneration andnon-regeneration areas. Comprises a school-based survey of adolescents with parent data collected through interviews. Parents of children will be recruited through schools. 2. Nested longitudinal qualitative study will explore families’ experiences of regeneration and its impacts on wellbeing in order to unpack the ways in which regeneration leads to impacts on health and the social determinants of health. Setting: Newham (intervention site) and Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Barking & Dagenham (comparison sites) in east London. Target Population: Adolescents aged 11-13 (school years 7 & 8) and their parents. Intervention: Urban regeneration programme in Newham (Olympic Park & Stratford City). Comprises a comprehensive redevelopment of public and active transport infrastructure (rail, cycle paths, walking routes), new civic space, parks, green areas and major Olympic sporting facilities as well as provision of new housing, retail, business and community facilities and aesthetic improvements, economic development and employment. Measurement of outcomes, duration of follow-up: Primary outcomes: pre-post change in adolescent & parent mental health andwellbeing (self-esteem, psychological problems, satisfaction), physical activity (adults: moderate and intensive physical activity, sedentray behaviour; adolescents: general physical activity and sedentary behaviour), household SES (employment status). Secondary outcomes: pre-post change in benefit status (adults), social capital/cohesion, smoking, alcohol use, diet and obesity (BMI). Duration of follow-up: 6 months & 18 months post-regeneration. Sample Size: 1. Questionnaire survey: Achieved sample at final follow-up of 1766 pupils from 24 schools (74 per school) and 1766 parents. Data will be collected in 6 secondary schools in Newham, and 18 secondary schools from Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Barking & Dagenham and the households of parents residing in these areas. This gives 80% power with 95% significance to detect 8% change in primary outcomes with an assumed ICC of 0.02. 2.Qualitative study: Semi-structured interviews and focus groups with a purposive, diverse sample of c20 families reflecting the diversity of the baseline sample at 6 & 18 months post-regeneration. Planned analyses: 1. Questionnaire survey: Questionnaire data will be double-punched and cleaned. Main analyses: (i) demographic, socio-economic and environmental correlates of physical activity and mental wellbeing using multi-level regression models accounting for the clustered nature of our sample; (ii) investigation of whether accessibility to health promoting environmental resources from either home or school is related to specific health behaviours; (iii) longitudinal analysis to assess the effect of regeneration on primary outcomes (employment, physical activity and mental wellbeing) through investigating pre-post changes in individual outcomes between baseline (wave 1) and follow-up (wave 2) - outcomes will be assessed at wave 3 to investigate whether changes have been sustained; (iv) analysis of effects on health inequalities using stratified analysis to assess social patterning of impacts on outcomes; (v) analysis of individual changes in objective and subjective accessibility to environmental resources over time and relationships with individual changes in outcomes controlling for demographic and socio-economic factors. 2. Qualitative study: Qualitative interview data will be recorded, transcribed, coded and subject to thematic analysis using framework methodology (Ritchie et al 1994) and adopting a theory generating grounded theory approach (Strauss, Corbin 1998) Project timetable and recruitment rate: Total duration: 60 months. Survey Baseline (Jan-June 2011); wave 2 6 month post-intervention follow-up (Jan-June 2013 ); wave 3 18
Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.
Is something wrong? Let us know