CompletedPublic Health & HealthcareLungs & Breathing
NIHR Global Health Research Group on Clean Energy Access for the prevention of Non-communicable disease in Africa through clean Air: CLEAN-AIR(Africa) at the University of Liverpool
Across Cameroon, Ghana, and Kenya, this research group will work with local health ministries and universities to replace smoky cooking fires and kerosene lamps with clean-burning stoves and solar lighting, aiming to prevent the heart disease, lung cancer, and strokes that kill hundreds of thousands of African women and children each year. Household air pollution from solid fuels is the second-leading risk factor for non-communicable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, yet most prevention programmes focus on tobacco and diet. This project fills the gap by generating the first large-scale evidence on how clean energy access—specifically liquefied petroleum gas stoves and solar lanterns—can reduce NCD incidence in real-world settings. If successful, the research will give health ministries and energy policymakers the data they need to integrate clean cooking into national NCD prevention strategies. That could shift government investment from treating chronic diseases to preventing them at source, while also reducing deforestation and carbon emissions. The group will train a new generation of African public health researchers in household air pollution and NCD epidemiology, building sustainable capacity within the three countries’ health systems.
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a) Building on strategic objectives of University of Liverpool (UoL): The CLEAN-AIR(Africa) Research Group builds on the UoL’s 10-year ‘Strategy 2026’, placing global activities at its core, with the strategic aim of being ‘a global university at the forefront of knowledge leadership’. This builds on a history of global concerns, dating back to the founding of the Medical School in 1835, tropical medicine and global public health being a particular focus, given the importance of Liverpool as a world trading port. Today, UoL has an international reputation in public health and health equity. Expanding our global health research addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs), maternal health and child mortality is a priority. b) Why the institution is well placed: The Institute of Psychology, Health and Society (IPHS), headed by Prof Tom Walley, is ideally placed to support the Group and its aspirations. Its applied research was ranked third in the UK for impact judged as outstanding in Unit of Assessment 2 (UoA 2) in Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014. It hosts a number of NIHR investments, including membership of the NIHR School of Public Health Research, with funding for applied health research, totalling £44m. Since 2005, the Department of Public Health and Policy within IPHS has been designated a WHO Collaborating Centre for Policy Research on the Determinants of Health Equity (WHO CC), codirected by Prof Dame Margaret Whitehead and Prof Nigel Bruce. The WHO CC has built up a critical mass of researchers from a range of disciplines, addressing questions around the causes and solutions to health inequalities, and with a record of successful research training. The Group will draw on the skills of the WHO CC to enhance the world-leading theme on household air pollution, energy and health, led by Pope. These skills include social anthropology (led by Kierans); policy impact simulation modelling of preventive measures for NCDs (O’Flaherty); and the evaluation of health inequalities impact of natural policy experiments (Barr). IPHS will contribute 1 fully-supported PhD studentship. c) Institutional partnerships and investments: We will work closely with our network of UK and International partners, built up over two decades, to produce policy-relevant research directly informing Government decision-making and build training and research capacity in the UK and in our LMIC focus countries. Existing partnerships include leading international research groups in household air pollution (HAP) and health, WHO (Environmental and Social Determinants of Health), experts in modelling climate impacts and global networks for the clean energy and health agenda (see Partnerships for details). Working directly with the health sectors of Cameroon, Ghana and Kenya (through partnerships with leading Universities and their Schools/ Departments of Public Health, WHO country offices and with support form WHO head office) we will develop sustainable health systems capacity through health professional education in household air pollution, NCDs and equitable approaches to prevention. d) Involvement of partners in the research: Our LMIC partners comprise leading research institutions - Douala General Hospital (DGH - Cameroon), Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC - Ghana) and Stockholm Environment Institute-Africa (SEI-Africa - Kenya). Their established research infrastructures and networks are essential in supporting the Group’s research program and they will be involved in all aspects of the research program (e.g. through our steering committee meetings, team briefings and the public-stakeholder engagement events). Our collaborating partners from each institituion all have (i) extensive relevant research experience in household air pollution, noncommunicable diseases and prevention strategies and (ii) established health research networks and have the experience and expertise necessary to inform the strategi
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