Explore each of the projects currently being conducted within the Nutrition Group.

ABC-SHEADE

In the Accelerating Behaviour Change towards Sustainable and Healthy Diets in Europe (ABC-SHEADE) project the team aims to identify ways to accelerate dietary change towards more sustainable and healthy diets in the UK and Italy. We do this by studying so called “champions”: people that have found their way from average or unhealthy and unsustainable diets, to sustainable and healthy diets over an 8-year time span (from 2012 to 2020). We study their changes in food purchase, their substitution patterns and analyse what influence price changes may have had on their food purchase. The project also contains a large qualitative part where we interview champions and other consumers about their purchase behaviour. We use the obtained evidence to identify key foods and substitutions and key motivations that enabled champions to change their diets and use this to inform policy and practice on effective ways of accelerating dietary behaviour change. The project is funded by the AF Jochnick Foundation.

Action Against Stunting Hub

More than 149 million children, a majority of whom reside in Asia and Africa, are stunted, according to WHO statistics. The Action against Stunting Hub aims to challenge and transform current research on child stunting. The focus is the 'whole-child' approach. The tools developed within the Hub have the potential to change the lives of a million children, families and communities. Our global interdisciplinary team is dedicated to make a long-lasting difference not only to the children and families we work with, but also to actively inform local governments on how to tackle this preventable condition at grassroots level. 

ANH Academy

The Agriculture, Nutrition and Health (ANH) Academy is a global community of interdisciplinary researchers, practitioners, and policymakers working on agriculture and food systems for improved nutrition and health, with over 9,000 members in 145+ countries.

It is one of three workstreams of the Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions (IMMANA) programme, which since 2015 has been accelerating progress on tools, data and capacity needed to guide evidence-based policy in agriculture-food systems, nutrition and health.

The ANH Academy aims to facilitate learning and sharing among this global network and beyond; to lower barriers to participation in science and policy; and to foster equitable and interdisciplinary partnerships in research and practice.

Objectives:

• Build an interdisciplinary community to share innovative research in agriculture and food systems for improved nutrition and health
• Stimulate the development and harmonisation of new research
• Support the strengthening and sharing of capacity among the research community to undertake inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary research
• Facilitate the uptake of robust evidence in policies and programmes in agriculture and food systems for healthy, sustainable and equitable nutrition

What we do: 

• Annual ANH Academy Week, where hundreds of Academy members meet for learning labs and an interdisciplinary research conference
• Working groups to accelerate research by sharing experience and synthesising disparate research methods,  metrics and approaches
• Skills-based trainings via face-to-face gatherings and webinars
• Support Centre for Agriculture and Nutrition Research (SCANR)
• Curriculum enrichment resources and support for educators in higher education in interdisciplinary topics on agriculture-food systems, nutrition and health

CHANGE

Child malnutrition, particularly wasting (low weight-for-height), poses a global health crisis with 900,000 yearly deaths among <5-year-olds. Climate change's impact on vulnerable populations intensifies this concern. Existing treatment programs focus on immediate survival but neglect potential long-term health risks, including non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like heart disease and diabetes. The CHANGE project addresses these challenges over three years by revaluating treatment outcomes and questioning rapid post-malnutrition weight gain practices. 

Changing the Story of Dietary Inequality

Diet has emerged as the leading risk factor for premature death in the UK. Low-income individuals tend to have less healthy eating habits and are more prone to obesity. Poverty, food insecurity, and dietary disparities are reducing life expectancy in economically deprived areas. Promotion of unhealthy diets, with minimal advertising for fruits and vegetables have contributed to one in ten children starting school obese, and government policies targeting nutrition in pregnancy and childhood are falling short. Additionally, the food system is responsible for one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. This three-year program aims to shift public discourse, develop evidence-based solutions to address dietary inequality, and align with emerging policy actions related to food and climate change.

FACE Africa

The climate crisis poses significant challenge within Africa affecting food security due to unpredictable weather patterns affecting crop quality and yields. Under current projections these problems will likely worsen. The FACE-Africa project aims to use routinely collected environmental, agricultural, nutrition and health data, to estimate the ability of national food systems to deliver healthy diets in the future. We collaborate with governments, farmers, retailers, and consumers, using data to inform our strategies. We aim to develop realistic interventions to ensure future food system viability, evaluating their impact on environmental sustainability and population health.

IMMANA & ANH

The Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions (IMMANA) programme was established in 2015 and aims to accelerate the development of a robust and coherent scientific evidence base to support effective policy and investments in agriculture-food systems for improved nutrition. IMMANA’s main programme areas include:

• Competitive research funding grants programme, aimed at advancing scientific understanding of linkages between agriculture and food systems and health and nutrition outcomes.
• Fellowships programme for career development.
• The Agriculture, Nutrition and Health (ANH) Academy, a multi-disciplinary global network of over 9000 members.

Evidence Synthesis Centre, where IMMANA conducts original research, evidence synthesis and provides support for research.

MAPS

Micronutrients obtained from food are vital for health, but deficiency leads to serious health and economic consequences. The Micronutrient Action Policy Support (MAPS) tool aims to provide accurate micronutrient deficiency estimates at national and sub-national levels in Africa, facilitating informed decisions for health and agriculture sectors. The tool offers novel features to explore deficiency risks across spatial and temporal scales, delivering dietary supply estimates for African nations using national and population data. 

MRC Gambia

The MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM is one of two research units established in sub- Saharan Africa by the Medical Research Council UK and is the single largest investment in medical research in a low- and middle-income country. Nutrition research at MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM concentrates on identifying, and then developing, next-generation nutrition interventions through discovery science that will inform a clearer understanding of the basic mechanisms linking diet and disease. 

Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition

The Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition is one of five initiatives of the School Meals Coalition: a convening of 95+ national governments committed to rebuilding, improving and scaling up the provision of school meals and complementary school health services by 2030. The Consortium was established at the request of the School Meals Coalition member states, who called for a global Research Consortium to provide independent, credible evidence to inform the design of equitable, efficient and cost-effective national school health and nutrition programmes. 

SHEFS

The emerging pressures of urbanization, changing diets, and land use shifts are causing a rise in malnutrition and non-communicable diseases, harming people, economies and the environment. The SHEFS project aims to utilise statistical, analytical, and experimental methods along with new data from diverse locations in India and South Africa to uncover food system-environment-health interactions. The primary purpose of SHEFS is to provide new, interdisciplinary research that policymakers can use to shape food systems that will deliver healthy, accessible, affordable and sustainable food for future populations. 

South Asian Nitrogen Hub

Humans have massively altered nitrogen flows on our planet, leading to both benefits for food production as well as creating multiple threats to the environment. There are few places on Earth more affected than South Asia, with levels of nitrogen pollution rapidly increasing. Nitrogen pollution damages human health, threatens biodiversity, and contributes to global climate change. The UKRI GCRF South Asian Nitrogen (SANH) aims to tackle the nitrogen challenge by bringing together experts from over 32 leading research organisations from across South Asia and the UK. We work with researchers from all eight South Asian countries and are dedicated to international co-operation for a healthier planet. The Hub includes research on how to improve nitrogen management in agriculture and investigates how nitrogen is impacting our ecosystem. SANH is also working with South Asian governments to further develop the policy conversation on nitrogen management in the region.