Completed Projects

We reviewed the literature assessing the cost-effectiveness of interventions to prevent dental caries in children aged 0 to 5 years old. We looked at interventions based in the community to update an existing systematic review conducted in 2016. As part of this project, we developed a new economic evaluation model to examine the relative efficiency of these prevention interventions. The results of this evidence synthesis will inform decisions in the Department of Health and Social Care.

We conducted an evidence synthesis to assess interventions that reduce the health and well-being impacts of flooding on adults with long-term health conditions in high-income countries. We focused on respiratory and mental health conditions and examined preventive and preparedness measures, including community-based and household-level interventions. The findings will inform flood resilience planning, public health policy, and support for vulnerable populations, with particular relevance to the UK context.

We conducted two complementary evidence syntheses to i) assess the performance of breast cancer risk prediction models used to stratify women eligible for breast screening into risk categories and ii) evaluate existing decision-analytic economic models of risk-stratified breast cancer screening programmes.

We conducted an evidence synthesis to identify and summarise current research on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of local antibiotic use in patients undergoing surgery for open fractures. This synthesis highlighted both existing and forthcoming evidence likely to emerge in the near future, thereby supporting the prioritisation and planning of future research efforts.

We conducted an evidence synthesis to examine the factors that influence the uptake of free school meals and the subsequent dietary choices of children and young people. Guided by the socio-ecological model, we also explored whether increased participation in free school meal programmes is associated with improved dietary outcomes for pupils.

We undertook a comprehensive evidence synthesis of existing studies to assess whether biomarkers can predict clinical outcomes in adults presenting at the emergency department with suspected sepsis.