Working with Muslim women to improve cancer screening uptake

Working with Muslim women to improve cancer screening uptake

In this episode, host and Fuse public partner, Sadia Mir, speaks with Fuse researchers Floor Christie-de Jong and Rawand Jarrar about their research on improving Muslim women's cancer screening uptake. The IMCAN (Improving Muslim women's CANcer screening uptake) study, funded by Cancer Research UK, focuses on improving participation in breast, cervical and bowel screening among Muslim women in the UK. Together, they talk about how the research came about and why it felt especially important to work with Muslim women. Floor and Rawand share some of their own experiences and lessons learned along the way, share advice on collaborating with the Muslim community, and touch on what’s next for the research. Floor and Rawand also answer the big question: "If you had one message for our listeners to take away, what would it be?" Listen now to find out. About the guests Dr Floor Christie-de Jong [https://www.sunderland.ac.uk/about/academic-staff/floor-christie-de-jong] is Associate Professor in Public Health in the School of Medicine at the University of Sunderland. She is also Associate Director for Fuse. Her research focuses on reducing health inequalities, particularly in cancer screening among ethnic minority groups, using community-centred, participatory and asset-based approaches. Dr Rawand Jarrar [https://www.sunderland.ac.uk/about/academic-staff/rawand-jarrar] is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the School of Medicine at the University of Sunderland. Her research includes the use of qualitative and quantitative methods to explore how decisions are made in healthcare, including prescribing decisions and uptake of screening services. About the host Sadia Mir [https://fuse.ac.uk/publicinvolvement/meetapublicpartner/sadiamir.html] is a health and racial equity consultant, and is a Fuse public partner. Sadia champions good health for all, particularly focused on young person's mental health and women's health. She's also an advocate for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) awareness and campaigns for better rights at work for young women with the Young Women's Trust. Resources and further information The IMCAN study: Improving Muslim Women CANcer Screening Uptake [https://beacon4health.com/imcan-study] Beacon4Health [https://beacon4health.com/] ⁠Fuse [https://fuse.ac.uk/] ⁠ Follow us on Bluesky: @fuseonline.bsky.social Follow us on X: @fuse_online Contact for more information, or a copy of the transcript prepared by Academic Audio Transcription [https://academicaudiotranscription.com/]: ⁠⁠⁠info@fuse.ac.uk⁠ With special thanks to the Fuse podcast group; Affinity Media (editing); Shaun O'Boyle (training); and Academic Audio Transcription (transcription). Produced by Ella Anderson. Music: Tuesday (Glitch Soft Hip-hop) by amaksi. If you're a fan of our ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, please subscribe, rate or review, and share with your friends, families, colleagues and networks.

The UC Creatives journey: From research to art, voice and empowerment

Host and Fuse public partner, Cheryl Blake, speaks with Mel and PJ who are members of UC Creatives - a participatory arts project co-produced with people who have experience of claiming Universal Credit (UC). Using personal experiences and stories, they talk about how to set up a group like this, who is involved with UC Creatives and what opportunities have emerged from the project. Mel and PJ share how this experience differs from simply being asked to 'take part' in research, and they touch on what’s next for the UC Creatives. Mel and PJ also answer the big question: "If you had one message for our listeners to take away, what would it be?" Listen now to find out. About the guests Mel and PJ are members of UC Creatives, a study funded by NIHR. The project is part of the public involvement and impact work of a large-scale mixed methods evaluation of the health impacts of UC. UC Creatives is a collaboration with members of the public with experience of UC, researchers from Newcastle University and Northumbria University, and practitioners from the St Vincent de Paul Society Deaf Centre. UC Creatives is the result of a committed and passionate organising team, including seven wonderful creative people with experience of claiming UC. About the host Cheryl Blake is an expert by experience who has collaborated closely with Fuse and the wider public partner-led podcast planning group in creating the 'Public Health Research and Me' podcast. Her interests and specialised subjects are around mental and sexual health, domestic abuse, coercive and violent behaviour, and family court and social workers within that system. She supports survivors of sexual/abuse to find female empowerment through art, poetry and meditation. Resources and further information UC Creatives [https://www.uccreatives.co.uk/about-us] UC and Mental Health study [https://ucmentalhealth.org/] Evaluation of the Health Impacts of Universal Credit [https://www.uccreatives.co.uk/_files/ugd/290e0b_3bafa21a9ccb41f3a8ee87998cda4439.pdf ] ⁠Fuse⁠ [https://fuse.ac.uk/] NIHR School for Public Health Research [https://sphr.nihr.ac.uk/] Follow us on Bluesky: @fuseonline.bsky.social Follow us on X: @fuse_online Contact for more information, or a copy of the transcript: ⁠⁠⁠info@fuse.ac.uk⁠ With special thanks to the Fuse podcast group; Affinity Media (editing); Shaun O'Boyle (training); and Academic Audio Transcription (transcription). Produced by Ella Anderson. Music: Tuesday (Glitch Soft Hip-hop) by amaksi. If you're a fan of our ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, please subscribe, rate or review, and share with your friends, families, colleagues and networks.

Piecing it together: Understanding school exclusion through creativity

In this episode of the Fuse ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, host and Fuse public partner, Cheryl Blake, speaks with Dr Sarah Martin-Denham (University of Sunderland) and Hayley Hudson (parent and advocate) about the impact of school exclusion, especially on children and young people themselves. Data shows that on average, 2,999 children were suspended or permanently excluded from school each school day in England in the 2021/22 academic year. But what does this number really mean? Sarah and Hayley recommend that creative methods can play a crucial role in helping us to visualise and better understand what this number represents for many families across England. They talk about working with a team of parents to crochet 2,999 unique squares to represent each excluded child and provide a voice to an under-served section of society, resulting in a giant, colourful blanket. The blanket is touring national organisations, local authorities, schools and community groups in England to encourage conversations about the extent and impact of school exclusion and what can be done to reduce preventable exclusions. Sarah and Hayley talk about their personal experiences, key findings from the research and suggest areas for improvement and change. Sarah and Hayley also answer the big question: "If you had one message for our listeners to take away, what would it be?" Listen now to find out. Sarah Martin Denham Sarah [https://www.sunderland.ac.uk/about/staff/teacher-training-and-education/sarahdenham/] is an Associate Professor of Care and Education at the University of Sunderland and uses the creative arts to hear the experiences of children and families, particularly related to school exclusion. Hayley Hudson Hayley is a parent, research project partner and advocate for children and families. About our host Cheryl Blake [https://fuse.ac.uk/publicinvolvement/meetapublicpartner/cherylblake.html] is an expert by experience who has collaborated closely with Fuse and the wider public partner-led podcast planning group in creating the 'Public Health Research and Me' podcast. Her interests and specialised subjects are around mental and sexual health, domestic abuse, coercive and violent behaviour, and family court and social workers within that system. She supports survivors of sexual/abuse to find female empowerment through art, poetry and meditation. Resources and further information ⁠Fuse⁠ [http://fuse.ac.uk/] ⁠NIHR School for Public Health Research⁠ [https://sphr.nihr.ac.uk/] Excluded children at the heart of giant patchwork blanket [https://fuse.ac.uk/news/excludedchildrenattheheartofgiantpatchworkblanket.html] BBC news item – Blanket highlighting school exclusion unveiled [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c727jvk44d7o] Follow us on Bluesky: @fuseonline.bsky.social Follow us on X: @fuse_online Contact for more information, or a copy of the transcript prepared by Academic Audio Transcription: ⁠⁠⁠info@fuse.ac.uk⁠ With special thanks to the Fuse podcast group Emma Adams, Victoria Bartle, David Black, Cheryl Blake, Mandy Cheetham, Lesley Haley, Fiona Ling, Cassey Muir, John O’Shea, Laura Ritson, Viola Rook, Cheryl Wiscombe; David Winter and Ben Smith (editing); Shaun O'Boyle (training); and Academic Audio Transcription for transcribing content. Produced by Ella Anderson and Mark Welford. Music: Tuesday (Glitch Soft Hip-hop) by amaksi. If you're a fan of our ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, please subscribe, rate or review, and share with your friends, families, colleagues and networks.

What is ‘food insecurity’ and why is it such a concern, especially for people with severe mental health?

**Content/trigger warning: mental health; food insecurity; death; suicide** In this episode of the Fuse ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, host and public partner Cheryl Blake speaks with academic Ashley Blacklock and peer researcher Claire Atkins about research to tackle food insecurity and improve access to quality food in the North East. They tell us about working with people living with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) to create a nutritious ready meal. They discuss the fantastic feedback they received from participants who said the group sessions had inspired them to cook more at home, make dietary changes, and try new food. The researchers explore how learning from the project and engaging with community could be used in the future as a way of helping people with SMI to improve nutritional intake, as well as increase skills and knowledge around food and cooking. Claire describes the shame that people sometimes feel when visiting a foodbank or getting food donations, and how toxic shame is in stopping people from asking for the help or support that they might need. Listen to the full episode now to find out more. About our guests Ashley Blacklock is passionate about public health and the impact of food on both body and mind. Ashley nurtured this passion into a career, leading her to become a clinical dietitian. During her academic journey, she had the opportunity to do a placement with a research team at Teesside University. Here, she worked on a project focused on school food contracts and strategies that could support schools create healthier contracts and impact positively on the school food environment. In 2023, Ashley became a Research Associate at Teesside University. She is currently involved in a project focused on improving the nutritional quality of diets of people living with Severe Mental Illness. Claire Atkins is the Peer Lead for Research and the Senior Peer Worker for Durham and Darlington. Claire has worked for Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust for almost 3 years. Since working for the Trust, she has followed her passion for all things Peer Support. Having her own lived experience of Mental Health gives her a very personal perspective of Mental Health Services and the impact that serious mental illness can have on an individual and their lives. Over the last year, Claire has worked closely with the research team for the Food Insecurity and SMI project, sparking a new passion for research and understanding of the impact of SMI in people’s daily lives. About our host ⁠Cheryl Blake⁠ [https://fuse.ac.uk/publicinvolvement/meetapublicpartner/cherylblake.html] is this episode's host. She is a public partner who has collaborated closely with Fuse and the wider public partner-led podcast planning group in creating the 'Public Health Research and Me' podcast. Cheryl is an expert by experience who has also worked with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Northumbria University. Her interests and specialised subjects are around mental and sexual health, domestic abuse, coercive and violent behaviour, and family court and social workers within that system. She supports survivors of sexual/abuse to find female empowerment through art, poetry and meditation. Resources and further information o Jenny’s Pasta aims to tackle food insecurity [https://www.fuse.ac.uk/news/jennyspastaaimstotacklefoodinsecurity.html]⁠ [https://www.fuse.ac.uk/news/jennyspastaaimstotacklefoodinsecurity.html] o Research into food insecurity and severe mental illness [https://www.fuse.ac.uk/news/researchintofoodinsecurityandseverementalillness.html]⁠ [https://www.fuse.ac.uk/news/researchintofoodinsecurityandseverementalillness.html] o Supporting people with Severe Mental Illness who face food insecurity to access a nourishing meal⁠ [https://fuseopenscienceblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/supporting-people-with-severe-mental.html] o ⁠What came first, food insecurity or severe mental illness?⁠ [https://fuseopenscienceblog.blogspot.com/2021/05/what-came-first-food-insecurity-or.html] o ⁠Food insecurity in adults living with Severe Mental Illness⁠ [https://www.fuse.ac.uk/research/briefs/] o ⁠Food insecurity in adults with severe mental illness: A systematic review with meta-analysis⁠ [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jpm.12969] o Food insecurity in adults with severe mental illness living in Northern England: A co-produced cross-sectional study⁠ [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1747-0080.12868] With special thanks to the Fuse podcast group Emma Adams, Victoria Bartle, David Black, Cheryl Blake, Mandy Cheetham, Lesley Haley, Fiona Ling, Cassey Muir, John O’Shea, Laura Ritson, Viola Rook, Cheryl Wiscombe; David Winter and Ben Smith (editing); Shaun O'Boyle (training); and Academic Audio Transcription for transcribing content. Produced by Ella Anderson and Mark Welford. Music: Tuesday (Glitch Soft Hip-hop) by amaksi. If you're a fan of our ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, please subscribe, rate or review, and share with your friends, families, colleagues and networks. Follow us on X: @fuse_online Contact for more information, or a copy of the transcript prepared by Academic Audio Transcription: ⁠⁠info@fuse.ac.uk⁠ [info@fuse.ac.uk]

Understanding the mental health needs of LGBTQ+ youth

To coincide with Pride Month in the UK, this episode of “Public Health Research and Me” sees host and public partner Kamil Sterniczuk interview Fuse researcher Liam Spencer about his work on the topic of mental health of LGBTQ+ young people. Liam describes his journey from youth worker to public health researcher as ‘a happy accident’ and discusses the challenges and findings of his work, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. He emphasises the need for inclusive school policies and staff training to support LGBTQ+ students, as well as the importance of capturing the voices of people with lived experience to refine academic knowledge. Liam answers the big question: “If you had one message for our listeners to take away, what would it be?” Listen to the full episode now to find out more. LGBTQ+ is an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning. The "+" sign recognises the limitless sexual orientations and gender identities used by members of the community. More about our guest Liam Spencer is a Fuse Associate and Research Assistant [https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/people/profile/liamspencer1.html] based at Newcastle University, and a Mental Health Research Fellow [https://arc-nenc.nihr.ac.uk/profiles/liam-spencer/] for the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria (NENC). Liam's work focuses on building capacity for children and young people’s mental health research in the region, through collaboration with practice partners and academic colleagues. He is currently undertaking a PhD by published works. Striving to establish himself as a trailblazer in this field of research, Liam plans to lead school-based work in the region, with a focus on developing inclusive school environments for marginalised youth. About our host Kamil is a Fuse public partner and is this episode's host. Kamil is originally from Poland and moved to England for work. He is a part-time student of software engineering and a self-employed Polish interpreter. Since 2018, he has been a lay contributor to medical research due to his lived experience of chronic conditions. Resources and information Fuse website [https://fuse.ac.uk/] Liam's Fuse blog [https://fuseopenscienceblog.blogspot.com/2024/02/schools-out-for-stigma-understanding.html] NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR) public mental health programme [https://sphr.nihr.ac.uk/category/research/public-mental-health/ ] NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria [https://arc-nenc.nihr.ac.uk/ ] Paper: Reducing LGBTQ+ adolescent mental health inequalities: a realist review of school-based interventions [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09638237.2023.2245894 ] Paper: Understanding How School-Based Interventions Can Tackle LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health Inequality: A Realist Approach [https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/5/4274] With special thanks to the Fuse podcast group Emma Adams, Victoria Bartle, David Black, Cheryl Blake, Mandy Cheetham, Lesley Haley, Fiona Ling, Cassey Muir, John O’Shea, Laura Ritson, Viola Rook, Cheryl Wiscombe; David Winter and Ben Smith (editing); Shaun O'Boyle (training); and Academic Audio Transcription for transcribing content. Produced by Ella Anderson and Mark Welford. Music: Tuesday (Glitch Soft Hip-hop) by amaksi. If you're a fan of our ‘Public Health Research and Me’ podcast, please subscribe, rate or review, and share with your friends, families, colleagues and networks. Follow us on X: @fuse_online Contact for more information: ⁠info@fuse.ac.uk ⁠ For a copy of the transcript prepared by Academic Audio Transcription: ⁠⁠info@fuse.ac.uk⁠⁠