Funding for study that looks into impact of virus in city

A LANDMARK programme based at Bradford Royal Infirmary has been awarded one of 10 research grants from the Health Foundation to help understand the impact of Covid- 19 on families.

The research by Born in Bradford ( BiB) will look at the experiences of local families living through the pandemic, including the financial and mental- health impacts of the lockdowns.

The study will also look at the many different views and beliefs that people hold around Covid- 19 and the planned vaccines so that the right information and support can be put in place within local healthcare organisations in the months ahead.

The research team will be sending a number of surveys to parents and young people involved in Born in Bradford to find out how people’s lives have changed and what can be done to support them. Information collected will then be used to work closely with councils, NHS organisations and schools to find ways of helping families as the country emerges from the pandemic.

Dr Josie Dickerson, director of the inequalities research unit at BiB, is leading the research.

She said: “This is a really important opportunity to help us understand what it is like to live through this really tough time and to make sure that services give our families the support they need. Through this research, Bradford families have the opportunity to influence what local services do next to support families and to make sure the right support is in place for the recovery from this pandemic.”

More than 2,000 families responded to the team’s initial survey during the first lockdown, which revealed a third of families were worse off and one in 10 of these was struggling to make ends meet. Two in five also reported low mood or anxiety.

A second survey was sent out in October as part of the research.