The Multi-Ethnic Lifestyle Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The clustering of lifestyle behaviours in a multiethnic population: A questionnaire study
IRAS ID
242736
Contact name
Kamlesh Khunti
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Leicester
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
Lifestyle behaviours, such as what a person consumes or how physically active they are, are shown to significantly impact upon health outcomes. Poor lifestyle choices, such as eating unhealthily, irregular sleeping patterns, smoking and drinking alcohol, have been shown to increase the potential to develop long-term conditions (LTCs), such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease, and can reduce life expectancy. A person’s ethnic background also has the potential to impact their lifestyle behaviours and health outcomes, for example, people from black, minority and ethnic (BME) communities are shown to be less physically active and have increased rates and risk of developing diabetes. While there has been a lot of research to date on the impact of single lifestyle behaviours on health outcomes and life expectancy, the evidence on combined effects of lifestyle behaviours within a multi-ethnic population has not received the same attention. To understand this better, this study aims to explore different lifestyle behaviours in people with and without long-term conditions, in a multi-ethnic population, to be able to use this information to inform health care in the UK.
The study will use questionnaires to gain information from people in a variety of settings across urban and rural Leicestershire over 5 years. These will include primary care settings (such as GP practices and pharmacies) and secondary care settings (such as hospital clinics). Potential participants will also be recruited from community settings (such as faith centres and community centres) to ensure that people who do not engage with healthcare regularly are not missed. Potential participants will be eligible if they are over 18 years old, with the ability to read and understand English, who are able and willing to complete the questionnaire, and who have not already completed the questionnaire.
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/EM/0289
Date of REC Opinion
26 Nov 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion