The SPICES project is a team of researchers based at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) who are working alongside well-known and trusted local community organisations to help make their communities healthier. The SPICES project has a focus on the heart health of the people within each community.
We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to support our project to be trained in motivational behavioural change and healthy lifestyle skills. Once trained, these volunteers will then provide one-to-one sessions to people within their own community, supporting them to set and achieve goals regarding their own health.
Partner community organisations and the volunteers will be involved in the development of how the project will be provided in each of the local areas to ensure that the needs of each of the communities are met. Our hope is that by involving communities all the way through the research process, people who may not have accessed health through traditional means will find the support that they need to improve their heart health. SPICES is a co-designed project. Co-design means that we are developing the project alongside the communities that we are working with. We recognise that research is more relevant, valuable and enjoyable when it involves the participation of people who have direct experience of the issues that the research is investigating.
“If we can empower them (community members) to find their own solutions then it will be sustainable.” Community partner organisation
Cardiovascular (heart) disorders (CVD) are the single greatest cause of death worldwide. The areas that have the highest numbers of heart disease also often have the poorest uptake of traditional medical interventions available in their communities, for example visiting GP surgeries.
SPICES research project stands for Scaling-up Packages of Interventions for Cardiovascular disease prevention in selected sites in Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. BSMS is one of five sites across the EU. It is an implementation science project funded by the European Commission through the Horizon 2020 research and innovation action.
