Notes:
- For the purposes of this call, there are no expectations for potential applicants to make contact with participating schools and/or Heathrow Airport prior to application submission. This will be facilitated by NIHR and Heathrow in due course with all relevant noise data made available as necessary. Applicants may request supporting material for up-to-date information of the progress of the Insulation Scheme by contacting: phr@nihr.ac.uk
- Heathrow have sought the expertise of NIHR to ensure that the study is seen as independent and impartial. Heathrow have been involved in the design of the scope but once the study commences Heathrow will be advised through NIHR on progress and will not seek to influence the outcomes of the study.
- The value of the contract is up to £750,000.
Research areas of interest:
- Evaluation of London Heathrow Airport’s Insulation Schemes in their effectiveness in protecting children’s health and learning from an exposure, health outcome and economic perspective.
The NIHR PHR Programme is working with London Heathrow Airport on commissioning an evaluation of the Insulation Schemes in schools and its effectiveness and cost-effectiveness in protecting children’s health and learning.
Aircraft noise exposure is a health risk and evidence shows that noise annoyance partly mediates the association between noise exposure and stress-related health risks (Hauptvogel et al., 2021). Environmental noise exposure, such as aircraft and road traffic noise, been shown to be associated with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in adults. Similar health outcomes have been noted in children, although there is less evidence. Therefore, the focus of this funding call is on school children’s health and learning. Children’s exposure to environmental noise is related to lower well-being and stress responses. Studies examining the effect of aircraft noise exposure on primary school children’s reading comprehension have varied. The small number of available studies examining effect of aircraft noise exposure on primary and secondary school children’s reading comprehension found inconsistent results. Some showed a negative effect on reading comprehension with increased aircraft noise, with potential confounding from sociodemographic factors (Clark et al., 2013; Clark et al., 2021). Whilst the effect of aircraft noise on children’s reading comprehension alone may be small in magnitude, the collective effects could have public health significance, due to the extent of exposure to aircraft noise.
Although, evidence shows that noise impairs quality of life in children, no strong evidence have proved that noise causes more serious mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression (Stansfeld and Clark, 2015). There is growing evidence of an association with increased hyperactivity symptoms in children and studies also suggest that noise might cause changes in cardiovascular function in children (Clark et al., 2021).
There are many approaches to reducing annoyance from aircraft exposure, however this research will only focus on noise insulation in school and how this may be beneficial, or not, for health. Noise insulation may be effective, but this method needs to be balanced against the associated changes to indoor school environmental conditions, such as air quality and temperature, which can significantly affect the children’s health and comfort. This is especially important in educational buildings, where pupils, spend long periods of the day and are vulnerable to these factors. Recently, indoor air quality in terms of ventilation has been a focus of attention to ensure that disease transmission in indoor spaces is minimised (Hoz-Torres et al. 2021). Inadequate ventilation is generally considered the single most common cause of pollutant build-up. As people spend up to 90% of their time indoors, and for children a considerable amount of this would be in schools, it is important to ensure indoor air quality in schools is adequate (Kubba, 2017).
Since 2008, Heathrow Airport has installed acoustic insulation, and in some cases ventilation in over 15 primary schools exposed to medium to high levels of aircraft noise. The scheme pays for school buildings to have noise-insulating modifications such as double-glazing, replacement windows and ventilation. Eligible buildings are those in widespread use within the community, where people spend long periods of time, which for children includes schools and registered nurseries. However, little is known of the impact of these noise insulation interventions in schools on the health of the children affected.
The Public Health Research Programme is interested in receiving applications to evaluate the impacts of noise insulation interventions implemented in schools by Heathrow Airport on school children’s health and health inequalities. The evaluation should also include consideration of the effectiveness of the intervention to reduce internal exposure throughout the year (i.e. in the heating and cooling seasons), potential impacts on other indoor environmental conditions, and user satisfaction. A range of study designs and outcome measures can be used. Researchers will need to clearly describe and justify their choice of health outcomes, as well as the rationale for their methodological approach. Researchers are encouraged to consider additional outcome measures including those relating to the broader determinants of health and health inequalities, which should be specified and justified. Researchers will also need to specify key outcomes and how these will be measured in the short, medium and long term. Researchers are strongly encouraged to explore the generalisability of their findings, this could be for schools in close proximity to other airports or potentially other types of environmental noise pollution.
Understanding the value of public health interventions – whether outcomes justify their use of resources – is integral to the PHR Programme, where resources relating to different economic sectors and budgets are potentially relevant. The main outcomes for economic evaluation are expected to include health (including health-related quality of life) and the impact on health inequalities as a minimum, with consideration of broader outcomes welcomed. Different approaches to economic evaluation are encouraged as long as they assess the value and distributive impact of interventions. Applications that do not include an economic component should provide appropriate justification.
Researchers are strongly encouraged to ensure that service users, including people with lived experience from the target audience, are involved in the design and planning of the intervention and/or as potential, suitably rewarded, members of the research team. It is recognised that it may not be feasible to involve younger school children, researchers may therefore need to include parents or teachers were appropriate. Researchers should demonstrate the relevance of their proposed research to decision-makers and people with lived experiences and they might do this through involving them as costed/rewarded members of the research team. Researchers are encouraged to explain how they will share their findings with policy makers, public health officers, special interest groups, charities, community audiences and other relevant stakeholders.
Researchers are expected to work closely with Heathrow Airport, and stakeholder engagement needs to be transparent and cognisant of the sensitivities of the area. Researchers also need to be aware of other studies in this field, development in practice and ensure their proposed research is complementary.
For further information on submitting an application to the PHR Programme, please refer to the Stage 1 guidance notes and PHR supporting information. These can be found by clicking on the relevant commissioned call on the main funding opportunity page. This also includes closing dates and details about how to apply.
Applicants are welcome to contact the NIHR Public Health Research Applications and Design Advice (PHRADA), to support the development of their proposals.
Applicant Notice:
Applicants are advised that whilst this commissioned call is being facilitated by NIHR, necessary data pertaining to the management and administration of the successful application and resulting award will be shared by NIHR with:
- The University of Southampton, who will be managing the successful award on behalf London Heathrow Airport
- London Heathrow Airport, as the funder of the award
Applicants will be required to acknowledge their acceptance of this arrangement prior to completion of their application.