The NIHR Public Health Research (PHR) Programme is looking to fund research which evaluates the health and health inequality impacts of mass media content.
This is a two-stage, commissioned funding opportunity. To apply for the first stage you should submit an Outline Application. If invited to the second stage, you will then need to complete a Full Application.
Research question
- What are the health and health inequality impacts of mass media content?
Mass media is used to transmit information to a large audience. It includes everything from television, print media, radio and film to the Internet, games, gaming, advertising, podcasts, generative AI, and social media platforms. Research suggests that all types of mass media can have an impact on individual and population health. Existing evidence suggests that exposure to mass media content may positively or negatively affect diverse aspects of physical and mental health for individuals and populations. It may also impact on how people think about health more broadly, as well as how health information is communicated.
The Public Health Research (PHR) Programme is interested in research evaluating the health and health inequality impacts of mass media content. Research can investigate any media type. However, the UK population now spends more time on average consuming digital media than traditional types of media (e.g. broadcast television, radio, print media). Online communication platforms (e.g. social media) are becoming increasingly popular. Users can interact with family members and friends, accept invitations to public events, join online communities to meet people who share similar preferences, and interact with influencers and other online personalities. New platforms are emerging constantly, and multiple media platforms can be used simultaneously (e.g. social media and television). Evidence reviews suggest that social media platforms can have a positive role in public health (e.g. disease surveillance, professional development, influencing policy, health promotion, behavioural change) but can also have potential negative impacts on health (e.g. misinformation, privacy concerns, detriment to mental health, biased messaging inciting aggression, mistrust, social unrest and/or targeted assaults).
Emerging evidence suggests that social media is a major determinant of health, and some argue that the social media industry is a commercial determinant of health. Data collection and algorithms are used to suggest and prioritise the content that users see. Features such as targeted advertising provide businesses and special interest groups with more powerful tools than traditional media content by allowing them to target specific, defined demographics (e.g. cities, communities, ages, genders, education levels, jobs, interests, consumer behaviours). This can have both positive and negative effects on health and health inequalities.
There is concern that, while regulations have been developed over time for traditional media, digital media is developing faster than regulations. Regulations can be used to protect particular groups or restrict advertising of particular products, and this is currently lacking and/or can be circumvented for digital media. This could allow health harming industries to increase their impact on health, including communities or groups who might be particularly vulnerable.
Currently, minimal research has been conducted examining the health inequality impacts of digital media. Algorithms used for social media, generative AI and search engines are dependent and ‘trained’ on user data. There is concern that these algorithms are therefore susceptible to inheriting widespread biases and prejudices in society, exacerbating structural inequalities that already exist, and creating philosophical echo chambers. Users of digital media are also ‘broadcasters’ of information and their interaction with content can reshape and/or further amplify its reach.
The PHR Programme is interested in research evaluating the health and health inequality impacts of mass media content. This funding opportunity encompasses any media type, including traditional and new media types, generative AI, communication platforms, user-generated, commercially- or brand-generated, or hybrid media content.
Research areas of interest could include, but are not limited to:
- the extent to which (sub)population groups are currently exposed to, engage and/or interact with different kinds of mass media content (whether commercial, user-generated or hybrid), and the impact on health and health inequalities
- the impact of (sub)populations’ experiences of different kinds of media content on health and health inequalities
- the impact of mass media content on drivers of health or ill-health, including understanding, attitudes, susceptibility, and norms
- the impact of interventions that operate at whole population level
- structural drivers of the health impacts of media content
- the health and/or health inequality impacts of overt or covert commercial determinants and market-driven forces in mass media content (e.g. brand-endorsed social media influencers)
- the health or health inequality impacts of digital marketing that draws on personal data
- the impact of advertising legislation (or lack thereof) on health
- research investigating policy or regulatory levers (e.g. for platforms that use algorithms to suggest user-specific content and targeted advertising). This could take the form of modelling policy options
- the health and/or health inequality impacts of interventions such as media literacy or health messaging
- the impact of media-influenced values (e.g. sexism, racism, inclusion etc.) on the health of families/communities
- methodological approaches to evaluating the health or health inequality impacts of new (digital) media types, including modelling approaches
- the impact of generative AI on health and/or health inequalities, including potential harms and value
- games and gaming as a determinant of health
- the impact of mis/information on health, particularly among vulnerable (sub)populations
- interaction between neurodiversity and differential impact of social media
The PHR Programme recognises this is an emerging area and that, for some proposals, underpinning or development work to understand epidemiology might be beneficial to inform the evaluation of interventions. The Programme is willing to consider applications that include underpinning or development work. Please contact the PHR Programme before applying to discuss further.
The Programme acknowledges that digital media is a rapidly-changing field. Applicants need to justify the timeframes of their research and its dissemination in order to demonstrate that the research will have impact at the time of dissemination.
Applicants are encouraged to read the guidance notes, paying particular attention to the points highlighted below:
Population (P) – While PHR Programme funding opportunities are broad, applicants need to focus on, and justify, their specific choice of population. The PHR Programme recognises that interventions are likely to impact different (sub)populations in different ways.
Intervention (I) – The PHR Programme is predominantly interested in the evaluation of interventions that operate at a population level rather than at an individual level. The PHR Programme does not fund research into the treatment of disease but is interested in research that addresses the wider determinants of health. The description of the intervention may include the setting. For the purpose of this funding opportunity, the PHR Programme is willing to accept media content and/or the medium (e.g. print, digital) / device (e.g. mobile phones, laptops) through which content is sent and received as an intervention. Researchers may choose to investigate the health and/or health inequality of media content itself, exposure to the content, and/or interventions relating to mass media content (e.g. policy or regulation, media literacy interventions). Applicants are encouraged to specify the type of media, the source of media content, and the type of media content.
Comparator (C) – While we recognise that conducting a randomised controlled trial is not necessarily possible or appropriate in many situations, the PHR Programme encourages applicants to consider a suitable comparator.
Outcomes (O) – The primary outcome must be a health outcome. Researchers will need to clearly describe and justify their choice of primary and secondary outcomes. Researchers will need to specify how outcomes will be measured in the short, medium, and long term. Where a primary health outcome is not feasible then intermediary and proxy outcomes are accepted, if appropriately justified.
Health inequalities – Of particular importance to the PHR Programme is an understanding of inequalities in impact of policy and access to services. Evaluations of interventions seeking to reduce health inequalities are also of specific interest to the PHR Programme.
Application design
A range of study designs can be used. Qualitative, quantitative and innovative methodologies are welcomed. Researchers should clearly describe their methodological approach, and the rationale for this approach. Applicants are expected to be aware of other relevant studies in their area of research, to identify the gaps in the existing evidence base, and to articulate why their research is important for decision makers.
We welcome partnerships between research active and other less active institutions and those located in geographical areas of deprivation.
Health economics – Understanding the value of public health interventions – whether the 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.
Pathways to Impact – The Programme is focused on the impact of the research it funds. Researchers are encouraged to maximise the impact of their research by explaining how they will mobilise knowledge and share their findings, to ensure that it is used, with the relevant policy makers, practitioners (e.g. educators, health and care professionals), public health officers, special interest groups, charities, community audiences and other stakeholders.
Application guidance
Please read our Domestic Outline Application guidance to help you complete all aspects of your application. You must read this alongside the information below, which details specific requirements our PHR Programme looks for in applications. You can also check our PHR Programme page for details about the Programme’s scope and remit.
Visit funding web page
(https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/mass-media-content/2024209)
