Dr Lauren Struszczak spoke with us about her recent project – Systematic review of Nutritional interventions in older Adults in the Community at risK of malnutrition (SNACK): understanding haracteristics, implementation, and effectiveness. Her work used PPIE (Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement) funding to incorporate lived experiences into this valuable study.
Amount of award: £500
The overall aim of this work was to directly inform and enhance our application for an imminent NIHR Researcher-Led funding bid. This funding would allow for a systematic review to understand the functions and effectiveness of community-based nutritional interventions, with the aim of improving malnutrition-related health outcomes.
We ran 2 online meetings with hot meal delivery service providers, voluntary community sector organisations, and those with a vested interest in malnutrition in the elderly – such as community-dwelling over-70 year-olds and care providers for older adults. The main aims of our meetings were to:
- Contribute to the development of the proposal
- Identify potential public co-applicants and
- Identify opportunities and build relationships for potential national dissemination activities.
Given the vast geographical location of those taking part, meetings took place online. This posed some difficulties especially for older adult involvement due to lack of access to suitable equipment or online platforms. Hence, we invited carers, friends, or relatives of such individuals to also take part in the meeting.
This is the first time I have undertaken such extensive PPIE, and I will continue to do so in to inform future funding applications, as conversations within the meetings have directly improved our application. Involving those most connected to the research problem helped me align the project aims with the needs and concerns of the community. Furthermore, it provided a broader perspective, which has led to a more comprehensive and innovative application as meetings highlighted ideas I had not previously considered. Finally, I found great benefit in asking those that took part how best to disseminate research findings. Again, as participants are directly involved first-hand, they suggested a variety of dissemination ideas – such as printed leaflets, promoting findings through online platforms, and targeting previously unthought of groups.
I plan to improve my application directly on the back of these PPIE meetings. A public co-applicant has been identified and will be added to the project so we can continue PPIE throughout. This funding application was submitted for consideration in April 2024, but I also hope to use this public-facing experience to influence future projects and applications.