Are you in a healthy place? Travel, food and our neighbourhoods

Wed 22 June 2016

University Centre

The places where we live, study and work shape our behaviours and health. But how healthy are our neighbourhoods? Join science writer and broadcaster Kat Arney for this MRC Festival of Medical Research event, and explore the latest research from the MRC Epidemiology Unit about how our neighbourhoods influence how we get around and what we eat, and what this is doing to our bodies

Bring your smartphones, opinions and questions – and take away a new perspective on where you live.

5.30 – 6.15pm: Meet the scientists

Come and grab a drink, talk with scientists about their research at the MRC Epidemiology Unit, and have some fun on interactive activities.

Learn how we gather data and how it can be used to improve health and wellbeing.
Find out how far you have to pedal to burn off a single sugar lump, and what it does to your heart rate.

Take the sugar taste test – how sweet is too sweet, and how do your taste buds compare to other people’s?

6.15 – 7.30pm: Interactive presentations

Hear about how our research is shedding light on how the places we live and work affect our health. Test your knowledge and perceptions in an interactive Q&A. The main topics will be:

What does Medical Research have to do with my commute? Cambridge is famous for being the city in the UK with the highest levels of cycling. But what is it about the environment that influences how we get around? And is enough being done to encourage everyone to be a bit more active on the commute? Researchers have been studying the health impacts of the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway and other transport projects around the country to try to answer these and other questions.

Are takeaways adding pounds? Are supermarkets slimming? We might like to think that the food we eat is all a matter of personal choice, but where we live and work can affect our choices. Research is shedding light on how food outlets near our home, work and travel routes influence what we eat, and ultimately our weight and health. But how full of takeaways, supermarkets and other food shops is your neighbourhood? Do you think it affects what you eat? And what, if anything, should be done about it?

Cost: Free