On Sunday 22 March members of the MRC Epidemiology Unit have a stand “Building a healthier childhood for a brighter future” as part of a 2020 Cambridge Science Festival drop-in event for families.

The event will be held at Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, and will be pen to the public from 11 AM until 4 PM.

Visit our stand to take part in a series of fun challenges to learn more about how our society and neighbourhoods influence children’s health, and what we can do to build a healthier future.

At the MRC Epidemiology Unit we investigate the interplay between many factors that contribute to the development of health conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, and develop and evaluate strategies to prevent them. With more than 1 in 3 children now overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school, and recent figures indicating that almost 70% of boys, and 80% of girls, do not meet the physical activity recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity each day, we need to make childhood healthier.

Our scientists seek to improve our understanding of current patterns of diet and physical activity among children, and the many factors in our society and environment that influence them. We can then use this information to develop new programmes to help children to exercise more and eat more healthily, and to help local and national government to develop policies that help improve children’s health and wellbeing.