WELLINE is a network project funded from the recent Medical Research Council’s Lifelong Health & Wellbeing call. The project will run over a 10 month period completing by summer 2010. Welline is led by Professor Jon Ayres of the University of Birmingham and seeks to focus on how the indoor environment influences chronic disorders affecting the musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary and nervous systems, amongst the most prevalent conditions found in the older population.

To view the Project Proposal, please click here.

The network will use the DPSEEA model as a framework to produce maps of the links between lifelong indoor environmental factors and chronic disorders affecting musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary and nervous systems in later life. These are the common degenerative diseases of older age which affect mobility and which have a great influence on life quality with increasing age.

The role of sustainable development – particularly the responses to Climate Change - will also be taken into account by considering the relevant driving forces and pressures in the mapping process. The indoor environment will be the main determinant considered in the mapping process. However, the impact of other important determinants (e.g. activity levels, socio-economic issues, etc.) will also be addressed.

The network also aims to identify key interventions with recommendations as to how these can be tackled and produce an extended draft of a future collaborative research proposal.

Professor James Goodwin's recent presentation to the Welline groups on 'Knoweldge Transfer' and how it will apply to the project is available by clicking here.

Funded by the Lifelong Health and Wellbeing Cross-Council Programme. The LLHW Funding Partners: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council , Medical Research Council, Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health Directorates, National Institute for Health Research /The Department of Health, The Health and Social Care Research & Development of the Public Health Agency (Northern Ireland), and Wales Office of Research and Development for Health and Social Care, Welsh Assembly Government.