Glossary

Body mass index (BMI)

A measure of nutrition that takes the ratio of an individual’s weight in relation to height. BMI is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared.

Correlation

The measure of association between two variables calculated using the correlation coefficient, which is a statistical way of measuring the strength of the relationship between two variables.

Deprivation

A general lack of resources and opportunities in a community.

Health and wellbeing

Takes into account the whole person. In this sense, health includes physical, mental and social wellbeing.

Health inequalities

Avoidable inequalities in health status. In much of the literature the terms ‘health inequity’ and ‘health inequality’ are used interchangeably.

Holistic

In a medical context, an approach that sees the whole person and not just the disease. It recognises that there are a lot of factors involved in health and illness and that physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and environmental aspects need to be taken into account in care and treatment.

Life expectancy

The average number of additional years a person could expect to live if mortality at each age remained constant for the rest of their life.

Non-communicable diseases

Disease that cannot be passed from one person to another.

Obesity

According to the NHS, adults with a BMI of over 30 can be categorised as obese.

Obesogenic

Causing obesity.

Population

A research population is generally a large collection of individuals or objects that is the main focus of a scientific query. This could be all UK residents (census), but it might be all students currently at UK universities, the population of a town or any other defined group.

Qualitative

A research approach used when the aim is to gain an understanding of people’s feelings, opinions and motivations. Qualitative research gives insight into a problem or issues. Qualitative data collection methods include focus groups, interviews and observation/participant observation. The sample size is typically small and very carefully selected so as to address the research question in the best possible way.

Quantitative

Research that involves the collection and analysis of numerical data that can be interrogated through statistical methods.

Statistics

The science of learning from data.

Structural

to be added

Values

A set of important beliefs or ideals shared by members of a culture or profession about what is good or bad and desirable or undesirable. Values have major influence on our personal and professional behaviours and often serve us as broad guidelines in our professional responses.

Variables

In research, any factor that can change and that can be measured.