Goal 3: Good health and wellbeing

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

Working in partnership both locally and globally, we are tackling each of the UN Sustainable Development Goals through our research and knowledge exchange, education and student experience, and through our operations. Discover how our unique commitments align with and support Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Wellbeing.

Research and impact

The University advances SDG 3 through innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and inclusive community outreach. The Civic Health Innovation Labs (CHIL) bring together researchers, civic stakeholders, and clinicians to develop AI-powered health interventions for infectious and chronic disease, strengthening universal health coverage (3.8). The Pandemic Institute, part of the Liverpool City Region Life Sciences Innovation Zone, accelerates diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccine scale-up to combat global health threats (3.3). Internationally, Liverpool scientists led the MIRACLE-AF telemedicine trial in East China, which reduced strokes and major cardiac events among more than 1,000 rural elderly patients (3.4). In the UK, the Better Medicines report, produced with Manchester Met and UCL, gathered public and professional insights to improve inclusivity in clinical research and equitable access to medicines (3.8). Meanwhile, the C-GULL cohort study, tracking 10,000 children in the Liverpool City Region, is generating evidence to address child and maternal health inequalities (3.2, 3.8).

Education and student experience

The University equips students with the support, education, and experiences they need to live healthy lives and contribute to local and global health equity, in direct support of SDG 3. Student wellbeing is prioritised through a comprehensive infrastructure, including the Wellbeing Advice and Guidance Team, Mental Health Advisory Service, and a confidential Counselling Service offering evidence-based therapies. Provision is inclusive and tailored to diverse student needs, including LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent communities (3.4). The newly opened ADHD Garden provides a calming, low-stimulation space that promotes self-regulation and supports neurodiverse wellbeing (3.4). Throughout the year, the University and Guild of Students deliver campaigns such as Mental Health Awareness Week and Give It a Go, promoting wellbeing literacy and reducing stigma (3.5). Academic programmes such as the MPH Public Health, MSc Clinical and Health Pyschology, and MSc Planetary and One Health align with (3.3), (3.8) and (3.D). Modules including Law and Global Health, Living with Environmental Change, and Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health enable students to critically engage with health systems, equity, and resilience. Widening access initiatives, including the Merseyside Young Health and Life Scientists Programme, encourage students from underrepresented groups to pursue health and life science careers, contributing to the future health workforce (3.C).

Sustainable campus and operations

The University supports SDG 3 by embedding health and wellbeing into its services, infrastructure, and partnerships. Our Wellbeing Map helps students and staff find spaces to be active, connect with others, relax in nature, and access support (3.4). Sport Liverpool provides affordable facilities for the university community and wider public, enhancing physical and mental health (3.4, 3.5). Green spaces such as Ness Botanical Gardens, the library garden, and the ADHD-friendly garden promote rest and sensory regulation (3.4). Staff wellbeing is supported through the Employee Assistance Programme, confidential counselling, occupational health services, and Mental Health First Aid training (3.4, 3.5). In partnership with Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, the University delivers the U-COPE self-harm service and a Student Liaison Service to provide timely pathways to NHS mental health care (3.4, 3.8, 3.D). The Student Health Centre offers GP and nursing care, sexual health services, chronic condition management, and vaccinations (3.8, 3.D). Looking forward, the Academic Health Sciences Campus will integrate clinical teaching, research, and patient care in collaboration with NHS partners, strengthening regional health capacity (3.8, 3.D).

Case Studies

Ending mother-to-child Hepatitis B transmission in Africa

University of Liverpool researchers are leading efforts to eliminate vertical transmission of hepatitis B in Africa through targeted, evidence-based interventions. A landmark Lancet Global Health meta-analysis of 113 studies and 190,000 women identified timely hepatitis B birth dose vaccination (HepB-BD) and maternal antiviral prophylaxis as strategies with transformative potential. With 63% of new global hepatitis B infections occurring in Africa, these interventions directly advance SDG targets (3.2), (3.3) and (3.8).

Led by Dr Alexander Stockdale (University of Liverpool) and Dr Nicholas Riches (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine), the study found that scaling up HepB-BD to 90% coverage could reduce vertical transmission by 44%, while combining it with antiviral prophylaxis for 90% of eligible women could reduce transmission by 86%, meeting WHO elimination targets. The findings informed WHO’s updated 2024 hepatitis B guidelines.

Building on this evidence, Dr Stockdale is leading a £3 million NIHR Global Health Research project in Malawi and The Gambia, working with the Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust and MRC Unit The Gambia. The trial will assess the feasibility, safety, and cost-effectiveness of providing tenofovir to all pregnant women with hepatitis B. By embedding research within health systems and working closely with ministries of health and WHO, the project ensures results are policy-relevant, scalable, and capable of preventing hundreds of thousands of infections and deaths across Africa.

Creating Healthy Urban Places in Liverpool and Bradford

Researchers at the University of Liverpool received funding to deliver a 4-year project aiming to better understand what makes places healthy and help prevent the development of illnesses and reduce inequalities. Significantly, it will invite the local community to contribute to the study that explores how the local environment impacts on health and wellbeing. Called Healthy Urban Places, the project is funded by UKRI’s Population Health Improvement UK (PHI-UK) initiative, to deliver the project by working with partners in two major northern cities – Bradford and Liverpool. Healthy Urban Places investigates how and why health is affected by the quality of our local environments, looking at housing and air quality, access to parks, public transport, schools, and health services etc. Its aim is to inform and influence policy makers on decisions that improve local places for health, particularly for those who need them the most. ‘Community collaboratives will bring together communities, researchers, and decision-makers, to guide the work. The collaboratives will train local people to become peer researchers who will speak to residents to explore what makes a healthy place. They will work with key stakeholders and decision makers to investigate how place-based changes impact on the health of communities.

Fleming Fund Fellowship Programme

The University of Liverpool was awarded £1.3 million as part of the UK Government’s Fleming Fund Fellowship Programme to support mentorship and professional development for those involved in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance in Fleming Fund partner countries. The Fleming Fund, managed by the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), aids 25 countries in Africa and Asia in combating AMR, a major contributor to infectious disease deaths. Liverpool will now host fellows from Nigeria and Sierra Leone, two countries heavily affected by AMR. Up to 20 fellows will be selected over the next two years to tackle AMR challenges in their regions. Led by Professor Alison Holmes and managed by infectious disease experts, the University’s team will provide expertise and mentorship. Professor Holmes, a key figure in the Centres for Antimicrobial Optimisation Network (CAMO-Net), emphasizes the importance of this scheme in developing solutions to AMR. The programme will focus on improving the quality of AMR data, sharing insights with decision-makers, and promoting sustainable solutions. This award strengthens Liverpool's reputation for leadership in AMR research and global health.

Food Policies and Disease Prevention – the IMPACT model

Researchers at the University of Liverpool developed computational models to quantify and compare different prevention policies, successfully advancing food policies such as the UK dietary salt reduction targets, sugary drinks tax, along with EU and WHO policies to eliminate industrial transfats from the world's food supplies. Non-communicable diseases include heart disease, stroke, diabetes, dementia and cancers, and prematurely kill over 175,000 Britons every year. However, most premature NCDs are preventable. Crucially, some 40% are attributable to poor diet and obesity. The comprehensive research programme uses innovative computational models to define epidemiological trends, then quantify and compare the potential health, economic and equity benefits of healthier food policies to prevent NCDs. Compared with medical treatments, population-wide NCD prevention policies consistently save more lives, reduce inequalities and achieve impressive cost-savings. The IMPACT computational epidemiological models provide clear explanations for the dramatic cardiovascular and NCD trends in the UK, USA and diverse high-, middle- and low-income countries. The work informing evidence-based healthy food policies covers three areas: Sugary Drinks Tax and Obesity Prevention, Dietary Salt Reduction Policies, and Eliminating Industrial Transfats. The ongoing research involves further modelling innovation and seeks to better understand the evolving burden of premature NCDs, and how best to prevent them by harnessing policy actions across all sectors of society. To effect real change to health and food policy, researchers work in partnership with a wide range of key stakeholders, including advocacy groups, policy makers, and local councils, while also advocating their research on influential committees, groups and councils. The results have successfully advanced diverse food policies, by empowering advocacy groups and informing parliament and government.

The LONGEVITY Project

In 2020, the University of Liverpool launched the LONGEVITY project, aimed at improving long-acting therapeutics for the treatment and prevention of tuberculosis, malaria, and hepatitis C. With over £6M in funding awarded by Unitaid in 2023, the project achieved preclinical proof of concept for long-acting medications targeting tuberculosis and hepatitis C therapy. The project focused on ensuring these therapeutics were accessible in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A key component of the University’s Centre of Excellence for Long-acting Therapeutics (CELT), the project brought together expertise from pharmacology and materials chemistry to develop long-acting drug delivery systems, which are increasingly vital in combating global health threats like antimicrobial resistance (AMR). LONGEVITY’s extension funding allowed the continuation of work that addressed specific challenges in LMICs, with the program serving as a prime example of interdisciplinary collaboration in global health innovation.

Highlighting inequality in green spaces and mental health

A study led by researchers from the Department of Public Health, Policy and Systems at the University of Liverpool highlighted the beneficial role of greenness and access to green or blue spaces in reducing socioeconomic-related inequalities in mental health. The researchers found that every additional 360m to the nearest green (e.g. park, field or wooded area) or blue (e.g. lake, marina, or the sea) space was associated with higher odds of anxiety and depression. Researchers worked with international partners to anonymously link records of household greenness, access to green and blue space, and GP records of anxiety and depression for over 2 million adults in Wales. While the effects of green spaces on mental health have been well documented, using the medical records of an entire adult population over such a considerable length of time gives a new level of understanding to this work. The researchers emphasised that investing in improved public green spaces might bring mental health benefits to everyone, but particularly for those living in more deprived areas. The findings can support organisations and authorities responsible for green and blue spaces, who are attempting to engage planners and policymakers, to ensure that local green and blue spaces meet the health needs of residents. The researchers call for future studies to investigate why those living in lower-income and higher-income areas are affected differently by access and exposure to green and blue spaces. We need to ensure that those who are in the most need, and will benefit the most, have access to these free green and blue spaces, helping to protect the health of our population.