MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit

Places and Children’s Health: A Research and Policy Agenda

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 11:34:00 BST

By understanding the ways in which people and places interact to impact health, we can design, plan, build and manage places that protect and improve children’s health and reduce inequality.

Rethinking children’s right to leisure during school holidays

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 15:17:00 BST

School holidays are opportunities for children and young people to engage in leisure, including essential rest, relaxation and enriching non-academic activities.

Paving the way for an inclusive and resilient Glasgow City Region

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 10:21:00 BST

Successful roundtable for Glasgow Aligning Local Policy Partnerships (GALoPP) project.

How do changes in the built environment impact our health?

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 14:04:00 BST

Laura Macdonald discusses a novel method to explore how built environment change across Scotland might be associated with population health.

Having heritage sites in your neighbourhood and visiting heritage improves mental health

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 10:15:00 BST

This blog discusses findings from new research with Historic England.

Vaping: A throwaway habit?

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 10:15:00 BST

This blog takes a closer look at the fierce public health and environmental debates that have emerged around disposable e-cigarettes.

Co-producing research with young people online: Insights from a participatory sexual health project

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 09:00:00 GMT

Initial insights from a series of online peer-led workshops that were carried out with young people as part of CONUNDRUM Action.

We need to consider the impact of actions taken to tackle the climate crisis on health inequalities

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 13:32:00 GMT

Blog by Jennifer Boyd, Research Assistant with our Systems Science in Public Health Programme.

Drug-related deaths - just the tip of the iceberg?

Fri, 26 Aug 2022 12:53:00 BST

Guest blog by Dr Louise Marryat about Unit research on early death in people affected by co-occurring homelessness, justice involvement, opioid dependence, and psychosis.

What are the benefits of nature-based early childhood education?

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 10:22:00 BST

This blog discusses the role of nature-based early childhood education on children’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive outcomes

Involving young people in sexual health policy and service improvement

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 16:05:00 BST

An introduction to the CONUNDRUM Action project.

The LoCo-effect: Healthier mothers and babies despite COVID-19 pandemic?

Thu, 19 May 2022 15:33:00 BST

This blog discusses how the Lockdown Cohort of babies will, on average, start life in more advantaged circumstances than babies conceived before and after the pandemic.

Understanding the health impacts of smoke-free prison policies

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 11:24:00 BST

Emily Tweed discusses how prison pharmacy data was used to evaluate the impact of the policy on the health of people in custody.

Unlocking data - using online workshops to develop recommendations for policy and practice

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 17:05:00 GMT

In the second blog post from the 'Unlocking Data' team, Peter Craig reflects on emerging findings from the project.

Finding the key to Unlocking Data

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 10:23:00 GMT

Linking data from different sources has an immense value. However, it also comes with several challenges. In this blog, Kristina Cimova reflects how the NIHR-funded Unlocking Data project can address these themes by bringing together people from policy and practice.

A fresh outlook for complex intervention research – the new MRC/NIHR framework

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 09:38:00 BST

It has been 15 years since the framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions was last updated. A lot has happened in that time!

New sustainable travel guidance launched: reflections from a steering group member

Wed, 03 Mar 2021 13:46:00 GMT

As the University launches its guidance for sustainable business travel, we publish reflections from a steering group member, Emily Tweed.

E-cigarettes and public health: reasons for optimism?

Tue, 23 Feb 2021 10:55:00 GMT

This blog examines the fierce public health debates that have emerged around e-cigarettes.

Why we need targeted parenting interventions

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 10:25:00 BST

Dr Katie Buston makes the case for parenting programmes for marginalised parents.

Experience as PhD student and NHS public health professional

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 13:10:00 BST

Our PhD Student and Clinical Research Fellow Rachel Thomson reflects on being a PhD student & public health professional called on to assist with the pandemic.

Outdoor early learning and play

Fri, 05 Jun 2020 12:39:00 BST

How can the scientific community assist with Scotland’s greener vision of child development, health and wellbeing?

Prioritising population health - contrasting UK government responses to pandemic and inequality

Wed, 13 May 2020 14:52:00 BST

Are government responses in proportion to the scale of the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and inequality - and if they are different, why they are different?

Taxing sugar and sugar-added foods: what is the evidence for improving health?

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 15:19:00 BST

Does taxing unhealthy food and beverages reduce their consumption and lead to better population health? Today we published the first of three systematic reviews that aim to answer this question.

Social inequalities in vaping: Why smoking matters

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 15:27:00 GMT

Dr Michael Green discusses a new study which found e-cigarettes may be helping disadvantaged smokers to quit, and low numbers of young people are vaping.

Cardiovascular disease deaths are falling but unacceptable inequalities persist

Mon, 21 Oct 2019 14:00:00 BST

Deaths from cardiovascular disease are declining in many European countries, but they remain socially patterned. How can we reduce these inequalities?

Maths for the Good of your Health

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 15:44:00 BST

It's Maths Week Scotland 2019!

“Enrolling my child is the best decision I’ve ever made”: Gaining insights into outdoor learning and childcare

Wed, 14 Aug 2019 13:45:00 BST

Jessica Kenny shares her experience working on an outdoor nurseries research project as part of a summer studentship.

Multimorbidity and transition into social care

Mon, 12 Aug 2019 10:02:00 BST

Paul Henery explains how multimorbidity measures can be used to predict older people's transition into social care.

What happened to the built environment in one year? Atlas of change in Scotland 2016 to 2017

Fri, 02 Aug 2019 10:09:00 BST

New atlas and interactive mapping tool highlights changes in buildings, roads and woodlands across Scotland.

Free bus travel benefits older people’s wellbeing

Fri, 31 May 2019 15:55:00 BST

Dr Elise Whitley discusses a recent study looking at the impact of the statutory concessionary travel scheme on bus travel among older people in England.

Children in deprived areas encounter shops selling tobacco six times more frequently than those in well-off areas.

Tue, 23 Jul 2019 11:22:00 BST

Dr Fiona Caryl discusses a recent study which found that children in deprived areas encounter shops selling tobacco six times more frequently than those in well-off areas.

ASSIST Global: Can we implement and research a schools-based smoking prevention intervention, developed in the UK, in a range of low- and middle-income countries?

Fri, 05 Jul 2019 11:56:00 BST

Between 20th and 24th May 2019, an international group including representatives from East Asia (China), South-east Asia (Indonesia and the Philippines), Eastern Europe (Moldova) and the UK (England and Scotland), met at the University of Glasgow.

What is ‘on the ground’ in a city linked to levels of inequality in life satisfaction

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 08:11:00 GMT

In a European-wide study of 63,554 people from 66 cities in 28 countries, we found links between urban design and levels of inequality in life satisfaction. This is the first study to theorise and examine how the entire urban landscape may affect levels of and inequalities in wellbeing in a large international sample.

ARISE-ing to the challenge

Thu, 07 Mar 2019 11:45:00 GMT

In this blog, Dr Linsay Gray shares her experiences participating in the inception meeting and launch event of the Global Challenges Research Fund ARISE Hub on Accountability in Urban Health which took place in Nairobi, Kenya from 12th–15th February 2019.

Preventing premature deaths among people who are homeless

Wed, 06 Mar 2019 12:06:00 GMT

In this blog, Dr Emily Tweed discusses how we can use evidence to help us prevent premature deaths among people who are homeless.

Being a research nurse on THRIVE

Fri, 25 Jan 2019 14:15:00 GMT

Nicola Smith is a paediatric research nurse who has been working with the Trial for Healthy Relationship Initiatives for the Very Early Years (THRIVE) at the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit for the past three years. In this blog, she shares her experiences of the research process.

A new approach to improving youth mental public health – the TRIUMPH Network

Sat, 01 Dec 2018 14:12:00 GMT

One in eight children and young people experience mental health problems and the majority of these have onset before their mid-twenties. Yet, 70% of young people have not had the appropriate intervention that they need. We believe that there is a different, solution-focused approach - one that seeks to understand young people’s strengths, assets and resilience, which we can draw on to improve health.

Towards a Tobacco-Free Generation: Where Next?

Mon, 26 Nov 2018 10:31:00 GMT

In this blog, Dr Michael Green discusses the impacts of smoke-free public places legislation on inequalities in youth smoking uptake in the UK, and other MRC-funded work on the impacts of e-cigarettes on youth smoking.

Why aren’t today’s teens getting pregnant?

Mon, 22 Oct 2018 10:08:00 BST

Did you know that every year, fewer teenagers are getting pregnant? Across England, Wales and Scotland rates of teenage pregnancy have been dropping since about the turn of the millennium. Rates have halved amongst 15-17-year-olds, and dropped quite a bit even for older teenagers, who might not necessarily be avoiding getting pregnant.

Do people actually use the facilities in their home neighbourhood?

Mon, 15 Oct 2018 12:34:00 BST

This blog explores a key question in neighbourhood and health research: if there is a facility or amenity close to someone’s home, is it OK to assume they use it? Surprisingly, this assumption is at the heart of a lot of health and environment research.

What has science ever done for our sex lives? Exploring social science’s contribution to sex research at the Pint of Science festival

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 16:00:00 BST

When you research sex for a living, conversations in the pub often come around to your work. But recently we spent a night talking about sex in the pub, not just with a group of friends, but as part of a sold-out evening at the Pint of Science festival here in Glasgow.

PhD summer school experience – supportive, inspiring and most of all, fun

Sat, 06 Oct 2018 15:57:00 BST

Last month, along with a merry band of SPHSU PhD students, I attended the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science (SGSSS) summer school. I am confident in speaking for us all by saying that we had a great time. Over the course of the week we took on board a wealth of information related to the PhD journey, both in terms of knowledge specific to each of our PhDs, and more broadly about the ups and downs of pursuing a PhD.

Policy, Research, and Internships – real world view

Wed, 24 Jan 2018 15:52:00 GMT

Two PhD students at the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, Lauren Elsie White and Karl Ferguson, recently spent three months with the Scottish Government. Both their internships focused on the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) programme in Scotland in which specially trained nurses work with first-time teenage mothers to develop their parenting capacity and support them to make positive choices for themselves and their children.

Changing places and mental health: do changes in perceptions of neighbourhood influence anxiety and depression in adults?

Fri, 15 Dec 2017 15:47:00 GMT

Mental health problems are a global issue. In 2013 over 615 million individuals suffered from anxiety and/or depression across the world, a rise of 50% since 1990. How people experience their local environment can impact on mental health. Living in areas that are perceived to have higher levels of neighbourhood problems such as poor housing quality, limited amounts of greenspace, industrial activity, and high traffic volume, has been linked to poorer mental health by some research studies.

Data, Government, and a Little Bit of Cake – My Internship Story

Tue, 31 Oct 2017 15:34:00 GMT

Unit PhD student Megan McMinn is in her third year of her postgraduate studies and recently worked at the Scottish Government as part of an internship organised through the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science. Megan explains her experience working alongside analysts working at the heart of government.

All the latest on health in Scotland

Mon, 16 Oct 2017 15:28:00 BST

Are you curious about health in Scotland? Maybe you’d like to know how trendy vaping really is or wonder if teetotallers are a thing of the past. The latest Scottish Health Survey findings have just been published, providing answers to many such questions.

Post-school education: a large-scale behaviour-change intervention?

Tue, 27 Jun 2017 15:24:00 BST

Young people make life-changing decisions as they move from youth into adulthood. Often this means taking on new roles as employees, parents, or living with a partner. Over the past few decades more and more young people have been staying on in education after compulsory schooling and, of course, getting more young people into education continues to be declared as a policy goal.

The link between population health and health inequality

Fri, 16 Jun 2017 15:20:00 BST

Is life expectancy increasing? Is health inequality decreasing? These are fundamental questions for population health. It is thus natural to ask if life expectancy and inequality are related.

To understand place, sometimes you need to go places

Thu, 30 Mar 2017 15:16:00 BST

Blog by Dr Jon Olsen, Research Associate with the Neighbourhoods and Communities programme, MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit.

Risky Business? The health of young people who are not in education, training, and employment

Mon, 20 Mar 2017 15:12:00 GMT

It is now said that one in two people in Great Britain will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime. Half of us. A startling figure that refocuses efforts to address how and why people may engage in behaviours that could increase their risk of developing a form of the disease.

Does social class hold clues to patterns of smoking, drinking and psychiatric distress?

Tue, 14 Mar 2017 14:17:00 GMT

Blog by Dr Michael Green, Research Associate with the Measurement and Analysis of Socio-economic Inequalities in Health programme, MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit

Being a PhD Student

Wed, 18 Jan 2017 13:51:00 GMT

At the start of the year many are considering the benefits of further study and embarking on a career in research. PhD Student Ian MacNeill, who has just completed his first year with the Unit, reflects on his experiences to offer some advice.

Surveying the Nation’s Health

Tue, 20 Sep 2016 13:45:00 BST

Blog by Dr Linsay Gray, Senior Investigator Scientist for Measurement and analysis of socioeconomic inequalities in health, MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit and Diarmid Campbell-Jack, Research Director (Health), ScotCen Social Research

Launching a tool to help non-scientists with Understanding Health Research: one month on

Mon, 19 Sep 2016 13:41:00 BST

A month ago, we launched Understanding Health Research, an online resource designed to help guide non-scientists through the process of understanding and appraising a piece of published health research.

Why we need parenting support work in our Young Offender Institutions

Thu, 15 Sep 2016 13:07:00 BST

I have been inspired by a wonderful evening at a recent parliamentary reception I was invited to take part in celebrating the Year of the Dad at the Scottish Parliament. The event, sponsored by MSP Gordon MacDonald, launched a DVD of the young dads currently in Polmont Young Offenders Institution, dressed as characters from the children’s story The Gruffalo and talking about what fatherhood means to them.

How engaging communities could address gay men’s health inequalities

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 13:02:00 BST

Dr Lisa McDaid, Programme Leader for Social Relationships and Health Improvement, MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit and Professor Paul Flowers, MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit offer some critical reflections from their joint research.

Can apps help people lose weight? Thoughts from the HelpMeDoIt study

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 12:48:00 BST

You’re probably one of the 76% of UK adults that own a smartphone. Like more than half of us, do you also reach to check your phone within 5 minutes of waking? I do. Before leaving for work I typically check the news, text messages, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Once on the bus to work I then check work emails and calendar appointments, mentally forming a plan of action for the day ahead.