- Shona is Professor of Public Health Policy and Deputy Director of the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit ... moreShona is Professor of Public Health Policy and Deputy Director of the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit at the University of Glasgow. Over the past 20 years she has established a track record and international reputation for academic leadership within the field of social and public health policy. She has published over 120 scientific papers, written book chapters and recently co-authored a book on “The media and public health: where next for critical analysis?”
She is a social scientist with expertise in conducting research on the social, political, and commercial determinants that influence health and shape emerging public policy debates. Her research largely focuses on policies which target the seemingly intractable nature of health inequalities to help improve public health through the timely translation of scientific knowledge into policy and practice.
Through stakeholder engagement and partnership involvement she works closely with policy makers, practitioners, and the public to identify and co-produce projects which generate evidence for action at multiple points across the system. This includes research on policies which address the upstream fundamental determinants driving inequalities and where action may be most likely to make a difference in reducing the downstream effects of these inequalities. This includes: leading a large interdisciplinary team SNAP-AMR (Global Challenge Research Fund, £3m award) to support the United Republic of Tanzania to inform their next National Action Plan on anti-microbial resistance (2023-28); a CRUK grant on the harms of online social media marketing of e-cigarettes to youths and children; a CRUK grant examining stakeholder views on the need for a new tobacco control fund in the UK based on the ‘polluter pays’ principle; and Public Health Scotland commissioned research investigating UK legislation to restrict the marketing of ‘discretionary’ foods high in fat, sugar, or salt. Previous research includes evidence supporting the implementation of the Scottish smoke-free legislation in enclosed public places (2006), evidence supporting the Smoking Prohibition (Children in Motor Vehicles) (Scotland) Act 2016, and Minimum Unit Pricing for Alcohol in Scotland implemented May 2018).
Shona currently sits on three Editorial Boards: as European Editor of the International Journal of Qualitative Methods; Associate Editor for PLoS One, and Associate Editor for BMC Public Health. She is a member of the BSA Scottish Medical Sociology Group and regularly sits as an appointed panel member for various grant funders. As part of timely knowledge exchange, Shona is a member and advisor on national public health and third sector organisations including as a member of the Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group ‘Improving Scotland’s Health: 2021 and Beyond’ and as Chair of the Scottish Obesity Alliance. A current focus of their work is to have influence on the Restricting Food Promotions Bill and other measures to protect children from the health harming impacts of unhealthy food and drinks marketing across Scotland.edit
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Research Interests: Marketing, Addiction, Focus Groups, Qualitative Research, Public Health, and 15 moreHealth Policy, Adolescent, Medicine, Humans, Smoking, Female, Male, Focus Group, Attitude, Tobacco Smoking, Vaping, Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, attitude to health, Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, and Medical and Health Sciences
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Research Interests: Policy, Qualitative Research, Media, Public Health, Health Policy, and 13 moreMedicine, Thematic Analysis, Humans, Alcohol Drinking, Psychological Intervention, Newspaper, Great Britain, Public health systems and services research, Alcohol industry, Legislature, Public Policy, Costs and Cost Analysis, and Unit Price
Research Interests: Publishing, Addiction, Social Problems, Family, Qualitative Research, and 15 moreHealth Policy, Medicine, Commerce, Newspapers, Population, Crime, Alcohol Drinking, Newspaper, Great Britain, Harm, Binge drinking, Alcoholic Beverages, Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, Overconsumption, and Medical and Health Sciences
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ObjectivesEvidence suggests that use of flavoured disposable electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is increasing. Considering the growing popularity and rapid evolution of e-cigarettes, we explored youth’s perceptions and engagement with... more
ObjectivesEvidence suggests that use of flavoured disposable electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is increasing. Considering the growing popularity and rapid evolution of e-cigarettes, we explored youth’s perceptions and engagement with disposable e-cigarettes.DesignTwenty focus groups were conducted between March and May 2022, with 82 youths aged 11–16 living in the Central belt of Scotland.MethodsYouths were asked about smoking and vaping behaviours and disposable e-cigarettes and were shown vaping-related images and videos from social media which were used to stimulate discussion about different messages, presentations and contextual features. Transcripts were imported into NVivo V.12, coded thematically, and analysed.ResultsYouths described disposable e-cigarettes as ‘cool’, ‘fashionable’ and enticing and viewed as a modern lifestyle ‘accessory’. Tank models were perceived as being used by older adults. Youths stated that disposable e-cigarettes were designed in a way to target ...
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A range of regulatory approaches are being applied to e-cigarettes globally. This chapter examines the reasons for this and what this means for broader tobacco control efforts. The chapter starts with a discussion of tobacco control and... more
A range of regulatory approaches are being applied to e-cigarettes globally. This chapter examines the reasons for this and what this means for broader tobacco control efforts. The chapter starts with a discussion of tobacco control and how evidence has influenced the development of international tobacco control policies. The chapter then explores the development and emergence of e-cigarettes. It identifies and discusses the arguments and evidence used in the e-cigarette regulatory debates. The chapter concludes by suggesting that research in this domain could improve our understanding of what factors influence the regulatory environment, thus why different regulatory approaches as pursued.
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Examinations of corporate power have demonstrated the practices and activities Unhealthy Commodity Industries (UCIs) employ to exert their power and influence on the public and health policy. The High in Fat Sugar and Salt (HFSS) product... more
Examinations of corporate power have demonstrated the practices and activities Unhealthy Commodity Industries (UCIs) employ to exert their power and influence on the public and health policy. The High in Fat Sugar and Salt (HFSS) product industry have exploited the online environment to market their products to young people. Regulating UCIs’ marketing can limit the power of those industries and is argued to be one of the most appropriate policy responses to such marketing. However, there is minimal consideration of how stakeholders view regulation of online advertising of HFSS products to young people. This UK-focused study addressed this through a secondary analysis of focus groups with young people (n = 15), the primary analysis of focus groups with parents (n = 8), and interviews with professional stakeholders (n = 11). The findings indicated that participants’ views on the regulation of online advertising of HFSS products were informed by how professional stakeholders exerted in...
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Background Recent UK campaigns that aim to increase awareness of sepsis have been accompanied by high profile media reporting about deaths in children resulting from misdiagnosis. Parents have been urged by the Sepsis Trust to have a low... more
Background Recent UK campaigns that aim to increase awareness of sepsis have been accompanied by high profile media reporting about deaths in children resulting from misdiagnosis. Parents have been urged by the Sepsis Trust to have a low threshold for suspecting sepsis when their child is unwell and to follow ‘gut instincts’, challenging health professionals if necessary. This study aims to explore how parents enact this advice in the context of everyday life. Methods Thematic analysis of 16 focus groups comprised of parents and carers of pre-school children and 4 groups with individuals affected by sepsis. Findings Participants encountered various barriers and conflicts of interest when endeavouring to do the ‘right’ thing in managing acute childhood illness. Gaining access to healthcare was often challenging, with parents weighing up the need for reassurance against fears of over using scarce health care resources. Despite knowledge of recent sepsis awareness campaigns, parents fr...
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Background One-third of the burden of cancer is associated with four health harming behaviours - tobacco use, alcohol consumption, poor diet and physical inactivity. The growing evidence base supporting price-related policies to curb over... more
Background One-third of the burden of cancer is associated with four health harming behaviours - tobacco use, alcohol consumption, poor diet and physical inactivity. The growing evidence base supporting price-related policies to curb over consumption is of interest to governments globally. However, implementation requires public and policy-maker support. The aim of this study is to enhance our understanding of the features of message framing that influence public support for price-related policies in relation to tobacco, alcohol, and sugar. Methods We conducted 18 semi-structured interviews (9 UK and 9 USA) exploring knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of 4 price policies in relation to tobacco, alcohol and sugar. Interviewees included cancer policy advocates, cancer survivors and members of the public. We used NVivo 12 to organise the data for inductive and deductive thematic analysis. Results Common supportive features included: (i) highlighting the health benefit (eg reduced cancer...
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ObjectivesAs sexual health information is increasingly presented digitally, and adolescents are increasingly seeking sexual health information on the internet, it is important to explore the challenges presented by this developing source... more
ObjectivesAs sexual health information is increasingly presented digitally, and adolescents are increasingly seeking sexual health information on the internet, it is important to explore the challenges presented by this developing source of information provision. This study examined the key barriers and challenges faced by young people when accessing and using sexual health information online.MethodsA novel qualitative approach was used which combined paired interviews with real-time online activities. A purposive sample of 49 young people aged between 16 and 19 years and diverse in terms of gender, sexuality, religion and socio-demographic background were recruited from areas across Scotland. Data analysis comprised framework analysis of conversational data (including pair interactions), descriptive analysis of observational data, and data integration.ResultsThis study highlighted practical and socio-cultural barriers to engagement with online sexual health content. Key practical b...
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Research Interests: Psychology, Nursing, Mental Health, Diabetes, Social Media, and 14 moreAdolescent, Medicine, Thematic Analysis, Humans, Diabetes mellitus, Female, Male, Health information, Young Adult, Information Seeking Behavior, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Internet, and Interviews as topic
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Since 2007 there has been legislation prohibiting smoking in all enclosed public places throughout the UK. In the intervening period interest has grown in considering other policy interventions to further reduce the harmful effects of... more
Since 2007 there has been legislation prohibiting smoking in all enclosed public places throughout the UK. In the intervening period interest has grown in considering other policy interventions to further reduce the harmful effects of second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure to children. This study offers the first UK investigation into how the news media are framing the current debate around the harms of SHS exposure to children in cars and what role they may be playing in presenting ideas about the need for further smoke-free laws to protect children. Methods: Qualitative content analysis was conducted on six UK and three Scottish national newspapers between 1st Jan 2004 to 31st Dec 2013. Findings: Exposure to SHS was increasingly identified as being harmful to the health of children, with cars being described as one of the main places of exposure for children following the smoke-free laws. Legislative action was deemed necessary, as well as enforceable, and growing public support highlighted a change in public attitudes towards smoking and willingness for further legislation on SHS to protect children. There were a wide range of advocates in comparison to a narrow number of critics. Conclusions: Over a decade there was increased reporting on the harms of SHS exposure to children while traveling in cars. This may indicate that there is growing public and policy appetite for further smoke-free legislation to protect children. Previous private vehicle laws suggest that further smoke-free legislation could be successful. Advocates would do well to consider whether there are current opportunities for playing a greater role in the wider debate surrounding the harms of SHS exposure to children in cars.
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Research Interests: Bibliometrics, Evidence Based Practice, Child Welfare, Content Analysis, Medicine, and 15 moreHumans, Child, Mumps, Best practice, Health Professionals, Media Coverage, Clinical Sciences, Great Britain, Information Dissemination, Community Based Mental Health Services, MMR Vaccine, Measles, Autistic disorder, Community health services, and Paediatrics and reproductive medicine
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In the United Kingdom the publication of a paper by Andrew Wakefield in The Lancet in 1998 prompted a public debate about the safety of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine. In the ensuing years, MMR remained a focus of controversy,... more
In the United Kingdom the publication of a paper by Andrew Wakefield in The Lancet in 1998 prompted a public debate about the safety of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine. In the ensuing years, MMR remained a focus of controversy, and MMR uptake declined despite extensive epidemiological evidence about the safety of the vaccine. On the ground, primary health practitioners found themselves in the front line when it came to advising parents on the safety of MMR but described a crisis in confidence as they tried to keep up-to-date with the research evidence on the vaccine. Scientific and clinical journals are an important vehicle in the dissemination of research findings to health practitioners, and their role in translating evidence and offering evaluative comment and guidance on controversial evidence may be heightened during a public health scare. The debate surrounding MMR safety provides a recent case study in which to examine how key journals and magazines translated evidence to health professionals. This paper examines the trends and patterns in the reporting of MMR evidence in key practitioner journals and magazines between 1988 and 2007. We used content analysis on all editorials, commentaries, and news articles (n = 860) published in the six journals and magazines that had been identified by health practitioners as the ones they most commonly consulted. We will present an analysis of the trends and recommendations in articles over the period of the MMR controversy to highlight how guidance for practice was aligned with the scientific evidence on MMR safety.
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On May 24th 2012, Scotland passed the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) Bill. Minimum unit pricing is a legislative intervention intended to raise the price of the cheapest alcohol to reduce alcohol consumption and related harms. Communications... more
On May 24th 2012, Scotland passed the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) Bill. Minimum unit pricing is a legislative intervention intended to raise the price of the cheapest alcohol to reduce alcohol consumption and related harms. Communications and political sciences literatures offer a theoretical framework to investigate how competing frames about policy issues are presented in the news media from key claim-makers. Content analysis was conducted on seven UK and three Scottish national newspapers between 1st May 2011 and 31st May 2012. Relevant articles were identified using the electronic databases Nexis UK and Newsbank. A total of 262 articles were eligible for detailed coding and analysis. This paper attempts to map out the dynamic interplay between media framings from key claim-makers of what constitutes the alcohol problem and the arguments for and against minimum unit pricing in the months leading up to the passing of the legislation, with a view to informing policy advocacy.