COVID-19

Information about COVID-19 related research being undertaken by SPECTRUM and/or its researchers

SPECTRUM researchers are engaged in a number of research studies to understand the societal impact of the pandemic and how health behaviours, policies and services change during this period.

The data collected will provide the platform for future studies to understand how governments, institutions, the general public and individuals respond to the pandemic and the associated public health measures that require us to stay home and only leave for essential purposes such as food shopping or exercise. Although we have all been constrained by the same measures of containment, we are all affected in varying ways and to varying degrees. The health inequalities that were apparent prior to lockdown are becoming even more obvious during it.

Below you may find links to some of the research that SPECTRUM members are undertaking at this time.

COVID-19 & Tobacco (Edinburgh)

COVID-19 and Tobacco Project: Generating evidence to support policy and practice to address tobacco use during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a two-and-a-half-month research project designed to meet an urgent need for evidence on public health responses and tobacco control in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health Behaviours (UCL)

Outline of research planned by University College London to understand how behaviour has been altered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unhealthy commodity industries & COVID-19 (NCD Alliance)

An initiative to map and analyse corporate responses to the pandemic.

COVID-19, licensed premises and ambulance-call outs (Stirling)

The University of Stirling will lead 10 major projects investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic after receiving almost £500,000 in funding from the Scottish Government. Led by SPECTRUM Deputy Director, Professor Niamh Fitzgerald, one of these projects will examine policy options for reopening pubs, nightclubs and restaurants to minimise the impact on ambulance services, and to protect customers and staff from the virus.

COVID-19 and Cancer (Cardiff)

Researchers at Cardiff University have launched a UK-wide project to investigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on diagnosis of cancer. Funding from UKRI will enable the team to investigate the impact of the initial “stay home, protect the NHS, save lives” message and suggestion that the suspension of cancer screening programmes sent a strong message that “cancer can wait”. The 18-month research project will look at how these messages have affected people seeking medical help for early signs of cancer or for screening.

Betting and gaming: the COVID-19 impact study (Stirling)

The University of Stirling will lead 10 major projects investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic after receiving almost £500,000 in funding from the Scottish Government. This project is led by Kate Hunt and Nathan Critchlow from University of Stirling and Heather Wardle from University of Glasgow.

COVID-19 Asymptomatic testing: The TestEd programme (Edinburgh)

Given the need for behavioural research to inform responses to the pandemic, our PI Linda Bauld is now building on SPECTRUM's expertise in behavioural interventions to reduce non-communicable diseases and extending this to communicable diseases in the context of Covid-19.