The 2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in Scotland, led by researchers at the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit (SPHSU) and funded by NHS Health Scotland, provides data on the health and wellbeing of the nation’s young people. Key findings include the majority (85%) of young people reported high life satisfaction in 2018, while almost one in five adolescents rated their health as excellent. However, the report also revealed the lowest levels of adolescent confidence seen in 24 years, with only 51% of adolescents in Scotland reporting often or always feeling confident in themselves. Beyond mental health and wellbeing, the HBSC study covers areas such as sleep habits, time spent online, physical activity as well as school and home life. 

HBSC Scotland >

The SPHSU is leading on the Population Health Agent-based Simulation nEtwork (PHASE). PHASE is a UKPRP funded research network that brings together population health and simulation experts to tackle the complex challenges underlying non‑communicable diseases. Agent-based models can help us understand the mechanisms behind health behaviours, by allowing us to model the characteristics of individuals or organisations in a population and their social interactions with one another and with the environment. Visit the new PHASE website to view a video introducing agent-based models, read frequently asked questions, and sign up to the network.

Visit the PHASE website >

The SPHSU is advertising a broad range of fully-funded PhD studentships starting this September. Candidates are encouraged to identify a topic from our list, or to propose their own topic. We generally appoint around four individuals to join our team through PhD studentships each year. The closing date for applications is Monday 24th February and interviews will be held in April. 

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An SPHSU study has found that the distance from home and the walkability of the neighbourhood are both associated with whether Scottish children walk, scoot or cycle to school. Less than half of all children reported active travel for all journeys to/from school, with around two thirds reporting active travel for most (more than 60%) school journeys. With increasing distance, the proportions of children actively travelling to school for all or most journeys decreased. However, higher neighbourhood walkability increased the probability of active travel for most school journeys for all distances.

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Poor sexual health in Britain is more common in women and affects them in more diverse ways than men, according to a recent SPHSU study. Out of 12,132 men and women included in the study, 17% of men and 48% of women reported poor sexual health. Several at-risk groups could benefit from tailored sexual health interventions - men and women underestimating their STI risks, women distressed by low interest in sex, and women with multiple sexual health problems.

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An innovative new project at the SPHSU will explore young people’s perspectives on health inequalities and produce creative outputs to inform policymakers. The 'Creative Insights' project brings together researchers with young people in Glasgow and Leeds, and creative partner organisations Impact Arts and Opera North. It will explore the causes and consequences of health inequalities and discuss potential policy solutions, pursuing those issues which young people prioritise as most important and most relevant to their lives, communities and peers.

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Researchers at the SPHSU have led on the development of the Synthesis Without Meta-analysis (SWiM) reporting guideline.The SWiM guideline is a nine-item checklist to promote transparent reporting for systematic reviews of interventions that use alternative methods to meta-analysis. ·         

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A team at the SPHSU led by Dr Paul McCrorie, have been working with the Children's Parliament and Agile to explore how we can meaningfully communicate evidence around physical activity for children. Following a series of participatory workshops in primary schools, we are now developing a digital resource (the Schools on the move toolkit) co-produced with children, that aims to empower teachers with the knowledge and confidence to create more physically active learning environments. A short film has been created to introduce the importance of including children’s voices at the very heart of physical activity communication.

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Dr Mark Robinson, NHS Health Scotland
Improving the view of Scotland’s health: the influence of a public health observatory on informing and evaluating public policy in Scotland

Professor Adrian Davis, Edinburgh Napier University
Transport and Health: A journey begun

Professor John Ashton CBE
Practicing Public Health: An eyewitness account

Sharon Simpson is Professor of Behavioural Sciences and Health and co-leads the Unit's Complexity programme. She also leads the Population Health Research Facility – part of the Glasgow Clinical Trials Unit – and is Theme Lead for the Institute of Health and Wellbeing’s Solutions Focussed Research theme.

Sharon’s main research interests lie in the areas of diet, physical activity, obesity and mental health. She has methodological expertise in randomised controlled trials and in the development and evaluation of complex interventions, as well as mixed methods approaches and process evaluation. She is also interested in social networks and mobile health technologies.

Read more about Sharon's work>

Which urban land covers/uses are associated with residents' mortality? A cross sectional, ecological, pan-European study of 233 cities

How men and women learn about sex: multigenerational perspectives on insufficient preparedness and prevailing gender norms in Scotland

A simple dose of antibiotics: qualitative analysis of sepsis reporting in UK newspapers

Do bedroom screens and the mealtime environment shape different trajectories of child overweight and obesity? Research using the Growing Up in Scotland study

A qualitative study of e-cigarette emergence and the potential for renormalisation of smoking in UK youth

Scale-up and scale-out of gender-sensitive weight management and healthy living programme delivered to overweight men via professional sports clubs: The wider implementation of Football Fans in Training (FFIT)