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Why don’t they do as we tell them? Improving health protection through behavioural research in the HPA

This was held on Friday 8 February 2008
Venue: Council Room, Institute of Materials, 1 Carlton House Terrace, London

A collaboration between the Health Protection Agency and the Infectious Disease Research Network


Aims of the day

  • To provide an introduction to behavioural science approaches of relevance to health protection research and development
  • To identify priority areas for such work to be taken forward in a further workshop supported by the HPA
  • To establish a network of interested parties for the dissemination of calls for collaboration, funding information, further training.
  • To identify what further support the Agency should be providing to develop these areas of research.

Aims of the break out groups

The break out groups were based on topics that included suggestions from participants. The groups addressed how to identify:

  • Aspects of a research question that would benefit from using behavioural science methods, in part or as a whole
  • The best research methods to use

Programme

Click here for a programme

Presentations from event

Behavioural research: integral to the work of the HPA – Graham Hart, Centre for Sexual Health & HIV Research, UCL

The behavioural sciences in emergency preparedness and response - Richard Amlôt, Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response, HPA

Investigating the health and social impact of chemical incidents - Lisa Page, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London

The challenges and rewards of post-incident public surveys - James Rubin, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London

Risk perception and risk communication - Brooke Rogers, Centre for Risk Management, King’s College London

Designing questionnaires for quantitative research - Bob Adak, HPA Centre for Infections

Funding opportunities and support from the HPA - Margaret Mauchline, HPA R&D Office

Support from the IDRN - Mike Head, Infectious Disease Research Network

Notes from the break out groups

Practicalities of rapid response research - Led by Richard Amlôt

Techniques for sustaining behaviour change - Led by Gillian Elam

Trust in health advisors – or how to invalidate the advice of an expert - Led by Brooke Rogers

New technologies and their effect on behaviour change - Led by Lisa Page (to be added)