Christopher Tate

Queen's University Belfast | QUB · Centre for Public Health

Background This study investigated inequalities in the distribution of green space (GS) and the association between inequalities in amounts of GS and preventable deaths across urban neighbourhoods with different Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) scores in the UK. Methods Data on preventable deaths, IMD, percentage of grassland and woodland, urba...

While a number of studies have estimated the economic value of existing urban green and blue spaces (UGBS), few studies have attempted to value the impact of new UGBS interventions. We set out to identify primary studies in both peer-reviewed and grey literature that conducted economic evaluations of UGBS interventions, and to critically assess the...

Urban green and blue spaces (UGBS) have the potential to make a significant contribution to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Research shows the need for UGBS to mitigate the adverse environmental impacts of urbanisation and provide equitable access to resources that reduce social and health inequalities. However, no previou...

The MECHANISMS study investigates how social norms for adolescent smoking and vaping are transmitted through school friendship networks, and is the first study to use behavioral economics methodology to assess smoking-related social norms. Here, we investigate the effects of selection homophily (the tendency to form friendships with similar peers)...

Previous research has illustrated the role of urban green and blue spaces in improving the economic, social, environmental, and health-related outcomes of urban populations. The Connswater Community Greenway is presented as a case study to assess the social value of an urban regeneration project. Using real-world data from two time points (2012 and...

Little is known about the personality and cognitive traits that shape adolescents’ sensitivity to social norms. Further, few studies have harnessed novel empirical tools to elicit sensitivity to social norms among adolescent populations. This paper examines the association between sensitivity to norms and various personality and cognitive traits us...

Background Despite a steady decline in adolescent smoking globally, it remains a prevalent risk factor for non-communicable disease. Previous research points to differences in socio-environmental and psychosocial risk factors for smoking and how they vary across different settings with disparate social and cultural characteristics. As a result, smo...

Background: Many adolescent smoking prevention programs target social norms, typically evaluated with self-report, susceptible to social desirability bias. An alternative approach with limited application in public health is to use experimental norms elicitation methods. Methods: Using the Mechanisms of Networks and Norms Influence on Smoking in Sc...

Background/purpose: The MECHANISMS study targets smoking prevention for 12-13 year olds in Northern Ireland and Bogotá, and investigates the mechanisms through which social norms for smoking and vaping are transmitted through school social networks. We aimed to provide a broad overview of homophily and peer influence effects for norms and other smo...

This proof of concept study harnesses novel transdisciplinary insights to contrast two school-based smoking prevention interventions among adolescents in the UK and Colombia. We compare schools in these locations because smoking rates and norms are different, in order to better understand social norms based mechanisms of action related to smoking....