Health Sciences
Current Projects
Projects not on this list may be found in our completed project archive.
Randomised controlled trials
A randomised trial of nicotine patch preloading for smoking cessation - the Preloading Trial
An open label, pragmatic, randomised controlled trial of nicotine patch preloading for smoking cessation.
Improving the effectiveness and reach of NHS support for smoking cessation in pregnancy
This programme aims to increase the uptake and effectiveness of NHS Stop Smoking Services for pregnant women (SSSP) by determining when and how NHS cessation support is best offered in pregnancy, refining and testing 'self-help' cessation methods which are attractive to and, therefore, likely to be used by the vast majority of mothers who do not currently access SSSP and investigating how 'self-help' support is best delivered by the NHS.
Funded by: National Institute For Health Research (NIHR).
CASPER: Collaborative care and active surveillance for screen-positive elders with sub-clinical depression: a pilot study and definitive and randomised evaluation
The CASPER trial examined a treatment called Collaborative Care for older people with subthreshold (low severity) depression. We are currently carrying out an extended follow-up with participants from the CASPER Trial.
Funded by: National Institute for Health Research HTA.
CLAHRC ARiAS: Addiction Research in Acute Settings
The overall aim of the ARiAS research programme is to investigate methods of improving the physical and mental health of people with alcohol and/or illicit drug problems who are identified within an acute hospital setting.
CLAHRC FSF: Qualitative element within the CLAHRC ARiAS Trial
This qualitative study will explore how people feel about being approached in a hospital setting; how they respond to questions about their drinking; the impact of hospitalisation on their motivation to change; and the acceptability of different types of intervention.
Smoking: new approaches to cessation service delivery, prevention of passive smoke exposure in children, and healthcare cost estimation
This study will assess new methods to increase cessation and reduce harm in three settings: the home, community, and hospital. It will provide new estimates of the health costs of smoking and consequently the cost-effectiveness of greater investment in smoking prevention.
Start2Quit: Randomised trial to increase the uptake of smoking cessation services using personal targeted risk information and taster sessions
A randomised controlled trial of proactive personally tailored invitations to attend a taster session with encouragement and active referral to the NHS services, compared with standard generic advertising of the service.
REEACT: the Randomised Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Acceptability of Computerised Therapy
REEACT is a randomised controlled trial which aims to compare two types of computerised cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) packages (one free-to-use and one commercial) to see if there are any additional benefits of offering this treatment to the care that people already receive from their GP.
OCTET: Obsessive Compulsive Treatment Efficiency Trial
In this study we will conduct a randomised trial looking at the clinical and cost effectiveness of two self-help treatments (Guided Self-Help and Computerised CBT) compared to a waiting list control for people with OCD.
COBRA (Cost and Outcome of BehaviouRal Activation): A Randomised Controlled Trial of Behavioural Activation versus Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
The COBRA trial will compare the cost and the outcome of the therapies in order to find out which one of the treatments will be most useful for the treatment of depression.
Problem solving interventions for offenders at risk of suicide
This interrupted time series feasibility study will be used to explore how a brief problem solving intervention can be employed across different offender populations in UK prisons.
ASSSIST: Autism Spectrum Social Stories In Schools Trial
The concept of social stories was created by Carol Gray in 2000. These are simple, short stories, usually with the autistic child in the starring role, often with helpful photographs and illustrations and a theme relating to a particular social difficulty or life-skill problem.
Project page
CASPER PLUS: Collaborative care in screen positive elders with major depressive disorders.
The CASPER Plus Trial examined Collaborative Care for older people who meet the criteria for a formal diagnosis of depression. We are currently carrying out an extended follow-up with participants from the CASPER Plus Trial.
Funded by the National Institute for Health Research.
Development and evaluation of a novel intervention providing insight into the tobacco industry to prevent the uptake of smoking in school-aged children
The overall purpose of this research is to assess whether a multi-component intervention involving educational resources for use in schools, alongside family components, is effective and cost-effective in preventing the uptake of smoking in school-aged children.
Clinical and cost-effectiveness of temporarily quadrupling the dose of inhaled steroid to prevent asthma exacerbations
A randomised controlled trial to determine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a self-management plan which includes temporarily quadrupling the dose of inhaled steroid to prevent asthma exacerbations.
PROTECT: Preventing blood borne virus infection in people who inject drugs in the UK
A mixed methods project with six complementary phases which aims to: i) develop an evidence based psychosocial intervention to reduce transmission risks among people who inject drugs at risk of acquiring or transmitting blood borne viruses and; ii) conduct a feasibility randomised controlled trial of the intervention.
SCIMITAR+
In this study we will conduct a randomised controlled trial looking at the clinical and cost effectiveness of a “bespoke smoking cessation” intervention for people with severe mental ill health such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
The TEC Study : a randomised controlled non-inferiority trial to examine the efficacy of e-cigarettes compared with standard pharmacotherapy, when used within the UK Stop Smoking Service
We will be undertaking the cost-effectiveness analysis for the randomised controlled trial of e-cigarettes over and above standard pharmacotherapy when used within the UK Stop Smoking Service.
Other
A national study of acute care alcohol health workers
This study will provide an overview of the extent and diversity of alcohol health worker provision in England. Our findings will be used to inform policy and practice and develop our thinking on how to evaluate the work of alcohol health workers in the future.
Drug Recovery Wing Pilots Evaluation
This three-year study aims to assess what impact Drug Recovery Wings have on prisoners' drug or alcohol dependency and their impact on prisoners' re-offending.
Y-SBNT: Family and Social Network Intervention for Young People who Misuse Alcohol and Drugs
Researchers from the Department of Health Sciences in collaboration with colleagues from the School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham aim to adapt an evidence-based family and social network intervention for substance-related problems to the youth context.
Promoting Sexual Health for People with Serious Mental Illness
The overall aim of the Clinical Research Groups (CRGs) is to identify key priorities for research in this area, and write proposals for NIHR grants that aim (by different methods) to promote sexual health in people with severe mental illness (SMI) (Severe mental illnesses include psychoses, bipolar affective and schizoaffective disorders).
Understanding Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) Adolescents' Suicide, Self-Harm and Help-Seeking Behaviour
The aim of the proposed research is to reduce the risk of suicide in lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) adolescents (aged 16-25) by providing evidence, which is currently missing, to inform suicide prevention policy and mental health service delivery.
UKCTAS: UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies
The UKCTAS is a network of 13 universities and is a leading international centre of tobacco and alcohol research and policy excellence with an extensive research programme and facilitating policy development by informing policy makers of the latest scientific research on tobacco and alcohol use.
CLAHRC: Post-Treatment Support: An exploratory, descriptive study of aftercare provision offered by addiction services in North and West Yorkshire
This study aims to describe the nature, extent and diversity of post-treatment support provided by addiction services in North and West Yorkshire with a view to identifying promising models and approaches that may form the focus for future evaluation.
A family of Cochrane reviews: drug treatments for offenders
This series of four systematic reviews represents a comprehensive overview of the current literature on the effectiveness of drug treatments for offenders.
An evaluation of the Changing Lives project
This evaluation aims to gain an in-depth understanding of the community rehabilitation approaches adopted in the Changing Lives programme, in York.
CLAHRC Yorkshire and Humber: Mental Health and Comorbidity Theme
The Mental Health and Comorbidity theme is one of the nine themes in CLAHRC YH and will be exploring the interface between mental and physical ill-health. More info.
Born and Bred in Yorkshire: PeriNatal Depression Diagnostic Accuracy Study (BaBY PaNDA)
The primary aim of the study is to prospectively validate the Whooley questions and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale against a diagnostic gold standard during pregnancy and the early postnatal period.
Novel Psychoactive Substances in the UK
There are wide-ranging grounds for concern about novel psychoactive substance (NPS) use. (i.e. the use of psychoactive drugs which are not prohibited by the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs or by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971). The overall aim of this project is to inform the development of public health intervention research on NPS through systematically reviewing existing data on their use in the UK, the associated problems and the potential responses.