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Changing Behaviour to Improve Health: Making the Evidence More Useful to Healthcare Policy Makers Supervisors: Professor Marijn De Bruin ([log in to unmask]) and Graeme MacLennan ([log in to unmask]); based at Aberdeen University, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition. Deadline for application: Friday 31st March 2017 Unhealthy and risky behaviours have a major impact on people’s well-being, life expectancy, and quality of life. Many interventions to promote healthier behaviours are being developed, but few are supported by evidence that convinces policy makers and health care providers to pay for and deliver them. One important reason is that randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of behavioural interventions are often judged to be at moderate or high risk of bias (internal validity of the evidence is low). There seem to be three explanations: (a) RCTs are poorly designed, (b) RCTs are poorly reported, and/or (c) tools for assessing risk of bias in RCTs are not entirely appropriate for behavioural trials. This PhD project focuses on two questions: why are RCTs of behavioural interventions more poorly designed and reported? And: Can we develop a tool to improve design and reporting? These questions will be addressed by examining factors predicting poor design/reporting in existing studies, and by developing and experimentally assessing a tool to improve design, reporting, and assessment. The project will be part of an extensive portfolio of research run in the Institute of Applied Health Sciences. Study results could improve the quality and impact of behavioural intervention trials in general. Funding Notes This project is part of a competition funded by the Elphinstone Scholarship Scheme. Successful applicants will be awarded full tuition fees (UK/EU/International) for the duration of a three year PhD programme. Please note that this award does not include a stipend. https://www.findaphd.com/search/projectDetails.aspx?PJID=82913 This award is available to high-achieving students. Candidates should have (or expect to achieve) a minimum of a First Class Honours degree in a relevant subject. Applicants with a minimum of a 2.1 Honours degree may be considered provided they have a Distinction at Masters level. References (1) de Bruin, M., McCambridge, J. & Prins, JM. (2015). 'Reducing the risk of bias in health behaviour change trials: Improving trial design, reporting or bias assessment criteria? A review and case study'. Psychology & Health, vol 30, no. 1, pp. 8-34. Graeme MacLennan Senior Statistician Health Services Research Unit Health Sciences Building University of Aberdeen Foresterhill Aberdeen AB25 2ZD Tel: +44 (0)1224 438147 Fax +44 (0)1224 438165 Email: [log in to unmask] Web: www.abdn.ac.uk/hsru The University of Aberdeen is a charity registered in Scotland, No SC013683. Tha Oilthigh Obar Dheathain na charthannas clàraichte ann an Alba, Àir. SC013683. You may leave the list at any time by sending the command SIGNOFF allstat to [log in to unmask], leaving the subject line blank.