Jo Cranwell

Biography

Jo works at the Department for Health at the University of Bath as Assistant Professor in Public Health. She is an active member of the UK Centre of Tobacco and Alcohol Studies at Bath, following three years working within the same research group at the School of Medicine, University of Nottingham. Jo is a British Psychological Society Charted Psychologist and sits of the boards of Cut Films – the youth arm of the Roy Castle Lung Foundation. She is experienced in self-control theory and ecological momentary assessment/intervention methods using mobile technology. Her PhD tested the Strength Model of Self-Control to see if self-control resources could be strengthened by regular discrete bouts of training using smartphone technology. More recently her research has focussed on quantifying tobacco and alcohol in the media such as music videos, film, TV and computers games. She then measures adolescent exposure to the content and any potential behavioural impact. She often uses a mixed-methods approach. Her other research interests are linked to providing doctors with cost feedback on common tests (e.g. blood tests) in a hospital setting. The impact is explored in relation a reduction in costly unnecessary prescriptions and also the acceptability of such interventions by both doctors and patients alike. Jo has published her research in national and international journals, academic conferences and book chapters. Her research findings are also often reported in the media as they have strong public health relevance. She has been successful in co-securing in excess of 800K worth of external funding as a co-applicant on both UK and international projects.

Research Interest

Smoking in media and alcohol in media Novel approaches to reducing costs in NHS settings Adolescent health-related harm reduction Current projects Tobacco and Alcohol in Film Tobacco and Alcohol in UK Television Alcohol in contemporary women’s magazines Alcohol and tobacco in UK video games and their association with smoking and drinking in adolescents Does feedback on cost or radiation dose for common diagnostic tests modify demand in a busy district general hospital? A controlled intervention study. The short-term behavioural effects of screening an anti-smoking advert in UK cinemas Preventing smoking uptake among adolescents – A primary prevention initiative for chronic lung disease in India.