PhD Studentship: Understanding and Optimising Lockdown Strategies

University of Birmingham - Department of Applied Health Sciences

During widespread outbreaks of infectious disease, governments may impose population-level interventions to protect public health. Lockdowns are extensive social and economic closure across whole populations to minimise contact between people and limit opportunities for transmission. They encompass multiple measures and behaviours including workplace closures, working from home, closure of non-essential settings (e.g. retail shops, hospitality settings, personal care settings), ‘stay-at-home’ requirements including curfews, and restrictions on internal movement.

Decisions about lockdown (e.g., duration, measures included, when and how to exit) and public communications around these may affect public perceptions, attitudes, and behaviour, including adherence. This project will investigate how lockdown strategies and communications can be optimised for future public health emergencies, using a combination of primary and secondary data relating to effectiveness, impact, public perceptions and behaviour. It will explore public, stakeholder, and decision-maker perspectives on lockdown strategies, exit processes, and communications. Using co-design workshop methods, the student will develop a prototype ‘taxonomy’ for lockdown, detailing different options and factors that should be considered in decision-making. Furthermore, a Delphi study is proposed to achieve consensus among a panel of experts regarding the contents of the taxonomy.

The project will ultimately generate actionable evidence that can inform UKHSA policy and contribute to national and international thinking on pandemic preparedness. For more information, please see here.

Supervision team:
Dmitri Nepogodiev (Associate Professor and Consultant, University of Birmingham); Dale Weston (Principal Behavioural Scientist, UKHSA); Holly Carter (Principal Behavioural Scientist, UKHSA); Charlotte Hall (Behavioural Scientist, UKHSA).

Funding notes:
Funding for this project is available for UK studentship fees (only UK fees will be paid, and any additional PhD fee costs where needed must be paid by the successful applicant), a yearly stipend based on the current UKRI rates, and a research training and support grant.

References:
1. Smith LE, Amlȏt R, Lambert H, Oliver I, Robin C, Yardley L, Rubin GJ. Factors associated with adherence to self-isolation and lockdown measures in the UK: a cross-sectional survey. Public Health. 2020 Oct;187:41-52. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2020.07.024. Epub 2020 Sep 6. PMID: 32898760; PMCID: PMC7474581.
2. Costa JP, Grobelnik M, Fuart F, Stopar L, Epelde G, Fischaber S, Poliwoda P, Rankin D, Wallace J, Black M, Bond R. Meaningful big data integration for a global COVID-19 strategy. IEEE Computational Intelligence Magazine. 2020 Oct 15;15(4):51-61.
3. Carter H, Dennis A, Williams N, Weston D. Identity‐based social support predicts mental and physical health outcomes during COVID‐19. British Journal of Social Psychology. 2023 Apr;62(2):845-65.
4. Misra M, Joshi H, Sarwal R, Rao KD. Exit strategies from lockdowns due to COVID-19: a scoping review. BMC public health. 2022 Mar 12;22(1):488.