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Posts by Simon Bacon

The 2026 Behaviour Change Scientific Committee - photo of some of the Committee members in an online meeting.

The 2026 Behaviour Change Scientific Committee - photo of some of the Committee members in an online meeting.

Our Scientific Committee has been busy shaping plans for the 2026 Behaviour Change Conference! 🎉
💡 Don't forget the call for abstracts is open until 15 December
👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/behaviour-ch...
👏 Thanks to Co-Chairs Marta Marques & Felix Naughton & all Committee members for their expertise

5 months ago 6 3 1 0

"Systems are not things. They consist of people." @sbacon20.bsky.social making an important point about the relevance of behavioural theory to public health! #EPH2025

5 months ago 4 1 1 0
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There are lots of barriers within public health that prevents researchers from using behavioural science theories and tools, including lack of knowledge, time/ resources, and support from superiors, says Kim Lavoie #EPH2025

5 months ago 2 1 0 0

📢 New paper alert!

Our article on specifying delivery schedules in the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology supports greater clarity and consistency in intervention reporting.

Now with over 200 views 👏

Read it here 👉 wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/9-7...

5 months ago 5 3 0 0
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Online health #misinformation almost the norm!

Watch for red flags, like use of anecdotes, "secret knowledge" BS, & "scienceploitation" (sciencey word salads!). 🚩

What to believe and what not about health information on your phone: www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/art...

5 months ago 27 10 1 0
Figure 2 (from paper). Willingness by city to share data with a health app if a government health agency (a) developed the app or (b) had access to the data. Willingness was much lower in Hong Kong than London.

Figure 2 (from paper). Willingness by city to share data with a health app if a government health agency (a) developed the app or (b) had access to the data. Willingness was much lower in Hong Kong than London.

🧠 This week’s research highlight: Would you share your health data to receive personalised advice?
Senior Research Fellow @viviantonop.bsky.social co-authored a study on privacy concerns & trust in personalised health apps with 2000 people in London & Hong Kong.
👉 www.cambridge.org/core/blog/20...

5 months ago 4 3 1 0
UK sugar tax

UK sugar tax

The sugar intake of children in the UK is more than double the recommended maximum amount.

The UK government’s decision not to introduce a higher rate tax for the most sugary drinks is good news for industry but bad for public health
www.bmj.com/content/391/...

5 months ago 10 5 1 0

📢 Paper update!

A revised version of “Predicting outcomes of smoking cessation interventions in novel scenarios using ontology-informed, interpretable machine learning” is now published.

Read it here 👉 wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/8-5...

Many thanks to everyone who contributed!

5 months ago 4 2 0 0
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Health and Climate Change: Solutions to Meet New Risks in Canada. Join me October 6th, 2025 | 12:00- 17:00 ET at the
The Globe and Mail Centre, Toronto. Tickets:
globeandmailevents.com/healthandcli...

7 months ago 11 2 0 0

Why we need trust in science: @carlbergstrom.com nails it.
This is why I’m sleuthing in retirement. Some say that talking about fraud destroys trust in science.
No. Turning a blind eye to fraud and pretending it’s not happening is what destroys trust.

8 months ago 50 9 1 0
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Do nudges need a regulatory push? Comparing the effectiveness and implementation of exemplar nudge (size-based) and non-nudge (price-based) dietary interventions Changing behaviour across populations is key to improving population health and achieving net zero by 2050, including changing diets. We examine the e…

🔊 New in Social Science & Medicine - 'Do nudges need a regulatory push? Comparing the effectiveness and implementation of exemplar nudge (size-based) and non-nudge (price-based) dietary interventions'

Available here (£0):
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Summary 🧵 follows 👇

#BehSci #Nudge

1 year ago 10 9 1 0
Are behavioural interventions more effective when delivered at key times in people’s lives?  - Centre-UB New reports from the Department for Transport assess the evidence for the proposition that interventions to bring about transport behaviour change are particularly effective at moments of change. The ...

Are behavioural interventions more effective at key life moments?
2 new reports from the Dept of Transport assess if transport behaviour change efforts are most impactful during times of change & identify moments relevant to practitioners.
Read more on Centre-UB: www.centre-ub.org/news/are-beh...

1 year ago 5 4 0 0
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Faisons un pacte

📢 Oyé! Oyé! Vous travaillez en partenariat avec diverses parties prenantes?
👉 Élaborez vos chartes partenariales avec cet outil intéractif! 🤝
view.genially.com/6813b69f2c9b...
@anaislacasse.bsky.social @adangrenier.bsky.social @passerelle-hub.bsky.social @inspq.qc.ca @sbacon20.bsky.social

10 months ago 2 2 0 0
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Tempering implementation optimism: distinguishing between efficacy and effectiveness in implementation research - Implementation Science Communications Background The distinction between efficacy (performance under ideal conditions) and effectiveness (performance in real-world settings) is well established in intervention research. Intervention effec...

Tempering implementation optimism: distinguishing between efficacy and effectiveness in implementation research

Per Nilsen, Jeanette Wassar Kirk, Katarina Ulfsdotter Gunnarsson & Kristin Thomas

@implementsci.bsky.social #ImpSci

implementationsciencecomms.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

7 months ago 0 1 0 0
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Our short article and infographic in the BJSM summarises the results of a meta-analysis that examined which exercise strategies boost cognitive function in people with clinical depression;
bjsm.bmj.com/content/earl...

7 months ago 1 1 0 0
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This 92-year-old sprinter has the muscle cells of someone in their 20s Emma Maria Mazzenga, 92, holds four world records for women over 90. Now, researchers are trying to understand the secret to her success.

Love this! ❤️

This 92-year-old sprinter has the muscle cells of someone in their 20s wapo.st/4oXOJjB

"A lot of the detrimental effects that you see with aging can be substantially reduced if we just keep those physical activity levels very high."

Sum: #Move!

7 months ago 52 7 1 1

@kristiwhitephd.bsky.social @docsforclimate.bsky.social @apadivision38.bsky.social

1 year ago 1 1 0 0
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Behavioral scientists, your moment is now. ABM's new Call to Action outlines a clear, strategic path to create research that drives real impact — for planetary health and for all life on Earth.

Dive in and read our newest article here: 🔗 academic.oup.com/abm/article/...

@apajournals.bsky.social

1 year ago 5 1 1 0

Build your own study smarphone app during this 3-day hands on workshop! Apply by April 21. Please re-post. #sbm2025
@casbsstanford.bsky.social @digital-health.bsky.social @policysrnt.bsky.social @cpddorg.bsky.social @theaacr.bsky.social @abctstudentsig.bsky.social @sbacon20.bsky.social

1 year ago 10 6 0 0
Promotional image for the 2025 Clinical Trials Training Summit featuring a stylized maple leaf and hotel image. Dates: February 24-26. Location: Vancouver, BC at the Fairmount Hotel. Hosts: CANTRAIN, CAN-TAP-TALENT, STROKECOG, CBITN. Slogan: Better Prepared. Better Care. Together.

Promotional image for the 2025 Clinical Trials Training Summit featuring a stylized maple leaf and hotel image. Dates: February 24-26. Location: Vancouver, BC at the Fairmount Hotel. Hosts: CANTRAIN, CAN-TAP-TALENT, STROKECOG, CBITN. Slogan: Better Prepared. Better Care. Together.

We are excited to announce the 2025 Clinical Trials Training Summit, advancing quality, innovation, and inclusivity in clinical trials. Feb 24-26, Vancouver, BC + virtual attendance free and open to the public. #ClinicalTrialTraining #CTSummit2025
clinicaltrailstrainingsummit2025.wecantrain.ca

1 year ago 11 9 0 1
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Image pour la promotion du Sommet de la formation en essais cliniques 2025 avec une feuille d'érable stylisée avec une image d'un hôtel. Dates: 24 au 26 février. Lieu: Vancouver, Colombie-Britannique. Organisateurs : CANTRAIN, CAN-TAP-TALENT, STROKECOG, CBITN. Slogan: Mieux préparer. Mieux traiter. Ensemble.

Image pour la promotion du Sommet de la formation en essais cliniques 2025 avec une feuille d'érable stylisée avec une image d'un hôtel. Dates: 24 au 26 février. Lieu: Vancouver, Colombie-Britannique. Organisateurs : CANTRAIN, CAN-TAP-TALENT, STROKECOG, CBITN. Slogan: Mieux préparer. Mieux traiter. Ensemble.

Nous sommes très heureux de annoncer le Sommet sur la formation en essais cliniques 2025, qui avance la qualité, l’innovation, et l'inclusivité dans les essais cliniques. 24-26 février, Vancouver, CB et virtuellement gratuit au public.
clinicaltrailstrainingsummit2025.wecantrain.ca

1 year ago 2 1 0 1
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‘I can’t go toe to toe with social media.’ Top U.S. health official reflects, regrets. Xavier Becerra, who has led the Department of Health and Human Services, says federal agencies are outmatched in a world of “instantaneous information and disinformation.”

Rise of distrust largely the result of embrace of lies & spin.

‘I can’t go toe to toe with social media.’ Top US health official reflects, regrets. wapo.st/3DR3KAt @ddiamond

"federal agencies are outmatched in a world of 'instantaneous information & disinformation.'"

1 year ago 57 14 4 2
Considerations for conducting psychological research in lower- and middle-income countries - Communications Psychology Beginning to conduct psychological research in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is daunting. Where do you start? In this reflexive commentary, we raise three critical questions that research...

“Here, we—two early-career psychologists from Germany and India and one global health researcher from the UK who all conducted field work in LMICs—summarize key questions and concerns that we wish someone would have told us before conducting our research in Ethiopia, Myanmar, Thailand, and India”

1 year ago 34 16 1 0
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@martinhagger.bsky.social & me contend that individual-level (“i-frame”) intervention strategies can be appropriately integrated with system-level (“s-frame”) strategies to optimize population-level behavior change doi.org/10.1017/S014...

1 year ago 6 4 1 0
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How many health tips do we need to thrive in 2025? My tip? Look for evidence.

How many health tips do we need to thrive in 2025? open.substack.com/pub/garyschw... by @garyschw.bsky.social

5 or 44?

Reality: the evidence-based basics of healthy lifestyle have been known for a long time.

Don't smoke. Move. Eat well (no magic). Sleep. Less alcohol. Community.

Ignore noise.

1 year ago 93 18 3 3
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Are we ready for another pandemic? After Covid-19, world leaders agreed to work together to strengthen global health systems, but negotiations on a new agreement have stalled

Are we ready for another pandemic? After #COVID19, world leaders agreed to work together to strengthen global health systems, but negotiations on a new agreement have stalled, by @katlay.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/global-devel... via @theguardian.com #GlobalHealth

1 year ago 31 13 1 2

Releasing Thursday - we hope it will be a useful resource for researchers, journalists, practitioners, and anyone interested in what science misinformation is, how it spreads, its effects on people and society, and possible interventions.

mailchi.mp/nationalacad...

1 year ago 34 17 0 2
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Best Practices for Designing and Testing Behavioral and Health Communication Interventions for Delivery in Private Facebook Groups: Tutorial - PubMed Facebook, the most popular social media platform in the United States, is used by 239 million US adults, which represents 71% of the population. Not only do most US adults use Facebook but they also s...

My lab has spent the last several years using private Facebook groups to conduct asynchronous behavioral and health communication interventions.

We published a guide (with all of our lessons learned!) for folks who are interested in doing the same. Check it out!

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39231426/

1 year ago 35 13 2 0
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Online Plain Language Tool and Health Information Quality This randomized clinical trial investigates whether an online text editing tool is effective in helping health information providers simplify written health information according to health literacy an...

Read the full trial paper in JAMA Network Open jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

You can also read about our user-testing here
doi.org/10.1016/j.pe...

And see a comparison to other readability calculators here
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

1 year ago 6 7 1 1