Niv Gold
Biographic Data
| ID | 388947 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Niv Gold |
| GIVEN NAMES | Niv |
| FAMILY NAME | Gold |
| SIGNATURE | GOLD N |
| AFFILIATIONS | Public Health England |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0706-1618 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 24 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 14 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 24 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Nationwide demonstration of improved Covid-19 vaccination uptake through behavioural reminders
The effect of timers and precommitments on handwashing
Many foodborne illness outbreaks originate in food service establishments. We tested two behavioural interventions designed to improve the duration and quality of handwashing. We ran a three-armed parallel trial in a laboratory kitchen, from 7 March to 27 May 2022. Participants were n = 195 workers who handle food. We randomly allocated participants to three groups: Timer – tap-mounted timer that counted seconds while participants washed their ha…
‘Better off, as judged by themselves’
In this study, we investigated how people evaluate behavioral interventions (BIs) that are targeted at themselves, aiming to promote their own health and wellbeing. We compared the impact on people's assessments of the acceptability of using BIs to change their own behavior of: the transparency of the BI (transparent or opaque); the designer of the BI (researchers, government policy-makers, advertisers); and three types of arguments regarding the…
Can uptake of childhood influenza immunisation through schools and GP practices be increased through behaviourally-informed invitation letters and reminders
Study 1: Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02921633. Study 2: Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02883972
The effects of Veganuary on meal choices in workplace cafeterias
Meat-based food production has a detrimental impact on the environment and health. In response, Veganuary (an international non-profit organisation) encourages people to go vegan each January. We investigated the effects of a Veganuary campaign in workplace cafeterias which increased the availability and salience of plant-based products. We conducted an interrupted time series analysis on a large dataset from a UK catering company, which comprise…
Integrating three diverse perspectives into the proposed role for cooperation in sustainable transport policymaking
This article considers how theories of social cooperation might be helpful in developing policy levers for changing travel behaviours towards environmentally beneficial outcomes, especially in reducing private car use.'Theories of cooperation' can be described as a shift away from a 'traditional' economic focus on selfish individuals to one where individuals care what those around them are doing and even sometimes identify with, and think as, gro…
From ‘I’ to ‘we’
This article considers how theories of social cooperation might be helpful in developing policy levers for changing travel behaviours towards environmentally beneficial outcomes, especially in reducing private car use. ‘Theories of cooperation’ can be described as a shift away from a ‘traditional’ economic focus on selfish individuals to one where individuals care what those around them are doing and even sometimes identify with, and think as, gr…
Testing the impact of overt and covert ordering interventions on sustainable consumption choices
Guard against temptation
Sometimes we make a decision about an action we will undertake later and form an intention, but our judgment of what it is best to do undergoes a temporary shift when the time for action comes round. What makes it rational not to give in to temptation? Many contemporary solutions privilege diachronic rationality; in some “rational non‐reconsideration” (RNR) accounts once the agent forms an intention, it is rational not to reconsider. This leads t…
Location, location, location
The results indicated that the existing configuration of the UK's vaccination programme was well-placed to deliver vaccines to 18-29-year-olds; however, some adjustments might enhance acceptance. Local pharmacies were not preferred; long travel times were a disincentive but close proximity (0-15 min from one's premises) was not necessary; and either the 'NHS' or 'Your GP' would serve as adequate invitation sources. This research informed COVID-19…
Patterns and predictors of adherence to health-protective measures during Covid-19 pandemic in the UK
The analysis plan was pre-registered, and it is available at https://osf.io/6tnc9
Work-related and personal predictors of Covid-19 transmission
OBJECTIVE: To develop evidence of work-related and personal predictors of COVID-19 transmission. SETTING AND RESPONDENTS: Data are drawn from a population survey of individuals in the USA and UK conducted in June 2020. BACKGROUND METHODS: Regression models are estimated for 1467 individuals in which reported evidence of infection depends on work-related factors as well as a variety of personal controls. RESULTS: The following themes emerge from t…
Tunnel Operations in the Israel Defense Forces
This study presents an empirically grounded account of tunnel combat operations in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) within the context of 'post-heroic' warfare. Current scholarship on 'post-heroism' has viewed the technological and professional standards of contemporary military conflicts as distancing the individual combatant from the modern battlefield. Little attention has been given however to the ways in which soldiers themselves experience a…
Adapting Behavioral Interventions for a Changing Public Health Context
Background: A rigorous approach is needed to inform rapid adaptation and optimisation of behavioral interventions in evolving public health contexts, such as the Covid-19 pandemic. This helps ensure that interventions are relevant, persuasive, and feasible while remaining evidence-based. This paper provides a set of iterative methods to rapidly adapt and optimize an intervention during implementation. These methods are demonstrated through the ex…
Improving Our Understanding and Practice of Antibiotic Prescribing
In the UK, 81% of all antibiotics are prescribed in primary care. Previous research has shown that a letter from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) giving social norms feedback to General Practitioners (GPs) whose practices are high prescribers of antibiotics can decrease antibiotic prescribing. The aim of this study was to understand the best way for engaging with GPs to deliver feedback on prescribing behaviour that could be replicated at scale; a…
A randomized controlled trial to test the effect of simplified guidance with visuals on comprehension of Covid-19 guidelines and intention to stay home if symptomatic
Simplified guidance did not improve comprehension compared to the standard guidance issued in the containment phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, and simplified guidance with visual aids may even have worsened comprehension. Simplified guidance had no effect on intention to stay home if symptomatic. This trial informed COVID-19 policy and provides insights relevant to guidance production in the acute phase of a major public health emerg…
A phenomenological analysis of subterranean operations in the Israel Defense Forces
This article analyses the experiences of IDF soldiers involved in subterranean operations in Gaza. While tunnel warfare is a central element in warfare, few sociological studies have focused on this element of combat. In-depth interviews reveal the day-to-day experiences of the specialised combat engineering units tasked with subterranean operations during the past two decades. The themes identified are: ‘Operational activity in tunnels as an exp…
Using behavioural insights to reduce sugar in primary school children's packed lunches in derby; A cluster randomised controlled trial
Applying behavioural science to increase uptake of the NHS Health Check
Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03524131. Registered May 14, 2018. Retrospectively registered
Pre-notification and reminder SMS text messages with behaviourally informed invitation letters to improve uptake of NHS Health Checks
Retrospectively Registered (24/01/2014) ISRCTN36027094
The limits of commodification arguments
I connect commodification arguments to an empirical literature, present a mechanism by which commodification may occur, and show how this may restrict the range of goods and services that are subject to commodification, therefore having implications for the use of commodification arguments in political theory. Commodification arguments assert that some people’s trading a good or service can debase it for third parties. They consist of a normative…
Learning lessons
The aim of this article is to cover three things: (1) to introduce the context behind why a report prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2017 would be of such importance to researchers in various academic disciplines and public policy, (2) to present the details of a simple classification system that was applied to all 111 case studies of behavioural interventions (better known as nudges) referred to in …
Do as I Say, Don’t Do as I Do
Many people judge that it is permissible to harm one person in order to save many in some circumstances but not in others: it matters how the harm comes about. Researchers have used trolley problems to investigate this phenomenon, eliciting moral judgments or behavioral predictions about hypothetical scenarios where five people can be saved at the cost of harming one other person. We operationalized trolley problems in the laboratory, with econom…
Collective Intentions And Team Agency
ollective intentions are those intentions associated with joint actions. The paradigm cases include two people singing a V^>* duet, painting a house, pushing a car, and taking a walk together. In these situations, there is a sense in which "we" intend the joint action, as well as a sense in which "I" intend my part in it. For instance, if we go to Edinburgh together and, as a part of this, I check the train timetable and you buy the tickets, then…
Do as I Say, Don’t Do as I Do
Many people judge that it is permissible to harm one person in order to save many in some circumstances but not in others: it matters how the harm comes about. Researchers have used trolley problems to investigate this phenomenon, eliciting moral judgments or behavioral predictions about hypothetical scenarios where five people can be saved at the cost of harming one other person. We operationalized trolley problems in the laboratory, with econom…
Tunnel Operations in the Israel Defense Forces
This study presents an empirically grounded account of tunnel combat operations in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) within the context of 'post-heroic' warfare. Current scholarship on 'post-heroism' has viewed the technological and professional standards of contemporary military conflicts as distancing the individual combatant from the modern battlefield. Little attention has been given however to the ways in which soldiers themselves experience a…
Learning lessons
The aim of this article is to cover three things: (1) to introduce the context behind why a report prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2017 would be of such importance to researchers in various academic disciplines and public policy, (2) to present the details of a simple classification system that was applied to all 111 case studies of behavioural interventions (better known as nudges) referred to in …
From ‘I’ to ‘we’
This article considers how theories of social cooperation might be helpful in developing policy levers for changing travel behaviours towards environmentally beneficial outcomes, especially in reducing private car use. ‘Theories of cooperation’ can be described as a shift away from a ‘traditional’ economic focus on selfish individuals to one where individuals care what those around them are doing and even sometimes identify with, and think as, gr…
Testing the impact of overt and covert ordering interventions on sustainable consumption choices
Collective Intentions And Team Agency
ollective intentions are those intentions associated with joint actions. The paradigm cases include two people singing a V^>* duet, painting a house, pushing a car, and taking a walk together. In these situations, there is a sense in which "we" intend the joint action, as well as a sense in which "I" intend my part in it. For instance, if we go to Edinburgh together and, as a part of this, I check the train timetable and you buy the tickets, then…
Do as I Say, Don’t Do as I Do
Many people judge that it is permissible to harm one person in order to save many in some circumstances but not in others: it matters how the harm comes about. Researchers have used trolley problems to investigate this phenomenon, eliciting moral judgments or behavioral predictions about hypothetical scenarios where five people can be saved at the cost of harming one other person. We operationalized trolley problems in the laboratory, with econom…
Learning lessons
The aim of this article is to cover three things: (1) to introduce the context behind why a report prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2017 would be of such importance to researchers in various academic disciplines and public policy, (2) to present the details of a simple classification system that was applied to all 111 case studies of behavioural interventions (better known as nudges) referred to in …
Applying behavioural science to increase uptake of the NHS Health Check
Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03524131. Registered May 14, 2018. Retrospectively registered
Pre-notification and reminder SMS text messages with behaviourally informed invitation letters to improve uptake of NHS Health Checks
Retrospectively Registered (24/01/2014) ISRCTN36027094
The limits of commodification arguments
I connect commodification arguments to an empirical literature, present a mechanism by which commodification may occur, and show how this may restrict the range of goods and services that are subject to commodification, therefore having implications for the use of commodification arguments in political theory. Commodification arguments assert that some people’s trading a good or service can debase it for third parties. They consist of a normative…
Adapting Behavioral Interventions for a Changing Public Health Context
Background: A rigorous approach is needed to inform rapid adaptation and optimisation of behavioral interventions in evolving public health contexts, such as the Covid-19 pandemic. This helps ensure that interventions are relevant, persuasive, and feasible while remaining evidence-based. This paper provides a set of iterative methods to rapidly adapt and optimize an intervention during implementation. These methods are demonstrated through the ex…
Improving Our Understanding and Practice of Antibiotic Prescribing
In the UK, 81% of all antibiotics are prescribed in primary care. Previous research has shown that a letter from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) giving social norms feedback to General Practitioners (GPs) whose practices are high prescribers of antibiotics can decrease antibiotic prescribing. The aim of this study was to understand the best way for engaging with GPs to deliver feedback on prescribing behaviour that could be replicated at scale; a…
A randomized controlled trial to test the effect of simplified guidance with visuals on comprehension of Covid-19 guidelines and intention to stay home if symptomatic
Simplified guidance did not improve comprehension compared to the standard guidance issued in the containment phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, and simplified guidance with visual aids may even have worsened comprehension. Simplified guidance had no effect on intention to stay home if symptomatic. This trial informed COVID-19 policy and provides insights relevant to guidance production in the acute phase of a major public health emerg…
A phenomenological analysis of subterranean operations in the Israel Defense Forces
This article analyses the experiences of IDF soldiers involved in subterranean operations in Gaza. While tunnel warfare is a central element in warfare, few sociological studies have focused on this element of combat. In-depth interviews reveal the day-to-day experiences of the specialised combat engineering units tasked with subterranean operations during the past two decades. The themes identified are: ‘Operational activity in tunnels as an exp…
Using behavioural insights to reduce sugar in primary school children's packed lunches in derby; A cluster randomised controlled trial
Guard against temptation
Sometimes we make a decision about an action we will undertake later and form an intention, but our judgment of what it is best to do undergoes a temporary shift when the time for action comes round. What makes it rational not to give in to temptation? Many contemporary solutions privilege diachronic rationality; in some “rational non‐reconsideration” (RNR) accounts once the agent forms an intention, it is rational not to reconsider. This leads t…
Location, location, location
The results indicated that the existing configuration of the UK's vaccination programme was well-placed to deliver vaccines to 18-29-year-olds; however, some adjustments might enhance acceptance. Local pharmacies were not preferred; long travel times were a disincentive but close proximity (0-15 min from one's premises) was not necessary; and either the 'NHS' or 'Your GP' would serve as adequate invitation sources. This research informed COVID-19…
Patterns and predictors of adherence to health-protective measures during Covid-19 pandemic in the UK
The analysis plan was pre-registered, and it is available at https://osf.io/6tnc9
Work-related and personal predictors of Covid-19 transmission
OBJECTIVE: To develop evidence of work-related and personal predictors of COVID-19 transmission. SETTING AND RESPONDENTS: Data are drawn from a population survey of individuals in the USA and UK conducted in June 2020. BACKGROUND METHODS: Regression models are estimated for 1467 individuals in which reported evidence of infection depends on work-related factors as well as a variety of personal controls. RESULTS: The following themes emerge from t…
Tunnel Operations in the Israel Defense Forces
This study presents an empirically grounded account of tunnel combat operations in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) within the context of 'post-heroic' warfare. Current scholarship on 'post-heroism' has viewed the technological and professional standards of contemporary military conflicts as distancing the individual combatant from the modern battlefield. Little attention has been given however to the ways in which soldiers themselves experience a…
‘Better off, as judged by themselves’
In this study, we investigated how people evaluate behavioral interventions (BIs) that are targeted at themselves, aiming to promote their own health and wellbeing. We compared the impact on people's assessments of the acceptability of using BIs to change their own behavior of: the transparency of the BI (transparent or opaque); the designer of the BI (researchers, government policy-makers, advertisers); and three types of arguments regarding the…
Can uptake of childhood influenza immunisation through schools and GP practices be increased through behaviourally-informed invitation letters and reminders
Study 1: Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02921633. Study 2: Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02883972
The effects of Veganuary on meal choices in workplace cafeterias
Meat-based food production has a detrimental impact on the environment and health. In response, Veganuary (an international non-profit organisation) encourages people to go vegan each January. We investigated the effects of a Veganuary campaign in workplace cafeterias which increased the availability and salience of plant-based products. We conducted an interrupted time series analysis on a large dataset from a UK catering company, which comprise…
Integrating three diverse perspectives into the proposed role for cooperation in sustainable transport policymaking
This article considers how theories of social cooperation might be helpful in developing policy levers for changing travel behaviours towards environmentally beneficial outcomes, especially in reducing private car use.'Theories of cooperation' can be described as a shift away from a 'traditional' economic focus on selfish individuals to one where individuals care what those around them are doing and even sometimes identify with, and think as, gro…
From ‘I’ to ‘we’
This article considers how theories of social cooperation might be helpful in developing policy levers for changing travel behaviours towards environmentally beneficial outcomes, especially in reducing private car use. ‘Theories of cooperation’ can be described as a shift away from a ‘traditional’ economic focus on selfish individuals to one where individuals care what those around them are doing and even sometimes identify with, and think as, gr…
Testing the impact of overt and covert ordering interventions on sustainable consumption choices
The effect of timers and precommitments on handwashing
Many foodborne illness outbreaks originate in food service establishments. We tested two behavioural interventions designed to improve the duration and quality of handwashing. We ran a three-armed parallel trial in a laboratory kitchen, from 7 March to 27 May 2022. Participants were n = 195 workers who handle food. We randomly allocated participants to three groups: Timer – tap-mounted timer that counted seconds while participants washed their ha…
Nationwide demonstration of improved Covid-19 vaccination uptake through behavioural reminders
Medicine (14 works) · Political science (10 works) · Psychology (10 works) · Sociology (9 works) · Behavioral Health and Interventions (8 works) · Nursing (8 works) · Computer Science (7 works) · Psychological intervention (7 works) · Public health (7 works) · Biostatistics (6 works)