Dale Weston
Biographic Data
| ID | 5082598 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Dale Weston |
| GIVEN NAMES | Dale |
| FAMILY NAME | Weston |
| SIGNATURE | WESTON D |
| AFFILIATIONS | UK Health Security Agency |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5304-7572 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 19 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 26 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 19 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Applying the Social Identity Approach to Leadership to Online Support Groups for Long Covid
Previous research has shown that online support groups for Long Covid may improve group members' wellbeing, but there is limited evidence on the role of group moderators in influencing such outcomes. Applying the social identity approach to leadership, this study sought to understand the extent to which group moderators display identity leadership and their role in influencing group members' health and wellbeing. Interviews were conducted with 10…
A qualitative interview study exploring barriers and facilitators to uptake of measles vaccination among healthcare workers at a London hospital
Introduction: Healthcare workers (HCW) are at increased risk of measles due to their occupational exposure. Yet, there is evidence of low vaccination rates, inadequate immunity among this group, and many do not know their vaccination status. The aim of this qualitative study is to explore barriers and facilitators to measles vaccination and reasons why some HCW do not know their vaccination status. Methods: We conducted 23 online semi-structured …
Engaging civil society in CBRNe field training exercises
We’re all in the same storm, but not all of us are in the same boat”
The results of this study demonstrate that frontline UK Civil servants may need more tailored and flexible multilevel support (i.e., from peers, managers, organisations) during future public health emergencies when they are required to work from home. A series of data-informed recommendations are created and discussed
Nationwide demonstration of improved Covid-19 vaccination uptake through behavioural reminders
Rates of, and factors associated with, common mental disorders in homeworking UK Government response employees’ during Covid-19
It is important to ensure UK Government employees' psychological needs are met whilst working from home and responding to enhanced incidents. It is recommended that workplaces should be seeking to continually build and improve employee resilience (e.g., through opportunities to increase social ties and support networks), essentially ensuring employees have necessary resources and skills to support themselves and others
Engagement in rapid public health research among young people from underserved communities
This research explored barriers to engagement in rapid public health co-production. Working with communities to co-produce rapid recruitment and research procedures to suit the needs and the context in which young people live is necessary
Online support groups, social identity, and the health and wellbeing of adults with Long Covid
As many individuals with Long Covid are left without formal support, they have turned to online support groups for help. In a pre‐registered study, interviews were carried out with 21 adults with Long Covid to explore experiences of using online support groups, to understand whether participants felt these experiences influenced their health and wellbeing, and to identify whether group members developed a shared social identity. The reported bene…
The Agile Co-production and Evaluation framework for developing public health interventions, messaging and guidance
A lesson identified from the COVID-19 pandemic is that we need to extend existing best practice for intervention development. In particular, we need to integrate (a) state-of-the-art methods of rapidly coproducing public health interventions and messaging to support all population groups to protect themselves and their communities with (b) methods of rapidly evaluating co-produced interventions to determine which are acceptable and effective. Thi…
The role of pre-incident information and responder communication in effective management of casualties, including members of vulnerable groups, during a decontamination field exercise
Prioritising Climate Change Mitigation Behaviours and Exploring Public Health Co-Benefits
Climate change requires urgent action; however, it can be challenging to identify individual-level behaviours that should be prioritised for maximum impact. The study aimed to prioritise climate change mitigation behaviours according to their impacts on climate change and public health, and to identify associated barriers and facilitators—exploring the impact of observed behaviour shifts associated with COVID-19 in the UK. A three-round Delphi st…
Psychological effects of mould and damp in the home
People spend a substantial amount of time at home, so it is important that homes are safe, healthy environments. Damp and mould represent common housing problems but little is known about their potential psychological effects. This scoping review explores existing literature on the relationship between household damp/mould and psychological wellbeing. Systematic searches of six databases were conducted, supplemented by hand-searches. Thirty studi…
Factors associated with older adults' perception of health risks of hot and cold weather event exposure
Introduction: Hot and cold weather events are increasingly becoming a global burden resulting in premature and preventable morbidity and mortality, particularly in vulnerable groups such as older people and people with chronic health conditions. However, risk perception regarding weather is generally poor among vulnerable groups which often acts as a barrier to the uptake of critical health-protective behaviours. A more cohesive understanding of …
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…
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…
Research fatigue in Covid-19 pandemic and post-disaster research
Guidelines for researchers wishing to reduce the occurrence of research fatigue include ensuring greater transparency within research; sharing of results; and using oversight or gatekeeper bodies to aid coordination. Failure to restrict the number of times that people are asked to participate in studies risks poor participation rates. This can subsequently affect the quality of information with which to inform policy-makers and protect the health…
Public perceptions of pre-incident information campaign materials for the initial response to a chemical incident
In the event of a hazardous chemical release incident in the UK, affected members of the public would undergo improvised and interim forms of decontamination (the ‘Initial Operational Response’ [IOR]). To enable members of the public to take recommended actions quickly, the Home Office and National CBRN Centre have developed the ‘Remove, Remove, Remove’ pre-incident information campaign. This is designed to raise awareness amongst a broad range o…
Happy but unhealthy
Social connections are essential to health and well‐being. However, when pursing social acceptance, people may sometimes engage in behavior that is detrimental to their health. Using a multi‐time‐point design, we examined whether the structure of an emerging network of students in an academic summer school program correlated with their physical health and mental well‐being. Participants who were more central in the network typically experienced g…
Social identity and perceptions of torture
Social identity and perceptions of torture
Psychological effects of mould and damp in the home
People spend a substantial amount of time at home, so it is important that homes are safe, healthy environments. Damp and mould represent common housing problems but little is known about their potential psychological effects. This scoping review explores existing literature on the relationship between household damp/mould and psychological wellbeing. Systematic searches of six databases were conducted, supplemented by hand-searches. Thirty studi…
Happy but unhealthy
Social connections are essential to health and well‐being. However, when pursing social acceptance, people may sometimes engage in behavior that is detrimental to their health. Using a multi‐time‐point design, we examined whether the structure of an emerging network of students in an academic summer school program correlated with their physical health and mental well‐being. Participants who were more central in the network typically experienced g…
Social identity and perceptions of torture
Happy but unhealthy
Social connections are essential to health and well‐being. However, when pursing social acceptance, people may sometimes engage in behavior that is detrimental to their health. Using a multi‐time‐point design, we examined whether the structure of an emerging network of students in an academic summer school program correlated with their physical health and mental well‐being. Participants who were more central in the network typically experienced g…
Public perceptions of pre-incident information campaign materials for the initial response to a chemical incident
In the event of a hazardous chemical release incident in the UK, affected members of the public would undergo improvised and interim forms of decontamination (the ‘Initial Operational Response’ [IOR]). To enable members of the public to take recommended actions quickly, the Home Office and National CBRN Centre have developed the ‘Remove, Remove, Remove’ pre-incident information campaign. This is designed to raise awareness amongst a broad range o…
Research fatigue in Covid-19 pandemic and post-disaster research
Guidelines for researchers wishing to reduce the occurrence of research fatigue include ensuring greater transparency within research; sharing of results; and using oversight or gatekeeper bodies to aid coordination. Failure to restrict the number of times that people are asked to participate in studies risks poor participation rates. This can subsequently affect the quality of information with which to inform policy-makers and protect the health…
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…
Factors associated with older adults' perception of health risks of hot and cold weather event exposure
Introduction: Hot and cold weather events are increasingly becoming a global burden resulting in premature and preventable morbidity and mortality, particularly in vulnerable groups such as older people and people with chronic health conditions. However, risk perception regarding weather is generally poor among vulnerable groups which often acts as a barrier to the uptake of critical health-protective behaviours. A more cohesive understanding of …
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…
The Agile Co-production and Evaluation framework for developing public health interventions, messaging and guidance
A lesson identified from the COVID-19 pandemic is that we need to extend existing best practice for intervention development. In particular, we need to integrate (a) state-of-the-art methods of rapidly coproducing public health interventions and messaging to support all population groups to protect themselves and their communities with (b) methods of rapidly evaluating co-produced interventions to determine which are acceptable and effective. Thi…
The role of pre-incident information and responder communication in effective management of casualties, including members of vulnerable groups, during a decontamination field exercise
Prioritising Climate Change Mitigation Behaviours and Exploring Public Health Co-Benefits
Climate change requires urgent action; however, it can be challenging to identify individual-level behaviours that should be prioritised for maximum impact. The study aimed to prioritise climate change mitigation behaviours according to their impacts on climate change and public health, and to identify associated barriers and facilitators—exploring the impact of observed behaviour shifts associated with COVID-19 in the UK. A three-round Delphi st…
Psychological effects of mould and damp in the home
People spend a substantial amount of time at home, so it is important that homes are safe, healthy environments. Damp and mould represent common housing problems but little is known about their potential psychological effects. This scoping review explores existing literature on the relationship between household damp/mould and psychological wellbeing. Systematic searches of six databases were conducted, supplemented by hand-searches. Thirty studi…
Rates of, and factors associated with, common mental disorders in homeworking UK Government response employees’ during Covid-19
It is important to ensure UK Government employees' psychological needs are met whilst working from home and responding to enhanced incidents. It is recommended that workplaces should be seeking to continually build and improve employee resilience (e.g., through opportunities to increase social ties and support networks), essentially ensuring employees have necessary resources and skills to support themselves and others
Engagement in rapid public health research among young people from underserved communities
This research explored barriers to engagement in rapid public health co-production. Working with communities to co-produce rapid recruitment and research procedures to suit the needs and the context in which young people live is necessary
Online support groups, social identity, and the health and wellbeing of adults with Long Covid
As many individuals with Long Covid are left without formal support, they have turned to online support groups for help. In a pre‐registered study, interviews were carried out with 21 adults with Long Covid to explore experiences of using online support groups, to understand whether participants felt these experiences influenced their health and wellbeing, and to identify whether group members developed a shared social identity. The reported bene…
A qualitative interview study exploring barriers and facilitators to uptake of measles vaccination among healthcare workers at a London hospital
Introduction: Healthcare workers (HCW) are at increased risk of measles due to their occupational exposure. Yet, there is evidence of low vaccination rates, inadequate immunity among this group, and many do not know their vaccination status. The aim of this qualitative study is to explore barriers and facilitators to measles vaccination and reasons why some HCW do not know their vaccination status. Methods: We conducted 23 online semi-structured …
Engaging civil society in CBRNe field training exercises
We’re all in the same storm, but not all of us are in the same boat”
The results of this study demonstrate that frontline UK Civil servants may need more tailored and flexible multilevel support (i.e., from peers, managers, organisations) during future public health emergencies when they are required to work from home. A series of data-informed recommendations are created and discussed
Nationwide demonstration of improved Covid-19 vaccination uptake through behavioural reminders
Applying the Social Identity Approach to Leadership to Online Support Groups for Long Covid
Previous research has shown that online support groups for Long Covid may improve group members' wellbeing, but there is limited evidence on the role of group moderators in influencing such outcomes. Applying the social identity approach to leadership, this study sought to understand the extent to which group moderators display identity leadership and their role in influencing group members' health and wellbeing. Interviews were conducted with 10…
Medicine (15 works) · Psychology (11 works) · Nursing (8 works) · Political science (8 works) · Public health (8 works) · COVID-19 and Mental Health (7 works) · Social Psychology (6 works) · Business (5 works) · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 (5 works) · Environmental health (5 works)