Cardiff researcher to lead study into how behaviour shapes disease outbreaks

A Cardiff University researcher will lead a study examining how human behaviour and public trust influence the spread of infectious diseases, with the aim of improving preparations for future epidemics.

Professor Kavita Vedhara, from the university’s School of Psychology, will investigate how people’s behaviour, their use of social settings and levels of trust affect the transmission of respiratory viruses.

The findings will feed into epidemic models designed to better reflect how infections spread and how the public responds to outbreaks.

The study is one of 18 research and innovation projects supported by a £54 million investment from the UK government and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The wider programme covers threats to human, animal and plant health, including antimicrobial resistance and the development of next-generation animal vaccines.

Professor Vedhara said: “Our new research programme hopes to transform our preparedness for future epidemics and pandemics. We will achieve this by uncovering how people’s behaviours, their use of social settings and levels of trust influence how respiratory viruses spread.”

The team will also work with people involved in shaping public health policy across the UK, linking its findings to decisions about how future outbreaks should be managed.

Professor Vedhara added: “We will also work closely with those involved in shaping public health policy across the UK to ensure that policymakers can design more targeted, effective and equitable measures to control future outbreaks, while also reducing the risks of societal harm we observed in the last pandemic.”

Researchers across the wider programme will work with international partners, examining the connections between human, animal and environmental health. Projects aim to improve the prevention and detection of biological threats, alongside the ability to respond when they emerge.

Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, UKRI’s executive champion for tackling infections, said bringing together expertise from the UK and overseas would help researchers address related infectious disease challenges in a more coordinated way.