UCL Tobacco & Alcohol Research Group (UTARG)

Recent publications

Angus C, Oldham M, Burton R, Dina L-M, Field M, Hickman M, Kaner E, Loebenberg G, Munafò M, Garnett C, Pizzo E, Brown J. (2025) Modelling the potential health, health economic and health inequality impact of a large-scale rollout of the Drink Less app in England Value in Health

Jackson SE, Tattan-Birch H, Buss V, Shahab L, Brown J. (2024). Trends in daily cigarette consumption among smokers: a population study in England, 2008-2023. Nicotine and Tobacco Research. 

Tattan-Birch H, Brown J, Shahab L, Beard E, Jackson SE. (2024). Trends in vaping and smoking following the rise of disposable e-cigarettes: a repeat cross-sectional study in England between 2016-2023. Lancet Regional Health - Europe

Jackson SE, Cox S, Buss V, Brown J. (2024). Trends in motives for trying to stop smoking: a population study in England, 2018-2023. BMJ Public Health. 2: e000420.

Tattan-Birch H, Jackson SE, Shahab L, Brown J. (2024). Are people more likely to vape or smoke indoors? A population survey of adults in England. Nicotine and Tobacco Research. ntae094. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntae094. 

Kale D, Jackson S, Brown J, Garnett C, Shahab L. (2024). Social smoker identity and associations with smoking and quitting behaviour: A cross-sectional study in England. Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Jackson SE, Tattan-Birch H, East K, Cox S, Shahab L, Brown J. (2024). Trends in harm perceptions of e-cigarettes relative to cigarettes among adults who smoke in England, 2014-2023. JAMA Network Open. 2024; 7(2): e240582.

Buss VH, Kock L, Beard E, Shahab L, Brown J, Jackson S. (2024). Impact of Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations on cigarette consumption and youth smoking in England: interrupted time-series analysis. Tobacco Control. doi: 10.1136/tc-2023-058560

Jackson SE, Brown J, Tattan-Birch H, Shahab L. (2024). Estimating the population impact of the disruption in supply of varenicline since 2021 on smoking cessation in England. Addiction. 

Kale, D., Shoesmith, E. K., Herbec, A., & Shahab, L. (2024). Willingness to get vaccinated initially and yearly against Covid-19 and its association with vaccine hesitancy, vaccine knowledge and psychological well-being: a cross-sectional study in UK adults. BMJ Open.

Leppin, C., Okpako, T., Brown, J., Garnett, C. and Perski, O. (2024). Does socioeconomic position moderate the associations between the content and delivery features of digital behaviour change interventions for smoking cessation and intervention effectiveness? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Psychology Review, pp.1-34.

Jackson SE, Brown J, Notley C, Shahab L, Cox S. (2024). Characterising smoking and nicotine use behaviours among women of reproductive age: a ten-year population study in England. BMC Medicine. 22: 99.

Okpako T, Kale D, Perski O, Brown J. (2024). Developing content for a virtual reality scenario that motivates quit attempts in adult smokers: A focus group study with art-based methods. Plos Digital Health

Jackson SE, Shahab L, Brown J. (2024). Trends in exclusive non-cigarette tobacco smoking in England: a population survey 2013-2023. Nicotine and Tobacco Research. 

Buss V, Shahab L, Bauld L, Kock L, Cheeseman H, Brown J. (2024). 'Stopping the start': support for proposed tobacco control policies - a population-based survey in Great Britain 2021-2023. Tobacco Control

Garnett C, Oldham M, Brose L, Cheeseman H & Cox S. (2024). Prevalence and characteristics of co-occurrence of smoking and increasing-and-higher-risk drinking: A population survey in England. Addictive Behaviors 150:107928

Oldham M, Beard E, Loebenberg G, Dinu L, Angus C, Burton R, Field M, Greaves F, Hickman M, Kaner E, Michie S, Munafo M, Pizzo E, Brown J, & Garnett C (2024). Effectiveness of a smartphone app (Drink Less) versus usual digital care for reducing alcohol consumption among increasing-and-higher-risk adult drinkers in the UK: a two-arm, parallel-group, double-blind, randomised controlled trial. eClinicalMedicine.

Jackson SE, Oldham M, Angus C, Holmes J, & Brown J. (2024). Trends in purchasing cross-border, illicit, and home-brewed alcohol: a population study in Great Britain, 2020-2023. Drug and Alcohol Review. https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.13838

Jackson SE, Tattan-Birch H, Shahab L, Oldham M, Kale D, Brose L, Brown J. (2024). Who would be affected by a ban on disposable vapes? A population study in Great Britain. Public Health. 

Kale, D., Brown, J., Dawkins, L., Goniewicz, M.L., Leppin, C., Tattan-Birch, H., Shahab, L. (2023). Comparing identity, attitudes, and indicators of effectiveness in people who smoke, vape or use heated tobacco products: a cross-sectional study. Addictive Behaviors, 107933

Jackson, S.E., Brown, J., Shahab, L., McNeill, A., Munafò, M., Brose, L. (2023). Trends in psychological distress among adults in England, 2020-2022. JAMA Network Open (In press)

Kale, D., Tattan-Birch, H., Brown, J., Cox, S., Dawkins, L., Goniewicz, M.L., Morris., K., Shahab, L. (2023) Examining acute psychopharmacological effects of nicotine vaping versus heated tobacco products in a randomised crossover study of product naïve adult smokers. Scientific Reports 13 (1), 22676

Jackson, S. E., Cox, S., Brown, J. (2023). Trends in cross-border and illicit tobacco purchases among people who smoke in England, 2019-2022. Tobacco Control (In press)

Buss, V., Cox, S., Moore, G., Shahab, L., Angus, C., Bauld, L., Brown, J. (2023). Alcohol and smoking brief interventions by socioeconomic position: British population-based survey. British Journal of General Practice Open (In press).

Jackson, S. E., Shahab, L.; Brown, J. (2023). Examining the influence of tobacco control mass media campaign expenditure on the association between motivation to stop smoking and quit attempts: A prospective study in England. Addictive Behaviors, 144 

Tattan-Birch, H., Kock, L., Brown, J., Beard, E., Bauld, L., West, R., & Shahab, L. (2023). E-cigarettes to Augment Stop Smoking In-person Support and Treatment With Varenicline (E-ASSIST): A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 25 (3), 395-403. doi:10.1093/ntr/ntac149

Kimber, C., Zaidell, L., Hunter, S., Cox, S., Notley, C., & Dawkins, L. (2023). Comparing the Effects of the EU- Versus the US-JUUL Pod in a Sample of UK Smokers: Nicotine Absorption, Satisfaction and Other Nicotine-Related Subjective Effects. Nicotine and Tobacco Research. doi:10.1093/ntr/ntac289

Shahab, L. (2023). Nicotine – friend or foe? The complex interplay between its role in dependence, harm reduction and risk communication. Nicotine and Tobacco Research.