News and Updates

New study finds tobacco content continues to appear in UK Box Office films and is widely seen by young people, representing a major driver of smoking uptake.

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and SPECTRUM submit joint representation to to HM Treasury’s Comprehensive Spending Review 2020

“Signalling Virtue, Promoting Harm: Unhealthy commodity industries and COVID-19” details hundreds of examples of unhealthy commodity industries, led by Big Alcohol, Big Food, and Big Soda, leveraging the COVID-19 pandemic for commercial gain.

Today over 70 health organisations and alliances have sent a joint statement to the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Health, and the interim leadership of Public Health England, raising serious concerns about the reorganisation of public health now underway.

The introduction of cigarette-like mentholated ‘cigarillos’ (mini cigars which are leaf-wrapped) to the UK is helping big tobacco companies to bypass strict public health measures intended to reduce smoking, say researchers.

Young people in the UK are being exposed to excessive alcohol advertisements during televised sporting events, which could lead to increased alcohol consumption in under 16s, according to new research from the University of Nottingham.

The Alcohol Health Alliance (AHA) is seeking views about how COVID-19 has affected alcohol harm and what the government should do to tackle it

Dr Lauren White has written a blog on her PhD, which examined parents’ and children’s views on the regulation of online advertising of unhealthy food and drink to children

A major new study has been launched to understand how the COVID-19 lockdown has impacted gambling behaviour, including among potentially ‘high risk’ groups.

New publication examines tobacco and alcohol content in soap operas broadcast on UK television

SPECTRUM contribute to evaluation of the minimum unit pricing for alcohol in Scotland

Professor Niamh Shortt queries the next steps for tobacco control in Scotland, in a blog for The Centre for Research on Environment Society and Health (CRESH)

SPECTRUM members highlight concerns about the unequal impact of both the COVID-19 pandemic and policies to address it

SPECTRUM and the NCD Alliance launch tool to collect examples of activities undertaken or presented by businesses as a response to the COVID-19 crisis

A new study conducted by researchers from the UCL Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, UCL Department of Behavioural Science and Health and UCL Centre for Behaviour Change has launched today.

The Usher Institute at the University of Edinburgh has launched a COVID-19 webinar series, including an upcoming webinar on COVID-19 and tobacco

A new study involving members of the SPECTRUM Consortium has been launched at the University of Edinburgh.

New research involving SPECTRUM members and partners has investigated variations in tobacco price across Scottish convenience stores