Dr Rachel O'Donnell

Research Fellow

Institute for Social Marketing Institute for Social Marketing, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA

Dr Rachel O'Donnell

Contact details

Share a link

https://www.stir.ac.uk/people/rcodonnell

About me

About me

Dr Rachel O'Donnell is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Social Marketing and Health at the University of Stirling. After completing her first degree in Psychology, and her PhD on Quality of life and Severe Neurological Disability at the University of Roehampton, London, Rachel moved to Edinburgh and worked as a Research Fellow at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh. Over the past 15 years Rachel has worked extensively in tobacco control policy and research functions, and moved back into academia in December 2015. She has research expertise relating to the development of health behaviour change interventions, and her current research interests include the development of interventions aimed at reducing children's exposure to second-hand smoke in the home, gender-sensitive intervention development and alcohol licensing and policy development. Rachel is a qualitative researcher, with a long track-record of conducting research with disadvantaged populations and/or on sensitive topic areas. Rachel is currently PI on a Scottish Government funded project exploring the use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to create smoke-free homes. She is also Co-PI on the Smoke-free Homes Innovation Network (SHINE) - an ESRC/Irish Research Council funded initiative aimed to foster multidisciplinary collaborations on future smoke-free homes research, policy and practice in the UK and Ireland.

Research (1)

Rachel's current research focuses on the development of intervention methods to encourage behaviour change aimed at creating a smoke-free home. Rachel has been involved in interventions utilising a) various forms of personalised air quality feedback; b) a theory-driven approach incorporating intervention mapping; and c) the use of nicotine replacement therapy for use instead of smoking indoors. Rachel is also interested in the use of empowering approaches to health behaviour change which, in the context of creating a smoke-free home, recognise the stigma and guilt often experienced by smoking parents. Rachel has specific qualitative research expertise, and has a longstanding interest in developing and conducting research working with disadvantaged, vulnerable populations.  Rachel is also interested in gender-based approaches to health behaviour change, which acknowledge the role that gender plays in creating and maintaining change.

Projects

COmmunities Facilitating incREasing Smoke-free Homes’ (CO-FRESH)
PI: Dr Sean Semple
Funded by: Medical Research Council
–

Outputs (36)

Outputs

Article

Secondhand smoke exposure assessment in outdoor hospitality venues across 11 European countries

Henderson E, Continente X, Fernández E, Tigova O, Cortés-Francisco N, Gallus S, Lugo A, Semple S, Dobson R, Clancy L, Keogan S, Ruprecht A, Borgini A, Tzortzi A & O'Donnell R (2021) Secondhand smoke exposure assessment in outdoor hospitality venues across 11 European countries. Environmental Research, 200, Art. No.: 111355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.111355

Article

Burden of disease from second-hand tobacco smoke exposure at home among adults from European Union countries in 2017: an analysis using a review of recent meta-analyses

Carreras G, Lachi A, Cortini B, Gallus S, López MJ, Lopez-Nicolas A, Soriano JB, Fernandez E, Tigova O, Gorini G, Semple S, O'Donnell R & Dobson R (2021) Burden of disease from second-hand tobacco smoke exposure at home among adults from European Union countries in 2017: an analysis using a review of recent meta-analyses. Preventive Medicine, 145, Art. No.: 106412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106412

Article

Initial views and experiences of vaping in prisons: a qualitative study with people in custody preparing for the imminent implementation of Scotland's prison smokefree policy

Brown A, O'Donnell R, Eadie D, Purves R, Sweeting H, Ford A, Bauld L & Hunt K (2021) Initial views and experiences of vaping in prisons: a qualitative study with people in custody preparing for the imminent implementation of Scotland's prison smokefree policy. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 23 (3), pp. 543-549. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntaa088

Article

From smoking-permitted to smokefree prisons: a 3-year evaluation of the changes in occupational exposure to second-hand smoke across a national prison system

Demou E, Dobson R, Sweeting H, Brown A, Sidwell S, O'Donnell R, Hunt K & Semple S (2020) From smoking-permitted to smokefree prisons: a 3-year evaluation of the changes in occupational exposure to second-hand smoke across a national prison system. Annals of Work Exposures and Health, 64 (9), pp. 959-969. https://doi.org/10.1093/annweh/wxaa073

Article

Secondhand smoke exposure and other signs of tobacco consumption at outdoor entrances of primary schools in 11 European countries

Henderson E, Continente X, Fernández E, Tigova O, Cortés-Francisco N, Gallus S, Lugo A, Semple S, O'Donnell R, Clancy L, Keogan S, Ruprecht A, Borgini A, Tzortzi A & Dobson R (2020) Secondhand smoke exposure and other signs of tobacco consumption at outdoor entrances of primary schools in 11 European countries. Science of the Total Environment, 743, Art. No.: 140743. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140743

Article

Supporting Parents Living in Disadvantaged Areas of Edinburgh to Create a Smoke-Free Home Using Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT): A Two-Phase Qualitative Study

O’Donnell R, Lewis G, Lumsdaine C, Di Tano G, Swanston L, Amos G, Finnie A & Rowa-Dewar N (2020) Supporting Parents Living in Disadvantaged Areas of Edinburgh to Create a Smoke-Free Home Using Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT): A Two-Phase Qualitative Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17 (19), Art. No.: 7305. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197305

Article

Measuring for change: A multi-centre pre-post trial of an air quality feedback intervention to promote smoke-free homes

Dobson R, O'Donnell R, Tigova O, Fu M, Enríquez M, Fernandez E, Carreras G, Gorini G, Verdi S, Borgini A, Tittarelli A, Veronese C, Ruprecht A, Vyzikidou V, Tzortzi A, Vardavas C & Semple S (2020) Measuring for change: A multi-centre pre-post trial of an air quality feedback intervention to promote smoke-free homes. Environment International, 140, Art. No.: 105738. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.105738

Article

Passive exposure of non-smokers to E-Cigarette aerosols: Sensory irritation, timing and association with volatile organic compounds

Tzortzi A, Teloniatis S, Matiampa G, Bakelas G, Tzavara C, Vyzikidou VK, Vardavas C, Behrakis P, Fernandez E, Semple S, O'Donnell R & Dobson R (2020) Passive exposure of non-smokers to E-Cigarette aerosols: Sensory irritation, timing and association with volatile organic compounds. Environmental Research, 182, Art. No.: 108963. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2019.108963

Article

Tackling second-hand exposure to tobacco smoke and aerosols of electronic cigarettes: the TackSHS project protocol

Fernández E, López MJ, Gallus S, Semple S, Clancy L, Behrakis P, Ruprecht A, Gorini G, López-Nicolás Á, Radu-Loghin C, Soriano JB, Castellano Y, Fu M, O'Donnell R & Dobson R (2020) Tackling second-hand exposure to tobacco smoke and aerosols of electronic cigarettes: the TackSHS project protocol [Abordando la exposición a las emisiones del tabaco y de los cigarrillos electrónicos: protocolo del proyecto TackSHS]. Gaceta Sanitaria, 34 (1), pp. 77-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaceta.2019.07.002

Poster

Developing a harm reduction approach to protect disadvantaged children from second-hand smoke: A qualitative study with parents and practitioners.

O'Donnell R, Rowa-Dewar N, Lumsdaine C, Di Tano G, Swanston L & Lewis G (2019) Developing a harm reduction approach to protect disadvantaged children from second-hand smoke: A qualitative study with parents and practitioners.. 6th World Social Marketing Conference, Edinburgh, UK, 04.06.2019-05.06.2019. https://wsmconference.com/edinburgh-2019/programme

Article

How do policy advisors and practitioners prioritise the protection of children from secondhand smoke exposure in a country with advanced tobacco control policy?

Ritchie D, Amos A, Shaw A, O'Donnell R, Semple S, Turner S & Martin C (2015) How do policy advisors and practitioners prioritise the protection of children from secondhand smoke exposure in a country with advanced tobacco control policy?. Tobacco Control, 24 (1), pp. 70-76. https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2012-050936

Article

Creating smoke-free homes for children

Shaw A, Ritchie D, O'Donnell R, Amos A, Mills L, Semple S, Turner S & Wilson I (2013) Creating smoke-free homes for children. Nursing Times, 109 (10), pp. 28-30. https://www.nursingtimes.net/clinical-archive/smoking-cessation/creating-smoke-free-homes-for-children/5055895.article

Teaching

Teaching

Rachel contributes to teaching on the University of Stirling Masters in Public Health. She has also developed and delivers online training on qualitative research methods for a number of international research projects based at the University of Stirling, and has previously taught on the Qualitative Research Methods module of the Masters In Public Health at the University of Edinburgh.

Research programmes

Research centres/groups

Research themes