Risky behaviours
Risky behaviours are a major cause of preventable death. They include smoking, illicit and injecting drug use, excessive consumption of alcohol and prescription drugs, gambling, unsafe sex, dangerous driving practices and also poor diet and physical inactivity. In addition to premature death, such risky behaviours cause significant ill health, placing an enormous burden on health systems and place significant negative externalities on families, friends and broader communities.
In order to inform better policies to reduce harms associated with these types of risky behaviours, we seek to provide a better understanding of the drivers of risky behaviours and their trajectory over the lifecycle. In addition, we employ econometric and economic evaluation methods to evaluate the impacts of policies and interventions on risky behaviours and their subsequent harms.
Examples of our published research
- Findings from a RCT of a text message intervention to reduce binge drinking
- The effectiveness of community action in reducing risky alcohol consumption and harm
- Smoking for the poor and vaping for the rich?
- Do public smoking bans have an impact on active smoking?
- Have e-cigarettes influenced passive smoking within families?
- The relationship between early marijuana use and educational outcomes
- The effect of financial incentives on driving behaviour of novice drivers
- Socioeconomic determinants of physical inactivity
- Effects of school sports facilities on physical inactivity in adulthood
Our lead researchers
Smoking and alcohol
Illicit and prescription drug misuse
Gambling
Risky driving
Obesity and physical inactivity
- David Johnston
- Michael Shields
- Nicole Black
- Rohan Sweeney