Chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) in low resource settings are neglected and often poorly diagnosed, leading to missed opportunities for early initiation of treatment and poor patient pathways. For example, in India, lung cancer often emerges on a background of chronic respiratory symptoms and is often not diagnosed at all – or at a very late stage. Because of late presentation and a range of other factors, survival from lung cancer in India is very low. At present we know very little about how knowledge and attitudes relating to CRD in poor, rural populations in India might be influenced by health and behavioural interventions. Psychological theory-based interventions must be culturally appropriate and grounded in the local context. As such, it’s vital we develop this understanding if we are to change behaviours and reduce exposure to common risk factors, such as smoking and indoor cooking smoke.

The PhD study aims to gather evidence through systematic review of literature about TPB based health interventions and conduct qualitative studies to inform the which constructs of TPB are important in developing an educational intervention which can effectively change the knowledge, attitude and health behaviour of people with CRD in these low resource settings.

For further information, see: https://www.ed.ac.uk/usher/respire/phd-studentships/biswajit-paul