Dr Hannah Fairbrother
PhD, MA Cantab, PgDipHE, BMedSci, SFHEA
Division of Nursing and Midwifery, Health Sciences School
Senior Lecturer in Public Health


+44 114 222 2044
Full contact details
Division of Nursing and Midwifery, Health Sciences School
Barber House Annexe
3 Clarkehouse Road
Sheffield
S10 2HQ
- Research interests
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My research focuses on socioeconomic inequalities in health and well-being, particularly as they relate to children, young people and families. This is a longstanding interest and stems from my upbringing in Sheffield, a city of contrasts in health and wealth, visiting family in Liverpool and through voluntary work in Cambridge with young mothers and with children in an underserved area of Paris.
I am particularly interested in:
- Work to understand and address the environmental, social and political influences on health.
- Public perspectives, particularly children's and young people’s perspectives, on and understandings of health inequalities and their relationship with broader societal inequalities
- The role of activism geared towards improving planetary health and promoting social justice
I mobilise a variety of different methods to explore these key interests, including critical policy analysis, systematic and narrative literature review, participatory interviews, creative workshops, observation and systems mapping.
I am on the leadership team for the NIHR School for Public Health Research Children, Young People and Families Programme, with a particular focus on public involvement and engagement work.
I co-lead the Child of the North N8 Research Partnership for the University of Sheffield, with my colleague Dr Jill Thompson.
- Publications
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Journal articles
- The role of family in supporting adherence to diabetes self‐care management practices: an umbrella review. Journal of Advanced Nursing.
- Using systems thinking to understand how the South West - School Health Research Network can improve adolescent health and well-being: a qualitative process evaluation. Health and Place, 82.
- Implementing a regional school health research network in england to improve adolescent health and well-being, a qualitative process evaluation. BMC Public Health, 23.
- ‘Bigotry is all around us, and we have to deal with that’: exploring LGBTQ+ young people’s experiences and understandings of health inequalities in North East England.. SSM - Qualitative Research in Health, 3.
- ‘When I came to university, that’s when the real shift came’: alcohol and belonging in English higher education. Journal of Youth Studies.
- Do socioeconomic inequities arise during school-based physical activity interventions? An exploratory case study of the GoActive trial. BMJ Open.
- Young people’s explanations for the decline in youth drinking in England. BMC Public Health, 23.
- ‘90 per cent of the time when I have had a drink in my hand I’m on my phone as well’: a cross-national analysis of communications technologies and drinking practices among young people. New Media & Society.
- Exploring young people's perspectives on mental health support: a qualitative study across three geographical areas in England, UK. Health and Social Care in the Community.
- Creation of a pilot school health research network in an English education infrastructure to Improve adolescent health and well-being: a study protocol. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(20).
- “There’s a lot of stereotypes going on”: A cross-national qualitative analysis of the place of gender in declining youth drinking. International Journal of Drug Policy, 108.
- An analysis of English national policy approaches to health inequalities: 'transforming children and young people's mental health provision' and its consultation process.. BMC Public Health, 22(1), 1084.
- ‘It all kind of links really’ : young people’s perspectives on the relationship between socioeconomic circumstances and health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(6), 3679-3679.
- Youth drinking in decline : what are the implications for public health, public policy and public debate?. International Journal of Drug Policy, 102. View this article in WRRO
- A critique of the English national policy from a social determinants of health perspective using a realist and problem representation approach: the 'Childhood Obesity: a plan for action' (2016, 2018, 2019). BMC Public Health, 21. View this article in WRRO
- Exploring inequalities in health with young people through online focus groups : navigating the methodological and ethical challenges. Qualitative Research Journal. View this article in WRRO
- Exploring the local policy context for reducing health inequalities in children and young people: an in depth qualitative case study of one local authority in the North of England, UK. BMC Public Health, 21(1). View this article in WRRO
- Clustering of health-related behaviours within children aged 11–16: a systematic review. BMC Public Health, 21(1).
- A systems map of the determinants of child health inequalities in England at the local level.. PLoS One, 16(2), e0245577. View this article in WRRO
- Trends in the psychosocial characteristics of 11-15 year olds who still drink, smoke, take drugs and engage in poly-substance use in England.. Drug and Alcohol Review. View this article in WRRO
- Privileges of power: authenticity, representation and the “problem” of children’s voices in qualitative health research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19. View this article in WRRO
- System-mapping the child health system at a local level to reduce health inequalities. European Journal of Public Health, 30(Supplement_5).
- Reducing inequalities in child health: a case study in an English local authority. European Journal of Public Health, 30(Supplement_5).
- Umbrella review of family-focused care interventions supporting families where a family member has a long-term condition. Journal of Advanced Nursing. View this article in WRRO
- The problem with good news: How should public health actors respond when alcohol consumption declines?. Addiction. View this article in WRRO
- Promoting the health of children and young people who migrate: reflections from four regional reviews. Global Health Promotion, 27(4), 141-144. View this article in WRRO
- Children’s learning from a Smokefree Sports programme: Implications for health education. Health Education Journal, 79(6), 686-699. View this article in WRRO
- The decline in youth drinking in England – is everyone drinking less? A quantile regression analysis. Addiction. View this article in WRRO
- Displaying good fathering through the construction of physical activity as intimate practice. Families, Relationships and Societies, 8(2), 213-229. View this article in WRRO
- Young people’s perspectives of e-cigarette use in the home. Health and Place, 57, 157-164. View this article in WRRO
- Health experiences of children and young people who migrate – Opportunities for health education. Health Education Journal, 78(1), 96-107. View this article in WRRO
- The well-being of children in the UK, fourth edition. Children's Geographies. View this article in WRRO
- Migrant children within Europe: a systematic review of children's perspectives on their health experiences. Public Health, 158, 71-85. View this article in WRRO
- Making health information meaningful: children's health literacy practices. SSM - Population Health, 2, 476-484. View this article in WRRO
- Where are the Schools? Children, Families and Food Practices. Health and Place, 40, 51-57. View this article in WRRO
- What makes health public? A critical evaluation of moral, legal, and political claims in public health. Public Health, 127(2), 194-194.
- Creating space: maximising the potential of the Graduate Teaching Assistant role. Teaching in Higher Education, 17(3), 353-358.
- The Well-being of Children in the UK. Children & Society, 26(2), 168-169.
- Children’s understanding of family financial resources and their impact on eating healthily. Health & Social Care in the Community, 20(5), 528-536.
- Social Injustice and Public Health. Journal of Public Health, 33(4), 634-635.
- Are changes in attitudes towards school associated with declining youth drinking? A multi-level analysis of 37 countries. European Journal of Public Health. View this article in WRRO
- View this article in WRRO
- Do adolescents' experiences of the barriers to and facilitators of physical activity differ by socioeconomic position? A systematic review of qualitative evidence. Obesity Reviews. View this article in WRRO
Chapters
- Everyday Family Food Practices, Families, Intergenerationality, and Peer Group Relations (pp. 149-168). Springer Singapore
- Everyday Family Food Practices In Punch S, Vanderbeck R & Skelton T (Ed.), Families, Intergenerationality and Peer Group Relations (pp. 1-20). Singapore: Springer. View this article in WRRO
Conference proceedings papers
- Exploring the potential of a school-based online health and wellbeing screening tool : professional stakeholders and young people's perspectives and experiences. The Lancet, Vol. 398(Suppl 2) (pp S91-S91). Virtual conference, 26 November 2021 - 26 November 2021. View this article in WRRO
- 1.11-P25 Hidden voices : reflections on the health experiences of children who migrate. European Journal of Public Health, Vol. 28(suppl_1). Edinburgh, Scotland, 17 May 2018 - 19 May 2018. View this article in WRRO
Reports
- Youth Drinking in Decline View this article in WRRO
- Multidisciplinary systematic review of the relationships between poverty and stress, low level anxiety and depression across the life course. View this article in WRRO
Preprints
- The role of family in supporting adherence to diabetes self‐care management practices: an umbrella review. Journal of Advanced Nursing.
- Research group
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I am an active member of the cross-faculty Health Equity Group and the Health Sciences School Children and Young People’s Research Theme group.
I am interested in supervising students in my research areas and welcome prospective students getting in touch to discuss potential applications.
- Grants
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Principal Investigator Sponsor Title Dates Powell, K
Grantham Centre Go Fund Activism for Planetary Health and Equity 2023 Goyder, E Public Health Intervention Responsive Studies Team (PHIRST), National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Evaluation of the Nottinghamshire Healthy Families Programme Parent Infant Relationship Initiative 2022-23 Fairbrother, H Research England Connect and Reflect: bringing together academics interested in participatory research with children 2022 Goyder, E Public Health Research, National Institute for Health Research Evidence review of the impact of housing insecurity on the health and wellbeing of children and young people 2022 Fairbrother, H School for Public Health Research, National Institute for Health Research 2020-22 Jago, R & Campbell, R School for Public Health Research, National Institute for Health Research Creating a Health Research Network to improve young people's mental health and well-being 2020-22 Fairbrother, H & DeVocht, F Public Health Practice Evaluation Scheme, School for Public Health Research, National Institute for Health Research Evaluating the Digital Health Contact service 2020-21 Kipping, R., Powell, K. and Fairbrother, H. School for Public Health Research, National Institute for Health Research Exploring the policy context for reducing health inequalities among children and young people 2019-20 Summerbell, C., Wistow, J., Powell, K. and Fairbrother, H. School for Public Health Research, National Institute for Health Research Mapping the child health system at a local level to reduce health inequalities 2019-20 Salami, B. Worldwide Universities Network African Child and Youth Wellbeing in the Context of Migration and Displacement 2019-20 Fairbrother, H ESRC Festival of the Social Sciences Last orders: why might young people be drinking less alcohol? 2018 Thompson, J Migration Matters Festival Hidden Voices: The Health Experiences of Migrant Children by Abdulazez Dukan 2018 Holmes, J Wellcome Trust Why is youth alcohol consumption failing? A mixed methods investigation of changing drinking cultures across recent generations. 2018-2022 Fairbrother, H & Thompson, J Worldwide Universities Network Hidden Voices: Exploring the health experiences of children who migrate. 2016-2017 Swallow, V White Rose Fostering and sustaining UK multidisciplinary family-focused care across the life-course: A White Rose collaboration in long-term condition management 2016 Blank, L Joseph Rowntree Foundation Relationship between poverty and stress, low level anxiety and depression across the life course 2015-2016 Fairbrother, H Impact, Innovation and Knowledge Exchange (IIKE) University of Sheffield, All About Me: making sense of health messages in a hands-on exhibition space 2015 Fairbrother, H Research Exchange for the Social Sciences (RESS), University of Sheffield All About Collaboration: co-producing impact with a community partner 2015
- Teaching activities
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I co-lead the Health and Human Sciences BMedSci, with a particular responsibility for leading the Programme Development Group. I am committed to promoting educational equity and my approach to teaching is guided by a desire to create meaningful, engaging and constructively aligned programmes of learning to enable students from a wide variety of backgrounds to thrive in Higher Education and beyond.
I enjoy teaching and endeavour to integrate learning from and enthusiasm for my research into my teaching practice. I have taught both undergraduate and postgraduate students using face-to-face, distance and blended learning modes.
I am currently involved in teaching related to Health Inequalities, Health Promotion and Education and Families in Health and Social Care. I have a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and have been awarded Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy.
- Professional activities and memberships
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- Member of the leadership team for the NIHR School for Public Health Research Children, Young People and Families Programme, with a particular focus on public involvement and engagement work.
- Co-lead for the Child of the North N8 Research Partnership for the University of Sheffield, with my colleague Dr Jill Thompson.
- Member INRICH International Network for Research on Inequalities in Child Health
- Member Society for Social Medicine and Population Health
- Member University of Sheffield Health Equity and Inclusion Research Group
- Member Faculty of Public Health
- Member Royal Society for Public Health