All are invited to the CEDAR/MRC Epidemiology Seminar:

Using agent-based modelling for designing public health interventions: the SSNAP project

by Dr Jennifer Badham and Dr Ruth Hunter, of the UKCRC Centre of Excellence for Public Health, Queen’s University Belfast.

Abstract

Agent-based modelling (ABM) is becoming increasingly popular in public health. Applications include intervention development, understanding complex public health systems and evaluating the public health impact of public health interventions.

This seminar will introduce the opportunities for ABM in public health, describe how it can be useful for developing public health interventions and discuss some of the challenges.

SNAP (Social Networks and Physical Activity) is a public health intervention that utilises social networks (i.e. the connections between people) to promote physical activity. To optimise the way in which those connections are used, we are first building a simulation (SSNAP) using ABM to test different intervention designs.

The seminar will be of interest to public health interventionists, public health modellers and physical activity researchers.