Profile
Dr Helen E. Wood is a Research Fellow in Mixed Methods in the Centre for Primary Care. Helen joined the Centre in 2018 as Project Manager for the CHILL study (Children's Health in London and Luton). She currently manages the AD HOC research programme (Εffectiveness of a digital social intervention in primary care) and is a co-applicant on the CHERISH study (Children's HEalth, Respiratory Inflammation and SHort-term air pollution). Helen uses both quantitative and qualitative methods in her research.
Helen’s research background includes respiratory and exercise physiology and cancer epidemiology. Her current work focuses on the health effects of air pollution and the self-management of asthma. Helen completed her BA in Physiological Sciences and DPhil on factors modulating the control of ventilation during exercise in humans at the University of Oxford.
Helen is keenly involved in public engagement, particularly in communicating air pollution.
Research
Research Interests:
Health effects of air pollution
- Effects of traffic-related pollution (both exhaust and non-exhaust) on children’s health.
- Impacts of air pollution mitigation strategies on children's health.
- Public perceptions of air pollution and pollution mitigation strategies.
Self-management of asthma
- Self-management support intervention and its integration with primary care services.
- How adults with asthma use an asthma online health community and how this may influence behaviour change.
- Moderation of an asthma online health community.
Publications
Please click through to see a complete list of Dr Wood’s publications
Selected recent publications:
Wood HE, Karampatakis GD, Coulson NS, Sastry N, Li X, Taylor SJC, Griffiths CJ, De Simoni A.
Moderators’ Experiences of the Safety and Effectiveness of Patient Engagement in an Asthma Online Health Community: Exploratory Qualitative Interview Study. J Med Internet Res 2025;27:e58167 doi: 10.2196/58167
Li X, Vaghi E, Pasi G, Coulson NS, De Simoni A, Viviani M, AD HOC Group. Understanding the Engagement and Interaction of Superusers and Regular Users in UK Respiratory Online Health Communities: Deep Learning–Based Sentiment Analysis. J Med Internet Res 2025;27:e56038 doi: 10.2196/56038
Karampatakis, G. D., Kimber, S., Wood, H. E., Griffiths, C. J., Taylor, S. J. C., Li, X., … De Simoni, A. Development of the face-to-face component and recruitment strategy of a primary care digital social intervention for patients with asthma: Qualitative focus groups and interviews with stakeholders. European Journal of General Practice, 2024 30(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/13814788.2024.2407594
De Simoni A, Jackson T, Inglis Humphrey W, Preston J, Mah H, Wood HE, Kinley E, Gonzalez Rienda L, Porteous C. Patient and public involvement in research: the need for budgeting PPI staff costs in funding applications. Res Involv Engagem. 2023 Mar 25;9(1):16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-023-00424-7
Karampatakis GD, Wood HE, Griffiths CJ, Lea NC, Ashcroft RE, Day B, Walker N, Coulson NS, De Simoni A. Ethical and Information Governance Considerations for Promoting Digital Social Interventions in Primary Care. J Med Internet Res 2023;25:e44886 doi: 10.2196/44886
Wood HE, Dove RE, Chavda J, Colligan G, Cross L, Kalsi H, Scales J, Tsocheva I, Beevers S, Day B, Fletcher M, Gauderman WJ, Grigg J, Hajmohammadi H, Kelly FJ, Mihaylova B, Newby C, Randhawa G, Sheikh A, Toffolutti V, Tomini F, van Sluijs E, Mudway IS, Griffiths CJ. Cohort Profile: The Children's Health in London and Luton (CHILL) cohort. Int J Epidemiol. 2025 Apr 12;54(3):dyaf055. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyaf055
London's Ultra Low Emission Zone and active travel to school: A qualitative study exploring the experiences of children, families and teachers. Alliott, O., Van Sluijs, E., Dove, R., ... Guell, C., Panter, J. BMJ Open, 2025, 15(3), e091929. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-091929
Children’s Health in London and Luton (CHILL) cohort: a 12-month natural experimental study of the effects of the Ultra Low Emission Zone on children’s travel to school. Xiao, C., Scales, J., Chavda, J., ... van Sluijs, E., Panter, J. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2024, 21(1), 89. doi: 10.1186/s12966-024-01621-7
Investigating the impact of London’s ultra low emission zone on children’s health: children’s health in London and Luton (CHILL) protocol for a prospective parallel cohort study. Tsocheva, I., Scales, J., Dove, R., ... Mudway, I.S., Griffiths, C.J. BMC Pediatrics, 2023, 23(1), 556. doi: 10.1186/s12887-023-04384-5.
Impact of London's low emission zone on air quality and children's respiratory health: a sequential annual cross-sectional study. Mudway, I.S., Dundas, I., Wood, H.E., ... Lee, T.H., Griffiths, C.J. Lancet Public Health, 2019, 4(1), pp. e28–e40. doi: 10.1016/S2468- 2667(18)30202-0