About Us

The UK and Ireland are widely regarded as world leaders in tobacco control measures: introducing comprehensive smoke-free public places legislation between 2004 and 2007. Substantial gains were made through these policy changes leading to the near total elimination of second-hand smoke (SHS) in a range of public venues, and increased public support among smokers for such policies.

Nearly 20 years on, most children and non-smokers’ exposure to SHS occurs in the home, and more often in areas of socioeconomic deprivation. There is no safe level of second-hand smoke exposure and substantial evidence regarding the health harms associated with exposure. Creating a smoke-free home increases the likelihood of quit attempts and decreases the likelihood that children go on to become smokers themselves.

SHINE is a network of researchers, third sector groups and policy partners in the UK and Republic of Ireland, seeking to understand the best ways to support people to create a smoke-free home. We aim to develop thinking on the issue and drive forward new collaborative work that will inform future police, research and practice.

Our activities include webinars, workshops, blogs and the dissemination of smoke-free homes research, policy and practice to facilitate shared learning and knowledge exchange. The network is led by Dr Rachel O’Donnell in the UK and Dr Kate Frazer in ROI, with funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Irish Research Council (IRC). Rachel and Kate established SHINE in collaboration with 13 co-applicants from 8 institutions across the UK and Ireland. SHINE also benefits from the active involvement of policy and practice partners in ROI and the UK.

The University of Stirling and University College Dublin (UCD) are leading a new network of researchers, third sector groups and policy partners with a view to informing the development of future interventions and support mechanisms to help reduce smoking in the home. The University of Stirling and University College Dublin (UCD) are leading a new network of researchers, third sector groups and policy partners with a view to informing the development of future interventions and support mechanisms to help reduce smoking in the home.