Integrating human behaviour and epidemiological modelling: unlocking the remaining challenges

Hill, Edward M., Ryan, Matthew, Haw, David, Lynch, Mark P., McCabe, Ruth, Milne, Alice E., Turner, Matthew S., Vedhara, Kavita, Zeng, Fanqi, Barons, Martine J., Nixon, Emily J., Parnell, Stephen and Bolton, Kirsty J. 2024. Integrating human behaviour and epidemiological modelling: unlocking the remaining challenges. Mathematics in Medical and Life Sciences 1 (1) , 2429479. 10.1080/29937574.2024.2429479

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Abstract

This paper is part of a special issue on Behavioural Epidemiology. Historically, responses to health-related emergencies (whether public health, veterinary health or plant health related) have exposed the deficiencies of mathematical models to incorporate data-driven and/or theoretical knowledge on outbreak behavioural dynamics. Interdisciplinary collaboration is vital to improve realism in methodological approaches to considering behavioural dynamics in an unfolding situation. We must bring together novel ideas across the behavioural, biological, data and mathematical sciences. The purpose of our article is threefold. We first present our perspective on the vital role of interdisciplinary collaboration to enable the effective integration of the dynamics of human behaviour and epidemiological models – we refer to such integrated models as “epidemiological-behavioural” models. We then summarise issues to be resolved by interdisciplinary teams of experts within four contemporary epidemiological-behavioural modelling challenge areas that we consider to require immediate and sustained research attention: understanding of human behaviour; data; modelling methodologies and parameterisation; how modelling (and communication of its findings) affects behaviour. Lastly, to serve as a resource for research scientists, practitioners and policy makers interested in getting involved in tackling these epidemiological-behavioural modelling challenges, we pose recommendations to make progress in each of the challenge areas and our viewpoint on their potential societal benefits if enacted.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	12 November 2024
Date of Acceptance:	4 November 2024
Last Modified:	04 Dec 2024 13:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/173906

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