ArticleBMC public health2007
Covert observation in practice: lessons from the evaluation of the prohibition of smoking in public places in Scotland.
Article in BMC public health, 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed.
- Method for Observing SMOKing and vaping bEhaviours (MOSMOKE): development and validation of a systematic observation tool.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Compliance with smoke-free laws in hospitality venues in Ethiopia: A cross-sectional observational study in 10 cities.PloS one · 2025Observational
- Using Video Cameras to Assess Physical Activity and Other Well-Being Behaviors in Urban Environments: Feasibility, Reliability, and Participant Reactivity Studies.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2024Article
- Compliance with tobacco advertising and promotion laws at points-of-sale in Ethiopia: an observational study in 10 cities.BMC public health · 2024Observational
- Untapped Potential of Unobtrusive Observation for Studying Health Behaviors.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2024Article
- Factors influencing health workers' compliance with the WHO intermittent preventive treatment for malaria in pregnancy recommendations in the Northern Region, Ghana.Malaria journal · 2022Article
- Tobacco and E-Cigarettes Point of Sale Advertising-Assessing Compliance with Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship Bans in Poland.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Exposure to secondhand smoke in hospitality settings in Ghana: Evidence of changes since implementation of smoke-free legislation.Tobacco induced diseases · 2020Article
- Sources of Variance in the Accuracy of Interviewer Observations.Sociological methods & research · 2019Article
- Assessing the Relationship between Retail Store Tobacco Advertising and Local Tobacco Control Policies: A Massachusetts Case Study.Journal of environmental and public health · 2019Article
- Biosecurity measures to reduce influenza infections in military barracks in Ghana.BMC research notes · 2015Article
- Someone is watching you: the ethics of covert observation to explore adult behaviour at children's sporting events.Journal of bioethical inquiry · 2014Article
- Troop education and avian influenza surveillance in military barracks in Ghana, 2011.BMC public health · 2012Article
- Development and evaluation of a leadership training program for public health emergency response: results from a Chinese study.BMC public health · 2008Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundA ban on smoking in wholly or substantially enclosed public places has been in place in Scotland since 26th March 2006. The impact of this legislation is currently being evaluated in seven studies, three of which involve direct observation of smoking in bars and other enclosed public places. While the ethical issues around covert observation have been widely discussed there is little practical guidance on the conduct of such research. A workshop was therefore convened to identify practical lessons learned so far from the Scottish evaluation.
methodsWe convened a workshop involving researchers from the three studies which used direct observation. In addition, one of the fieldwork managers collected written feedback on the fieldwork, identifying problems that arose in the field and some solutions.
resultsThere were four main themes identified: (i) the difficulty of achieving and maintaining concealment; (ii) the experience of being an observer; (iii) the risk of bias in the observations and (iv) issues around training and recruitment. These are discussed.
conclusionCollecting covert observational data poses unique practical challenges, in particular in relation to the health and safety of the researcher. The findings and solutions presented in this paper will be of value to researchers designing similar studies.
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