I study social and behavioral processes that influence health outcomes with mixed-methods. My research is interdisciplinary and often draws upon psychology, economics, data science, sociology, communications, and gender studies within a public health framework. My research has covered populations in several countries. Aside from wide-ranging systematic reviews covering multiple countries, this map illustrates populations covered in country-specific studies.
Countries covered by my published country-specific studies
For the most up-to-date list of my publications, please see my Google Scholar profile.
Below, I highlight a few selected publications.
Selected Publications
Nicotine & Tobacco Research
Social norms change and cigarette smoking: a longitudinal study in mainland China
Lahiri, S., Bingenheimer, J.B., Wang, Y., Evans, W.D., & Cislaghi, B. (2026)
Methods: Bayesian latent growth curve models applied to 9 years of longitudinal survey data from adult smokers across 4 Chinese cities.
Key finding: Stronger pro-smoking social norms — both perceptions of how common smoking is and how acceptable it is — predicted higher smoking levels over time, even after accounting for addiction severity and household smoking exposure.
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Addiction
Understanding the mechanisms of change in social norms around tobacco use
Lahiri, S., Bingenheimer, J.B., Evans, W.D., Wang, Y., Cislaghi, B., Dubey, P., & Snowden, B. (2025)
Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis of tobacco intervention studies, searching Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO, and several trial registries and grey-literature sources. Use of Robust Variance Estimation meta-analytic, meta-regression, and Egger’s test models.
Key finding: Synthesized a highly fragmented evidence base to clarify how different social norms change mechanisms (e.g., role-modeling, correcting misperceptions, resistance skills training) shift tobacco-related social norms and behavior, while identifying key gaps and reporting biases in the field. Largest meta-analysis of social norms interventions to date.
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Current Opinion in Psychology
Resisting harmful social norms change using social inoculation
Lahiri, S. (2024)
Methods: Conceptual synthesis applying inoculation theory — originally developed to build resistance to persuasion — to the spread of harmful social norms.
Key finding: Proposes social inoculation as a promising, evidence-informed strategy for helping people resist harmful norm shifts, particularly as misinformation accelerates how quickly such norms can spread online.
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PLOS ONE
The role of social norms on adolescent family planning in rural Kilifi county, Kenya
Lahiri, S., Bingenheimer, J., Sedlander, E., Munar, W., & Rimal, R. (2023)
Methods: Survey of youth ages 15–24 in rural Kilifi County, Kenya, who each nominated up to 5 close social contacts; associations examined via logistic regression.
Key finding: Peers’ contraceptive use and perceived social norms around contraception were both linked to a young person’s own likelihood of using modern contraception — highlighting social norms as a promising intervention target.
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International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
Multidisciplinary team processes parallel natural disaster preparedness and response: A qualitative case study
Lahiri, S., Snowden, B., Gu, J., Krishnan, N., Yellin, H., & Ndiaye, K. (2021)
Methods: Semi-structured interviews with members of a multidisciplinary university research initiative on natural disaster preparedness, analyzed as a qualitative case study.
Key finding: Identified specific facilitators and barriers to cross-disciplinary collaboration at the outset of a research initiative, along with team members’ attitudes and expectations about working across disciplines.
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Prevention Science
Improved relationship quality, equitable gender attitudes, and reduced alcohol abuse as key mechanisms to reduce intimate partner violence in the Bandebereho couples’ randomized trial in Rwanda
Levtov, R.G., Doyle, K., Bingenheimer, J.B., Lahiri, S., Kazimbaya, S., Karamage, E., Sayinzoga, F., Mutoni, M., Rubayita, C.H., & Barker, G. (2022)
Methods: Structural equation modeling using two follow-up rounds of data from a randomized controlled trial of the Bandebereho couples’ intervention in Rwanda, testing hypothesized pathways from treatment to reduced intimate partner violence.
Key finding: Men’s reduced alcohol use, more frequent communication, greater emotional closeness, less quarreling, and more equitable gender attitudes all improved significantly among intervention couples — identifying the specific mechanisms through which the program reduced violence.
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Social norms change and cigarette smoking: a longitudinal study in mainland China
Methods: Bayesian latent growth curve models applied to 9 years of longitudinal survey data from adult smokers across 4 Chinese cities.
Key finding: Stronger pro-smoking social norms — both perceptions of how common smoking is and how acceptable it is — predicted higher smoking levels over time, even after accounting for addiction severity and household smoking exposure.
View paper →