Xiang Zhao

About Xiang Zhao

Dr. Zhao is currently working at Örebro University as a Postdoctoral Researcher. With experts in the area of chronic pain, he is establishing predictive models using Swedish national registry data. Dr. Zhao started his research career with studies on tobacco use among Chinese adolescents. During his doctoral project in Australia and postdoctoral research in Austria, he has applied theories and methods from social and family psychology in health research.

Key interests: chronic pain; tobacco smoking; behavioural medicine; health research methodology; adolescent health; dyadic modelling

In the past 10 years, Dr. Zhao’s research focused on health and safety behaviours. Based on psychological models, his studies explain and predict behaviours such as tobacco and alcohol use, sun-safe protection, facemask use and vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic, and tattoo acquisition. He also extended the above theoretical paradigms by using interviews, ethnographies, and multi-informant perspectives, which provide an ecological lens for understanding contextualised health behaviours. 

Dr. Zhao has involved in development and evaluation of several behavioural change interventions. His doctoral project is to design and implement a school-based anti-smoking program in China. He worked with researchers and governmental officials in Queensland, Australia, on developing an online drink-driving prevention program. In Austria, he provided statistical assistance to a cross-national project on child mental health problems in Eastern Europe. 

So far, Dr. Zhao has over 30 articles published in refereed journals. He has completed over 80 reviews for academic journals. In addition to academic articles, Dr. Zhao also has published pieces about mental health promotion in popular magazines as well as two Chinese books for a general readership.

Dr. Zhao has teaching and supervision experience in Chinese, Australian, and European universities. The courses/seminars he has taught include quantitative research methods, behavioural intervention designs, and visual studies in health research. He lectured a health psychology course at University of Klagenfurt in 2020. As a supervisor, he supports students with research designs and statistical analyses. He also helps students to publish their research findings in academic journals.