International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health | An Interview with One of the Authors—Dr. Laura Campo-Tena

Name: Dr. Laura Campo-Tena
Affiliations: Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 9DA, UK
Research interests: violence prevention, abuse of older people, violence against women

“Assessing Neighborhood Characteristics and Their Association with Prenatal Maternal Stress, Depressive Symptoms, and Well-Being in Eight Culturally Diverse Cities: A Cross-Sectional Study”
by Laura Campo-Tena, Gabriela Diana Roman, Aja Louise Murray, Bao Yen Luong-Thanh, Marguerite Marlow, Yasmeen Anwer, Awurabena Dadzie, Sarah Foley, Sandra Stuart Hernandez, Carene Lindsay et al.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(3), 456; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22030456
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/3/456

The following is a short interview with Dr. Laura Campo-Tena:

1. Could you briefly introduce yourself and your current research focus?
I currently work as a violence prevention consultant for the World Health Organization, focusing on the abuse of older people and violence against women. Since 2020, I’ve collaborated with the WHO on several initiatives, including the Global Report on Ageism and, more recently, a global initiative aimed at accelerating the development of effective interventions to prevent and respond to the abuse of older people.
Alongside this, I am currently supporting a systematic review and meta-analysis on the global prevalence of violence against women with disabilities. Previously, I coordinated the Evidence for Better Lives Study (EBLS, https://www.vrc.crim.cam.ac.uk/vrcresearch/EBLS), a birth-cohort study led by the University of Cambridge and conducted in collaboration with 13 universities across eight sites in low- and middle-income countries. The goal of the EBLS was to examine how exposure to violence and other adversities affects early childhood development and to contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals related to violence prevention.

2. What were the main challenges or breakthroughs in conducting this research?
A major challenge we faced was the lack of culturally validated instruments to measure neighborhood characteristics, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Most existing tools had been developed in high-income settings, which made it difficult to assess key constructs—like neighborhood cohesion or social disorder—in more diverse contexts. This gap was one of the main motivations behind our study. We aimed to evaluate the conceptual and measurement equivalence of these scales across multiple international sites. Another key difficulty was the scarcity of prior research on how neighborhood factors affect maternal mental health during the perinatal period, especially in lower-resource settings. This lack of existing evidence made it challenging to build on previous knowledge but underscored the need for studies like ours.

3. What motivates your work in this field?
The motivation behind this research comes from an interest in understanding how the social and physical environments in which women live during pregnancy affect their health and well-being. There is significant research on individual-level factors like income and education, but far less attention has been paid to how the broader ecological context, such as neighborhood environment, influences well-being, particularly during pregnancy. This stage is incredibly sensitive, not only concerning the mother’s well-being but also for fetal development and early childhood outcomes: maternal stress and poor mental health are linked to a range of negative outcomes, including preterm birth, low birth weight, and long-term developmental challenges. The perinatal period also presents a unique opportunity for intervention, as women may be more receptive to support, having regular contact with healthcare providers. We were particularly motivated to understand these dynamics in underrepresented contexts and to contribute evidence on tools with demonstrated cross-cultural applicability, which can help inform both public health interventions and urban planning.

4. How do you assess current trends in your research field, and what advice would you offer to PhD students or early career researchers?
There is a growing recognition of the need for multidisciplinary approaches, combining insights from public health, urban planning, and social sciences, to better understand how neighborhood environments are associated with health and well-being. I would strongly encourage early career researchers to adopt this integrative mindset. Longitudinal research, like the EBLS, also offers deeper insight into relationships that may suggest causality and should be prioritized when possible. In our study, we examined a handful of neighborhood characteristics, but many others (such as access to healthcare, green spaces, and community resources) may also play an important role. Future research should explore these additional factors to develop a more comprehensive understanding of how environments shape maternal and child health outcomes.

5. Why did you choose to publish your research with IJERPH, and how was your experience with the journal?
We selected IJERPH because its scope aligned closely with our research goals and because it is open access. Accessibility was a key consideration. We wanted this work to be available not just to academics, but also to NGOs, practitioners, students, and anyone engaged in public health or violence prevention. The publishing experience was very smooth. The peer review process was efficient, and the comments we received helped improve the quality of our work. Communication with the editorial team was also excellent. Overall, we were very satisfied with the process.