Depleted Uranium and Human Health

Persistent public anxiety about the use of depleted uranium munitions since the early 1990s has been underpinned by claims of serious health consequences for both veterans and exposed civilians, alike. Whatever grounds there may have seemed to be in the aftermath of the Gulf War have been thoroughly discredited by a series of reports from various independent and expert organisations, such as the World Health Organisation and the British Royal Society

Why Economics is good for your health - 2004 Royal Economic Society Public Lecture

In this paper, I examine the contribution that economics can make to our understanding of key issues in health and health care. In the first part of the paper, I argue that economics can bring valuable insights into the world of over-eating and present recent economic theories that argue that the root cause of the increase in obesity lies in technological change. Technological change, in terms of the kind of work we do, the agricultural production revolution and the major cost reductions in food processing and distribution have all contributed to weight gain. This hypothesis is illustrated by data from the USA. In the second part, I argue that understanding incentives is the key to understanding the behaviour of suppliers of health care, explaining for example, why health staff 'fiddle the figures' to meet government targets and why doctors will respond to financial payments.health, economics, healthcare, obesity, incentives

Sanitary forum: The Royal Society of Tasmania and public health reform 1853-1911

In the nineteenth century Tasmania experienced a number of epidemic diseases like scarlet fever, diphtheria and, most deadly of all, typhoid. Sanitary reformers attributed the epidemics to contaminated water supplies, accumulations of decomposed rubbish, poorly built houses and the absence of underground drainage schemes. Leading reformers, most notably Dr Edward Swarbreck Hall, were Fellows of The Royal Society of Tasmania and used the society as a forum to identify the causes of epidemic disease and to explain the public health reforms that would prevent death and illness. Lectures and papers by medical doctors, sanitary engineers, and statisticians drew on the latest thinking in sanitary science and helped build momentum for public support of such reforms. This paper examines the arguments of sanitary reformers and the reaction to their interventions and concludes that between 1853 and 1911 the Royal Society was the main forum for debate on public health reform in Tasmania

Healthy Universities: Concept, Model and Framework for Applying the Healthy Settings Approach within Higher Education in England

As part of a Department of Health funded project, the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) – working with Manchester Metropolitan University – was commissioned by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), to: - articulate a model for Healthy Universities whereby the healthy settings approach is applied within the higher education sector - produce recommendations for the development and operationalisation of a National Healthy Universities Framework for England - to ensure effective co-ordination of initiatives and propose next steps for progressing the Healthy Universities agenda. In fulfilment of these objectives, this report provides a background to Healthy Universities, outlines the project implementation process, presents a model, discusses the key dimensions for consideration in formulating a framework, and makes recommendations for taking things forward

Evaluation of the content and delivery of the student workbook for RIPH Level 2 award in understanding health improvement for health trainer champions in prisons and the wider community

The concept of Health Trainers (HT) being drawn from a given community is becoming well established and work has been on-going around this theme since 2005. At a national level the current focus of this work centres on the development of this model within the offender health context. In 2008 the North West and East Midlands Health Trainer Hubs, in partnership with Offender Health collaborated to produce an educational workbook based upon the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) training programme. The workbook was launched nationally in July 2008. The Hallam Centre for Community Justice was commissioned to conduct consultancy work regarding the appropriateness of workbook content for trainers delivering and students attending the RSPH Health Trainers programme in prisons and the wider community. This research identified the models of course delivery around the country and identifies the impacts of the workbook and the wider health trainer programme on both the teaching and learning experience

Impact of Labeled Glasses in a Bar Laboratory Setting: No Effect on Ad Libitum Alcohol Consumption.

AIMS: Information provided on glass labels may be an effective method to reduce alcohol consumption. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of glass labels conveying unit information and a health warning in reducing ad libitum alcohol consumption. METHODS: A cluster-randomized experimental study was conducted to measure the efficacy of a labeled glass in reducing alcohol consumption in a semi naturalistic bar laboratory setting, in a sample of 81 pairs (n = 162) of UK young adult drinkers. Pairs were randomized to receive two 340-ml glasses of beer or wine: labeled or plain (control). Alcohol consumption was assessed in an ad libitum drinking period, and urge to drink was measured at baseline and postdrinking period. Focus groups (n = 2) were conducted, and thematic analysis was used to gain an insight into the acceptability and the perceived effectiveness of the glasses. RESULTS: Mean unit consumption was 1.62 (SD ± 0.83) units in the labeled glass condition and 1.69 (SD ± 0.82) units in the non labeled glass condition. There were no significant effects of the labeled glasses on ad libitum alcohol consumption (95% CI -0.25 to 0.37, p = 0.35), despite participants (85%) noticing the information. Qualitative analysis of focus groups indicated that although participants perceived the glasses as a useful tool for increasing awareness of units and guidelines, they were viewed as limited in their potential to change drinking behavior due to the unappealing design of the glass and a view that unit guidelines were not relevant to drinking patterns or contexts. CONCLUSIONS: Labeled glasses did not change alcohol consumption in the current study, potentially due to ineffectiveness of this type of message in a young adult population. The information on the glasses was attended to, highlighting that glasses could be a feasible tool for providing information

Synthesizing diverse evidence: the use of primary qualitative data analysis methods and logic models in public health reviews

Objectives: The nature of public health evidence presents challenges for conventional systematic review processes, with increasing recognition of the need to include a broader range of work including observational studies and qualitative research, yet with methods to combine diverse sources remaining underdeveloped. The objective of this paper is to report the application of a new approach for review of evidence in the public health sphere. The method enables a diverse range of evidence types to be synthesized in order to examine potential relationships between a public health environment and outcomes. Study design: The study drew on previous work by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on conceptual frameworks. It applied and further extended this work to the synthesis of evidence relating to one particular public health area: the enhancement of employee mental well-being in the workplace. Methods: The approach utilized thematic analysis techniques from primary research, together with conceptual modelling, to explore potential relationships between factors and outcomes. Results: The method enabled a logic framework to be built from a diverse document set that illustrates how elements and associations between elements may impact on the well-being of employees. Conclusions: Whilst recognizing potential criticisms of the approach, it is suggested that logic models can be a useful way of examining the complexity of relationships between factors and outcomes in public health, and of highlighting potential areas for interventions and further research. The use of techniques from primary qualitative research may also be helpful in synthesizing diverse document types. (C) 2010 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Children's eating behaviours: The importance of the family setting

Childhood obesity has become a major public health challenge. Whilst it is accepted that the aetiology of obesity is complex, there is very little that targets the home environment and specifically looks at the family setting and how this influences children's eating behaviours. This research aimed to redress the balance by alerting people to the importance of the family environment as a contributory factor for childhood obesity. Using a grounded theory approach, 'Ordering of eating' highlights the importance of the family setting and demonstrates how micro and macro order influences the development of children's eating behaviours. © Journal compilation © 2008 Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)

Proceedings of the inaugural International Summit for Medical Nutrition Education and Research

© 2016 The Royal Society for Public Health Medical Nutrition Education (MNE) has been identified as an area with potential public health impact. Despite countries having distinctive education systems, barriers and facilitators to effective MNE are consistent across borders, demanding a common platform to initiate global programmes. A shared approach to supporting greater MNE is ideal to support countries to work together. In an effort to initiate this process, the Need for Nutrition Education/Innovation Programme group, in association with their strategic partners, hosted the inaugural International Summit on Medical Nutrition Education and Research on August 8, 2015 in Cambridge, UK. Speakers from the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and India provided insights into their respective countries including their education systems, inherent challenges, and potential solutions across two main themes: (1) Medical Nutrition Education, focused on best practice examples in competencies and assessment; and (2) Medical Nutrition Research, discussing how to translate nutrition research into education opportunities. The Summit identified shared needs across regions, showcased examples of transferrable strategies and identified opportunities for collaboration in nutrition education for healthcare (including medical) professionals. These proceedings highlight the key messages presented at the Summit and showcase opportunities for working together towards a common goal of improvement in MNE to improve public health at large

Can Law Improve Prevention and Treatment of Cancer?

The December 2011 issue of Public Health (the Journal of the Royal Society for Public Health) contains a symposium entitled: Legislate, Regulate, Litigate? Legal approaches to the prevention and treatment of cancer. This symposium explores the possibilities for using law and regulation – both internationally and at the national level – as the policy instrument for preventing and improving the treatment of cancer and other leading non-communicable diseases (NCDs). In this editorial, we argue that there is an urgent need for more legal scholarship on cancer and other leading NCDs, as well as greater dialogue between lawyers, public health practitioners and policy-makers about priorities for law reform, and feasible legal strategies for reducing the prevalence of leading risk factors. The editorial discusses two important challenges that frequently stand in the way of a more effective use of law in this area. The first is the tendency to dismiss risk factors for NCDs as purely a matter of individual \u27personal responsibility\u27; the second is the fact that effective regulatory responses to risks for cancer and NCDs will in many cases provoke conflict with the tobacco, alcohol and food industries. After briefly identifying some of the strategies that law can deploy in the prevention of NCDs, we briefly introduce each of the ten papers that make up the symposium