Community, culture and meat consumption: A traditional ethnography of meat and the new materialisms for planetary health

Global meat consumption is increasing, presenting threats to the health of populations and fragility of natural ecosystems, establishing unsustainable consumption as a challenge to planetary health. A call to action is complicated by the universal and cultural dominance of meat consumption, misaligning the issue with traditional public health and health promotion approaches. A need was identified to explore cultural meanings of meat in sustainable diets, and the influence of culture on meat consumption, food security and sustainability. A traditional ethnography was conducted, in which I became a member of the Birmingham Foodie Community; a network of food activists in the regional West Midlands, using activism as a method of participant-led elicitation of cultural meanings of meat. A year-long period of overt participatory fieldwork generated a large multimedia dataset, explored using a bespoke post-anthropocentric analytical process developed from theoretical principles of New Materialist Social Inquiry, centring social-assemblages around meat and other foods. Resultant themes identified diverse cultural meanings of meat in the Birmingham Foodie Community, beyond that of a simple consumable product. The role of food in the development, maintenance, transition and extinction of dietary practices, urban food systems, local communities and microcultures determined meat, as a scarce but demanded resource, was a material of local micropolitics. Meat was a material which connected local activist-led solutions to global health and environmental challenges, through which activists negotiated community development activity for food security and sustainability. The diverse cultural meanings of meat present complications to policy development, and opportunities to innovate new planetary health initiatives from impactful local actions. The development of a novel post-anthropocentric analytical framework may have uses in the exploration of meanings of other practices relevant to health in the Anthropocene. Use of complex social theorisations to make sense of culture for planetary health, may be reconsidered in favour of grounded approaches which value participant worldviews. The meanings of meat as a material of community and culture pose opportunities and challenges to the development of sustainable diets to support planetary health

Asymptotically good convolutional codes with feedback encoders

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1997.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-49).by Peter J. Sallaway.M.Eng

Changes in the nutritional content of children's lunches after the Food Dudes healthy eating programme

Previous research into the effectiveness of healthy eating programmes has shown increases in healthful eating behaviour in primary schools; however, data collection methods have not been sufficiently sensitive to detect micronutrient changes. The present study extends the literature by measuring individual children's intake of macro- and micronutrients at lunchtime, before and after a programme targeting children's consumption of fruit and vegetables, to identify evidence-based health benefits of programme participation. Baseline data were collected over 4 d at lunchtime in two primary schools. The Food Dudes programme was then implemented in the intervention school. Follow-up data were collected over 4 d in each school 2 months after baseline. We employed a validated and sensitive photographic method to estimate individual children's ( 112) consumption of fruit, vegetables, and their intake of calories, macro- and selected micronutrients. Significant changes were observed in the intervention school but not in the control school: Children's consumption of fruit, vegetables, vitamin C and E intake increased, while their total energy consumption, fat, saturated fat, and sodium intake decreased. The present results show that the Food Dudes programme produced a positive nutritional change, with implications for its application as a healthy eating and obesity prevention intervention. These optimistic conclusions should be tested by further research to establish the longevity of the positive effects presented here. [Abstract copyright: © The Author(s) 2021.

Evidence for models of diagnostic service provision in the community: literature mapping exercise and focused rapid reviews

Background Current NHS policy favours the expansion of diagnostic testing services in community and primary care settings. Objectives Our objectives were to identify current models of community diagnostic services in the UK and internationally and to assess the evidence for quality, safety and clinical effectiveness of such services. We were also interested in whether or not there is any evidence to support a broader range of diagnostic tests being provided in the community. Review methods We performed an initial broad literature mapping exercise to assess the quantity and nature of the published research evidence. The results were used to inform selection of three areas for investigation in more detail. We chose to perform focused reviews on logistics of diagnostic modalities in primary care (because the relevant issues differ widely between different types of test); diagnostic ultrasound (a key diagnostic technology affected by developments in equipment); and a diagnostic pathway (assessment of breathlessness) typically delivered wholly or partly in primary care/community settings. Databases and other sources searched, and search dates, were decided individually for each review. Quantitative and qualitative systematic reviews and primary studies of any design were eligible for inclusion. Results We identified seven main models of service that are delivered in primary care/community settings and in most cases with the possible involvement of community/primary care staff. Not all of these models are relevant to all types of diagnostic test. Overall, the evidence base for community- and primary care-based diagnostic services was limited, with very few controlled studies comparing different models of service. We found evidence from different settings that these services can reduce referrals to secondary care and allow more patients to be managed in primary care, but the quality of the research was generally poor. Evidence on the quality (including diagnostic accuracy and appropriateness of test ordering) and safety of such services was mixed. Conclusions In the absence of clear evidence of superior clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, the expansion of community-based services appears to be driven by other factors. These include policies to encourage moving services out of hospitals; the promise of reduced waiting times for diagnosis; the availability of a wider range of suitable tests and/or cheaper, more user-friendly equipment; and the ability of commercial providers to bid for NHS contracts. However, service development also faces a number of barriers, including issues related to staffing, training, governance and quality control. Limitations We have not attempted to cover all types of diagnostic technology in equal depth. Time and staff resources constrained our ability to carry out review processes in duplicate. Research in this field is limited by the difficulty of obtaining, from publicly available sources, up-to-date information about what models of service are commissioned, where and from which providers. Future work There is a need for research to compare the outcomes of different service models using robust study designs. Comparisons of ‘true’ community-based services with secondary care-based open-access services and rapid access clinics would be particularly valuable. There are specific needs for economic evaluations and for studies that incorporate effects on the wider health system. There appears to be no easy way of identifying what services are being commissioned from whom and keeping up with local evaluations of new services, suggesting a need to improve the availability of information in this area. Funding The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme

Community, culture and meat consumption: A traditional ethnography of meat and the new materialisms for planetary health

Global meat consumption is increasing, presenting threats to the health of populations and fragility of natural ecosystems, establishing unsustainable consumption as a challenge to planetary health. A call to action is complicated by the universal and cultural dominance of meat consumption, misaligning the issue with traditional public health and health promotion approaches. A need was identified to explore cultural meanings of meat in sustainable diets, and the influence of culture on meat consumption, food security and sustainability. A traditional ethnography was conducted, in which I became a member of the Birmingham Foodie Community; a network of food activists in the regional West Midlands, using activism as a method of participant-led elicitation of cultural meanings of meat. A year-long period of overt participatory fieldwork generated a large multimedia dataset, explored using a bespoke post-anthropocentric analytical process developed from theoretical principles of New Materialist Social Inquiry, centring social-assemblages around meat and other foods. Resultant themes identified diverse cultural meanings of meat in the Birmingham Foodie Community, beyond that of a simple consumable product. The role of food in the development, maintenance, transition and extinction of dietary practices, urban food systems, local communities and microcultures determined meat, as a scarce but demanded resource, was a material of local micropolitics. Meat was a material which connected local activist-led solutions to global health and environmental challenges, through which activists negotiated community development activity for food security and sustainability. The diverse cultural meanings of meat present complications to policy development, and opportunities to innovate new planetary health initiatives from impactful local actions. The development of a novel post-anthropocentric analytical framework may have uses in the exploration of meanings of other practices relevant to health in the Anthropocene. Use of complex social theorisations to make sense of culture for planetary health, may be reconsidered in favour of grounded approaches which value participant worldviews. The meanings of meat as a material of community and culture pose opportunities and challenges to the development of sustainable diets to support planetary health

by P.T. Hooper, M.M. Sallaway, P.K. Latz, J.R. Maconochie, K.W. Hyde and L.K. Corbett.

Made available by the Northern Territory Library via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT).Date:1973Bibliography: p. 40-41