scholarly journals Making equal rights to health an election issue in NZ local body elections

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
P Stone ◽  
D e b Leyland
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Health Inequity ◽  
Equal Rights ◽  
The Public ◽  
Local Body

Abstract In New Zealand there are 20 district health boards (DHBs) with local elections every 3 years. There is low voter turnout for these, we suspect because the public has low cognizance of the role DHBs have in governing their health and disability system. Good governance ensures everyone whatever ethnicity, gender or sexual proclivity, from birth to old age, able or disabled, mentally well or unwell, drugfree or addicted, has equal rights of dignified access to healthcare. Without public engagement in DHB elections, the community risks having candidates elected that also don't understand their role through a preventative public health framework or human rights lens. The United Community Action Network (UCAN) developed a human rights framework and Health Charter for people driven into poverty by the costs of staying well in NZ. The framework outlines 6 social determinants of health needing protection through policy, to ensure all enjoy their rights to health. UCAN and the Public Health Association of New Zealand (PHA) partnered to raise public and the candidates' awareness during 2019 elections, of these social determinants causing inequity in health outcomes. A series of short explainer-videos were created for sharing through social media during the election build-up period, helping to promote PHA Branches' public Meet the Candidates events. Post-election, a longer film was produced to send to the elected DHB members. Our theory of change centred on spotlighting health inequity for voters, so that they would elect DHB members who had the greatest understanding and commitment to addressing this issue. With shareable videos we aimed to attract audience, raise awareness and debate the policy solutions to health inequity with candidates, enabling more informed choice amongst the voting public. Post-election, we maintain supportive relationships with the elected DHB members that promised their commitment to our Health Charter during their campaigns. Key messages Using videos and social media, local body elections provide an opportunity to promote everyone’s right to affordable healthcare, supporting and informing voter decision-making. UCAN's Health Charter is an advocacy resource for raising awareness of the social determinants of health inequity and poverty for people with mental illness, addiction and disability.

scholarly journals Public engagement and dialogic accounting through social media during COVID-19 crisis: a missed opportunity?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Landi ◽  
Antonio Costantini ◽  
Marco Fasan ◽  
Michele Bonazzi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Public Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Agencies

PurposeThe purpose of this exploratory study is to investigate why and how public health agencies employed social media during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak to foster public engagement and dialogic accounting.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analysed the official Facebook pages of the leading public agencies for health crisis in Italy, United Kingdom and New Zealand and they collected data on the number of posts, popularity, commitment and followers before and during the outbreak. The authors also performed a content analysis to identify the topics covered by the posts.FindingsEmpirical results suggest that social media has been extensively used as a public engagement tool in all three countries under analysis but – because of legitimacy threats and resource scarcity – it has also been used as a dialogic accounting tool only in New Zealand. Findings suggest that fake news developed more extensively in contexts where the public body did not foster dialogic accounting.Practical implicationsPublic agencies may be interested in knowing the pros and cons of using social media as a public engagement and dialogic accounting tool. They may also leverage on dialogic accounting to limit fake news.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to look at the nature and role of social media as an accountability tool during public health crises. In many contexts, COVID-19 forced for the first time public health agencies to heavily engage with the public and to develop new skills, so this study paves the way for numerous future research ideas.

Teaching from The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: Student perspectives on health disparities and medical ethics

2016 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Dimaano ◽  
Clarence Spigner
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Medical Ethics ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Health Inequalities ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Immortal Life

Objective: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot is an award-winning biography engaging its readers on important topics ranging from race, science and ethics to the social determinants of health. However, the multiple pedagogic impacts of this book on the public health classroom setting have yet to be comprehensively explored. Method: A qualitative, pre/post-test study design assessed the perceptions of 17 Master’s of Public Health students on topics of health disparities and medical ethics. A total of 14 students were assigned to an intervention (book-based seminar course; Cohort A) and 3 students acted as the non-intervention group (Cohort B) over a study period of 10 weeks. Results: A thematic analysis uncovered more profound changes in the perceptions of the intervention group. All students were aware of health disparities over the course of the 10-week class; however, significant traction was gained on more complex issues linked to the social determinants of health. Specifically, students in the intervention group showed deeper perceptions about health inequalities with a particular focus on racial disparities. Conclusion: Although graduate students in the public health discipline were well aware of health inequalities, a seminar course surrounding a popular book about Henrietta Lacks afforded students a more concrete understanding for why and how race and racism in health disparities exist.

scholarly journals A Data-Informed Approach to Targeting Social Determinants of Health as the Root Causes of COVID-19 Disparities

2021 ◽  
pp. e1-e3
Author(s):  
Renuka Tipirneni
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
The United States ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Public Health Community ◽  
Systemic Racism ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Community ◽  
Data Informed

Racial disparities in COVID-19 outcomes have called renewed attention to addressing systemic racism and health inequities in the United States. The drivers of these inequities have been debated but include social determinants of health (SDOH) such as poverty, employment in low-wage but essential worker occupations, crowded housing, and lack of access to regular medical care.1 For those in the public health community, the importance of addressing both upstream and midstream SDOH to achieve health equity has been long recognized and discussed. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print January 28, 2021: e1–e3. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306085 )

Using Digital Stories to Educate Public Health Students About Local Social Determinants of Health

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martine Hackett ◽  
Laraib Humayun
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Residential Segregation ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Teen Pregnancy ◽  
Health Inequity ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Personal Perspective ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Digital Stories

Digital stories are short videos that use narrative structures to address issues from a personal perspective. They have been used to educate populations about health topics, including teen pregnancy, cancer screening, and substance abuse. Social determinants of health and structural inequalities are known contributors to health inequity and are a set of fundamental concepts for public health students to understand, particularly within local communities. To address this issue, a digital story was created by an instructor of undergraduate and graduate public health courses with both the instructor’s personal narrative and commentary when driving between adjacent racially segregated neighborhoods in a suburb near where she lives. The health disparities and the connection between place and health were highlighted in the narration. Public health students at a university that borders the communities featured were shown the video, pre- and posttests were administered ( n = 119) and a paired t test was performed to measure differences in the students’ knowledge about social determinants of health. An open-ended question about the video was also analyzed. Students demonstrated increased understanding of social determinants of health ( p < .001), local health inequity ( p < .001), and residential segregation ( p < .000). Qualitative responses indicated that students had seen these differences in local neighborhoods but were unaware of the connection between residential segregation and health. Digital stories, particularly rooted in local neighborhoods, can be an effective way to educate undergraduate and graduate students about social determinants of health.

scholarly journals Closing the Gap: A Human Rights Approach towards Social Determinants of Health

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 510-524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brigit Toebes ◽  
Karien Stronks
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Health Inequalities ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Right

Social determinants of health are major contributors to population health as well as health inequalities. The public perception that health inequalities that arise from these social determinants are unjust seems to be widespread across societies. Nevertheless, there is also scepticism about the progress in the implementation of actual policies to reduce health inequalities. Scholars, activists and policy makers from various disciplinary backgrounds increasingly stress the value of the human rights approach to support policies addressing health inequalities, and to hold actors in policies to address social determinants accountable for these inequalities. The ‘right to health’, in conjunction with the other health-related human rights, captures most elements of social determinants of health, and makes clear appeals to the governmental authorities at all levels to take action when social injustices occur. Existing judicial and non-judicial cases show us how human rights can be instrumental in addressing inequalities in health.

Trend of Parental Refusal or Delay of Childhood Vaccinations

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meagan Marie Daoust
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Healthcare System ◽  
Educational Context ◽  
Health Consequences ◽  
Missed Opportunities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Parental Refusal

The healthcare trend of parental refusal or delay of childhood vaccinations will be investigated through a complex Cynefin Framework component in an economic and educational context, allowing patterns to emerge that suggest recommendations of change for the RN role and healthcare system. As a major contributing factor adding complexity to this trend, social media is heavily used for health related knowledge, making it is difficult to determine which information is most trustworthy. Missed opportunities for immunization can result, leading to economic and health consequences for the healthcare system and population. Through analysis of the powerful impact social media has on this evolving trend and public health, an upstream recommendation for RNs to respond with is to utilize reliable social media to the parents’ advantage within practice. The healthcare system should focus on incorporating vaccine-related education into existing programs and classes offered to parents, and implementing new vaccine classes for the public.

scholarly journals A Panel Evaluation of the Changes in the General Public’s Social-Media-Following of United States’ Public Health Departments during COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272199545
Author(s):  
Areej Khokhar ◽  
Aaron Spaulding ◽  
Zuhair Niazi ◽  
Sikander Ailawadhi ◽  
Rami Manochakian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
State Level ◽  
The State ◽  
Public Health Department ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Departments ◽  
The Social ◽  
The U.S

Importance: Social media is widely used by various segments of society. Its role as a tool of communication by the Public Health Departments in the U.S. remains unknown. Objective: To determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social media following of the Public Health Departments of the 50 States of the U.S. Design, Setting, and Participants: Data were collected by visiting the Public Health Department web page for each social media platform. State-level demographics were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention was utilized to collect information regarding the Governance of each State’s Public Health Department. Health rankings were collected from “America’s Health Rankings” 2019 Annual report from the United Health Foundation. The U.S. News and World Report Education Rankings were utilized to provide information regarding the public education of each State. Exposure: Data were pulled on 3 separate dates: first on March 5th (baseline and pre-national emergency declaration (NED) for COVID-19), March 18th (week following NED), and March 25th (2 weeks after NED). In addition, a variable identifying the total change across platforms was also created. All data were collected at the State level. Main Outcome: Overall, the social media following of the state Public Health Departments was very low. There was a significant increase in the public interest in following the Public Health Departments during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: With the declaration of National Emergency, there was a 150% increase in overall public following of the State Public Health Departments in the U.S. The increase was most noted in the Midwest and South regions of the U.S. The overall following in the pandemic “hotspots,” such as New York, California, and Florida, was significantly lower. Interesting correlations were noted between various demographic variables, health, and education ranking of the States and the social media following of their Health Departments. Conclusion and Relevance: Social media following of Public Health Departments across all States of the U.S. was very low. Though, the social media following significantly increased during the early course of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it still remains low. Significant opportunity exists for Public Health Departments to improve social media use to engage the public better.

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