The Dominant Obesity Discourse Versus Children’s Conceptualizations of Health: A Comparison Through Dialogue and Drawings

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 1157-1170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishna Bhagat ◽  
Donna E. Howard

The emphasis on childhood obesity reduction has been attributed to the dominant obesity discourse. However, some researchers argue that this discourse may be ineffective and even harmful for children. From a post-structuralist perspective, the dominant obesity discourse has the power to shape children’s subjectivities, though subjectivities may also be influenced by personal experiences and other knowledge about bodies and health. There is limited research which explores how children’s conceptualizations of health are informed by the dominant obesity discourse. To address this knowledge gap, qualitative data were collected from 8- to 11-year-old children ( n = 29) regarding their conceptualizations of health, healthy bodies, and health practices. Results suggest that children’s conceptualizations reflected arguments embedded within the dominant obesity discourse, but at times, also contradicted or deviated from it. Study findings can be applied toward children’s health promotion programming to offer a more holistic and inclusive perspective on health and well-being.

Author(s):  
Ruvimbo Machaka ◽  
Ruth Barley ◽  
Laura Serrant ◽  
Penny Furness ◽  
Margaret Dunham

AbstractThe Global North has over the years been a popular destination for migrants from the Global South. Most of the migrants are in their reproductive ages who go on to bear and raise children. The differences and subjectivity in the context of their experiences may have an impact on how they ensure that their children have the best possible health and well-being. This paper synthesises 14 qualitative research papers, conducted in 6 Global North countries. We gathered evidence on settled Southern African migrants experiences of bearing and raising children in Global North destination countries and how they conceptualise sustaining children’s health and well-being. Results of the review indicated a concerning need for support in sustaining children’s health and well-being. Cultural and religious beliefs underpin how the parents in these studies raise their children. More research is needed which engages with fathers and extended family.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 247-255
Author(s):  
Quenette L Walton ◽  
Rosalyn Denise Campbell ◽  
Joan M Blakey

COVID-19 has significantly impacted a substantial number of Black Americans. Black women, in particular, are facing challenges financially, physically, and mentally during this unprecedented time. Between serving as frontline workers, being concerned about contracting the virus, contributing to their families financially, and worrying about their loved ones’ health, Black women are experiencing great strain on their mental health and well-being. These stressors illustrate the need for social work researchers and practitioners to address Black women’s mental health. This paper presents our reflections, experiences, and response to COVID-19 as Black women and scholars. Guided by our reflections and personal experiences, we put forth suggestions and reflexive thoughts for social work researchers and practitioners to prioritize Black women’s mental health during and after these unprecedented times.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Liinamo ◽  
K Matinheikki-Kokko ◽  
I Gobina ◽  
A Villeruša

Abstract In the future, health promotion would require developed strategies that lead to stronger cross-sectoral cooperation. Cross-sectoral cooperation enables the integration of fragmented resources and competencies, which benefit service solutions for urban health. Healthy Boost “Urban Labs for Better Health for All in the Baltic Sea Region”, funded by the EU Interreg Baltic Sea Region -program, aims to develop the Model for cross-sectoral cooperation, which will be tested in the cities of the Baltic Sea Region during 2020-21. The self-assessment tool for cross-sectoral cooperation was developed, and the self-assessment among the nine cities in seven countries from the Baltic Sea Region was conducted in 2019. The results indicated to what extent the staff (n = 329) in the cities have recognized the cross-sectoral cooperation for health and wellbeing as strategically crucial in their policies, communication, and in the design of their organizational functions. The daily practices were evaluated in terms of how systematically cities have implemented cross-sector actions for health and wellbeing. The biggest challenges for cooperating across sectors for the cities were coordination and systematic identification of the community needs for health promotion. The cooperative actions were less systematic than expected in the strategic approach. The variation among respondents' assessments was high within the cities that lead to a conclusion about existing gaps in coordination, communication, and leadership of cross-sectoral work within the cities. The Likert type self-assessment measurement was statistically reliable in both strategic and operational dimensions of cooperation. Key messages Evaluation and measurements are needed to identify cross-sectoral actions to health and well-being. The evidence-based Model developed in the Healthy Boost project will guide partners towards systematic cross-sectoral cooperation processes.


2005 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia V. Matteson ◽  
Bonnie Moradi

The current study reexamined the factor structure of the Lifetime and Recent scales of the Schedule of Sexist Events (SSE; Klonoff & Landrine, 1995 ) and conducted the first factor analysis of the SSE-Appraisal scale ( Landrine & Klonoff, 1997 ). Factor analyses conducted with data from 245 women yielded, for SSE-Lifetime and SSE-Appraisal scales, two reliable factors that can be scored as “Intimate and Personal Experiences of Sexist Events” and “Unfair Treatment Across Public Contexts” subscales. Data from the SSE-Recent scale yielded three factors that can be scored as “Sexist Degradation and Its Consequences,” “Unfair and Sexist Events at Work/School,” and “Unfair Treatment in Distant and Close Relationships” subscales. Recommendations are made for the future use of these proposed subscales in conjunction with total scale scores in research using the SSE to examine links between reported experiences of sexist events and women's health and well-being.


Author(s):  
David Bolton

In the Introduction, the author describes the background to the book and his personal experiences of violence in Northern Ireland - as a social worker and health and social services manager in Enniskillen and Omagh. He addresses the impact of loss and trauma linked to conflict and the implications for mental health and well-being. The structure of the book is outlined and the author sets the rest of the book in the argument that the mental health of conflict affected communities should be an early and key consideration in peace talks, politics and post-conflict processes.


Introduction 140 Health inequalities 142 Principles of health promotion 144 Promoting public health 146 Promoting physical well-being of individuals 148 Physical health assessment of people with intellectual disability 150 Blood pressure, temperature, pulse 152 Respiration and oxygen saturation levels 154 Epilepsy 156 Supporting people with epilepsy ...


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  

Abstract Health promotion acknowledges the reciprocal relationship between health-related behaviours and the environments in which people live, considers that the environment is made up of different subsystems and emphasises the relationships and dependencies between these subsystems. Our workshop acknowledges the multi-faceted nature of health promotion and intends to provoke thinking, ideas and tools for health promotion to help to expand skills and knowledge to develop health promotion strategies, policies and interventions. This workshop will offer examples and provoke discussions on how to develop, evolve and improve health promotion practices. First, an overview of the European health promotion landscape is presented. This information is based on data collection conducted in 2018 in the European Joint Action Chrodis Plus. Next, we have two interlinked presentations to describe how to institutionalize health promotion thorough legislation, assess health promotion actions nationwide, and foster development in municipalities enforced by legislation. These presentations illustrate the developments in Finland, offer examples and highlight the importance of ministerial level actions for health promotion. The nationwide benchmarking system for assessment has existed for over ten years and offers an example for other countries. The two last presentations address specific health and well-being issues: (1) tobacco control in Portugal and Israel and (2) the promotion of older people’s health and well-being in Iceland. The presentation on tobacco control is an example of inter-dependencies of different stake-holders. The presentation from Iceland will stimulate a discussion on how to start and conduct the nationwide implementation of an evidence based health promotion intervention and what the role governments, municipalities, and NGOs should be. The workshop is a regular workshop. Time for discussion is offered in four spots, (1st) after the first presentation, (2nd) after the second and third presentations, (3rd) after the fourth and (4th) final discussion after the fifth presentation. Key messages Promising methods for health promotion exist. The challenge is how to implement effectively. Legislation is a powerful tool to enhance health promotion practices.


2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 337-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. DeJoy ◽  
Mark G. Wilson

This article argues that efforts to improve the health and well-being of the workforce should begin with the organization itself. The term organizational health promotion is introduced to expand the scope of worksite health promotion. Organizational health promotion delves into the basic structural and organizational fabric of the enterprise—to how work is organized. The core themes of healthy work organization are introduced, and the status of our ability to identify organizational risk factors is discussed. A conceptual model of healthy work organization is presented, along with a process for expanding the health promotive capacity of the organization. The final section addresses challenges related to adopting an organizational health promotion perspective.


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