scholarly journals The influence of corporate market power on health: exploring the structure-conduct-performance model from a public health perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Wood ◽  
Owain Williams ◽  
Phil Baker ◽  
Vijaya Nagarajan ◽  
Gary Sacks
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Market Power ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Antitrust Policy ◽  
Performance Model ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
The Public ◽  
Comprehensive Framework

Abstract Background The detrimental impact of dominant corporations active in health-harming commodity industries is well recognised. However, to date, existing analyses of the ways in which corporations influence health have paid limited attention to corporate market power. Accordingly, the public health implications of concentrated market structures, the use of anti-competitive market strategies, and the ways in which market power mediates the allocation and distribution of resources via market systems, remain relatively unexplored. To address this gap, this paper aimed to identify and explore key literature that could inform a comprehensive framework to examine corporate market power from a public health perspective. The ultra-processed food (UPF) industry was used to provide illustrative examples. Methods A scoping review of a diverse range of literature, including Industrial Organization, welfare economics, global political economy and antitrust policy, was conducted to identify important concepts and metrics that could be drawn upon within the field of public health to understand and explore market power. The Structure-Conduct-Performance (SCP) model, a guiding principle of antitrust policy and the regulation of market power, was used as an organising framework. Results We described each of the components of the traditional SCP model and how they have historically been used to assess market power through examining the interrelations between the structure of industries and markets, the conduct of dominant firms, and the overall ability of markets and firms to efficiently allocate and distribute the scarce resources. Conclusion We argue that the SCP model is well-placed to broaden public health research into the ways in which corporations influence health. In addition, the development of a comprehensive framework based on the key findings of this paper could help the public health community to better engage with a set of policy and regulatory tools that have the potential to curb the concentration of corporate power for the betterment of population health.

scholarly journals Values, goals and benefits of university research: The Public health perspective

Bajo Palabra ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 291-306
Author(s):  
Vladimer Luarsabishvili ◽  
Maia Kiladze
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
University Research ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Civic Society ◽  
The Public ◽  
Research Designs ◽  
The University ◽  
Selection Of

Public health as a healthcare system discipline is supported by the evidence-based biomedical research. Scientific discoveries or improvements are made by experiments and clinical trials with different research designs, and are analyzed by complex methods of statistical assessment. Research conducted at university is of particular interest, as it is a place with a wide selection of laboratorial and/or clinical facilities and a research staff. University research aims not only to accumulate new data but also to disseminate it among students by teaching. As the university community is based on the creation and extension of certain values admitted by all its members, university research brings into life new perspectives for research and founds the ways to benefit all members of both biomedical and non-biomedical society. Values as the main characteristics of modern civic society are important both from research point of view and of its perspectives. Thus, public health research may be transformed into an effective tool to rethink the assessment of old values and a formation of new ones.

Cultural Accommodation of Internet-Based Interventions for Substance Use and Related Disorders: A Proposed Comprehensive Framework (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keren Gueta ◽  
Yossi Harel-Fisch ◽  
Sophie D. Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Ecological Validity ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Service Engagement ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Cultural Accommodation ◽  
Abuse Treatment ◽  
Comprehensive Framework

BACKGROUND Despite the low utilization rates of substance use and related disorders services, and the ability of internet-based interventions for substance use and related disorders (IBIS) to address challenges related to service engagement, limited attention has been placed on the processes for the accommodation of these interventions to diverse cultural settings. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to develop a conceptual framework for the cultural accommodation of IBIS across populations, settings, and countries. METHODS A pilot study of cultural accommodation of an existing internet intervention for alcohol use (Down Your Drink (DYD)), focus groups and daily online surveys of prospective consumers (N=24) and interviews with experts (N=7) in the substance abuse treatment field were conducted. RESULTS Thematic analysis revealed a wide range of themes identified as needing to be addressed in the process of DYD accommodation. It also emphasized that accommodation needs to incorporate both technical and contents themes, shaped by both the general Israeli cultural as well as by the specific Israeli drinking subculture. A combined mixed emic–etic theoretical approach incorporating the pilot findings together with a scoping literature review was employed to develop a framework for cultural accommodation of IBIS. A comprehensive framework for cultural accommodation of IBIS is introduced consisting of five chronological stages of IBIS accommodation and four dimensions of accommodation. CONCLUSIONS The proposed framework can serve as a guide for the cultural accommodation of existing IBIS across a diverse range of cultural and geographical settings thus augmenting the ecological validity of IBIS and reducing health disparities worldwide.

Navigating the Ethics of Big Data in Public Health

2019 ◽  
pp. 353-367
Author(s):  
Effy Vayena ◽  
Lawrence Madoff
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Big Data ◽  
Credit Card ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Community ◽  
Digital Disease Detection ◽  
The Public Sphere

“Big data,” which encompasses massive amounts of information from both within the health sector (such as electronic health records) and outside the health sector (social media, search queries, cell phone metadata, credit card expenditures), is increasingly envisioned as a rich source to inform public health research and practice. This chapter examines the enormous range of sources, the highly varied nature of these data, and the differing motivations for their collection, which together challenge the public health community in ethically mining and exploiting big data. Ethical challenges revolve around the blurring of three previously clearer boundaries: between personal health data and nonhealth data; between the private and the public sphere in the online world; and, finally, between the powers and responsibilities of state and nonstate actors in relation to big data. Considerations include the implications for privacy, control and sharing of data, fair distribution of benefits and burdens, civic empowerment, accountability, and digital disease detection.

scholarly journals Existence and Implications of Women Who Have Sex with Women in Tanzania: A Public Health Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-92
Author(s):  
Switbert R. Kamazima ◽  
Happiness P. Saronga ◽  
Jackline V. Mbishi ◽  
Saidah M. Bakar ◽  
Saumu K. Shabani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Population Group ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Public Health Importance ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Sexual Activities ◽  
Sex Behaviors

Women who engage in sexual activities with other women are known existing in all societies around the globe. However, the understanding of the size, trends and implications of female same sex behaviors and practices is generally lacking and vary within and among many countries including Tanzania. As a result, there is limited understanding of the public health importance of this group, which is often cited as the reason for not investing in work targeted at women who have sex with women and other minority groups in the country. It is from this perspective, that we conducted a formative qualitative study that aimed at, among other objectives, to establish the existence of women who have sex with women and the magnitude of female same sex behaviors and practices in Tanzania using a case study of the Dar-es-Salaam administrative region. Our findings prove that women who have sex with women exist mainly in urban areas in the country and for several reasons, their number is perceived rapidly increasing. We recommend further multidisciplinary (public health) research among women who have sex with women in the country to facilitate the availability of comprehensive and informative data on this population group.

IMPACTS OF THE PARTIAL RELOCATION OF HAZARIBAGH TANNERIES ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH: FOCUS ON CHILDREN AND VULNERABLE POPULATION

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 01-07
Author(s):  
Shama E. Haque ◽  
Nazmun Nahar ◽  
Sadia Chowdhury ◽  
Ali S. Sakib ◽  
Ahsan Saif ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Vulnerable Population ◽  
Geochemical Data ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
Treatment Technologies ◽  
Key Informant Interview ◽  
The Impact

Purpose of the study: The purpose of the study is to determine whether the partial relocation of Hazaribagh tanneries has any effect on the area’s soil quality with respect to chromium and to determine a possible link between human exposure/diseases to chromium, with the focus being placed on children and vulnerable population. Methodology: Geochemical sampling and public health research related to fieldwork (Focus Group Discussions, two In-Depth Interview, and Key Informant Interview). Main Findings: The study indicates that there is a significant presence of chromium in the area’s soil two years following the partial relocation of Hazaribagh tanneries. Flu-like symptoms, generalized skin rash, and fertility issues are common in the vulnerable population. The residents are ignorant, belong to the marginalized section of the society, and do not fully comprehend of the impact of environmental exposure to chromium. Applications of this study: The geochemical data may be used to identify in situ treatment technologies for remediation of the area’s soil. The public health data will allow health policymakers to generate ideas and implement solutions to one of the greatest health challenges faced by the impacted population. Novelty/Originality of this study: The study is multidisciplinary by nature and employs science and technology to systematically develop an insight into the environmental contamination resulting from the release of untreated effluent and solid waste containing chromium.

The role of the internet in suicide prevention from the public health perspective

2021 ◽  
pp. 683-698
Author(s):  
Michael Westerlund ◽  
Karolina Krysinska
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
The Public ◽  
Social Media Platforms

An overview of research on suicide and the internet, as well as the practical applications of online interventions in suicide prevention efforts is given. The text presents how much material about suicide is available online and what are the contents, with a special focus on pro-suicide and harmful online material and communication, and how people at risk of suicide use the internet. The topic of advantages and dangers of suicide-related material available on social media platforms will be covered. The range and effectiveness of online and web-based crisis interventions are discussed, along with support available online for people bereaved by suicide. The text also presents existing efforts on regulation and legislation in relation to suicide-related websites and content.

The Political Economy of Health: Revisiting Its Marxian Origins to Address 21st-Century Health Inequalities

2020 ◽  
pp. e1-e8
Author(s):  
Michael Harvey
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Political Economy ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
The Political ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Race And Racism ◽  
The Public ◽  
Critical Theories ◽  
Political Economy Of Health ◽  
Marxian Political Economy

The “political economy of health” is concerned with how political and economic domains interact and shape individual and population health outcomes. However, the term is variously defined in the public health, medical, and social science literatures. This could result in confusion about the term and its associated tradition, thereby constituting a barrier to its application in public health research and practice. To address these issues, I survey the political economy of health tradition, clarify its specifically Marxian theoretical legacy, and discuss its relevance to understanding and addressing public health issues. I conclude by discussing the benefits of employing critical theories of race and racism with Marxian political economy to better understand the roles of class exploitation and racial oppression in epidemiological patterning. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print December 22, 2020:e1–e8. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305996 )

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