Normalisation and Stigmatisation of Obesity in UK Newspapers: a Visual Content Analysis

Obesity represents a major and growing global public health concern. The mass media play an important role in shaping public understandings of health, and obesity attracts much media coverage. This study offers the first content analysis of photographs illustrating UK newspaper articles about obesity. The researchers studied 119 articles and images from five major national newspapers. Researchers coded the manifest content of each image and article and used a graphical scale to estimate the body size of each image subject. Data were analysed with regard to the concepts of the normalisation and stigmatisation of obesity. Articles’ descriptions of subjects’ body sizes were often found to differ from coders’ estimates, and subjects described as obese tended to represent the higher values of the obese BMI range, differing from the distribution of BMI values of obese adults in the UK. Researchers identified a tendency for image subjects described as overweight or obese to be depicted in stereotypical ways that could reinforce stigma. These findings are interpreted as illustrations of how newspaper portrayals of obesity may contribute to societal normalisation and the stigmatisation of obesity, two forces that threaten to harm obese individuals and undermine public health efforts to reverse trends in obesity.

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Contemporary challenges to iodine status and nutrition: the role of foods, dietary recommendations, fortification and supplementation

Proceedings of The Nutrition Society ◽

10.1017/s0029665118000137 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 77 (3) ◽

pp. 302-313 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

M. Bouga ◽

M. E. J. Lean ◽

E. Combet

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Average Energy ◽

Health Concern ◽

Adult Women ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Dietary Recommendations ◽

Childbearing Age ◽

Iodine Status ◽

The Uk ◽

In Pregnancy

Iodine deficiency (ID) in women of childbearing age remains a global public health concern, mainly through its impact on fetal and infant neurodevelopment. While iodine status is improving globally, ID is still prevalent in pregnancy, when requirements increase. More than 120 countries have implemented salt iodisation and food fortification, strategies that have been partially successful. Supplementation during pregnancy is recommended in some countries and supported by the WHO when mandatory salt iodisation is not present. The UK is listed as one of the ten countries with the lowest iodine status globally, with approximately 60 % of pregnant women not meeting the WHO recommended intake. Without mandatory iodine fortification or recommendation for supplementation in pregnancy, the UK population depends on dietary sources of iodine. Both women and healthcare professionals have low knowledge and awareness of iodine, its sources or its role for health. Dairy and seafood products are the richest sources of iodine and their consumption is essential to support adequate iodine status. Increasing iodine through the diet might be possible if iodine-rich foods get repositioned in the diet, as they now contribute towards only about 13 % of the average energy intake of adult women. This review examines the use of iodine-rich foods in parallel with other public health strategies, to increase iodine intake and highlights the rare opportunity in the UK for randomised trials, due to the lack of mandatory fortification programmes.

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An exploration of migrant women’s perceptions of public health messages to reduce stillbirth in the UK: a qualitative study

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth ◽

10.1186/s12884-021-03879-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tomasina Stacey ◽

Melanie Haith-Cooper ◽

Nisa Almas ◽

Charlotte Kenyon

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Perinatal Mortality ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Health Messages ◽

Migrant Women ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Wide Range ◽

Public Health Messages ◽

Associated Risk Factors ◽

The Uk

Abstract Background Stillbirth is a global public health priority. Within the United Kingdom, perinatal mortality disproportionately impacts Black, Asian and minority ethnic women, and in particular migrant women. Although the explanation for this remains unclear, it is thought to be multidimensional. Improving perinatal mortality is reliant upon raising awareness of stillbirth and its associated risk factors, as well as improving maternity services. The aim of this study was to explore migrant women’s awareness of health messages to reduce stillbirth risk, and how key public health messages can be made more accessible. Method Two semi-structured focus groups and 13 one to one interviews were completed with a purposive sample of 30 migrant women from 18 countries and across 4 NHS Trusts. Results Participants provided an account of their general awareness of stillbirth and recollection of the advice they had been given to reduce the risk of stillbirth both before and during pregnancy. They also suggested approaches to how key messages might be more effectively communicated to migrant women. Conclusions Our study highlights the complexity of discussing stillbirth during pregnancy. The women in this study were found to receive a wide range of advice from family and friends as well as health professionals about how to keep their baby safe in pregnancy, they recommended the development of a range of resources to provide clear and consistent messages. Health professionals, in particular midwives who have developed a trusting relationship with the women will be key to ensuring that public health messages relating to stillbirth reduction are accessible to culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

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Female genital mutilation in the UK: considerations for best nursing practice

British Journal of Nursing ◽

10.12968/bjon.2019.28.12.788 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (12) ◽

pp. 788-791

Author(s):

Bethany Rose

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Female Genital Mutilation ◽

Nursing Practice ◽

Health Concern ◽

Public Health Concern ◽

Genital Mutilation ◽

Health Complications ◽

The Uk ◽

Female Genital

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is any process that injures or removes part or all of the external female genital organs for non-medical reasons. FGM is a growing public health concern in the UK because of an increase in migration from countries where it is widely practised. Education on FGM for nurses is key to supporting women who have undergone the practice, as well as safeguarding girls and women who are at risk. Nurses must understand the history and culture of FGM as well as the long-term health complications to be able to support affected women both professionally and sensitively.

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The Water Quality in Rio Highlights the Global Public Health Concern Over Untreated Sewage

Environmental Health Perspectives ◽

10.1289/ehp662 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 124 (10) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Joseph N.S. Eisenberg ◽

Jamie Bartram ◽

Timothy J. Wade

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Water Quality ◽

Health Concern ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Public Health Concern ◽

Untreated Sewage

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Early introductions and community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 in the United States

10.1101/2021.02.10.21251540 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tara Alpert ◽

Erica Lasek-Nesselquist ◽

Anderson F. Brito ◽

Andrew L. Valesano ◽

Jessica Rothman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

United States ◽

New York ◽

Diagnostic Testing ◽

The United States ◽

International Travel ◽

Health Concern ◽

Public Health Response ◽

Community Transmission ◽

The Uk

SummaryThe emergence and spread of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.7, first detected in the United Kingdom, has become a national public health concern in the United States because of its increased transmissibility. Over 500 COVID-19 cases associated with this variant have been detected since December 2020, but its local establishment and pathways of spread are relatively unknown. Using travel, genomic, and diagnostic testing data, we highlight the primary ports of entry for B.1.1.7 in the US and locations of possible underreporting of B.1.1.7 cases. New York, which receives the most international travel from the UK, is likely one of the key hubs for introductions and domestic spread. Finally, we provide evidence for increased community transmission in several states. Thus, genomic surveillance for B.1.1.7 and other variants urgently needs to be enhanced to better inform the public health response.

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Global Governance of Anti-microbial Resistance: A Legal and Regulatory Toolkit

Ethics and Drug Resistance: Collective Responsibility for Global Public Health - Public Health Ethics Analysis ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-27874-8_25 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 401-420

Author(s):

Calvin W. L. Ho ◽

Tsung-Ling Lee

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

System Approach ◽

Action Plan ◽

World Health ◽

Health Concern ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Agricultural Industry ◽

Treatment And Prevention ◽

Global Action ◽

Health Organization

Abstract Recognizing that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a serious threat to global public health, the World Health Organization (WHO) has adopted a Global Action Plan (GAP) at the May 2015 World Health Assembly. Underscoring that systematic misuse and overuse of drugs in human medicine and food production is a global public health concern, the GAP-AMR urges concerted efforts across governments and private sectors, including pharmaceutical industry, medical professionals, agricultural industry, among others. The GAP has a threefold aim: (1) to ensure a continuous use of effective and safe medicines for treatment and prevention of infectious diseases; (2) to encourage a responsible use of medicines; and (3) to engage countries to develop their national actions on AMR in keeping with the recommendations. While the GAP is a necessary step to enable multilateral actions, it must be supported by effective governance in order to realize the proposed aims. This chapter has a threefold purpose: (1) To identify regulatory principles embedded in key WHO documents relating to AMR and the GAP-AMR; (2) To consider the legal and regulatory actions or interventions that countries could use to strengthen their regulatory lever for AMR containment; and (3) To highlight the crucial role of the regulatory lever in enabling other levers under a whole-of-system approach. Effective AMR containment requires a clearer understanding of how the regulatory lever could be implemented or enabled within health systems, as well as how it underscores and interacts with other levers within a whole-of-system approach.

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Aiming to achieve elimination of Chagas disease: Before it acquires a status of global public health concern

Annals of Tropical Medicine and Public Health ◽

10.4103/1755-6783.196623 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 1367

Author(s):

SaurabhR Shrivastava ◽

PrateekS Shrivastava ◽

Jegadeesh Ramasamy

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Chagas Disease ◽

Health Concern ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Public Health Concern

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Future perspectives in addressing the global issue of vitamin D deficiency

Proceedings of The Nutrition Society ◽

10.1017/s0029665119001538 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (2) ◽

pp. 246-251 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

M. M. Mendes ◽

K. Charlton ◽

S. Thakur ◽

H. Ribeiro ◽

S. A. Lanham-New

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Vitamin D ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Vitamin D Deficiency ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Population Level ◽

The Body ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Global Issue ◽

Wide Range

Vitamin D is a fundamentally critical nutrient that the human body requires to function properly. It plays an important role in musculoskeletal health due to its involvement in the regulation of calcium and phosphorus. Having a low level of vitamin D in the body may be detrimental for a wide range of health outcomes, including risk of osteoporotic and stress fractures, risk of CVD and some cancers, and lowering of the capability of the immune system. Vitamin D is an unusual nutrient; it is not a vitamin, in the true sense of the word but a pro-hormone. The main source of vitamin D is UV exposure, not dietary intake. Interestingly, there are two forms of vitamin D, vitamin D2 and vitamin D3, both of which are metabolised into 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in the liver, the biomarker of vitamin D status. Vitamin D deficiency is a global public health problem, especially amongst older people and ethnic minority groups. The newest publication from the UK Government's Public Health England Department recommends that vitamin D intake should be 10 μg daily and this recommendation compares well (albeit lower) with other guidelines such as the Institute of Medicine recommendation of 15 μg for those aged 1–70 years and 20 μg for those 70 years or over. Few countries, however, have a specific vitamin D policy to prevent deficiency in populations. Finland leads the way, demonstrating impressive results in reducing population-level vitamin D deficiency through mandatory food fortification programmes. Collaboration between academia, government and industry, including countries from varying latitudes, is essential to identify long-term solutions to the global issue of vitamin D deficiency. This paper provides a narrative review of the evidence related to the role of vitamin D deficiency in health outcomes, outlines controversies regarding setting levels of adequacy, identifies the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency across the globe, and identifies population-level strategies adopted by countries to prevent vitamin D deficiency.

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