scholarly journals Accurately Inferring Compliance to Five Major Food Guidelines Through Simplified Surveys: Applying Data Mining to the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Rosso ◽  
Philippe Giabbanelli
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Decision Trees ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Average Increase ◽  
Public Health Nutrition ◽  
Nutrition Survey ◽  
Nutritional Guidelines ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
The Uk

BACKGROUND National surveys in public health nutrition commonly record the weight of every food consumed by an individual. However, if the goal is to identify whether individuals are in compliance with the 5 main national nutritional guidelines (sodium, saturated fats, sugars, fruit and vegetables, and fats), much less information may be needed. A previous study showed that tracking only 2.89% of all foods (113/3911) was sufficient to accurately identify compliance. Further reducing the data needs could lower participation burden, thus decreasing the costs for monitoring national compliance with key guidelines. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess whether national public health nutrition surveys can be further simplified by only recording whether a food was consumed, rather than having to weigh it. METHODS Our dataset came from a generalized sample of inhabitants in the United Kingdom, more specifically from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2008-2012. After simplifying food consumptions to a binary value (1 if an individual consumed a food and 0 otherwise), we built and optimized decision trees to find whether the foods could accurately predict compliance with the major 5 nutritional guidelines. RESULTS When using decision trees of a similar size to previous studies (ie, involving as many foods), we were able to correctly infer compliance for the 5 guidelines with an average accuracy of 80.1%. This is an average increase of 2.5 percentage points over a previous study, showing that further simplifying the surveys can actually yield more robust estimates. When we allowed the new decision trees to use slightly more foods than in previous studies, we were able to optimize the performance with an average increase of 3.1 percentage points. CONCLUSIONS Although one may expect a further simplification of surveys to decrease accuracy, our study found that public health dietary surveys can be simplified (from accurately weighing items to simply checking whether they were consumed) while improving accuracy. One possibility is that the simplification reduced noise and made it easier for patterns to emerge. Using simplified surveys will allow to monitor public health nutrition in a more cost-effective manner and possibly decrease the number of errors as participation burden is reduced.

Organizing a diabetes service

2011 ◽  
pp. 2005-2011
Author(s):  
Stephen C. L. Gough
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Health Care Need ◽  
Delivery Of Care ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk

The increasing worldwide incidence and prevalence of diabetes is placing substantial pressures on health care systems and economies. As a consequence individuals involved in the care of people with diabetes are looking at services currently being provided and examining ways in which care can be organized in the most cost-effective manner. Whilst the degree to which diabetes care is delivered differs from country to country, similar fundamental questions are being asked by those involved in the delivery of care, including: What are we currently providing? What do we need to provide? What are we able to provide? Although the answers to these questions are quite different not just between countries but often within specific localities within a country, the ultimate aim is the same: to provide the best possible care to as many people with diabetes as possible. The global diversity of diabetes health care need is enormous and while the solutions will be equally diverse, the approach to the development of a diabetes service will, for many organizations, be similar. The main focus of this chapter is based upon the model or the strategic approach developed in the UK, but many of the individual component parts are present in most health care settings.

scholarly journals Public health nutrition in the UK

Medicine ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrios A. Koutoukidis ◽  
Susan A. Jebb
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Health Nutrition ◽  
The Uk

scholarly journals How serious is a devolved data deficit? A Welsh perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 862-876
Author(s):  
Andrew Crawley ◽  
Max Munday ◽  
Annette Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Fiscal Policy ◽  
Economic Performance ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Input Output ◽  
Economic Data ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
The Uk

Over the last decade the UK has seen greater fiscal devolution with both Wales and Scotland gaining additional powers. However, to date, such devolution has not been sufficiently accompanied by an increase in the production of more local economic data to assist policymaking choices. The paper considers this issue by first exploring, in general, the availability of local economic data with a focus on Input–Output tables and trade statistics. The case of Wales is then used to explore the problems associated with the lack of local economic data. The paper suggests that not providing the means to assess how fiscal policy might impact economic performance could present a particularly serious challenge for devolved governments. The conclusions discuss how a devolved data deficit might be overcome in a cost-effective manner.

scholarly journals Public health nutrition workforce development in seven European countries: constraining and enabling factors

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 1989-1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanna Kugelberg ◽  
Svandis Jonsdottir ◽  
Elisabeth Faxelid ◽  
Kristina Jönsson ◽  
Ann Fox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Workforce Development ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Public Health Nutrition ◽  
Enabling Factors ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Agents Of Change ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
The Uk

AbstractObjectivesLittle is known about current public health nutrition workforce development in Europe. The present study aimed to understand constraining and enabling factors to workforce development in seven European countries.DesignA qualitative study comprised of semi-structured face-to-face interviews was conducted and content analysis was used to analyse the transcribed interview data.SettingThe study was carried out in Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.SubjectsSixty key informants participated in the study.ResultsThere are constraining and enabling factors for public health nutrition workforce development. The main constraining factors relate to the lack of a supportive policy environment, fragmented organizational structures and a workforce that is not cohesive enough to implement public health nutrition strategic initiatives. Enabling factors were identified as the presence of skilled and dedicated individuals who assume roles as leaders and change agents.ConclusionsThere is a need to strengthen coordination between policy and implementation of programmes which may operate across the national to local spectrum. Public health organizations are advised to further define aims and objectives relevant to public health nutrition. Leaders and agents of change will play important roles in fostering intersectorial partnerships, advocating for policy change, establishing professional competencies and developing education and training programmes.

scholarly journals Curriculum design for professional development in public health nutrition in Britain

1998 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Landman ◽  
Judith Buttriss ◽  
Barrie Margetts
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Public Health Nutrition ◽  
The Uk ◽  
British State ◽  
Unique Relationship

AbstractObjective:To describe how the Nutrition Society developed public health nutrition as a profession between 1992 and 1997, and to analyse the influences propelling on this professionalization.Design:Qualitative case study.Setting:Britain.Results:The Nutrition Society of Britain consulted with various stakeholders (such as dietitians, researchers, professionals and practitioners and educators from the UK, and latterly from mainland Europe) to build a consensus about the definition, roles and functions of public health nutritionists and the need for, and scope of, this new profession. Building on this consensus, the Society developed a curriculum in line with British national nutrition policy. Analysis shows that the design and philosophy of the curriculum is explicitly international and European in orientation, in keeping with the tradition of the discipline and the Society. The curriculum is designed in terms of specialist competencies in public health nutrition, defining competency so that registered public health nutritionists are advanced practitioners or leaders: this is in keeping with contemporary trends in professional education generally and as expressed by the UNU/IUNS and at Bellagio, in nutrition in particular.Conclusions:Despite a unique relationship with British state and policy, this case of professionalization contributes to contemporary international inter- and intraprofessional debates about the nature of public health nutrition and is consistent with professional educational theory.

scholarly journals Sense and sensitivity: can an inaccurate test be better than no test at all?

2021 ◽  
pp. medethics-2021-107234
Author(s):  
Jonathan Pugh ◽  
Dominic Wilkinson ◽  
Julian Savulescu
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Pilot Trial ◽  
False Negative ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Test Accuracy ◽  
Specific Test ◽  
Negative Results ◽  
Low Sensitivity ◽  
The Uk

The UK government has put lateral flow antigen tests (LFATs) at the forefront of its strategy to scale-up testing in the coronavirus pandemic. However, evidence from a pilot trial using an LFAT to identify asymptomatic infections in the community suggested that the test missed over half of the positive cases in the tested population. This raises the question of whether it can be ethical to use an inaccurate test to guide public health measures. We begin by explicating different dimensions of test accuracy (sensitivity, specificity and predictive value), and why they matter morally, before highlighting key data from the Liverpool pilot. We argue that the poor sensitivity of the LFAT in this pilot trial suggests that there are important limitations to what we can expect these tests to achieve. A test with low sensitivity will provide false-negative results, and in doing so generate the risk of false assurance and its attendant moral costs. However, we also suggest that the deployment of an insensitive but specific test could identify many asymptomatic carriers of the virus who are currently being missed under existing arrangements. Having outlined ways in which the costs of false reassurance could potentially be mitigated, we conclude that the use of an insensitive LFAT in mass testing may be ethical if (1) it is used predominantly to identify positive cases, (2) it is a cost-effective method of achieving that goal and (3) if other public health tools can effectively prevent widespread false reassurance.

scholarly journals JABS FOR THE BOYS

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. e22-e32
Author(s):  
Peter Baker ◽  
Gillian Prue ◽  
Jamie Rae ◽  
David Winterflood ◽  
Giampiero Favato
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Sex Discrimination ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Government ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Selective Vaccination

The human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause a range of cancers as well as genital warts and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis in men and women. Most cases can be prevented by vaccination in adolescence. Many countries vaccinate girls and an increasing number, although still a minority, vaccinate both boys and girls. The case for vaccinating boys is based on arguments of public health, equity, ethics and cost-effectiveness. The selective vaccination of females does not protect males sufficiently and provides no protection at all for men who have sex with men. In the United Kingdom (UK), the government’s vaccination advisory committee (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation [JCVI]) began to consider whether boys should be vaccinated as well as girls in 2013 and made clear in draft statements that it considered this not to be cost-effective. A campaign group, HPV Action, was established to advocate gender-neutral vaccination. This group became a coalition of over 50 organisations and used evidence-based arguments, political advocacy and media campaigning to make its case. One of its members initiated legal action against the government on the grounds of sex discrimination. In July 2018, the government agreed that boys in the UK should be vaccinated. The lessons for other campaigns in the men’s and public health fields include: be prepared for the long haul, focus on clear and specific goals, build alliances, align the objectives with existing policies, make a financial case for a change of policy, and use all legitimate means to exert pressure.

scholarly journals Is England's public health nutrition system in crisis? A qualitative analysis of the capacity to feed all in need during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-103
Author(s):  
Sharon Noonan-Gunning ◽  
Kate Lewis ◽  
Lynne Kennedy ◽  
Jessica Swann ◽  
GursimranKaur Arora ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Sampling Strategy ◽  
Public Health Nutrition ◽  
Geographical Variations ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Methodology: An exploratory methodology was adopted to examine experiences relating to capability and capacity among formal and informal helpers within the PHN domain. An online survey, mainly open-ended questions, was used to capture experiences over the period 2010 - 2020. A mixed sampling strategy, including snowball and convenience sampling, via social media and social network contact-sharing approaches, was adopted. Data was analysed using an inductive thematic approach. Results: A total of 89 participants representing the PHN system in England were recruited over two months. Three main themes and eight sub-themes were identified. The first reflected unequivocal accounts of the impact of austerity and the inability of PHN services to meet demand for food security. The second articulated capacity and capability issues within the system, with geographical variations in service delivery, and a lack of connectivity between central, local government, and third sector providers. These were attributed to widening nutrition and health inequalities. Participants felt that the government needed to invest more technical and financial resources to support public health nutrition. They also felt that schools could play a larger role at local level, but there was a need for a clear national recovery plan, setting out a comprehensive and fully supported national strategy to eradicate food insecurity in England Conclusions: Further in-depth research is needed to continue to track the impact of recovery strategies on food insecure people and the capacity of the PHN system. Urgent investment in the capacity and coordination of PHN services is needed to support food insecure people in England. The UK could include the ratification of the right to food in national laws, in line with global commitments already agreed to by the UK State Party.

scholarly journals Free and Added Sugar Consumption and Adherence to Guidelines: The UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2014/15–2015/16)

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birdem Amoutzopoulos ◽  
Toni Steer ◽  
Caireen Roberts ◽  
David Collins ◽  
Polly Page
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Dietary Intake ◽  
Free Sugar ◽  
Food Diary ◽  
Nutrition Survey ◽  
Added Sugar ◽  
Free Sugars ◽  
Sugar Intake ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Monitoring dietary intake of sugars in the population’s diet has great importance in evaluating the efficiency of national sugar reduction programmes. The study objective was to provide a comprehensive assessment of dietary sources of added and free sugars to assess adherence to public health recommendations in the UK population and to consider the impact of different sugar definitions on monitoring. The terms “added sugar” and “free sugar” are different sugar definitions which include different sugar components and may result in different sugar intakes depending on the definition. Dietary intake of added sugars, free sugars and seven individual sugar components (sugar from table sugar; other sugars; honey; fruit juice; fruit puree; dried fruit; and stewed fruit) of 2138 males and females (1.5–64 years) from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) 2014–2016, collected using a 4 day estimated food diary, were studied. Added and free sugar intake accounted for 7% to 13% of total energy intake respectively. Major sources of free sugar intake were “cereals and cereal products”, “non-alcoholic beverages”, and “sugars, preserves, confectionery”. Differences between added and free sugar intake were significantly large, and thus use of free sugar versus added sugar definitions need careful consideration for standardised monitoring of sugar intake in relation to public health.

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