scholarly journals A Review of Cases of Marijuana and Violence

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1578
Author(s):  
Norman S. Miller ◽  
Redon Ipeku ◽  
Thersilla Oberbarnscheidt
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Illicit Drug ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
The United States ◽  
Personality Change ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Loss Of Contact

Marijuana is the most consumed illicit drug in the world, with over 192 million users. Due to the current legalization push of marijuana in the United States, there has been a lack of oversight regarding its public health policies, as marijuana advocates downplay the drug’s negative effects. This paper’s approach is from a public health perspective, focusing specifically on the cases of violence amongst some marijuana users. Here, we present 14 cases of violence with chronic marijuana users that highlight reoccurring consequences of: marijuana induced paranoia (exaggerated, unfounded distrust) and marijuana induced psychosis (radical personality change, loss of contact with reality). When individuals suffering from pre-existing medical conditions use marijuana in an attempt to alleviate their symptoms, ultimately this worsens their conditions over time. Although marijuana effects depend on the individual’s endocannabinoid receptors (which control behavioral functions, like aggression) and the potency level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the drug, scientifically documented links between certain marijuana users and violence do exist. Wider public awareness of the risks and side effects of marijuana, as well as a more prudent health policy, and government agency monitoring of the drug’s composition, creation, and distribution, are needed and recommended.

scholarly journals Forecasting the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons learned and future directions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saketh Sundar ◽  
Patrick Schwab ◽  
Jade Z.H. Tan ◽  
Santiago Romero-Brufau ◽  
Leo Anthony Celi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Resource ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Mechanistic Models ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Control And Prevention

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has demonstrated that accurate forecasts of infection and mortality rates are essential for informing healthcare resource allocation, designing countermeasures, implementing public health policies, and increasing public awareness. However, there exists a multitude of modeling methodologies, and their relative performances in accurately forecasting pandemic dynamics are not currently comprehensively understood. In this paper, we introduce the non-mechanistic MIT-LCP forecasting model, and assess and compare its performance to various mechanistic and non-mechanistic models that have been proposed for forecasting COVID-19 dynamics. We performed a comprehensive experimental evaluation which covered the time period of November 2020 to April 2021, in order to determine the relative performances of MIT-LCP and seven other forecasting models from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Forecast Hub. Our results show that there exist forecasting scenarios well-suited to both mechanistic and non-mechanistic models, with mechanistic models being particularly performant for forecasts that are further in the future when recent data may not be as informative, and non-mechanistic models being more effective with shorter prediction horizons when recent representative data is available. Improving our understanding of which forecasting approaches are more reliable, and in which forecasting scenarios, can assist effective pandemic preparation and management.

scholarly journals Skills building seminar: How can data on adolescents’ health behavior contribute to public health policies? Lessons from HBSC

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Behaviour ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Research And Policy

Abstract Adolescents (10-19) are usually thought of as rather healthy and as low users of health care compared with other age groups. Nevertheless, adolescence is a crucial and challenging transitional journey towards adult life, a time when protective health behaviours and the value of a healthy lifestyle can be adopted, or not, depending on complex interactions between determinants and individual factors. Integration of young people’s health in all policies and research agendas is crucial, beyond the health sector, and keeping in mind the needs to reduce health inequalities and to ensure equitable access to services, in a broad Public health perspective. However, Public health policies targeting young people cannot be fully relevant and efficient if they do not rely on quality data collected among young people, on their health and their health behaviours. Under the auspices of WHO, the Health behaviour in School-aged children (HBSC) survey collects data among 11-13 and 15 years-old students since 1982, in a growing number of mostly European countries, every 4 years, through anonymous self-completed questionnaires filled in in class, using shared validated instruments and methods. Our workshop aims at showing how data collected among adolescents, by improving our understanding of their health and health behaviours as well as their determinants and settings, can be used to inform and improve policies at national level. HBSC will be used as an exemple, because of its longevity, breadth, expertise, reputation and uniqueness in the field of adolescent health. Five contrasted experiences will be presented, illustrating the relevance of linking scientific evidence and policy relevance in a Public health perspective. They have been chosen to offer various perspectives in terms of countries (Ireland, Luxembourg, Israel, UK), topics (well-being, suicide, substance-use, school-health), and levels of links between research and policy. All presenters are skilled researchers, have a longstanding experience of conducting the HBSC survey and they share a strong interest in linking with policy makers in advocating the improvement of the health and well-being of the adolescents in their country. Because they all work on the same population (adolescents), and mainly work on the same survey (HBSC), the presentations and debates will start from a common ground, saving space and time to really illustrate how health behaviour data can inform Public health policies. The presenters should give contrasted perspectives, without denying their failures and difficulties, to engage with the audience for a wider discussion, towards a better partnership between research and policy. Key messages There are national examples that illustrate that research on adolescents’ health behaviour can inform Public health policy targeted at this specific population and improve its health and well-being. Networking and exchanging on failures and success through case studies can provide perspectives to other teams and countries on how to better build the link between researchers and policy makers.

scholarly journals 24.I. Workshop: Maximize impacts of research on public health policies: examples from the HBSC international study

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Health Behaviour ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Public Health Policies

Abstract Adolescence is a crucial and challenging transition between childhood and adulthood with its own specificities. A time when protective health behaviours and healthy lifestyles can be valued and adopted, or criticized and rejected, depending on complex interactions between contextual and individual factors. Even if overall adolescence can be seen as the period where individuals are the healthiest and the lowest users of health care. However, integration of young people's health in all policies and research agendas should remain of upmost importance, with a strong emphasis given to reducing social and health inequalities and inequities, in a broad public health perspective. In any case, public health policies targeting young people cannot be fully relevant and efficient if they do not rely on quality data collected among them, taking their voices into account as much as possible. Contrasted national examples will be shared to illustrate the benefits of linking scientific evidence to stakeholders’ expectations, policy relevance, in a public health perspective. Since 1982 the Health behaviour in School-aged children (HBSC) survey collects data among 11, 13- and 15-year-old students, in a growing number of mostly European countries (50 in 2020), under the auspices of WHO. Every 4 years, through anonymous self-completed questionnaires filled in in class, using shared validated instruments and methods, new data is collected. This workshop aims at sharing contrasted national case studies (different countries -Ireland, France, Portugal, Poland, Lebanon- & different perspectives and topics: nutrition, tobacco-use, child participation, partnership) illustrating how data, collected among school-children can be used to inform and improve policies targeted at adolescents in the field of health, health behaviours well-being and their determinants, in partnership with different bodies and stakeholders. All presentations will rely on data collected through the HBSC survey, whose longevity, scope, expertise & reputation are unique in the field of adolescent health. Presenters belong to teams that have a longstanding experience of research on adolescents and in conducting the HBSC survey and share a strong interest in promoting the improvement of the health and well-being of the adolescents in their country, through interacting with various stakeholders including young people, teachers, principals, parents and policy makers. The presentations and debates will start from a common ground (HBSC), allowing for more time to be devoted on how to maximize the impact of research on Public health policies and the involvement of stakeholders in data valorization. Key messages Research findings on adolescents’ health and health behaviour can be shared with and used by stakeholders and be an asset for public health policies targeting young people. National case studies different in scopes & ambitions but relying on the same international project can be used to debate with other teams & countries around improving links between research & policy.

Building a Social Justice Narrative for Public Health

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 901-904 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Wallack
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Collective Responsibility ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Social ◽  
Collective Processes

Public health is the place where science, policy, politics, and activism converge. Each public health issue is a snapshot where we can see the unfolding of the collective processes that define who we are, what we believe, and what we value as a society. Our professional strength is our commitment to community and social justice values, but we are challenged to effectively communicate these values in an individualistic, market-dominated society. It is this language of community, and the values it represents, that must be the core of the narrative animating a more just and healthier society. A public health perspective characterized by social justice argues that public health problems are primarily socially generated and can be predicted based on the level of injustice and inequality in a society. Thus, the solutions to such problems must be through progressive social and public health policies and are best understood as a collective responsibility shared across the various levels of society. When we can develop a narrative that effectively communicates the social justice values that are the foundation of this perspective, ours will be a society that better understands the meaning of public health and responds more appropriately to its challenges. We will then be collectively more effective in better translating our values into caring, and more effective, public policy. This will not be easy, but it will be necessary.

Global Research on Coronaviruses: A Metadata-Based Analysis for Health 4.0 (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thierry Warin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Decision Process ◽  
Data Science ◽  
The United States ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Global Research

BACKGROUND Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this article proposes a data science protocol to analyze the global research on coronaviruses beyond just SARS-CoV2. The use of reproducible research principles based on open science, dissemination of scientific information, and easy access to scientific production may aid public health in the race against the virus. OBJECTIVE The main objective of this article is to use the global research on coronaviruses to identify critical elements to better inform the decision process for public health policies. We devise a data science protocol to help health policymakers use the new and latest data science techniques in designing evidence-based public health policies. METHODS We use the EpiBibR package to access more than 120,000 references about the global research on coronaviruses and their metadata. To analyze these data, we first use a theoretical framework to organize the results around three dimensions: conceptual, intellectual, and social. Second, we use machine learning techniques (natural language processing) and graph theory to map the results from our analysis in these three dimensions. RESULTS Our results showcase the potential applications of the proposed data science protocol for public health policies. Our results also show that the United States and China are the leading contributors to the global research on coronaviruses. They also show that India and Europe are significant contributors, though finding themselves in a second tier. University collaborations are strong between the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in this domain, confirming the results at the country level. CONCLUSIONS Our results make a case for a data-driven public health policy, mainly when efficient and relevant research is necessary. Text mining techniques can assist policymakers in calculating research-driven indices and informing their decision process to specific actions deemed necessary for impactful health responses.

Environmental and Occupational Pollutants are Avoidable Causes of Breast Cancer

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel S. Epstein
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Cancer Society ◽  
Occupational Risk Factors ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Industrialized Nations ◽  
Prevention Of Breast Cancer

For over three decades, evidence has accumulated relating avoidable exposures to environmental and occupational carcinogens to the escalating incidence of breast cancer in the United States and other major industrialized nations. This evidence has until very recently been totally ignored by the cancer establishment, the National Cancer Institute, and the American Cancer Society, despite expenditures of over $1 billion on breast cancer research. Recognition of these environmental and occupational risk factors should lead to the belated development of public health policies directed to the primary prevention of breast cancer. Their recognition should also lend urgency to the need for radical reforms in the priorities and leadership of the cancer establishment.

scholarly journals International assessment of the link between COVID-19 related attitudes, concerns and behaviours in relation to public health policies: optimising policy strategies to improve health, economic and quality of life outcomes (the iCARE Study)

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e046127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon L Bacon ◽  
Kim L Lavoie ◽  
Jacqueline Boyle ◽  
Jovana Stojanovic ◽  
Keven Joyal-Desmarais
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Policy Strategies ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionIn the context of a highly contagious virus with only recently approved vaccines and no cure, the key to slowing the spread of the COVID-19 disease and successfully transitioning through the phases of the pandemic, including vaccine uptake, is public adherence to rapidly evolving behaviour-based public health policies. The overall objective of the iCARE Study is to assess public awareness, attitudes, concerns and behavioural responses to COVID-19 public health policies, and their impacts, on people around the world and to link behavioural survey data with policy, mobility and case data to provide behavioural science, data-driven recommendations to governments on how to optimise current policy strategies to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods and analysesThe iCARE study (www.icarestudy.com) uses a multiple cross-sectional survey design to capture self-reported information on a variety of COVID-19 related variables from individuals around the globe. Survey data are captured using two data capture methods: convenience and representative sampling. These data are then linked to open access data for policies, cases and population movement.Ethics and disseminationThe primary ethical approval was obtained from the coordinating site, the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal (REB#: 2020–2099/03–25–2020). This study will provide high-quality, accelerated and real-time evidence to help us understand the effectiveness of evolving country-level policies and communication strategies to reduce the spread of the COVID-19. Due to the urgency of the pandemic, results will be disseminated in a variety of ways, including policy briefs, social media posts, press releases and through regular scientific methods.

scholarly journals 8.I. Workshop: Populist radical right and health: National policies and global trends

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
The United States ◽  
Radical Right ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
National Policies ◽  
Global Trends ◽  
Populist Radical Right ◽  
The Welfare State

Abstract Populist radical right (PRR) parties have been steadily expanding, not only in the number of supporters they gain and the seats they win in governments, but more importantly they have been increasingly elected into governmental coalitions as well as presidential offices. With the prominence of these authoritarian, nationalistic and populist parties, it is often difficult to discern what kind of policies they actually stand for. Particularly with regards to the welfare state and public health, it is not always clear what these parties stand for. At times they call for a reduction of health-related welfare provision, despite the fact that this goes against the will of the “ordinary people”, their core supporters; they often promote radical reductions of welfare benefits among socially excluded groups - usually immigrants, whom are most in need of such services; and finally they often mobilize against evidence-based policies. The purpose of this workshop is to present the PRRs actual involvement in health care and health policies across various countries. As PRR parties increase and develop within but also outside of the European continent it is necessary to keep track of their impact, particularly with regards to health and social policies. Although research surrounding PRR parties has significantly expanded over the last years, their impact on the welfare state and more specifically health policies still remains sparse. This workshop will present findings from the first comprehensive book connecting populist radical right parties with actual health and social policy effects in Europe (Eastern and Western) as well as in the United States. This workshop presents five country cases (Austria, Poland, the Netherlands, the United States) from the book Populist Radical Right and Health: National Policies and Global Trends. All five presentations will address PRR parties or leaders and their influence on health, asking the questions “How influential are PRR parties or leaders when it comes to health policy?” “Do the PRR actually have an impact on policy outcomes?” and “What is the actual impact of the health policies implemented by PRR parties or leaders?” After these five presentations, the participants of the workshop will be engaged in an interactive discussion. Key messages As the number of PRR parties increase worldwide and their involvement in national governments become inevitable, new light must be shed on the impact these political parties have on public health. Politics needs to become better integrated into public health research. The rise of PRR parties in Europe might have serious consequences for public health and needs to be further explored.

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