Who Are the Key Players Involved with Shaping Public Opinion and Policies on Obesity and Diabetes in New Zealand?

There is an urgent need for strategic approaches to address the high prevalence of obesity and diabetes in New Zealand. Such approaches rely strongly on input from multiple actors in the diabetes and obesity policy space. We conducted a social network analysis to identify influential actors involved with shaping public opinion and/or policy regarding obesity and diabetes in New Zealand. Our analysis revealed a diverse network of 272 individuals deemed influential by their peers. These individuals represented nine professional categories, particularly academics (34%), health service providers (22%), and government representatives (17%). The network included a total of 17 identified decision-makers. Relative capacity of professional categories to access these decision-makers was highest for representatives of the food and beverage industry (25%), compared with nongovernment organisations (9%) or academics (7%). We identified six distinct brokers, in academic (n = 4), government (n = 1), and nongovernmental (n = 1) positions, who could play a key role in improving communication and networking activities among all interest groups. Such actions should ultimately establish effective networks to foster evidence-based policy development to prevent and reduce the burden of diabetes and obesity.

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Food Vendor Beware! On Ordinary Morality and Unhealthy Marketing

Food Ethics ◽

10.1007/s41055-019-00064-2 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (1-2) ◽

Author(s):

Tjidde Tempels ◽

Vincent Blok ◽

Marcel Verweij

Keyword(s):

Food Industry ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Diabetes Type 2 ◽

Beverage Industry ◽

Obesity And Diabetes ◽

Sales And Marketing ◽

Food And Beverage ◽

Adults And Children ◽

Marketing To Children ◽

Ordinary Morality

AbstractFood and beverage firms are frequently criticised for their impact on the spread of non-communicable diseases like obesity and diabetes type 2. In this article we explore under what conditions the sales and marketing of unhealthy food and beverage products is irresponsible. Starting from the notion of ordinary morality we argue that firms have a duty to respect people’s autonomy and adhere to the principle of non-maleficence in both market and non-market environments. We show how these considerations are relevant when thinking about immoral behaviour in the food and beverage industry, and identify under what conditions sales and marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to adults and children is wrong. Based on this analysis we argue that firms should take into account: whether consumers are able to identify manipulative marketing, the degree of manipulation, as well as the negative impact a product has on health. We hold that for the food industry to act responsible it should re-evaluate the marketing of unhealthy products to adults and refrain from marketing to children. We conclude this study by making several recommendations on how the food industry should interact with consumers and highlight what changes need to be made in corporate practice.

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Implementation of non-regulatory food safety management schemes in New Zealand: A survey of the food and beverage industry

Food Control ◽

10.1016/j.foodcont.2014.08.009 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 569-576 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Encheng Chen ◽

Steve Flint ◽

Paul Perry ◽

Martin Perry ◽

Robert Lau

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Food Safety ◽

Safety Management ◽

Beverage Industry ◽

Food And Beverage Industry ◽

Food And Beverage ◽

Management Schemes

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Children admitted to hospital following unintentional injury: perspectives of health service providers in Aotearoa/New Zealand

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/1472-6963-10-333 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Shanthi Ameratunga ◽

Sally Abel ◽

Sandar Tin Tin ◽

Lanuola Asiasiga ◽

Sharon Milne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Health Service ◽

Service Providers ◽

Unintentional Injury ◽

Aotearoa New Zealand ◽

Health Service Providers

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New Zealand teens and digital harm: Seeking and accessing support

10.31235/osf.io/4ym86 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Edgar Pacheco ◽

Neil Melhuish

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Service Delivery ◽

Policy Development ◽

Quantitative Research ◽

New Technologies ◽

Service Providers ◽

Perceived Usefulness ◽

Government Agencies ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Digital Environment

This publication is part of a larger quantitative research project exploring New Zealand teens’ experiences of digital risk and harm. It presents findings about the support sought by 14 to 17-year-olds who experienced unwanted digital communications in the prior year. More specifically, it reports on who they turned to for support, the reasons for their choice, and the perceived usefulness of any help they received. The findings highlight the important role that family (particularly parents) and close friends play in the actions teenagers take to cope with online incidents. This publication is for parents and educators who are seeking to better understand teens’ experiences of online risks and challenges, and to provide appropriate support to teens in their care. For service providers and government agencies these evidence-based insights can inform policy development and help to improve prevention and service delivery to young New Zealanders, so they can take advantage of new technologies while safely navigating the digital environment.

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News Media Coverage of Stakeholder Views on Suicide and Its Reporting in New Zealand

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000629 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (4) ◽

pp. 248-254

Author(s):

Gabrielle L. S. Jenkin ◽

Ben E. Slim ◽

Sunny Collings

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

New Zealand ◽

News Media ◽

Media Coverage ◽

Service Providers ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Health Service Providers ◽

Key Stakeholders ◽

Chief Coroner ◽

The Media

Abstract. Background: Periodically, a debate around suicide reporting becomes prominent in the media. At one point, the Chief Coroner of New Zealand made a public call to the media to open up discussions around suicide and its reporting. Following this action, a high-profile debate emerged in the media. Aims: Our aim was to identify the key players in this debate and examine their perspectives. Method: From a Factiva search of news items from high-circulation newspapers, we identified key stakeholders and documented their perspectives using a framing matrix. Results: Seven stakeholder groups were identified with coroners and health service providers dominant in the news. Framing around the issues varied. There was consensus among the majority of stakeholders supporting continued public health type coverage of the issue of suicide, but a number of differences in levels of support for the reporting individual suicides. Limitations: Although specific to New Zealand, the findings will be of interest to countries considering reporting restrictions. Conclusion: The debate around suicide and its reporting appears to have been obfuscated by the conflating of two different types of media reporting on suicide: news media coverage of suicide as a public health issue and the reporting of individual suicide cases.

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