Health Messages on Television Commercials

1992 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 190-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Wallack ◽  
Lori Dorfman
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Messages ◽  
Behavioral Risk ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Television Commercials ◽  
The Public ◽  
Television Content ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Good Nutrition

Background and Purpose. Television is an important source of health information in the United States, yet little research has focused on the presentation of general health issues on television. This preliminary study reports on the health-related content of television commercials found on a typical television day. Methods. We conducted a content analysis of a composite day of television comprising 20 hours randomly selected over a three week period (April-May 1989). Findings are presented regarding health messages found in commercial time — advertisements, public service announcements (PSAs), editorials, and promotions for upcoming programs. Results. Overall, 31 % of the 654 commercial spots contained health messages. Most health messages were claims of good nutrition in food and beverage advertisements. PSAs comprise 1.4% of the 20-hour sample and 5.8% of the commercial time. Health messages appeared in 38% of PSAs, accounting for less than seven minutes. Not one PSA addressed tobacco, alcohol, or diet — the three leading behavioral risk factors for poor health. Discussion. PSAs are usually seen as a mechanism by which the public health community can alert the public to important health issues. Given the declining pool of PSA time, public health educators will need to seek alternative strategies for influencing television content, such as media advocacy. In addition, further research on audience interpretation and response to commercial messages is suggested.

The Emergence of COVID-19 in the US: A Public Health and Political Communication Crisis

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 967-981 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Gollust ◽  
Rebekah H. Nagler ◽  
Erika Franklin Fowler
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Political Communication ◽  
Initial Response ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Attitudes And Beliefs ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Us

Abstract The coronavirus public health crisis is also a political-communication and health-communication crisis. In this article, the authors describe the key communication-related phenomena and evidence of concerning effects manifested in the United States during the initial response to the pandemic. The authors outline the conditions of communication about coronavirus that contribute to deleterious outcomes, including partisan cueing, conflicting science, downplayed threats, emotional arousal, fragmented media, and Trump's messaging. The authors suggest these have contributed to divergent responses by media sources, partisan leaders, and the public alike, leading to different attitudes and beliefs as well as varying protective actions taken by members of the public to reduce their risk. In turn, these divergent communication phenomena will likely amplify geographic variation in and inequities with COVID-19 disease outcomes. The authors conclude with some suggestions for future research, particularly surrounding communication about health inequity and strategies for reducing partisan divergence in views of public health issues in the future.

Public Health in the Context of Migration: Ethics Issues Related to Immigrants and Refugees

2019 ◽  
pp. 244-256
Author(s):  
Rachel E. Fabi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Publicly Funded ◽  
The Public ◽  
Freedom Of Movement ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Immigrant And Refugee

This chapter explores the ethics and public health issues associated with immigrant and refugee populations, both in the United States and globally. People move across borders for a variety of reasons, including the pursuit of economic opportunities, family reunification, or safety from violence. In order to engage with the public health ethics questions related to different types of migration, this chapter delves into the normative positions of cosmopolitanism, nationalism, and communitarianism. These positions are then applied to ethical issues in migration, including human rights, freedom of movement, open borders, and obligations to noncitizens. Finally, this chapter examines the ethical implications of three public health issues: immigrant health screening, immigration detention, and the provision of publicly funded health care to undocumented immigrants.

The risks of public health partnerships with the food and beverage industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M McKe
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Present Evidence ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Partnerships ◽  
Regulatory Processes ◽  
Beverage Industry ◽  
Food And Beverage Industry ◽  
Food And Beverage

Abstract Martin McKee will question whether the private sector can be trusted to act as partners in addressing global health issues such as the NCD pandemic, and present evidence that suggests health actors should proceed with caution when considering the industry as potential bedfellows. He will argue that the known actions of many commercial organisations impose an obligation on those seeking to engage with public health bodies to demonstrate absolute transparency, while the public health bodies have an obligation to understand the ways in which commercial organisations seek to shape the dominant narrative and capture regulatory processes.

scholarly journals Agreements Between Public Health Organizations and Food and Beverage Companies: Approaches to Improving Evaluation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean L. Wiecha ◽  
Mary K. Muth
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Third Party ◽  
The Public ◽  
Beverage Industry ◽  
Food And Beverage Industry ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Access To Data

Efforts in the United States and abroad to address the chronic disease epidemic have led to the emergence of voluntary industry agreements as a substitute for regulatory approaches to improve the healthfulness of foods and beverages. Because of the lack of access to data and limited budgets, evaluations of these agreements have often been limited to process evaluation with less focus on outcomes and impact. Increasing scientific scope and rigor in evaluating voluntary food and beverage industry agreements would improve potential public health benefits and understanding of the effects of these agreements. We describe how evaluators can provide formative, process, and outcome assessment and discuss challenges and opportunities for impact assessment. We explain how logic models, industry profiles, quasi-experimental designs, mixed-methods approaches, and third-party data can improve the effectiveness of agreement design and evaluation. These methods could result in more comprehensive and rigorous evaluation of voluntary industry agreements, thus providing data to bolster the public health impacts of future agreements. However, improved access to data and larger evaluation budgets will be needed to support improvements in evaluation.

Adapting to Teaching During a Pandemic: Pedagogical Adjustments for the Next Semester of Teaching During COVID-19 and Future Online Learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 237337992098726
Author(s):  
Siobhan Hickling ◽  
Alexandra Bhatti ◽  
Gina Arena ◽  
James Kite ◽  
Justin Denny ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Great Majority ◽  
The United States ◽  
Teaching Philosophies ◽  
The Public ◽  
Video Meeting ◽  
Health Teaching

COVID-19 has altered public health higher education and its impact on pedagogy will be felt long into the future. In response to social distancing measures, teaching academics implemented a number of changes to curricula. It is important to better understand and begin to evaluate these changes, as well as set a course for future changes to public health curricula both during and after the pandemic to best enable transformative learning. Teaching academics have an understanding of academic hierarchies and student perceptions and are well placed to provide insights into current and future changes to pedagogy in response to the pandemic. A survey was developed to examine changes that academics had made to their teaching in response to COVID-19. Responses were received from 63 public health teaching academics from five universities in Australia, the United States, and Canada. Public health teaching academics rapidly implemented a number of changes to their teaching, including alterations that enabled online teaching. The great majority of changes to teaching were related to tools or techniques, such as synchronous tutorials delivered in a video meeting room. There remains further work for the public health pedagogy community in reevaluating teaching aims and teaching philosophies in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This could include examination of the weighting of different topics, including communicable diseases, in curricula. A series of questions to assist academics reformulating their curricula is provided. Public health teaching evolved rapidly to meet the challenges of COVID-19; however, ongoing adaptation is necessary to further enhance pedagogy.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Face Coverings in Mitigating the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 3666
Author(s):  
Olukayode James Ayodeji ◽  
Seshadri Ramkumar
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
District Of Columbia ◽  
Preventive Measure ◽  
The United States ◽  
Protective Measure ◽  
Sharp Change ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Challenges ◽  
Effective Preventive Measure

The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the biggest public health challenges of the 21st century. Many prevalent measures have been taken to prevent its spread and protect the public. However, the use of face coverings as an effective preventive measure remains contentious. The goal of the current study is to evaluate the effectiveness of face coverings as a protective measure. We examined the effectiveness of face coverings between 1 April and 31 December 2020. This was accomplished by analyzing trends of daily new COVID-19 cases, cumulative confirmed cases, and cases per 100,000 people in different U.S. states, including the District of Columbia. The results indicated a sharp change in trends after face covering mandates. For the 32 states with face covering mandates, 63% and 66% exhibited a downward trend in confirmed cases within 21 and 28 days of implementation, respectively. We estimated that face covering mandates in the 32 states prevented approximately 78,571 and 109,703 cases within 21- and 28-day periods post face covering mandate, respectively. A statistically significant (p = 0.001) negative correlation (−0.54) was observed between the rate of cases and days since the adoption of a face covering mandate. We concluded that the use of face coverings can provide necessary protection if they are properly used.

Will Routine Annual Influenza Prevention and Control Systems Serve the United States Well in a Pandemic?

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (S2) ◽  
pp. S160-S165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanne S. Ringel ◽  
Melinda Moore ◽  
John Zambrano ◽  
Nicole Lurie
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
The United States ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Pandemic Preparedness ◽  
The Public ◽  
Influenza Prevention ◽  
And Control

ABSTRACTObjective: To assess the extent to which the systems in place for prevention and control of routine annual influenza could provide the information and experience needed to manage a pandemic.Methods: The authors conducted a qualitative assessment based on key informant interviews and the review of relevant documents.Results: Although there are a number of systems in place that would likely serve the United States well in a pandemic, much of the information and experience needed to manage a pandemic optimally is not available.Conclusions: Systems in place for routine annual influenza prevention and control are necessary but not sufficient for managing a pandemic, nor are they used to their full potential for pandemic preparedness. Pandemic preparedness can be strengthened by building more explicitly upon routine influenza activities and the public health system’s response to the unique challenges that arise each influenza season (eg, vaccine supply issues, higher than normal rates of influenza-related deaths). (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2009;3(Suppl 2):S160–S165)

Programs of the Cancer Control Program—U. S. Public Health Service

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1967 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 527-528
Author(s):  
Charles J. A. Schulte
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Public Health Service ◽  
Environmental Control ◽  
Cancer Control ◽  
Control Program ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Public ◽  
Cancer Control Program

ON JANUARY 1, 1967, the Cancer Control Program will become part of the National Center for Chronic Disease Control within the Public Health Service's new Bureau of Disease Prevention and Environmental Control. Our primary mission is to stimulate and encourage the application of currently available techniques of cancer prevention, cancer detection, and cancer control to the community at the grass roots level. If this will be the case after the reorganization remains to be seen. Figure 1 shows the new organization of the Public Health Service. By way of illustration, I think it would be well to briefly outline a few of our activities. An area of heavy emphasis has been the use of the Papanicolaou smears for cervical cancer control. These programs have been responsible for developing certified cytotechnology training schools, supporting and training large numbers of cytotechnicians. In addition, we are supporting some 90 hospital-based cervical cancer screening projects across the country. A program to encourage the general practitioner to screen his private patients in the office is jointly sponsored by the American Academy of General Practice and the Cancer Control Program. The very grave problem in the United States of smoking and carcinoma of the lung is the major responsibility of tile National Clearinghouse for Smoking and Health, a part of the Division of Chronic Diseases which developed out of the Cancer Control Program. We are engaged in a number of developmental projects, such as the flexible fiber optic proctosigmoidoscope. We hope to be able to produce a proctosigmoidoscope that will reach the splenic flexure.

scholarly journals Analysis of corporate political activity strategies of the food industry: evidence from France

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 3407-3421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Mialon ◽  
Jonathan Mialon
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Political Activity ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Corporate Political Activity ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Different Sources

AbstractObjectiveTo identify the corporate political activity (CPA) of major food industry actors in France.DesignWe followed an approach based on information available in the public domain. Different sources of information, freely accessible to the public, were monitored.Setting/SubjectsData were collected and analysed between March and August 2015. Five actors were selected: ANIA (Association Nationale des Industries Agroalimentaires/National Association of Agribusiness Industries); Coca-Cola; McDonald’s; Nestlé; and Carrefour.ResultsOur analysis shows that the main practices used by Coca-Cola and McDonald’s were the framing of diet and public health issues in ways favourable to the company, and their involvement in the community. ANIA primarily used the ‘information and messaging’ strategy (e.g. by promoting deregulation and shaping the evidence base on diet- and public health-related issues), as well as the ‘policy substitution’ strategy. Nestlé framed diet and public health issues, and shaped the evidence base on diet- and public health-related issues. Carrefour particularly sought involvement in the community.ConclusionsWe found that, in 2015, the food industry in France was using CPA practices that were also used by other industries in the past, such as the tobacco and alcohol industries. Because most, if not all, of these practices proved detrimental to public health when used by the tobacco industry, we propose that the precautionary principle should guide decisions when engaging or interacting with the food industry.

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