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McKevitt S, White M, Petticrew M, Summerbell C, Vasiljevic M, Boyland E, Cummins S, Laverty AA, Millett C, de Vocht F, Junghans C, Vamos EP. Characterizing restrictions on commercial advertising and sponsorship of harmful commodities in local government policies: a nationwide study in England. J Public Health (Oxf) 2023; 45:878-887. [PMID: 37608490 PMCID: PMC10687598 DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdad155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Commercial advertising and sponsorship drive the consumption of harmful commodities. Local authorities (LAs) have considerable powers to reduce such exposures. This study aimed to characterize local commercial policies across all English LAs. METHODS We conducted a census of all English LAs (n = 333) to identify local commercial policies concerning advertising and sponsorship of tobacco, alcohol, less healthy foods and gambling, through online searches and Freedom of Information requests. We explored policy presence, commodity frequency and type, and associations with LA characteristics (region, urban/rural and deprivation). RESULTS Only a third (106) of LAs in England had a relevant policy (32%). These included restrictions on tobacco (91%), gambling (79%), alcohol (74%) and/or less healthy foods (24%). Policy prevalence was lowest in the East of England (22%), North East (25%) and North West (27%), higher in urban areas (36%) than rural areas (28%) and lower in the least (27%) compared with the most (38%) deprived areas. Definitions in policies varied, particularly for alcohol and less healthy foods. CONCLUSIONS English LAs currently underutilize their levers to reduce the negative impacts of harmful commodity industry marketing, particularly concerning less healthy foods. Standardized guidance, including clarity on definitions and application, could inform local policy development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah McKevitt
- Public Health Policy Evaluation Unit, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Martin White
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mark Petticrew
- Department of Public Health, Environments & Society, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Carolyn Summerbell
- Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, Fuse, Newcastle, UK
- Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Milica Vasiljevic
- Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, Fuse, Newcastle, UK
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Emma Boyland
- Department of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Steven Cummins
- Population Health Innovation Lab, Department of Public Health, Environments & Society, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Anthony A Laverty
- Public Health Policy Evaluation Unit, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Christopher Millett
- Public Health Policy Evaluation Unit, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Frank de Vocht
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Northwest London (NIHR ARC), London, UK
| | - Cornelia Junghans
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Northwest London (NIHR ARC), London, UK
| | - Eszter P Vamos
- Public Health Policy Evaluation Unit, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Johansson M, Hiswåls AS, Svennberg L, Macassa G. What do we know about corporate social responsibility and stakeholders physical activity? A Public Health Perspective. J Public Health Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/22799036221102490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In the past decade and in the context of sustainable development, business organizations have been expected to partner with governments and others to address societal problems, including those pertinent to population health. Accordingly, through their corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies and policies, companies should collaborate in health promotion efforts to modify the effects of the health determinants (including those concerning behavior change) affecting internal and external stakeholders. Although CSR strategies and policies are linked to stakeholder health and wellbeing (e.g. employee satisfaction), little is known of how these strategies affect physical activity. Thus, this perspective paper aims to contribute to the discussion of the topic by investigating what scientific evidence exists regarding the relationship between CSR and physical activity. So far there are indications that some business are implementing CSR activities targeting internal (e.g. employees) and external (e.g. consumers) stakeholders, especially in developed countries. Furthermore, among external stakeholders, CSR activities with a physical activity component targeted children, youth, the disabled, the under-privileged, and the elderly. However, there is still very little empirical evidence available using appropriate quantitative and qualitative designs. Public health and health science researchers in general should strive to advance our understanding of how CSR affects population health behavior, paving the way to develop frameworks for resilient, ethical, and sustainable health promotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malin Johansson
- Department of Public Health and Sports Science, Faculty of Occupational and Health Sciences, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden
| | - Anne-Sofie Hiswåls
- Department of Public Health and Sports Science, Faculty of Occupational and Health Sciences, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden
| | - Lena Svennberg
- Department of Public Health and Sports Science, Faculty of Occupational and Health Sciences, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden
| | - Gloria Macassa
- Department of Public Health and Sports Science, Faculty of Occupational and Health Sciences, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden
- EPIUnit–Instituto de Saude Publica, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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Lacy-Nichols J, Williams O. "Part of the Solution": Food Corporation Strategies for Regulatory Capture and Legitimacy. Int J Health Policy Manag 2021; 10:845-856. [PMID: 34634883 PMCID: PMC9309978 DOI: 10.34172/ijhpm.2021.111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND For decades, the food industry has sought to deflect criticisms of its products and block public health legislation through a range of offensive and defensive strategies. More recently, food corporations have moved on to present themselves as "part of the solution" to the health problems their products cause. This strategic approach is characterised by appeasement, co-option and partnership, and involves incremental concessions and attempts to partner with health actors. This paper details how corporate practices have evolved and changed over the past two decades and gives some definition to what this new political economy signifies for the wider behaviours of corporations producing and selling harmful commodities. METHODS This paper draws on public health and political science literature to classify the food industry's "part of the solution" strategy into three broad components: regulatory responses and capture; relationship building; and market strategies. We detail the key characteristics and consequences of each component. RESULTS The three components of the food industry's "part of the solution" strategy all involve elements of appeasement and co-option. They also improve the political environment and resources of the food industry. Regulatory responses offer incremental concessions that seek to maintain corporate influence over governance processes and minimise the threat of regulations; relationship building fosters access to health and government stakeholders, and opportunities to acquire and maintain channels of direct influence; and market strategies to make products and portfolios healthier bolster the market share and revenue of food corporations while improving their public image. CONCLUSION Rather being a signal of lost position and power, the food industry's repositioning as "part of the solution" has created a highly profitable political economy of 'healthy' food production, alongside continued production of unhealthy commodities, a strategy in which it is also less burdensome and conflictual for corporations to exercise political power and influence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Lacy-Nichols
- Centre for Health Policy, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Owain Williams
- School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
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Chavez‐Ugalde Y, Jago R, Toumpakari Z, Egan M, Cummins S, White M, Hulls P, De Vocht F. Conceptualizing the commercial determinants of dietary behaviors associated with obesity: A systematic review using principles from critical interpretative synthesis. Obes Sci Pract 2021; 7:473-486. [PMID: 34401205 PMCID: PMC8346378 DOI: 10.1002/osp4.507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Unhealthy diet is an important preventable risk factor for overweight and obesity. Identifying the key drivers of an unhealthy diet is an important public health aim. "Big Food" has been identified as an influential factor shaping dietary behavior and obesity, and their practices have broadly been labeled as the "commercial determinants of obesity," but there is a lack of definitions and conceptualizations for these terms. This review aimed to synthesize literature on the commercial determinants of dietary behavior associated with obesity. It presents the development of an integrative definition and a conceptual framework involving potential influences on dietary behavior, and it examines the prevalence of certain narratives within papers that focus on children and adolescents. METHODS Four electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) were searched up to December 2020. Eighty-one articles met the inclusion criteria: they were published in a peer-reviewed academic journal, described a practice from the food/beverage industry in relation to dietary behavior or obesity. Data were integrated using critical interpretative synthesis. RESULTS The commercial determinants of dietary behavior are conceptualized in terms of three corporate spheres of action-political and legal; production, processing and design; and marketing and preference shaping-which enable powerful food industry to successfully pursue their business, market, and political objectives. The most frequently reported sphere of action targeting children and adolescents was marketing and preference shaping. CONCLUSIONS In the included literature, the commercial determinants of dietary behavior associated with obesity have been conceptualized as being part of a complex system where corporate practices are enabled by power structures. The proposed framework can facilitate a structured identification and systematic study of the impact of specific aspects of food industry's strategies and increase opportunities for primary prevention by anticipating industry responses and by discouraging corporate practices that harm health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanaina Chavez‐Ugalde
- National Institute for Health ResearchSchool for Public Health ResearchNewcastle upon TyneUK
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical SchoolUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | - Russell Jago
- National Institute for Health ResearchSchool for Public Health ResearchNewcastle upon TyneUK
- Centre for Exercise, Nutrition & Health Sciences, School for Policy StudiesUniversity of BristolBristolUK
- National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership, Applied Health Research and Care West (NIHR CLAHRC West)BristolUK
| | - Zoi Toumpakari
- Centre for Exercise, Nutrition & Health Sciences, School for Policy StudiesUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | - Matt Egan
- National Institute for Health ResearchSchool for Public Health ResearchNewcastle upon TyneUK
- Department of Public Health, Environments and SocietyLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUK
| | - Steven Cummins
- National Institute for Health ResearchSchool for Public Health ResearchNewcastle upon TyneUK
- Department of Public Health, Environments and SocietyLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUK
| | - Martin White
- National Institute for Health ResearchSchool for Public Health ResearchNewcastle upon TyneUK
- Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR) MRC Epidemiology UnitUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Paige Hulls
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical SchoolUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | - Frank De Vocht
- National Institute for Health ResearchSchool for Public Health ResearchNewcastle upon TyneUK
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical SchoolUniversity of BristolBristolUK
- National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership, Applied Health Research and Care West (NIHR CLAHRC West)BristolUK
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Potvin Kent M, Pauzé E, Guo K, Kent A, Jean-Louis R. The physical activity and nutrition-related corporate social responsibility initiatives of food and beverage companies in Canada and implications for public health. BMC Public Health 2020; 20:890. [PMID: 32517669 PMCID: PMC7281932 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-09030-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Background As diet-related diseases have increased over the past decades, large food companies have come under scrutiny for contributing to this public health crisis. In response, the food industry has implemented Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives related to nutrition and physical activity to emphasize their concern for consumers. This study sought to describe the nature and targeted demographic of physical activity and nutrition-related CSR initiatives of large food companies in Canada and to compare companies who participate in the Canadian Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CAI), a self-regulatory initiative aimed at reducing unhealthy food advertising to children, with non-participating companies. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016. Thirty-nine large food companies, including 18 participating in the CAI, were included in the study. The webpages, Facebook pages and corporate reports of these companies were surveyed to identify CSR initiatives related to nutrition and physical activity. Initiatives were then classified by type (as either philanthropic, education-oriented, research-oriented or other) and by targeted demographic (i.e. targeted at children under 18 years or the general population). Differences between CAI and non-CAI companies were tested using chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results Overall, 63 CSR initiatives were identified; 39 were nutrition-related while 24 were physical activity-related. Most (70%) initiatives were considered philanthropic activities, followed by education-oriented (20%), research-oriented (8%) and other (2%). Almost half (47%; n = 29) of initiatives targeted children. Examples of child-targeted initiatives included support of school milk programs (n = 2), the sponsorship of children’s sports programs (n = 2) and the development of educational resources for teachers (n = 1). There were no statistically significant differences in the number of CSR initiatives per company (CAI: Mdn = 1, IQR = 3; non-CAI: Mdn = 0, IQR = 2; p = .183) or the proportion of child-targeted initiatives (CAI: 42%; non-CAI: 54%; p = .343) between CAI and non-CAI companies. Conclusion Food companies, including many that largely sell and market unhealthy products, are heavily involved in physical activity and nutrition-related initiatives in Canada, many of which are targeted to children. Government policies aimed at protecting children from unhealthy food marketing should consider including CSR initiatives that expose children to food company branding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monique Potvin Kent
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 600 Peter Morand, room 301J, Ottawa, Ontario, K1G5Z3, Canada.
| | - Elise Pauzé
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 600 Peter Morand, room 301J, Ottawa, Ontario, K1G5Z3, Canada
| | - Kevin Guo
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Rd, Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Arianne Kent
- Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, McGill University, 855 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2T7, Canada
| | - Royce Jean-Louis
- Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, 25 University Private, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 7K4, Canada
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Schrecker T, Milne E. A big, fat, complicated public health problem. J Public Health (Oxf) 2019; 40:217-218. [PMID: 30020527 DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdy118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Gonsalves CA, McGannon KR, Pegoraro A. A critical discourse analysis of gendered cardiovascular disease meanings of the #MoreMoments campaign on Twitter. J Health Psychol 2019; 26:1471-1481. [PMID: 31564127 DOI: 10.1177/1359105319878240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore how the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and Canadian Twitter users linked women's experiences and health identities with the #MoreMoments cardiovascular disease awareness campaign. Critical discourse analysis of Twitter data between September 2017 and November 2017 identified two primary discourses (tragedy and loss, and life and health) and two identity/subject positions (visionary leaders and successful survivors). Responsibility for women's health was attributed to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, also limiting neo-liberal healthism and risk identification. Novel findings included resistance through use of 'small stories' within discourses regarding the targeted demographic for health promotion and knowledge translation.
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Theorizing physical activity health promotion: towards an Eliasian framework for the analysis of health and medicine. SOCIAL THEORY & HEALTH 2019. [DOI: 10.1057/s41285-019-00098-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Adolescent perspectives of the recreational ice hockey food environment and influences on eating behaviour revealed through photovoice. Public Health Nutr 2018; 21:1255-1265. [PMID: 29493480 DOI: 10.1017/s1368980018000289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Unhealthy dietary behaviours are prevalent among adolescents. This might relate, in part, to obesogenic environments, including recreation food facilities. The REFRESH Study (Recreation Environment and Food Research: Experiences from Hockey) aimed to explore, from the perspectives of adolescent ice hockey players and parents, broad social and physical environmental influences on adolescent food behaviours associated with hockey participation. DESIGN Players used photovoice to describe their food experiences in relation to ice hockey. The approach included photos, individual interviews and focus groups. Exemplar photographs were exhibited for stakeholders, including five parents who were interviewed. Interview and focus group transcripts were thematically analysed. SETTING Recreational ice hockey environment, Ontario, Canada, 2015-16. SUBJECTS Ice hockey players (n 24) aged 11-15 years recruited from five leagues. RESULTS Dominant influences among players included: their perceived importance of nutrients (e.g. protein) or foods (e.g. chocolate milk) for performance and recovery; marketing and branding (e.g. the pro-hockey aura of Tim Horton's®, Canada's largest quick-service restaurant); social aspects of tournaments and team meals; and moral values around 'right' and 'wrong' food choices. Both players and parents perceived recreational facility food options as unhealthy and identified that travel and time constraints contributed to less healthy choices. CONCLUSIONS Results indicate recreation facilities are only one of a range of environments that influence eating behaviours of adolescent ice hockey players. Players' susceptibility to advertising/brand promotion and the value of healthy food choices for performance are findings that can inform policy and interventions to support healthy environments and behaviours.
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