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Lacy-Nichols J, Christie S, Cullerton K. Lobbying by omission: what is known and unknown about harmful industry lobbyists in Australia. Health Promot Int 2023; 38:daad134. [PMID: 37864804 PMCID: PMC10590156 DOI: 10.1093/heapro/daad134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2023] Open
Abstract
What is unknown about commercial lobbying is far greater than what is known. These omissions distort our understanding of the extent and nature of business influence on politics. Especially when businesses engage in practices that harm health, it is crucial for public health advocates to understand corporate lobbying to counter its influence. Our study proceeded in three phases. First, based on an international audit, we developed a list of the categories of information about lobbying that could be disclosed under four groups (lobby firms, lobbyists, organizations and activities) and benchmarked Australian lobbyist registers against this list. Second, we manually extracted data from lobbyist registers in eight jurisdictions, cleaned the data and created a relational model for analysis. Finally, we classified a sample of organizations as public health organizations or harmful industries to compare their activities. We identified 61 possible categories of information about lobbying in international lobbyist registers. When applied to Australian lobbyist registers, Queensland covered the widest range of categories (13, 21%), though many lacked detail and completeness. Australian lobbyist registers provided data on 462 third-party lobby firms across Australia, currently employing 1036 lobbyists and representing 4101 organizations. Several of these represented harmful industries, with gambling interests hiring the most third-party lobby firms. Ultimately, Australian lobbyist registers do not provide enough information to understand the full extent of lobbying activities taking place. Political transparency is important for public health actors to be able to monitor corporate political activity and to protect policy-making from vested interests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Lacy-Nichols
- Centre for Health Policy, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Level 5, 207 Bouverie St, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Shirae Christie
- Centre for Health Policy, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Level 5, 207 Bouverie St, Carlton 3010 Victoria, Australia
| | - Katherine Cullerton
- School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, 266 Herston Rd, Herston 4006 Queensland, Australia
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2
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Lacy-Nichols J, Marten R. Power and the commercial determinants of health: ideas for a research agenda. BMJ Glob Health 2021; 6:bmjgh-2020-003850. [PMID: 33593758 PMCID: PMC7888370 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2020] [Revised: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Lacy-Nichols
- Centre for Health Policy, The University of Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Robert Marten
- Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland
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3
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Lauber K, Rutter H, Gilmore AB. Big food and the World Health Organization: a qualitative study of industry attempts to influence global-level non-communicable disease policy. BMJ Glob Health 2021; 6:e005216. [PMID: 34117011 PMCID: PMC8202098 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-005216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION There is an urgent need for effective action to address the over 10 million annual deaths attributable to unhealthy diets. Food industry interference with policies aimed at reducing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is widely documented at the national level but remains under-researched at the global level. Thus, this study explores how ultra-processed food industry actors have attempted to influence NCD policy at WHO. METHODS A combination of inductive and deductive thematic coding of internal industry documents, academic literature and interviews with key informants from international organisations and global civil society was used to identify action-based strategies ultra-processed food industry actors employ to influence global-level policy. RESULTS Ultra-processed food industry actors have attempted to influence WHO and its policies through three main action-based strategies: coalition management, involvement in policy formulation, and information management. Coalition management includes the creation and use of overt alliances between corporations-business associations-and more covert science-focused and policy-focused intermediaries, the hiring of former WHO staff and attempted co-option of civil society organisations. Industry involvement in policy formulation is operationalised largely through the lobbying of Member States to support industry positions, and business associations gaining access to WHO through formal consultations and hearings. Information management involves funding and disseminating research favourable to commercial interests, and challenging unfavourable evidence. CONCLUSION We provide novel insights into how ultra-processed food industry actors shape global-level NCD policy and identify a clear need to guard against commercial interference to advance NCD policy. In their approach, the political behaviour of multinational food corporations bears similarities to that of the tobacco industry. Increased awareness of, and safeguarding against, commercial interference at the national as well as the global level have the potential to strengthen the crucial work of WHO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Lauber
- Tobacco Control Research Group, Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Harry Rutter
- Department of Social and Policy Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Anna B Gilmore
- Tobacco Control Research Group, Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK
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Heilmann A, Ziller S. [Reducing sugar consumption to improve oral health-which strategies are effective?]. Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz 2021; 64:838-846. [PMID: 34014353 PMCID: PMC8241649 DOI: 10.1007/s00103-021-03349-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Strategien zur Gesundheitsförderung können einen wesentlichen Beitrag leisten, um nichtübertragbare chronische Krankheiten zu verhindern. Die wesentlichen nichtübertragbaren Erkrankungen in der Zahnmedizin sind Zahnkaries und Parodontalerkrankungen. Zucker spielt sowohl bei der Entstehung von Zahnkaries als auch von Übergewicht und dessen Folgen für die Allgemeingesundheit eine ursächliche Rolle und ist daher als wichtige kommerzielle Gesundheitsdeterminante mehr und mehr ins Blickfeld von Wissenschaft und Gesundheitspolitik gerückt. Existierende Strategien zur Reduktion des Zuckerkonsums zielen jedoch häufig auf Maßnahmen zur individuellen Verhaltensänderung ab und lassen dabei die Rolle von gesellschaftlichen und kommerziellen Einflüssen außer Acht. In diesem Artikel beschreiben wir die aktuellen Empfehlungen der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) zum Zuckerkonsum, Daten zum Zuckerverzehr in Deutschland sowie die sozialen und kommerziellen Faktoren, welche den Zuckerkonsum beeinflussen. Grundlegende Prinzipien der Gesundheitsförderung werden dargelegt und sich daraus ergebende Strategien zur Zuckerreduzierung diskutiert. Dabei werden konkrete Beispiele für Upstream- und Downstream-Ansätze benannt und Möglichkeiten der Einflussnahme durch die zahnmedizinische Community in Politik und Praxis aufgezeigt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Heilmann
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, WC1E 6BT, London, Großbritannien.
| | - Sebastian Ziller
- Abteilung Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung, Bundeszahnärztekammer (BZÄK), Berlin, Deutschland
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5
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Cullerton K, Debia S, Ferguson M, Johnston I. Towards an advocacy evaluation framework: measuring the impact of submission writing. Aust N Z J Public Health 2021; 45:4-5. [PMID: 33528046 DOI: 10.1111/1753-6405.13071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sena Debia
- Public Health Association of Australia, Australian Capital Territory
| | - Megan Ferguson
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland
| | - Ingrid Johnston
- Public Health Association of Australia, Australian Capital Territory
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6
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Woteki CE, Kramer BL, Cohen S, Lancaster VA. Impacts and Echoes: The Lasting Influence of the White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health. Annu Rev Nutr 2020; 40:437-461. [PMID: 32631144 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-nutr-121619-045319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The 1969 White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health had a significant influence on the direction of food and nutrition policy in the United States. The conference produced recommendations leading to federal legislation and programs to alleviate hunger and malnutrition, improve consumers' nutrition knowledge through education and labeling, and monitor the nutritional status of the population. Fifty years later, its legacy was revisited at a conference convened by Harvard University and Tufts University. This article reviews the literature contributing to the first author's keynote speech at the conference, its influencers, and its influences. We focus on the highlights of five domains that set the stage for the conference: the social environment, the food environment, nutrition science, public health data, and policy events. We briefly describe the conference, its proposed directions, and its lasting legacy in these five domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine E Woteki
- Social and Decision Analytics, Biocomplexity Institute, University of Virginia, Arlington, Virginia 22209, USA;
| | - Brandon L Kramer
- Social and Decision Analytics, Biocomplexity Institute, University of Virginia, Arlington, Virginia 22209, USA;
| | - Samantha Cohen
- Social and Decision Analytics, Biocomplexity Institute, University of Virginia, Arlington, Virginia 22209, USA;
| | - Vicki A Lancaster
- Social and Decision Analytics, Biocomplexity Institute, University of Virginia, Arlington, Virginia 22209, USA;
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Lauber K, Ralston R, Mialon M, Carriedo A, Gilmore AB. Non-communicable disease governance in the era of the sustainable development goals: a qualitative analysis of food industry framing in WHO consultations. Global Health 2020; 16:76. [PMID: 32847604 PMCID: PMC7448499 DOI: 10.1186/s12992-020-00611-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The UN system's shift towards multistakeholder governance, now embedded in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), invites a broad range of actors, including the private sector, to the policymaking table. Although the tobacco industry is formally excluded from engagement, this approach provides opportunities for other unhealthy commodity industries to influence the World Health Organization's (WHO's) non-communicable disease (NCD) agenda. Focusing on the food industry, this research maps which actors engaged with WHO consultations, and critically examines actors' policy and governance preferences as well as the framing they employ to promote these preferences in the global context. METHODS All written responses from food industry actors to publicly available NCD-relevant WHO consultations held between September 2015 and September 2018 were identified, totalling forty-five responses across five consultations. A qualitative frame analysis was conducted to identify policy positions expressed by respondents, as well as arguments and frames used to do so. RESULTS Though no individual companies responded to the consultations, the majority of participating business associations had some of the largest multinational food corporations as members. Respondents overarchingly promoted non-statutory approaches and opposed statutory regulation and conflict of interest safeguards. To this purpose, they framed the food industry as a legitimate and necessary partner in policymaking, differentiating themselves from the tobacco industry and referencing a history of successful collaboration, while also invoking multistakeholder norms and good governance principles to portray collaboration as required. Respondents contrasted this with the limits of WHO's mandate, portraying it as out of step with the SDGs and framing NCD decision-making as a matter of national sovereignty. CONCLUSION We observed that the UN's call for partnerships to support the SDGs is invoked to defend corporate access to NCD policy. This highlights the need for more cautious approaches which are mindful of the commercial determinants of health. Systematic opposition to regulation and to governance approaches which may compromise commercial actors' insider role in global health by food industry actors shown here, and the strategic use of the Sustainable Development agenda to this purpose, raises questions about the value of collaboration from the perspective of international health agencies such as WHO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Lauber
- Tobacco Control Research Group, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
- SPECTRUM Consortium, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Rob Ralston
- Global Health Policy Unit, School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Mélissa Mialon
- School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Anna B Gilmore
- Tobacco Control Research Group, University of Bath, Bath, UK
- SPECTRUM Consortium, Edinburgh, UK
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8
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Saulnier KM. Telling, Hearing, and Believing: A Critical Analysis of Narrative Bioethics. JOURNAL OF BIOETHICAL INQUIRY 2020; 17:297-308. [PMID: 32180110 DOI: 10.1007/s11673-020-09973-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Narrative ethics taps into an inherent human need to tell our own stories centred on our own moral values and to have those stories heard and acknowledged. However, not everyone's words are afforded equal power. The use of narrative ethics in bioethical decision-making is problematized by a disparity in whose stories are told, whose stories are heard, and whose stories are believed. Here, I conduct an analysis of narrative ethics through a critical theory lens to show how entrenched patterns of narrative neglect in medicine are harming not only our capacity to make use of narrative ethics but also our capacity to deliver effective healthcare. To illustrate this point, I use three examples where the patient's gender affects how their stories unfold: autism, weight, and pain management. From these, I argue that the use of narrative ethics without the application of a critical theory lens risks the exacerbation of what Miranda Fricker refers to as "testimonial injustice," the prima facie harm experienced by individuals whose credibility is undermined by others' prejudices. Finally, I suggest that narrative ethics can be a powerful tool for mitigating oppressive practices in medicine if we couple it with critical analysis that enables us to understand the power dynamics at play in storytelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- K M Saulnier
- Centre of Genomics and Policy, 740 Dr Penfield Ave, Room 5206, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 0G1, Canada.
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9
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Peres MA, Macpherson LMD, Weyant RJ, Daly B, Venturelli R, Mathur MR, Listl S, Celeste RK, Guarnizo-Herreño CC, Kearns C, Benzian H, Allison P, Watt RG. Oral diseases: a global public health challenge. Lancet 2019; 394:249-260. [PMID: 31327369 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(19)31146-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1391] [Impact Index Per Article: 278.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Revised: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Oral diseases are among the most prevalent diseases globally and have serious health and economic burdens, greatly reducing quality of life for those affected. The most prevalent and consequential oral diseases globally are dental caries (tooth decay), periodontal disease, tooth loss, and cancers of the lips and oral cavity. In this first of two papers in a Series on oral health, we describe the scope of the global oral disease epidemic, its origins in terms of social and commercial determinants, and its costs in terms of population wellbeing and societal impact. Although oral diseases are largely preventable, they persist with high prevalence, reflecting widespread social and economic inequalities and inadequate funding for prevention and treatment, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). As with most non-communicable diseases (NCDs), oral conditions are chronic and strongly socially patterned. Children living in poverty, socially marginalised groups, and older people are the most affected by oral diseases, and have poor access to dental care. In many LMICs, oral diseases remain largely untreated because the treatment costs exceed available resources. The personal consequences of chronic untreated oral diseases are often severe and can include unremitting pain, sepsis, reduced quality of life, lost school days, disruption to family life, and decreased work productivity. The costs of treating oral diseases impose large economic burdens to families and health-care systems. Oral diseases are undoubtedly a global public health problem, with particular concern over their rising prevalence in many LMICs linked to wider social, economic, and commercial changes. By describing the extent and consequences of oral diseases, their social and commercial determinants, and their ongoing neglect in global health policy, we aim to highlight the urgent need to address oral diseases among other NCDs as a global health priority.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco A Peres
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland and School of Dentistry and Oral Health, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
| | - Lorna M D Macpherson
- Department of Dental Public Health, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Robert J Weyant
- Department of Dental Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Blánaid Daly
- Division of Child and Public Dental Health, Dublin Dental University Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Renato Venturelli
- WHO Collaborating Centre in Oral Health Inequalities and Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Stefan Listl
- Quality and Safety of Oral Healthcare, Department of Dentistry, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands; Section for Translational Health Economics, Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Roger Keller Celeste
- Department of Preventive and Social Dentistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Carol C Guarnizo-Herreño
- Departamento de Salud Colectiva, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Cristin Kearns
- Department of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences and Philip R Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Habib Benzian
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Quality-Improvement, Evidence-Based Dentistry, Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY, USA; New York University College of Global Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Paul Allison
- Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Richard G Watt
- WHO Collaborating Centre in Oral Health Inequalities and Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK.
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Reddy SK, Mazhar S, Lencucha R. The financial sustainability of the World Health Organization and the political economy of global health governance: a review of funding proposals. Global Health 2018; 14:119. [PMID: 30486890 PMCID: PMC6264055 DOI: 10.1186/s12992-018-0436-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to experience immense financial stress. The precarious financial situation of the WHO has given rise to extensive dialogue and debate. This dialogue has generated diverse technical proposals to remedy the financial woes of the WHO and is intimately tied to existential questions about the future of the WHO in global health governance. In this paper, we review, categorize, and synthesize the proposals for financial reform of the WHO. It appears that less contentious issues, such as convening financing dialogue and establishing a health emergency programme, received consensus from member states. However, member states are reluctant to increase the assessed annual contributions to the WHO, which weakens the prospect for greater autonomy for the organisation. The WHO remains largely supported by earmarked voluntary contributions from states and non-state actors. We argue that while financial reform requires institutional changes to enhance transparency, accountability and efficiency, it is also deeply tied to the political economy of state sovereignty and ideas about the leadership role of the WHO in a crowded global health governance context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srikanth K. Reddy
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Rabinovitch House, 3640 de la Montagne, Montreal, QC H3G 2A8 Canada
| | - Sumaira Mazhar
- McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Raphael Lencucha
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Rabinovitch House, 3640 de la Montagne, Montreal, QC H3G 2A8 Canada
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Madureira Lima J, Galea S. Corporate practices and health: a framework and mechanisms. Global Health 2018; 14:21. [PMID: 29448968 PMCID: PMC5815179 DOI: 10.1186/s12992-018-0336-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2017] [Accepted: 01/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Global Burden of Disease estimates that approximately a third of deaths worldwide are attributable to behavioural risk factors that, at their core, have the consumption of unhealthful products and exposures produced by profit driven commercial entities. We use Steven Lukes' three-dimensional view of power to guide the study of the practices deployed by commercial interests to foster the consumption of these commodities. Additionally, we propose a framework to systematically study corporations and other commercial interests as a distal, structural, societal factor that causes disease and injury. Our framework offers a systematic approach to mapping corporate activity, allowing us to anticipate and prevent actions that may have a deleterious effect on population health. CONCLUSION Our framework may be used by, and can have utility for, public health practitioners, researchers, students, activists and other members of civil society, policy makers and public servants in charge of policy implementation. It can also be useful to corporations who are interested in identifying key actions they can take towards improving population health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Madureira Lima
- Department of Sociology, University of Oxford, Manor Rd Building, Manor Road, Oxford, OX1 3UQ, UK.
| | - Sandro Galea
- School of Public Health, Boston University, 715 Albany St, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
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Buse K, Tanaka S, Hawkes S. Healthy people and healthy profits? Elaborating a conceptual framework for governing the commercial determinants of non-communicable diseases and identifying options for reducing risk exposure. Global Health 2017; 13:34. [PMID: 28619031 PMCID: PMC5472958 DOI: 10.1186/s12992-017-0255-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2017] [Accepted: 06/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) represent a significant threat to human health and well-being, and carry significant implications for economic development and health care and other costs for governments and business, families and individuals. Risks for many of the major NCDs are associated with the production, marketing and consumption of commercially produced food and drink, particularly those containing sugar, salt and transfats (in ultra-processed products), alcohol and tobacco. The problems inherent in primary prevention of NCDs have received relatively little attention from international organizations, national governments and civil society, especially when compared to the attention paid to secondary and tertiary prevention regimes (i.e. those focused on provision of medical treatment and long-term clinical management). This may in part reflect that until recently the NCDs have not been deemed a priority on the overall global health agenda. Low political priority may also be due in part to the complexity inherent in implementing feasible and acceptable interventions, such as increased taxation or regulation of access, particularly given the need to coordinate action beyond the health sector. More fundamentally, governing determinants of risk frequently brings public health into conflict with the interests of profit-driven food, beverage, alcohol and tobacco industries. Materials We use a conceptual framework to review three models of governance of NCD risk: self-regulation by industry; hybrid models of public-private engagement; and public sector regulation. We analyse the challenges inherent in each model, and review what is known (or not) about their impact on NCD outcomes. Conclusion While piecemeal efforts have been established, we argue that mechanisms to control the commercial determinants of NCDs are inadequate and efforts at remedial action too limited. Our paper sets out an agenda to strengthen each of the three governance models. We identify reforms that will be needed to the global health architecture to govern NCD risks, including to strengthen its ability to consolidate the collective power of diverse stakeholders, its authority to develop and enforce clear measures to address risks, as well as establish monitoring and rights-based accountability systems across all actors to drive measurable, equitable and sustainable progress in reducing the global burden of NCDs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sarah Hawkes
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK.
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Stuckler D, Reeves A, Loopstra R, McKee M. Textual analysis of sugar industry influence on the World Health Organization's 2015 sugars intake guideline. Bull World Health Organ 2016; 94:566-73. [PMID: 27516634 PMCID: PMC4969989 DOI: 10.2471/blt.15.165852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Revised: 02/02/2016] [Accepted: 02/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine whether sugar industry-related organizations influenced textual changes between the draft and final versions of the World Health Organization's (WHO's) 2015 guideline Sugars intake for adults and children. METHODS Stakeholder consultation submissions on the draft guideline from seven sugar industry-related and 10 public health organizations were assessed using the Wordscores program. Document scores were rescaled using the Martin-Vanberg transformation to improve comparability. Draft and final guidelines were compared to identify changes influenced by the sugar industry and public health organizations. FINDINGS There was a small shift in transformed Wordscores score between the draft and final guidelines, from 0.25 to 0.24, towards the industry position. The change was linked to increased use of the word "low" to describe the quality of the evidence, consistent with industry arguments. There was also a shift from use of the word "consumption" to "intake", irrespective of policy position. Scores for World Sugar Research Organisation and Sugar Nutrition UK submissions ( 0.11 and 0.18, respectively) represented strong pro-industry positions and scores for European Public Health Alliance and Wemos submissions (1.00 and 0.88, respectively) represented the strongest public health positions. Industry tactics included challenging the quality of the evidence, distinguishing between different types of sugar and advocating harm reduction. CONCLUSION There was little change between draft and final versions of the WHO sugars intake guideline 2015, following industry consultation. The main change was linked to emphasizing the low quality of the evidence on sugar's adverse effects. Guideline development appeared relatively resistant to industry influence at the stakeholder consultation stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Stuckler
- Department of Sociology, University of Oxford, Manor Road Building, Oxford, OX1 3UQ, England
| | - Aaron Reeves
- International Inequalities Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, England
| | - Rachel Loopstra
- Department of Sociology, University of Oxford, Manor Road Building, Oxford, OX1 3UQ, England
| | - Martin McKee
- Department of Public Health & Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, England
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Nulu S. Neglected chronic disease: The WHO framework on non-communicable diseases and implications for the global poor. Glob Public Health 2016; 12:396-415. [PMID: 26948138 DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2016.1154584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The current global framework on noncommunicable disease (NCD), as exemplified by the WHO Action Plan of 2012, neglects the needs of the global poor. The current framework is rooted in an outdated pseudo-evolutionary theory of epidemiologic transition, which weds NCDs to modernity, and relies on global aggregate data. It is oriented around a simplistic causal model of behaviour, risk and disease, which implicitly locates 'risk' within individuals, conveniently drawing attention away from important global drivers of the NCD epidemic. In fact, the epidemiologic realities of the bottom billion reveal a burden of neglected chronic diseases that are associated with 'alternative' environmental and infectious risks that are largely structurally determined. In addition, the vertical orientation of the framework fails to centralise health systems and delivery issues that are essential to chronic disease prevention and treatment. A new framework oriented around a global health equity perspective would be able to correct some of the failures of the current model by bringing the needs of the global poor to the forefront, and centralising health systems and delivery. In addition, core social science concepts such as Bordieu's habitus may be useful to re-conceptualising strategies that may address both behavioural and structural determinants of health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanti Nulu
- a Department of Medicine , Yale University , New Haven , CT , USA
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Moodie R, Stuckler D, Monteiro C, Sheron N, Neal B, Thamarangsi T, Lincoln P, Casswell S. Profits and pandemics: prevention of harmful effects of tobacco, alcohol, and ultra-processed food and drink industries. Lancet 2013; 381:670-9. [PMID: 23410611 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(12)62089-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 882] [Impact Index Per Article: 80.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The 2011 UN high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) called for multisectoral action including with the private sector and industry. However, through the sale and promotion of tobacco, alcohol, and ultra-processed food and drink (unhealthy commodities), transnational corporations are major drivers of global epidemics of NCDs. What role then should these industries have in NCD prevention and control? We emphasise the rise in sales of these unhealthy commodities in low-income and middle-income countries, and consider the common strategies that the transnational corporations use to undermine NCD prevention and control. We assess the effectiveness of self-regulation, public-private partnerships, and public regulation models of interaction with these industries and conclude that unhealthy commodity industries should have no role in the formation of national or international NCD policy. Despite the common reliance on industry self-regulation and public-private partnerships, there is no evidence of their effectiveness or safety. Public regulation and market intervention are the only evidence-based mechanisms to prevent harm caused by the unhealthy commodity industries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rob Moodie
- Melbourne School of Population Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
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Abstract
Professor Gerard Hastings, OBE, Director of the Institute for Social Marketing and the Centre for Tobacco Control Research at University of Stirling and the Open University, offers an insight into how business wins hearts and minds — and the opportunities it presents for public health
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerard Hastings
- Institute for Social Marketing and the Centre for Tobacco Control Research at University of Striling, Open University
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