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Freudenberg N. The Role of Social Movements in Reducing Harmful Corporate Practices Comment on "National Public Health Surveillance of Corporations in Key Unhealthy Commodity Industries - A Scoping Review and Framework Synthesis". Int J Health Policy Manag 2024; 13:8664. [PMID: 39620505 PMCID: PMC11607735 DOI: 10.34172/ijhpm.8664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2024] [Accepted: 10/20/2024] [Indexed: 12/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Systematic public monitoring of the practices of corporations that harm health is a necessary but not sufficient measure to reduce the adverse impact of these practices. By supporting social movements and health activist campaigns that seek to modify the corporate structures, systems and practices that harm health, public health professionals and researchers can bring powerful new voices into this crucial public health task. Partnerships between the public health organizations and social movements and activists who seek to make human and planetary well-being more important objectives than higher corporate profits can help to achieve this aim. Public health professionals can play an important role in supporting such partnerships.
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Burgess R, Nyhan K, Freudenberg N, Ransome Y. Corporate activities that influence population health: a scoping review and qualitative synthesis to develop the HEALTH-CORP typology. Global Health 2024; 20:77. [PMID: 39516852 PMCID: PMC11549802 DOI: 10.1186/s12992-024-01082-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2024] [Indexed: 11/16/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The concept of the commercial determinants of health (CDH) is used to study the actions of commercial entities and the political and economic systems, structures, and norms that enable these actions and ultimately influence population health and health inequity. The aim of this study was to develop a typology that describes the diverse set of activities through which commercial entities influence population health and health equity across industries. METHODS We conducted a scoping review to identify articles using CDH terms (n = 116) published prior to September 13, 2022 that discuss corporate activities that can influence population health and health equity across 16 industries. We used the qualitative constant comparative method to inductively code descriptions and examples of corporate activities within these articles, arrange the activities into descriptive domains, and generate an overarching typology. RESULTS The resulting Corporate Influences on Population Health (HEALTH-CORP) typology identifies 70 corporate activities that can influence health across industries, which are categorized into seven domains of corporate influence (i.e., political practices, preference and perception shaping practices, corporate social responsibility practices, economic practices, products & services, employment practices, and environmental practices). We present a model that situates these domains based on their proximity to health outcomes and identify five population groups (i.e., consumers, workers, disadvantaged groups, vulnerable groups, and local communities) to consider when evaluating corporate health impacts. DISCUSSION The HEALTH-CORP typology facilitates an understanding of the diverse set of corporate activities that can influence population health and the population groups affected by these activities. We discuss how the HEALTH-CORP model and typology could be used to support the work of policy makers and civil society actors, as well as provide the conceptual infrastructure for future surveillance efforts to monitor corporate practices that affect health across industries. Finally, we discuss two gaps in the CDH literature that we identified based on our findings: the lack of research on environmental and employment practices and a dearth of scholarship dedicated to investigating corporate practices in low- and middle-income countries. We propose potential avenues to address these gaps (e.g., aligning CDH monitoring with other occupational health monitoring initiatives).
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Burgess
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT, 06510, United States of America.
| | - Kate Nyhan
- Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library, Yale University, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06510, United States of America
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT, 06510, United States of America
| | - Nicholas Freudenberg
- Department of Community Health and Social Sciences, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, 55 W 125th Street, New York City, 10027, United States of America
| | - Yusuf Ransome
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT, 06510, United States of America
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Gilmore AB, Alebshehy R, Bialous S. How Could We Establish Monitoring and Surveillance of Health-Harming Corporations and Can Governments Be Trusted to Do It? Comment on "National Public Health Surveillance of Corporations in Key Unhealthy Commodity Industries - A Scoping Review and Framework Synthesis". Int J Health Policy Manag 2024; 13:8621. [PMID: 39620516 PMCID: PMC11549563 DOI: 10.34172/ijhpm.8621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 08/31/2024] [Indexed: 12/13/2024] Open
Abstract
In the context of growing interest in the commercial determinants of health (CDOH) which has been defined as "the systems, practices, and pathways through which commercial actors drive health and equity," Bennett et al propose that governments implement monitoring of unhealthy commodity industries (UCIs) (including tobacco, alcohol, and ultra-processed foods) as part of their routine public health surveillance. We explore the evidence underpinning that suggestion and provide details on how corporate monitoring might be practically implemented drawing on lessons from tobacco industry monitoring which has been an established part of tobacco control. While governments should actively support such an approach as part of efforts to address commercially driven health harms, we urge caution in governments undertaking monitoring and identify significant barriers to implementation, while also suggesting ways in which those barriers might be overcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna B. Gilmore
- Tobacco Control Research Group, Department for Health, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, UK
- Centre for 21st Century Public Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Raouf Alebshehy
- Tobacco Control Research Group, Department for Health, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Stella Bialous
- School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Global Cancer Program, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
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Carriedo A, Otero-Alvarez M, Levis C. Is a Government-Led Approach to Surveil Unhealthy Commodity Industries Feasible? Comment on "National Public Health Surveillance of Corporations in Key Unhealthy Commodity Industries - A Scoping Review and Framework Synthesis". Int J Health Policy Manag 2024; 13:8601. [PMID: 39620532 PMCID: PMC11496769 DOI: 10.34172/ijhpm.8601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 08/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/04/2025] Open
Abstract
Bennett and colleagues' paper aims to synthesize the existing frameworks to identify and monitor unhealthy commodity industry's (UCI's) influence on health "to create a template surveillance system to be used by national governments across industries." In this commentary, we argue that to achieve a robust government-led national surveillance system, some challenges should be considered, such as (a) addressing power asymmetries between government and UCIs involved in policy-making, (b) evaluating competing interests among government constituencies to achieve policy coherence around health issues, and (c) contemplate whether governments rely on private or corporate donors and partners that may threaten financing and operationalization of the surveillance. Suggestions on how to overcome these challenges are beyond the scope of this commentary, but we discuss some cases of bottom-up approaches from organized groups aiming to hold UCIs accountable. We consider them to be emerging effective ways to support government-led initiatives and counter the long-lasting corporate power and negative impacts on public health.
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Baum F, Anaf J. Practices of Trans-National Corporations: The Need to Change Global Economic and Political Norms Comment on "National Public Health Surveillance of Corporations in Key Unhealthy Commodity Industries - A Scoping Review and Framework Synthesis". Int J Health Policy Manag 2024; 13:8660. [PMID: 39620527 PMCID: PMC11496736 DOI: 10.34172/ijhpm.8660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 08/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/04/2025] Open
Abstract
Trans-national corporations (TNCs) are recognised as having an adverse impact on public health through the marketing and sale of unhealthy products. In addition to this some of their practices affect health, including taxation avoidance, lobbying politicians to gain favourable legislative and regulatory environments for their operations, and failure to abide by occupational health and safety standards. We argue that while considering the individual practices of commercial actors is crucial the true public health harms are only evident when the synergistic impacts of the practices are considered. We also note that the practices are supported by a global economic and political system which operates in the favour of commercial actors rather than the health of people and the planet. Consequently there needs to be a norm change by which norms and power are shifted away from commercial interests and externalities of commercial practices are no longer outsourced to the public purse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fran Baum
- Stretton Health Equity, Stretton Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA, Australia
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López-Cevallos DF, Torres I, Villalba JJ, Galea S. On conflicts of interest, transparency, and accountability of private actors influencing national health policy: authors' reply to Morejón-Terán. LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH. AMERICAS 2024; 31:100685. [PMID: 38332852 PMCID: PMC10850113 DOI: 10.1016/j.lana.2024.100685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel F. López-Cevallos
- Department of Health Promotion and Policy, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, United States
| | - Irene Torres
- Fundacion Octaedro, El Zurriago E8-28 y Ave. De los Shyris, Quito, Ecuador
| | - José Julio Villalba
- School of Nursing, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Ave. 12 de Octubre 1076, Quito 170143, Ecuador
| | - Sandro Galea
- Office of the Dean, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, United States
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Torres I, Villalba JJ, López-Cevallos DF, Galea S. On preserving integrity and advancing health policy debates: author's reply to Mejía & Garzón. LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH. AMERICAS 2024; 31:100686. [PMID: 38328476 PMCID: PMC10847795 DOI: 10.1016/j.lana.2024.100686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Irene Torres
- Fundacion Octaedro, El Zurriago E8-28 y Ave. De los Shyris, Quito, Ecuador
| | - José Julio Villalba
- School of Nursing, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Ave. 12 de Octubre 1076, Quito 170143, Ecuador
| | - Daniel F. López-Cevallos
- Department of Health Promotion and Policy, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, United States
| | - Sandro Galea
- Office of the Dean, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, United States
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Torres I, Villalba JJ, López-Cevallos DF, Galea S. Governmental institutionalization of corporate influence on national nutrition policy and health: a case study of Ecuador. LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH. AMERICAS 2024; 29:100645. [PMID: 38298501 PMCID: PMC10829353 DOI: 10.1016/j.lana.2023.100645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Corporate influence in policy and decision-making is an important public health concern. This Health Policy paper reviews Ecuador's child malnutrition strategy instruments, approved between 2020 and 2023, to identify how private interests are becoming legally integrated into the public sector. Evidence indicates that recent changes are enabling corporations to promote their brands, gain tax deductions, oversee public policy and set priorities, allocate resources, and decide on implementation of the country's child malnutrition strategy. Further, corporate representatives are active members of an advisory council, free from scrutiny or accountability, while being privy to undisclosed government information. Moreover, a UN agency (the World Food Program) engaged in corporate promotion of highly processed foods, illustrating the breadth of Ecuador's corporate influence scheme. Improved regulations should set clear limits to the influence of food and beverage industries in national nutrition policy, while following transparency laws in the composition and operation of Ecuador's child malnutrition strategy and related efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Torres
- Fundacion Octaedro, El Zurriago E8-28 y Ave. De los Shyris, Quito, Ecuador
| | - José Julio Villalba
- School of Nursing, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Ave. 12 de Octubre 1076, Quito 170143, Ecuador
| | - Daniel F. López-Cevallos
- Department of Health Promotion and Policy, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, United States
| | - Sandro Galea
- Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, United States
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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: 1.0] [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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Lacy-Nichols J, Quinn M, Cullerton K. Aiding empirical research on the commercial determinants of health: a scoping review of datasets and methods about lobbying. Health Res Policy Syst 2023; 21:56. [PMID: 37337210 PMCID: PMC10278313 DOI: 10.1186/s12961-023-01011-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND To support public health researchers and advocates seeking to challenge the influence of powerful commercial actors on health, it is necessary to develop a deeper understanding of corporate political activities. This project explores political science scholarship analysing lobbying to identify new datasets and research methods that can be applied to public health and stimulate further research and advocacy. METHODS We undertook a systematic scoping review of peer-reviewed and grey literature reports analysing the practice of lobbying. Titles and abstracts of 4533 peer-reviewed and 285 grey literature reports were screened, with 233 peer-reviewed and 280 grey literature reports assessed for eligibility. We used a two-stage process for data extraction. In stage 1, we collected two pieces of information from all included studies: data sources and indicators used to measure lobbying. For the second stage, data extraction was limited to 15 studies that focused on meetings. RESULTS The most common indicators used to measure lobbying activity were: registrations of active lobbyists; expenditure on lobbying; meetings; written comments and submissions made to government consultations; bills; and committee participation. A range of different data sources were used to analyse lobbying, including from governments, not-for-profits and commercial sources. All 15 studies analysing lobbyist meetings were from high-income contexts. The studies analysed three key variables: the types of government actors targeted by lobbying; the policies of interest; and the lobbyists and/or their clients. The studies used a range of taxonomies to classify policy issues and the types of actors engaged in lobbying. All studies discussed challenges with accessing and analysing lobbying data. CONCLUSIONS There is enormous potential for public health research and advocacy concerned with commercial lobbying to learn from political science scholarship. This includes both conceptual frameworks and sources of empirical data. Moreover, the absence of good quality transparency internationally emphasises the importance of advocacy to support policy change to improve the quality of political transparency to make it easier to monitor commercial lobbying.
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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., Carlton, VIC 3053 Australia
| | - Madalyn Quinn
- Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Australia
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