Newspaper coverage of tobacco control in New Zealand

Objective : The New Zealand (NZ) government has proposed that the country be ‘Smokefree’ by 2025. This paper examines how NZ newspapers have portrayed tobacco control initiatives to achieve this goal. Method : We examined tobacco‐related articles from NZ newspapers published between 1 November 2011 and 31 October 2012, using a coding frame to capture smoking themes, portrayal of actions and degree of support expressed for various pro‐ and anti‐ tobacco control objectives. Results : A total of 537 separate articles were obtained from national and regional newspapers. Six themes appeared in more than 5% of the total articles: Smokefree 2025; smokefree areas; pricing; tobacco industry; plain packaging; and cessation. Overall, articles on tobacco smoking were three times more likely to emphasise actions consonant with tobacco control objectives rather than against them, and to report them with a positive rather than negative tone. Conclusions : NZ tobacco control advocates can take heart from the nature and extent of coverage of tobacco control initiatives. Opportunities for further media advocacy are discussed.     

Newspaper and wire service coverage of tobacco farmers.

This study examined print media coverage of tobacco farmers from the perspective of agenda setting, or the extent to which information is available to the public and perceived as important. A content analysis of 743 articles published between January 1, 1995 and June 30, 1997 was completed. The number of articles increased from 1995 to 1997. Of the topics analyzed, articles on tobacco settlement (7.1% of total) and diversification (15.6% of total) were the least prevalent. Because the settlement discussions did not occur until 1997 (when it comprised 26.4% of the total in the first 6 months), diversification was consistently the least covered topic. The two most frequent topics covered were tobacco companies (36.2%) and the tobacco price support program (32.3%). Except for one 6 month interval, there were substantially more articles in local/regional publications than in national publications. Public health professionals have called for tobacco farmers to diversify to non-tobacco enterprises. Yet, there is little discussion of diversification in print media. Without more attention to diversification, the public and policy makers will be ill-informed about opportunities and obstacles in this regard.     

Legislation, policy, and tobacco use among youth: implications for health care providers

This paper addresses implications of recent tobacco legislation, policy, and tobacco use among youth in the context of health care policy and services. Tobacco use prevalence and definitions and diagnoses of nicotine addiction and dependence are described. Assessment of smoking prevalence in Texas provides a case study of the problem and potential solutions for tobacco use among youth. The case study highlights specific implications to be considered when providing health care focused on prevention and risk reduction for youth. The paper concludes with implications and critical Internet resources for health care providers engaging in youth tobacco control.     

Insurance coverage and access: implications for health policy.

Data are presented from a recent survey of the United States population comparing the characteristics and levels of access to medical care of persons under 65 years who have group or individual private health insurance, public health insurance, or no third-party coverage. The uninsured group appeared to fall between the privately insured and publicly insured groups on measures of social and economic status. Persons with publicly subsidized forms of insurance coverage utilized services at the highest rates, and uninsured persons used them at the lowest rates. Neither of these groups was as satisfied with the convenience or the quality of the care it obtained as the privately insured group. Implications of these findings for national health insurance and other health policy initiatives are discussed.     

Universal coverage and public health: new state studies

Recent evaluations of the California Health Service Plan (CHSP) confirmed that financing health care through a single government payer can provide universal coverage-while saving significantly on health care spending-to a degree unparalleled by alternative approaches. Public ownership of the delivery system can further provide authority and accountability for critical reforms that improve the population's health and quality of care, including coordination of the delivery system. The federal government's State Planning Grant Program provides states with funding to develop plans to cover their uninsured populations. California created a Health Care Options Project that requested proposals that could expand coverage and contracted with a financial modeler and a qualitative analyst to evaluate the resulting plans. The CHSP was one of 9 plans evaluated through this process.     

New and old addictions: implications for public health

According to certain authors, any pleasure giving behaviour may become a habit, and depending on the circumstances, an addiction. The objective of this study is to examine the situation of addictions in Spain and the responses generated by health policies. In recent years, both the type and pattern of drug consumption in Spain, has undergone a noticeable change. Studies of the evolution of tobacco consumption suggest that the peak has passed, even though prevalence is still high. Alcohol consumption per capita has fallen by 25% in the last 25 years. During the same period, pattern of consumption has been modified. Sporadic drinking, in episodes of binging and drinking away from meals, is one of the patterns on the rise. According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, in Spain, 27.8% of the population between 15- 64 years old has consumed an illegal drug at least once in their lives, with the prevalence rising to 38% among the 15- 34 year olds. Cannabis is the most consumed (29% among 1564 age group), followed by cocaine (5.9%), and ecstasy (4.6%). Spain, comparing with other countries of European Union, is the third in cannabis, ecstasy, and amphetamine and the first in cocaine consumption. With respect to the so-called behavioral addictions, no consensus in the field of psychiatry has been reached. The only psychological addiction with clear diagnostic criteria is gambling. The rest (Internet, sex, etc.), perhaps for their novelty, continue to be the object of controversy. New addictions, as much to addictive substances as to addictive behaviors, run parallel to the development of industrialized societies, leisure, free time, and a new way of life. This is the new challenge for Public Health.     

DNA patenting: implications for public health research

I weigh the arguments for and against the patenting of functional DNA sequences including genes, and find the objections to be compelling. Is an outright ban on DNA patenting the right policy response? Not necessarily. Governments may wish to consider options ranging from patent law reforms to the creation of new rights. There are alternative ways to protect DNA sequences that industry may choose if DNA patenting is restricted or banned. Some of these alternatives may be more harmful than patents. Such unintended consequences of patent bans mean that we should think hard before concluding that prohibition is the only response to legitimate concerns about the appropriateness of patents in the field of human genomics.     

Fine-cut tobacco: a priority for public health and consumer advocacy

Objectives

To study whether fine-cut tobacco poses a problem for public health and consumer affairs.

Methods

We analyzed up to 70% of the fine-cut tobacco market in Spain. Regarding public health, the contents of nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide were analyzed and compared with levels in conventional cigarettes. Concerning consumer affairs, the labeling of samples was checked.

Results

The contents of nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide reached values of 70%, 85% and 84%, respectively. These values are higher than those allowed in conventional cigarettes. A total of 67% of the samples analyzed did not show nicotine and tar contents on the labeling. None of the labels showed carbon monoxide contents. The presence of labeling per se did not guarantee sufficient information for consumers.

Conclusions

Fine-cut tobacco is a problem in both public health and consumer affairs. Solutions are required to resolve both problems.     

Restructuring public health in Ontario: implications for heart health promotion

Community-based heart health promotion is viewed as an effective means of reducing cardiovascular disease risk. Although public health agencies have a central role in the implementation and dissemination of heart health programmes, their effectiveness is being challenged by major structural changes to Provincial public health systems across Canada, although the impacts of the changes have received relatively little attention in the research literature. As part of the Canadian Heart Health Initiative--Ontario Project (CHHIOP), this study used a qualitative approach to address the perceived implications of these changes to Ontario's public health system for heart health promotion. Interviews (n = 38) were conducted in eight public health units with staff most familiar with managing and/or delivering heart health activities. The results are mixed; that is, while many see the future of heart health promotion programming in Ontario as being at risk, others see recent changes as a step forward toward their institutionalization, particularly in light of recent funding decisions made by the Ministry of Health's Health Promotion Branch.     

Environmental health and antisocial behavior: implications for public policy

Antisocial behavior persists as a preeminent public policy issue in the United States. A more critical assessment of both the policies and the programs designed to address this problem is necessary, and new risk factors for antisocial behavior need to be investigated. Sufficient evidence exists to hypothesize that exposure to neurotoxins may be a risk factor for antisocial behavior. Neurotoxins such as lead have been demonstrated to affect the cognitive development of children, and impaired cognition is accepted as a risk factor for antisocial behavior. Little consideration has been given, however, to the possible link between neurotoxins and human behavior. This paper presents a biologically and socially plausible justification for this association, reviews the supporting evidence, and emphasizes the need for additional investigation of the phenomenon. Elucidation of this risk factor may lead to new strategies for preventing or mitigating antisocial behaviors among youth and adults.     

Community-based participatory research: implications for public health funding

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) increasingly is being recognized by health scholars and funders as a potent approach to collaboratively studying and acting to address health disparities. Emphasizing action as a critical part of the research process, CBPR is particularly consistent with the goals of "results oriented philanthropy" and of government funders who have become discouraged by the often modest to disappointing results of more traditional research and intervention efforts in many low income communities of color. Supporters of CBPR face challenging issues in the areas of partnership capacity and readiness, time requirements, funding flexibility, and evaluation. The authors suggest strategies for addressing such issues and make a case for increasing support of CBPR as an important tool for action-oriented and community-driven public health research.     

Characterizing perceived police violence: implications for public health

Despite growing recognition of violence's health consequences and the World Health Organization's recent classification of police officers' excessive use of force as a form of violence, public health investigators have produced scant research characterizing police-perpetrated abuse. Using qualitative data from a study of a police drug crackdown in 2000 in 1 New York City police precinct, we explored 40 injection drug using and 25 non-drug using precinct residents' perceptions of and experiences with police-perpetrated abuse. Participants, particularly injection drug users and non-drug using men, reported police physical, psychological, and sexual violence and neglect; they often associated this abuse with crackdown-related tactics and perceived officer prejudice. We recommend that public health research address the prevalence, nature, and public health implications of police violence.     

Murder by radiation poisoning: implications for public health

On November 23, 2006, former Russian military intelligence officer Alexander Litvinenko died in a London hospital. Authorities determined he was deliberately poisoned with the radionuclide Polonium-210 (210Po). Police subsequently discovered that those involved in this crime had--apparently inadvertently--spread 210Po over many locations in London. The United Kingdom Health Protection Agency (HPA) contacted many persons who might have been exposed to 210Po and provided voluntary urine testing. Some of those identified as potentially exposed were U.S. citizens, whom the HPA requested that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assist in contacting. CDC also provided health care professionals and state and local public health officials with guidance as to how they might respond should a Litvinenko-like incident occur in the U.S. This guidance has resulted in the identification of a number of lessons that can be useful to public health and medical authorities in planning for radiological incidents. Eight such lessons are discussed in this article.