Monthly Archives: May 2010

Mega-wrap of news in social media and health (part 2)

May 31, 2010 – 3:54 pm

Following on from the previous post, here are some recent articles and links about how the social media juggernaut is changing the world of health. • Here’s how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention used social media to spread HIV messages. And more like that at the CDC’s YouTube channel. • The Economist looks [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in health & medical marketing, Journal articles, Media-related issues, obesity, public health, tobacco control, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (3)

Mega-wrap of latest news in media and health (part 1)

May 31, 2010 – 1:05 pm

How could the quality of health reporting be lifted? Here are some suggestions from recent initiatives and articles, in the first part of a mega-wrap covering media and health-related issues. It can’t be a coincidence that so many of these come from the US, can it? • A US hospital has given a journalist free [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in conflicts of interest, consumer health information, health reform, Hospitals, Journal articles, Media-related issues | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Was the alcopops tax a public health success?

May 31, 2010 – 8:47 am

Professor Wayne Hall, NHMRC Australia Fellow at the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, has been examining some new figures on alcohol consumption. While it looks like the alcopops tax has had an impact, there is also evidence that overall, per capita consumption of alcohol has been rising. He writes: “The Australian Bureau of [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in alcohol, public health | Comments (1)

What have solaria got to do with US health reform?

May 28, 2010 – 7:52 am

In the previous post, public health advocate Professor Simon Chapman called for a ban on solaria. Tanning salons are also causing heatwaves in the US – and some dilemmas for health policy, reports Dr Lesley Russell, of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy. She writes: “The issue of tanning salons is a hot topic in [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in cancer, global health, Journal articles, public health | Comments (1)

Should solaria be banned?

May 27, 2010 – 5:52 pm

It’s an industry that causes cancer and flouts the rules. Should we close it down? Yes, says Simon Chapman, Professor of Public Health at the University of Sydney. You can read his argument against solaria below and, if you agree, there’s a petition you might like to sign. He writes: “Recent studies have found individuals [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in cancer, public health | Tagged , , , , | Comments (5)

The mining tax is good news for Australia’s health

May 27, 2010 – 9:11 am

Plans for a tax on mining profits may be causing palpitations amongst mining industry chiefs, but perhaps it’s actually a positive for the broader population’s health. So says health economist Professor Gavin Mooney, of the University of Sydney.  Another positive step for health might be a tax on banks’ super-profits, he suggests… He writes: “The [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in Australian Medical Association, public health, social determinants of health | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)

Do we need a “Green Health Alliance”?

May 26, 2010 – 6:07 pm

Fiona Armstrong has form when it comes to forging broad and effective alliances in a sector that is notorious for its factions, rivalries and infighting. She played a key role with the Australian Health Care Reform Alliance but has more recently turned her attention to matters of environmental health. Below is her proposal to establish [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in climate change, environmental health, health reform | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)

Do we need a Mental Health Olympics?

May 26, 2010 – 2:35 pm

Why do we give every appearance of caring more about sporting success than the state of Australians’ mental health? Simon Tatz is well qualified to ask such a question, given his interest in both sports funding and mental health. He is the communications director of the Mental Health Council of Australia, a former sports adviser [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in Federal Budget 2010, health reform, mental health, nurses and nursing | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

Who are the champions for Web 2.0 in health bureaucracies and services?

May 26, 2010 – 1:45 pm

I have an article in the Crikey bulletin today looking at the amount of public money invested in media management by health bureaucracies and services, and wondering whose interests are being served. I asked Andrew Podger, the former secretary of the federal health department and former public service commissioner, to comment on these issues and [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in Media-related issues | Tagged , , , | Comments (4)

Busting an ABC headline, and a myth about women and smoking

May 24, 2010 – 11:32 am

It’s time to bust some media myths about smoking amongst girls and women, says Simon Chapman, professor of public health at the University of Sydney. He writes: “Last week, visiting expert in women’s health, Canadian Dr Lorraine Greaves, got ink from a reported claim in a speech to a national women’s health conference in Hobart [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in global health, Media-related issues, tobacco control, women's health | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)