November 4, 2009 – 2:07 pm
We are so inundated by bad news about Indigenous health that it’s easy to be overwhelmed by doom and gloom. But when it comes to smoking – a major cause of sickness and premature death – the news may be more encouraging than we’ve previously thought.
Dr David Thomas, a senior research fellow at the Menzies [...]
November 4, 2009 – 1:41 pm
The recent debate between nutritionist Dr Rosmary Stanton and PepsiCo executive Dr Derek Yach generated much discussion at Croakey. Many public health experts were sceptical about the intentions of companies like PepsiCo.
However, Stephen Leeder, Professor of Public Health at the University of Sydney, argues that the public health community needs to move beyond moral indignation [...]
October 23, 2009 – 9:48 am
For those who’ve been following the Croakey debate on the “healthy” rebranding of soft drinks, here’s an interesting story from the LA Times health blog following up the implications of health and medical organisations taking funding from soft drink companies and other vested interests.
It turns out the doctors aren’t the only ones taking Coca-Cola’s money. [...]
October 22, 2009 – 8:59 am
The debate between Derek Yach of PepsiCo and public health sceptics is being watched from afar.
Obesity control expert Professor Boyd Swinburn has sent in his observations while travelling in the US. He writes:
“I am currently in Boston and read with interest the comments about Derek Yach and Pepsi’s PR mission to Australia.
The TV in the [...]
October 22, 2009 – 8:51 am
As previously mentioned in Croakey posts and in this Crikey story, a tobacco control advocate turned senior PepsiCo executive, Derek Yach, recently debated public health nutritionist Rosemary Stanton at the University of Sydney. He has asked for right of reply to the Crikey piece.
He writes:
“The pity is that Melissa clearly did not absorb the objective [...]
October 21, 2009 – 7:37 pm
Gina Kolata has just published a story in the New York Times that is going to create international waves which will be felt for some time.
She reports that the American Cancer Society – a longtime advocate for most cancer screening – “is now saying that the benefits of detecting many cancers, especially breast and prostate, [...]
October 21, 2009 – 6:30 pm
Following on from the previous post about the healthy rebranding of soft drinks, Terry Slevin of Cancer Council WA, has sent in the following comment:
“To my frustration I missed the Rosemary and Derek show at Sydney Uni – but it would have been a bit of a drive home…
But it seems we are asked to [...]
October 21, 2009 – 1:52 pm
I wrote a piece for Crikey today looking at how the soft drink companies are trying to rebrand themselves as the new best friends of public health.
In the US, Coca Cola has done a deal with the American Academy of Family Physicians new corporate membership program, enabling it to help “educate consumers about the role [...]
October 20, 2009 – 4:26 pm
Yesterday there was some debate in the House of Reps on the Government’s plans to establish the Australian National Preventive Health Agency, and we will be hearing more anon. You can download the Bill here.
The advent of the Agency presents another predictable opportunity for a predictably boring debate about the “nanny state”, as per this [...]
October 17, 2009 – 9:16 am
An argument for eating less meat for the sake of planetary and personal health is made at the public health blog, The Pump Handle.
The author is Liz Borkowski who works for the Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy at George Washington University’s School of Public Health and Health Services.
