A report examined young people's exposure to alcohol marketing through television and online media in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany.
Source: Eleanor Winpenny, Sunil Patil, Marc Elliott, Lidia Villalba van Dijk, Saba Hinrichs, Theresa Marteau, and Ellen Nolte, Assessment of Young People's Exposure to Alcohol Marketing in Audiovisual and Online Media, RAND Europe
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Dec
A report provided a European Union-wide overview of the market and regulation regarding types of alcoholic beverages with potentially particular appeal to minors. Over the period 1995–2007, drinking prevalence in young people had remained stable: but drinking patterns had become more risky. Alcohol-related advertising, in general, was targeted at minors, in particular via 'social media'.
Source: Peter Anderson, Marc Suhrcke, and Chris Brookes (eds), An Overview of the Market for Alcoholic Beverages of Potentially Particular Appeal to Minors, National Heart Forum
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Dec
An article said that a diet in early childhood that was high in fats, sugars, and processed foods might lower IQ – whereas a healthy diet might do the opposite. The findings drew on the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (also known as 'Children of the 90s'), which tracked the long-term health and well-being of around 14,000 children born in 1991 and 1992.
Source: Kate Northstone, Carol Joinson, Pauline Emmett, Andy Ness, and Tomas Paus, 'Are dietary patterns in childhood associated with IQ at 8 years of age? A population-based cohort study', Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Volume 66 Number 7
Links: Abstract | Bristol University press release | SFT press release | Significance magazine report
Date: 2012-Dec
A paper examined the relationship between the business cycle and childhood health in western European countries. There was a positive relationship between being born in and growing up during a recession and childhood health. This relationship was not driven by selection effects due to heightened infant mortality during recessions.
Source: Viola Angelini and Jochen Mierau, Childhood Health and the Business Cycle: Evidence from western Europe, Working Paper 12/28, Health Economics Resource Centre, University of York
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Nov
A report examined the health impacts of welfare reform on tenants living in the private rented sector. Welfare reforms were already having a detrimental effect on the health and well-being of private tenants who claimed housing benefit, whether in work or not – but tenants had little, if any, opportunity to improve their situation. They chose to remain living in cold and unsafe housing because of fear that complaints might lead to eviction or higher rents. Feelings of insecurity, combined with trying to live on a small budget, contributed to increased levels of stress and anxiety.
Source: Gill Leng Housing Solutions (with Arc43 and Neil Bateman), Poor Homes, Poor Health – To Heat or to Eat? Private sector tenant choices in 2012, Pro-Housing Alliance
Links: Report | PHA press release
Date: 2012-Nov
A report said that the cost to the National Health Service of poor insulation and energy efficiency in the homes of older people was £1.36 billion each year. It highlighted the increased mortality rates due to cold-related illnesses that could be prevented with more investment in home energy efficiency improvements.
Source: The Cost of Cold: Why we need to protect the health of older people in winter, Age UK
Links: Report | Age UK press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2012-Nov
Campaigners published a map of alcohol-related health costs across England by local authority. The cost of alcohol-related inpatient admissions in 2010-11 for those aged 55-74 was over £825 million, compared with £64 million for those aged 16-24 – although the latter group were more often negatively associated with 'binge drinking' and their impact on National Health Service resources.
Source: Press release 12 October 2012, Alcohol Concern
Links: Alcohol Concern press release | Turning Point press release | BBC report
Date: 2012-Oct
A report warned of a 'silent epidemic' of alcohol misuse within families. Too many parents remained oblivious to the negative effects that alcohol could have on their parenting.
Source: Over the Limit: The truth about families and alcohol, 4Children
Links: Report | 4Children press release | BBC report
Date: 2012-Oct
An article examined the relation between job strain and coronary heart disease, using data from 13 European cohort studies (1985–2006). People with highly stressful jobs but little real control over decision-making ran a 23 per cent increased risk of a heart attack.
Source: Mika Kivimaki et al., 'Job strain as a risk factor for coronary heart disease: a collaborative meta-analysis of individual participant data', The Lancet, 27 October 2012
Links: Abstract | UCL press release | BBC report | Guardian report | People Management report
Date: 2012-Oct
An article said that smoking rates were four times higher among the most disadvantaged groups than the most affluent. Smoking prevalence had declined between 2001 and 2008 except among those who were multiply disadvantaged.
Source: Rosemary Hiscock, Linda Bauld, Amanda Amos, and Stephen Platt, 'Smoking and socioeconomic status in England: the rise of the never smoker and the disadvantaged smoker', Journal of Public Health, Volume 34 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
A report said that austerity policies had had severe health effects in a variety of EU countries. People living in poverty, and low-skilled workers, had been most affected. Member states and regions experienced the crisis very differently, which put EU social cohesion at risk. There was strong evidence that participating in active labour market programmes helped to mitigate risks by improving resilience and the likelihood of job reintegration: the programmes offered strong public investment value, both for protecting public health and readying the economy for recovery.
Source: Pan-European Macro-Drivers that Impact on Work, Worklessness, Social Protection and Health Inequalities: Main issues, themes and futures scanning, Health Action Partnership International
Links: Report | EPHA press release
Date: 2012-Jun
An article examined whether adverse relations between social class, health, and economic activity observed between 1973 and 1993 were still apparent between 1994 and 2009 despite improvements in the general economic climate and overall population health. Between 1973 and 2009, the relation between good health and securing and sustaining employment had strengthened for both men and women. For men, this had been due to employment rates decreasing and economic inactivity rates increasing among men with poor health. For women, this had largely been due to a general trend of increased employment and reduced economic inactivity occurring among healthier women, but not in women of poorer health. Some evidence suggested that, since 2005, the relation between health, employment, and economic inactivity for women in the top two occupational groups had became more like that for men, with poor health becoming associated with reducing employment rates.
Source: Jonathan William Minton, Kate Pickett, and Danny Dorling, 'Health, employment, and economic change, 1973-2009: repeated cross sectional study', British Medical Journal, 8 May 2012
Links: Article | York University press release
Date: 2012-May
An article examined the extent to which individual social capital was associated with self-rated health and mediated the relationship between neighbourhood deprivation and self-rated health. Generalized trust, participation with friends and relatives, and having network members from the salariat class were found to be positively associated with self-rated health. Having network members from the working class was, however, negatively related to self-rated health. Moreover, these social capital elements partly mediated the negative relationship between neighbourhood deprivation and self-rated health.
Source: Verhaeghe Pieter-Paul and Gindo Tampubolon, 'Individual social capital, neighbourhood deprivation, and self-rated health in England', Social Science & Medicine, Volume 74 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-May
An article examined the health outcomes and behaviours of the employed, unemployed, and economically inactive populations in Scotland. Although ongoing health promotion and vocational rehabilitation efforts needed to be directed towards all groups, the results suggested that the economically inactive group was at higher risk, and that policies and strategies directed at this group might need particular attention.
Source: Judith Brown, Evangelia Demou, Madeleine Tristram, Harper Gilmour, Kaveh Sanati, and Ewan Macdonald, 'Employment status and health: understanding the health of the economically inactive population in Scotland', BMC Public Health, Volume 12
Date: 2012-May
A new book examined obesity as a big public health issue in affluent societies. Obesity was a response to stress, and some types of welfare regimes were more stressful than others. English-speaking market-liberal societies had higher levels of obesity, and also higher levels of labour and product market competition, which induced uncertainty and anxiety.
Source: Avner Offer, Rachel Pechey, and Stanley Ulijaszek (eds.), Insecurity, Inequality, and Obesity in Affluent Societies, Oxford University Press
Links: Summary
See also: Avner Offer, Rachel Pechey, and Stanley Ulijaszek, 'Obesity under affluence varies by welfare regimes: the effect of fast food, insecurity, and inequality', Economics & Human Biology, Volume 8 Issue 3
Date: 2012-Apr
A paper examined research evidence concerning the relationship between the psycho-social work environment, employee health, and organizational production. There was limited evidence that psycho-social work factors and employee health were predictors of production loss. The evidence was clearest with regard to job strain and musculo-skeletal pain. Although there was some evidence for the impact of psycho-social work factors and the health of employees on self-rated performance, there was no evidence for any specific factors or health problems. The research still suffered from the fact that there were only few and low-quality studies: longitudinal studies were needed.
Source: Christina Bjorklund, Irene Jensen, and Malin Lohela Karlsson, The Relationship Between Psychosocial Work Factors, Employee Health and Organisational Production: A systematic review, Working Paper 2012:8, Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy (Uppsala, Sweden)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Apr
A report examined the problems associated with enhancement drugs that had the potential to improve human attributes and abilities. Customers were often duped or remained unaware of the considerable harms associated with usage of these drugs. The new public health agency would need to work with partners at a national, European, and international level to monitor the issue.
Source: Michael Evans-Brown, Jim McVeigh, Clare Perkins, and Mark Bellis, Human Enhancement Drugs: The emerging challenges to public health, Centre for Public Health (Liverpool John Moores University)
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Apr
A new book investigated the hypothesis that obesity was a response to stress, and that some types of welfare regimes were more stressful than others. English-speaking market-liberal societies had higher levels of obesity, and also higher levels of labour and product market competition, which induced uncertainty and anxiety.
Source: Avner Offer, Rachel Pechey, and Stanley Ulijaszek (eds.), Insecurity, Inequality, and Obesity in Affluent Societies, Oxford University Press
Links: Summary
See also: Avner Offer, Rachel Pechey, and Stanley Ulijaszek, 'Obesity under affluence varies by welfare regimes: the effect of fast food, insecurity, and inequality', Economics & Human Biology, Volume 8 Issue 3
Date: 2012-Mar
A new book examined the practice and policy issues surrounding alcohol use. It considered policy areas such as price and availability, advertising, law, licensing, education, offending, and drink driving. It concluded by looking at the professional responses and training needs of those encountering alcohol-generated problems in their work, and discussed early intervention and treatment programmes.
Source: Ken Barrie, Alcohol, Dunedin Academic Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Feb
A paper presented measures of subjective well-being in England using a specially designed module of the 2010 Health Survey for England. It looked at the relationship between well-being and labour market status; and, among those who were working, considered how well-being was associated with aspects of job quality.
Source: Alex Bryson, Francis Green, Sally Bridges, and Rachel Craig, Well-Being, Health and Work, Discussion Paper 387, National Institute for Economic and Social Research
Links: Discussion paper
Date: 2012-Feb
An article examined whether differences between welfare regimes in advanced countries could manifest diverse consequences for the health effects of insecure and precarious employment. Precarious workers in Scandinavian welfare states were found to report better or equal health status when compared with their permanent counterparts. By contrast, precarious work in the remaining welfare state regimes was found to be associated with adverse health outcomes, including poor self-rated health, musculoskeletal disorders, injuries, and mental health problems.
Source: Il-Ho Kim, Carles Muntaner, Faraz Vahid Shahidi, Alejandra Vives, Christophe Vanroelen, and Joan Benach , 'Welfare states, flexible employment, and health: a critical review', Health Policy, Volume 104 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Feb
An article examined how levels of well-being within families were affected when other family members had a chronic illness.
Source: Cara Booker and Amanda Sacker, 'Limiting long-term illness and subjective well-being in families', Longitudinal and Life Course Studies, Volume 3 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jan
A study for the health and safety at work inspectorate reviewed the literature on the use of various self-report measures of work-related illness in occupational health studies, and examined the evidence on their reliability and validity.
Source: Annet Lenderink and Ilona Zoer, Review on the Validity and Reliability of Self-Reported Work-Related Illness, Health and Safety Executive
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Jan
