Dr Elroy Dearn
Food marketing is a tried and tested strategy used to influence children’s diets, most commonly promoting unhealthy food and sugary drinks. In today’s post, VicHealth (@VicHealth) Research Fellow Alexandra Chung (@Chung_Alexandra) from Monash University (@Monash_FMNHS) explains some of the ways in which food industry marketing targets parents to influence young children’s diets.
Read MoreIt can be very difficult to get traction for meaningful policy change that will benefit the Australian public, particularly for marginalised communities. What can make it even harder is the influence of corporate actors, which is often hidden from public view. In today’s post, VicHealth postdoctoral research fellow Jenn Lacy-Nichols (@JLacyNichols) of University of Melbourne (@unimelbMSPGH) and Katherine Cullerton of University of Queensland (@UQmedicine) share their research findings into tracking the lobbying activities of corporations. This article first appeared in the The Conversation on 13 November 20203; you can read it in its original form here.
Read More2023 has made headlines as the hottest year in recorded history, and Australia is gearing up for a serious bushfire season. In today’s post, VicHealth Postdoctoral Research Fellow Rongbin Xu (@RongbinXu) of Monash University (@MonashUni) shares his research into how bushfire smoke is an increasingly hazardous public health threat and needs a more focused policy response.
Read MoreNot too long ago a global survey named Australia the ‘drunkest country in the world.’ Meanwhile, studies are increasingly emphasising that there is no ‘healthy’ or ‘safe’ level of drinking. In today’s post, VicHealth (@VicHealth) Postdoctoral Fellow Florentine Martino (@FP_Martino) of Deakin University (@IHT_Deakin) discusses how the Australian alcohol industry influences health policy through its registered charity DrinkWise.
Read Morewhich in turn is driven by the marketing of unhealthy foods. In today’s post, VicHealth (@VicHealth) Research Fellow Alexandra Chung (@Chung_Alexandra) of Monash University (MonashUni) traces the problem to its origins in childhood and explains recent proposals to curb commercial activity that compromises children’s health.
Read MoreIn today’s analysis, Megan Elias discusses the impact of recent reforms to abortion law in Western Australia. Megan is a women’s and sexual health professional based in Boorloo, working across government and the not-for-profit sector. Megan is WA representative and Secretary for the Australian Women’s Health Network (@AusWomensHealth).
Read MoreToday’s piece explores the possibility of a uniquely Australian approach to stewardship in public policy informed by First Nations ways of knowing. It is by Andrew Morgan, who is a Sir Roland Wilson Scholar at ANZSOG and the Crawford School of Public Policy at ANU, with contributions from Craig Ritchie and Lisa Conway.
Read MoreForms are innocuous, dry, and often boring pieces of bureaucratic technology that most people consider as an inconvenience. But despite their relatively innocuous nature, forms play a critical role in the collection of information and often represent a filtering mechanism in gaining access to programs or support in the modern welfare state.
Read MoreWhy are victim-survivors of gender-based violence such powerful agents of change? What perils do they face? New research published in the journal Violence Against Women (@VAWJournal) presents findings from an in-depth study of domestic and family violence advocate Rosie Batty and the significant social and policy change she helped to drive in Australia. Lead author Lisa Wheildon (@wheeliebinit), from BehaviourWorks at the Monash Sustainable Development Institute, shares a summary of the findings from the study, co-authored with Professor Jacqui True (@JacquiTrue), Associate Professor Asher Flynn (@AsherFlynn), and Abby Wild.
Read MoreWe expect to be included in decisions about our care, yet one in three patients report not being included as much as they would like. Health services are working to include patients in decisions through Shared Decision Making (SDM) but lack robust research evidence to support implementation in hospitals. In today’s analysis Alexandra Waddell (@WADDELLAL) of Monash University (@BehaviourWorksAustralia) shares a summary of her recently-published paper, co-authored with Alyse Lennox (@alyselennox), Gerri Spassova, and Peter Bragge (@BraggePeter). It is the first publication to explore insights into barriers and facilitators to SDM faced by patients and clinicians, specifically in hospital environments. It also goes beyond past research to include other crucial stakeholders such as health service decision-makers and administrators, and government policymakers.
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