Corporate ventriloquism undermines action on alcohol harms

Schalkwyk, May C I van; Maani, Nason; Pettigrew, Simone; Petticrew, Mark

doi:10.1136/bmj.n1879

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Underlined by pragmatism and manifested as contradictions, hyper-adaptability enables corporations to use their strategies in different cultural, social, political, economic and jurisdictional settings and at different time points by selecting strategically from the menu of claims and practices and tailoring their narratives and actions to the cultural zeitgeist. 83 One example is their approach to the transferability of evidence between settings. Where evidence from other countries is unfavourable to UCIs’ interests (eg, showing product harms or policy effectiveness), 57 , 61 corporate actors argue the evidence cannot be valid elsewhere; where that evidence serves their interests (often evidence they have produced), they promote it, claiming it is relevant.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Corporate Political Activity: Taxonomies and Model of Corporate Influence on Public Policy

Ulucanlar

Lauber

Fabbri

et al. 2023

Int J Health Policy Manag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) kill 41 million people a year. The products and services of unhealthy commodity industries (UCIs) such as tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed foods and beverages and gambling are responsible for much of this health burden. While effective public health policies are available to address this, UCIs aim to stop governments and global organisations adopting such policies through what is known as corporate political activity (CPA). We aimed to contribute to the study of CPA and development of effective counter-measures by formulating a model and evidence-informed taxonomies of UCI political activity. Methods: We used five complementary methods: critical interpretive synthesis of the conceptual CPA literature; brief interviews; expert co-author knowledge; stakeholder workshops; testing against the literature. Results: We found 11 original conceptualisations of CPA; four had been used by other researchers and reported in 24 additional review papers. Combining an interpretive synthesis of all these papers and feedback from users, we developed two taxonomies – one on framing strategies and one on action strategies. The former identified three frames (policy actors, problem, solutions) and the latter six strategies (access and influence policymaking, use the law, manufacture support for industry, shape evidence to manufacture doubt, displace and usurp public health, manage reputations to industry’s advantage). We also offer an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of UCI strategies and a model that situates industry CPA in the wider social, political and economic context. Conclusion: Our work confirms the similarity of CPA across UCIs and demonstrates its extensive and multi-faceted nature, the disproportionate power of corporations in policy spaces and the unacceptable conflicts of interest that characterise their engagement with policymaking. We suggest that industry CPA is recognised as a corruption of democracy, not an element of participatory democracy. Our taxonomies and model provide a starting point for developing effective solutions.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Corporate Political Activity: Taxonomies and Model of Corporate Influence on Public Policy

Ulucanlar

Lauber

Fabbri

et al. 2023

Int J Health Policy Manag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…1 Experts warned policymakers and the public that, in addition to the direct health consequences of the virus itself, the pandemic would create, exacerbate, and compound a variety of mental health, substance use, and problem gambling concerns. [2][3][4] Increased loneliness, depression, grief, and anxiety, 3,5 substance use and overdose, 5 and problem gambling and related harms 6 would intersect with and compound pre-existing concerns, 7 placing additional demands on community-based service agencies, many of which were perennially under-resourced and regularly operating over capacity prior to the pandemic. 8 At the same time, the pandemic would also leave widespread service disruptions in its wake: lockdowns, physical distancing requirements, staffing shortages, and rapid shifts in service delivery modalities (e.g., the shift to virtual delivery models) which would reduce the availability and accessibility of community-based mental health and addiction services.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Operational status of mental health, substance use, and problem gambling services: A system‐level snapshot two years into the COVID‐19 pandemic

Hao,

McLuhan,

Moloney

et al. 2024

Health Planning & Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThe aim of this paper is to provide a system‐level snapshot of the operational status of mental health, substance use, and problem gambling services 2 years into the pandemic in Ontario, Canada, with a specific focus on services that target individuals experiencing vulnerable circumstances (e.g., homelessness and legal issues).MethodsWe examined data from 6038 publicly funded community services that provide mental health, substance use, and problem gambling services in Ontario. We used descriptive statistics to describe counts and percentages by service type and specialisation of service delivery. We generated cross‐tabulations to analyse the relationship between the service status and service type for each target population group.ResultsAs of March 2022, 38.4% (n = 2321) of services were fully operational, including 36.0% (n = 1492) of mental health, 44.1% (n = 1037) of substance use, and 23.4% (n = 78) of problem gambling services. These service disruptions were also apparent among services tailored to sexual/gender identity (women/girls, men/boys, 2SLGBTQQIA + individuals), individuals with legal issues, with acquired brain injury, and those experiencing homelessness.ConclusionAccessible community‐based mental health, substance use and problem gambling services are critical supports, particularly for communities that have historically contended with higher needs and greater barriers to care relative to the general population. We discuss the public health implications of the findings for the ongoing pandemic response and future emergency preparedness planning for community‐based mental health, substance use and problem gambling services.

show abstract

The role of alcohol consumption in the lives of older Australian women: qualitative insights and an agenda for further research, policy and practice

McCarthy,

Pitt,

Benjamin

et al. 2024

BMC Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Alcohol consumption presents a threat to the health and wellbeing of women. The alcohol industry often pushes back at global efforts to prioritise the prevention of alcohol harms to women. Qualitative researchers have investigated how younger and midlife women conceptualise their alcohol consumption, but there is very limited research relating to older women (those 60 years and over). Methods Using data collected from an online qualitative survey, this paper explored the factors that influence how older Australian women drinkers (n = 144. 60–88 years) conceptualised the role of alcohol in their lives. The study used a ‘Big Q’ reflexive approach to thematic analysis, drawing upon sociological theories of risk and symbolic interactionism to construct four themes from the data. Results First, alcohol consumption was viewed by participants as an accepted and normalised social activity, that was part of Australian culture. Second, alcohol played a role for some participants as a way to cope with life changes (such as retirement), as well as managing stressful or challenging life circumstances (such as loneliness). Third, alcohol was part of the routines and rituals of everyday life for some women. For example, women discussed the consumption of wine with their evening meal as an important part of the structure of their day. Fourth, participants had clear personal expectancies about what it meant to be a ‘responsible drinker’. They had clear narratives about personal control and moral obligation, which in some cases created a reduced perception of their own risk of alcohol-caused harm. Conclusions This research provides a starting point for future public health research examining the factors that may shape older women’s alcohol consumption beliefs and practices. Public health activities should consider the unique needs and potential vulnerabilities of older women drinkers, and how these may be potentially exploited by the alcohol industry.

show abstract

Corporate ventriloquism undermines action on alcohol harms

Abstract: Industry, women’s rights, and WHO’s draft alcohol strategy

Cited by 3 publications

References 12 publications

Corporate Political Activity: Taxonomies and Model of Corporate Influence on Public Policy

Corporate Political Activity: Taxonomies and Model of Corporate Influence on Public Policy

Operational status of mental health, substance use, and problem gambling services: A system‐level snapshot two years into the COVID‐19 pandemic

The role of alcohol consumption in the lives of older Australian women: qualitative insights and an agenda for further research, policy and practice

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About