Little bottles and the promise of probiotics

Burges, Watson; Moreira, Tiago; Murtagh, Madeleine J.

doi:10.1177/1363459308099685

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Analysis involved listening to recordings and checking against transcripts for accuracy and to develop high level themes in NVivo by the lead qualitative researcher (DBW). A framework approach [ 21 ] was employed to map sub themes within the meta-framework informed by studies of science and technology (STS) [ 22 , 23 ]. As dance mats are a technological and social intervention, transcripts were analysed using a sociology of translation approach – making no a priori distinction between the technology and the social context.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This involved more than a focus on context but also consideration of the ‘problematisation’ of how stakeholders are brought into the process and how they use the technologies. A more detailed explanation of the steps involved - inter-definition of actors, inter-assessment, enrolment, obligatory passage points and mobilization – can be found elsewhere [ 22 , 23 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Promoting physical activity with a school-based dance mat exergaming intervention: qualitative findings from a natural experiment

et al. 2016

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundPhysical activity is critical to improving health and well-being in children. Quantitative studies have found a decline in activity in the transition from primary to secondary education. Exergames (active video games) might increase physical activity in adolescents. In January 2011 exergame dance mat systems were introduced in to all secondary schools across two local authority districts in the UK. We performed a quasi-experimental evaluation of a natural experiment using a mixed methods design. The quantitative findings from this work have been previously published. The aim of this linked qualitative study was to explore the implementation of the dance mat scheme and offer insights into its uptake as a physical activity intervention.MethodsEmbedded qualitative interviews at baseline and 12 month follow-up with purposively selected physical education teachers (n = 20) and 25 focus groups with a convenience sample of pupils (n = 120) from five intervention schools were conducted. Analysis was informed by sociology of translation approach.ResultsAt baseline, participants (both teachers and pupils) reported different expectations about the dance mats and how they could be employed. Variation in use was seen at follow-up. In some settings they were frequently used to engage hard to reach groups of pupils. Overall, the dance mats were not used routinely to increase physical activity. However there were other unanticipated benefits to pupils such as improved reaction time, co-ordination and mathematic skills. The use of dance mats was limited in routine physical education classes because of contextual issues (school/government policy) technological failures (batteries/updates) and because of expectations about how and where they could be used.ConclusionsOur linked quantitative study (previously published) suggested that the dance mats were not particularly effective in increasing physical activity, but the qualitative results (reported here) show that the dance mats were not used routinely enough to show a significant effect on physical activity of the intervention. This research demonstrates the benefit of using mixed methods to evaluate complex physical activity interventions. Those planning any intervention for promoting physical activity in schools need to understand the distinction between physical activity and physical education.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3308-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting physical activity with a school-based dance mat exergaming intervention: qualitative findings from a natural experiment

et al. 2016

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Research on functional food has addressed cognitive, motivational and attitudinal determinants of the public acceptance of functional foods in different countries (Bech-Larsen and Grunert, 2003;Sassatelli and Scott, 2001;Urala and Lähteenmäki, 2003;Verbeke, 2005). The link to health is assumed to be the main motivation behind the use of functional foods (Burges Watson et al, 2009), although monitoring taste was also found to be a critical factor for the future acceptance of functional foods (Verbeke, 2006). A number of studies show that sociodemographic characteristics also play an important role (Hasler, 2002;Holm, 2003).…”

Section: Functional Foods and The Dilemma Between Health And Pleasurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Probiotics are an interesting case study, as their marketing appears to straddle health, convenience and indulgence -three not easily compatible trends pursued by modern consumers (Mehta, 2006). For example, previous studies show that probiotics not only articulate a range of contemporary discourses about health both from within biomedicine and in terms of an increased focus on health promotion and illness prevention, but are also positioned within the aesthetic domain of food choice (Counihan, 1999: 2) by advertising (Burges Watson et al, 2009;Koteyko, 2009). In order to explore how people blend morality with their accounts of how and why they purchased or ate probiotics, I will use the framework of discursive psychology (Potter, 2004) -an approach to the study of language in use developed from sociological studies of scientific knowledge (Gilbert and Mulkay, 1984), but later strongly influenced by ethnomethodology and rhetoric (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Balancing the good, the bad and the better: A discursive perspective on probiotics and healthy eating

Koteyko

2010

Health (London)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Functional foods promoted as novel food products providing health benefits beyond basic nutrition are gradually becoming part of the European food basket. Typically, research on functional food has focused on public attitudes, the acceptability of different product types, and public trust in novel food. In this article, discursive analysis of focus group discussions held in Britain with 34 users and non-users of probiotics points to the argumentative orientation of explanations for consumption of this particular type of functional food. Using the concepts of 'interpretative repertoire' and 'subject position', I explore the role of moral considerations in people's accounts of purchasing probiotics in the current context of increased health awareness and health anxiety. The analysis demonstrates how the lay accounts of eating and purchasing probiotics are entangled with notions of indulgence, individualism, as well as social norms and responsibility.

show abstract

“…Additionally, marketing strategies allude to the empowering affects of dietary supplements, such as “be proactive” or “nutrition possible,” and these affects create hope of good health. This political economy of hope depends on simple and quick actions or behaviors to take responsibility for our health, and we feel empowered when we spend the money on dietary supplements that promise good health [32]. …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Snake-oil,” “quack medicine,” and “industrially cultured organisms:” biovalue and the commercialization of human microbiome research

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundContinued advances in human microbiome research and technologies raise a number of ethical, legal, and social challenges. These challenges are associated not only with the conduct of the research, but also with broader implications, such as the production and distribution of commercial products promising maintenance or restoration of good physical health and disease prevention. In this article, we document several ethical, legal, and social challenges associated with the commercialization of human microbiome research, focusing particularly on how this research is mobilized within economic markets for new public health uses.MethodsWe conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews (2009–2010) with 63 scientists, researchers, and National Institutes of Health project leaders (“investigators”) involved with human microbiome research. Interviews explored a range of ethical, legal, and social dimensions of human microbiome research, including investigators’ perspectives on commercialization. Using thematic content analysis, we identified and analyzed emergent themes and patterns.ResultsInvestigators discussed the commercialization of human microbiome research in terms of (1) commercialization, probiotics, and issues of safety, (2) public awareness of the benefits and risks of dietary supplements, and (3) regulation.ConclusionThe prevailing theme of ethical, legal, social concern focused on the need to find a balance between the marketplace, scientific research, and the public’s health. The themes we identified are intended to serve as points for discussions about the relationship between scientific research and the manufacture and distribution of over-the-counter dietary supplements in the United States.

show abstract

Little bottles and the promise of probiotics

Cited by 16 publications

References 23 publications

Promoting physical activity with a school-based dance mat exergaming intervention: qualitative findings from a natural experiment

Promoting physical activity with a school-based dance mat exergaming intervention: qualitative findings from a natural experiment

Balancing the good, the bad and the better: A discursive perspective on probiotics and healthy eating

“Snake-oil,” “quack medicine,” and “industrially cultured organisms:” biovalue and the commercialization of human microbiome research

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About