Veganuary: Meat Matters
On the limits of Veganuary and the Climate Emergency The popularity of Veganuary continues to grow. Around a quarter of a million people trying out a plant-based diet for the first few weeks of January in 2019 and even more...
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Cool to Care?
Social Change, the Climate Emergency, and the ‘Snowflake Generation’ The idea that it’s ‘cool to care’ and the recent rise of ethical consumerism in the UK has been driven by ‘Millennials’. But is ‘cool to care’ simply a reworking of...
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The Anti-Vaxx Movement and New Media
Communicating Public Health in the Changing Landscape of the Anti-Vaxx movement Some of you may already be aware of the latest Netflix documentary Behind the Curve. It focuses on a group of conspiracy theorists who persist in believing that the...
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The rise of veganism?
Sausage Rolls, Flexitarians and the Fight for Sustainability The beginning of a new year offers the chance for renewal (“new year, new you?”). Increasing numbers of people are subscribing to (orchestrated) campaigns to kickstart a healthier lifestyle. Giving up drinking...
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Public Health and the (New) Media
On industry, audiences and health messages Public health campaigners are increasingly focussing on models of media engagement due to the considerable and growing amount of evidence that media campaigns can change population health behaviours. New forms of media (that is...
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Solving the Problem of Plastic Pollution: Beyond the natural sciences?
Concerns about the issue of plastic pollution and the health and environmental dangers of microplastics are now firmly in the spotlight. So far, the emphasis has largely been on introducing greater regulation at an international and national level but what...
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The “snowflake generation”
Dangerous myths in precarious times You might have seen headlines about the “snowflake generation” or “generation snowflake”: a derogatory term to describe young adults in the 2010’s. It was made one of the “words of the year” in 2016 by...
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Learning to Drink in Nigeria
In Nigeria, there is no concept of ‘counting your units’ nor are there nationally co-ordinated public health campaigns to challenge the normalisation of drinking alcohol ‘to excess’. With little or no regulation of the alcohol industry, transnational drinks companies are...
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T2 Trainspotting
A tale of masculinity, nostalgia and addiction Warning: Contains Spoilers There have been few sequels more eagerly anticipated than T2 Trainspotting, the follow-up to Trainspotting, Danny Boyle’s landmark film of 1996. Based on the original books by Scottish author Irvine...
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Do mental health anti-stigma campaigns work? #IAMWHOLE
To mark World Mental Health day 2016, the NHS, working in partnership with YMCA, has launched a new campaign #IAMWHOLE . This is designed to challenge stigma about mental health and specifically targets young people. It is the first time that...
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Can a movie help us see an invisible health crisis?
Lesley Henderson interviews the producer of ‘A Plastic Ocean’ The impact of Brexit on environmental regulation and how best to safeguard our health from the growing problem of pollution are issues that have been heavily discussed since the EU referendum...
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Myths about plastic pollution are leading to public confusion: here’s why