Policy communication for health and sustainability: comparison of food-based dietary guidelines

Background

Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) provide advice on what constitutes a healthy diet, influencing both decision-making at the policy level, and educational programs addressed to consumers. There is a growing body of literature that allows to estimate the health and environmental impacts of the wide adoption of FBDG at the country and global levels. This unlocks the possibility of evaluating the most sustainable dietary guidelines from a communication perspective. This study aims at answering what are the key converging messages and main differences in the communication of FBDG that have a high environmental potential, and what of those FBDG do communicate a sustainability purpose in an explicit way.

Methods

A mixed-method comparative review of FBDGs with a two-stage sampling process was developed. Building on Springmann et al (2020) we identified the countries where the wide population adoption of dietary guidelines would have the highest potential of reducing food-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe) while delivering positive health outcomes. In a second stage, a purposeful sample of FBDGs was designed to cover countries from different WHO regions, income levels, and languages.

Results

This study is in progress and results are preliminary. Out of the initial sample of identified FBDG with a GHGe reduction potential of more than 25 percent, a few of them, Germany, Brazil, Sweden, Netherlands, and France had been previously identified in the literature as having sustainability-based recommendations. Other guidelines with similar GHGe reduction potential, such as those of Switzerland and Italy also address sustainability in an explicit way.

Conclusions

FBDGs have been traditionally focused on health and nutrition messages. Several countries have updated recommendations considering the environmental impacts of food consumption. Not all the FBDG with a high environmental potential explicitly communicate sustainability concerns.

Key messages

Several countries can improve their health and climate change outcomes by promoting a wider adoption of their official dietary guidelines. Communication is a key aspect of this process.

Developing a mHealth intervention to promote uptake of HIV testing among African communities in the UK: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

HIV-related mHealth interventions have demonstrable efficacy in supporting treatment adherence, although the evidence base for promoting HIV testing is inconclusive. Progress is constrained by a limited understanding of processes used to develop interventions and weak theoretical underpinnings. This paper describes a research project that informed the development of a theory-based mHealth intervention to promote HIV testing amongst city-dwelling African communities in the conditions.

METHODS

A community-based participatory social marketing design was adopted. Six focus groups (48 participants in total) were undertaken and analysed using a thematic framework approach, guided by constructs from the Health Belief Model. Key themes were incorporated into a set of text messages, which were pre-tested and refined.

RESULTS

The focus groups identified a relatively low perception of HIV risk, especially amongst men, and a range of social and structural barriers to HIV testing. In terms of self-efficacy around HIV testing, respondents highlighted a need for communities and professionals to work together to build a context of trust through co-location in, and co-involvement of, local communities which would in turn enhance confidence in, and support for, HIV testing activities of health professionals. Findings suggested that messages should: avoid an exclusive focus on HIV, be tailored and personalised, come from a trusted source, allay fears and focus on support and health benefits.

CONCLUSIONS

HIV remains a stigmatized and de-prioritized issue within African migrant communities in the UK, posing barriers to HIV testing initiatives. A community-based participatory social marketing design can be successfully used to develop a culturally appropriate text messaging HIV intervention. Key challenges involved turning community research recommendations into brief text messages of only 160 characters. The intervention needs to be evaluated in a randomized control trial. Future research should explore the application of the processes and methodologies described in this paper within other communities.

Culture counts: why current treatment models fail Hispanic women with type 2 diabetes

PURPOSE

The purpose of this article is to evaluate whether current treatment models adequately address the cultural factors involved in treatment adherence in Hispanic females with Type 2 diabetes.

METHODS

A review of relevant professional literature was conducted.

RESULTS

Established health behavior models do not adequately address the unique needs of the female Hispanic population, especially those older women who hold traditional religious and cultural beliefs.

CONCLUSIONS

To decrease the devastating effects of Type 2 diabetes among Hispanic women, interventions must be based on a comprehensive, culturally sensitive model that works with cultural values, not against them.