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Health inequalities researchers have long advocated for governments to adopt policy instruments that address structural determinants of health rather than targeting individual behaviours. The assumption behind this position is that such instruments might challenge a core neoliberal principle of individualism embedded in the prevailing health policy paradigm. We critique this assumption by highlighting the discursive construction of policy instruments, and their discursive effects. Using the UK’s Tackling Obesity policy as a case study, we demonstrate how instruments designed to target structural determinants of health (such as food advertisement regulation) can actively sustain – rather than challenge, the dominant policy paradigm. We call this phenomenon ‘upstream individualism’, exploring how it relates to tensions in the research-policy relationship, and its relevance beyond health policy. We argue that instruments can shape policy change and continuity, including at a paradigm level, and that ‘upstream individualism’ provides a useful basis for theorising these power dynamics. This article contributes to the constructivist public policy literature by noting how policy instruments meant to challenge the discursive construction of individualism within public health can ultimately reinforce it.

Contains figures, methods, and results to complement the main text

Additional file 1. Supplementary Figures 1-24 including figures depicting relative error, forecasting accuracy results at 7- and 21-day horizons, pairwise tournament results at 7- and 21-day horizons, the number of participating models across locations and variant periods, and random forest variable importance results.

This extended abstract highlights the often overlooked difficulties experienced by people whose work patterns prevent them from having ready access to toilets and washrooms. It summarises on-going work that explores possible barriers to hygiene, and seeks to identify the strategies that workers use to overcome those barriers.

This protocol describes an in-progress scoping review, influenced by the method of critical interpretive synthesis, to assess the existing literature on the appropriate role of the state in designing and implementing population health policy to influence individuals' health-affecting practices.

This is a pilot project from an ESRC postdoctoral research fellowship entitled 'Everyday Life with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Mobilities, Accessibility and Belonging'. This postdoctoral fellowship was dedicated to dissemination, engagement and developing new research. This dataset is a pilot study exploring toilet access for couriers and food delivery drivers. 8 people who identified as working within parcel or food delivery took part in the research. This included keeping a diary and a follow up interview. A selection of diaries and interviews have been uploaded to this dataset. The project explored issues of toilet access for couriers and food delivery drivers and was conducted from January 2021-April 2021. Ethics approval was granted by the Department of Sociological Studies at the University of Sheffield (number: 037321)

Background Unhealthy diets are a leading contributor to obesity, disability and death worldwide. One factor cited as contributing to rises in obesity rates is the pervasive and ubiquitous marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages (F&Bs) across a variety of mediums, such as sport sponsorship at both professional and amateur levels. Despite increased academic attention on the detrimental impacts of sport sponsorship within the obesogenic environment, this has not been matched by legislative action. One explanation may be the way that F&B corporations’ sport sponsorship is framed within policy debates. Framing is the deliberate ways in which (often contested) issues are presented in communication. This paper examines how sport sponsorship by F&B corporations is framed through media reports. Methods This study employed a mixed methods content and framing analysis. First, we conducted a quantitative newsprint content analysis (n = 234). This then informed and directed a thematic framing analysis of a sub-set of articles (n = 54) that specifically associated sport sponsorship by F&B corporations with obesity and childhood obesity. Results The findings suggest that two competing frames are evident within newspaper coverage: 1) public health and 2) industry. The public health frame rejects the sponsorship of sport by High in Fat Sugar and Salt (HFSS) product corporations in particular, calling for such sponsorship to be restricted or banned. The industry frame characterises sponsorship of sport as a form of corporate social responsibility, positioning industry as good moral actors and part of the solution to childhood and adult obesity. These frames are evident across other Unhealthy Commodity Industries (UCIs) policy debates. However, the prominence of industry actors within the sample is potentially indicative of their discursive power within this space, particularly with their emphasis on the financial maintenance of sport as well as encouraging physical activity, contributing to the lack of regulatory development of sport sponsorship by F&B corporations. Conclusions The findings of this study are particularly useful for public health organisations who seek regulatory change, as it may provide further insight into countering industry framing practices, raising the salience of regulation of sport sponsorship and thus increasing the likelihood of regulatory development that seeks to improve population health.

IMPORTANCE: The intersection of endemic structural racism and the global health crisis secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic represents a syndemic, defined as the aggregation of 2 or more endemic and epidemic conditions leading to adverse repercussions for health. Long-standing inequities have placed Black individuals at disproportionate risk for negative postpartum mental health outcomes. Studies are urgently needed to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has added to this risk (eg, syndemic associations). OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between the syndemic and the postpartum mental health of Black birthing individuals. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A longitudinal cohort of Black birthing individuals were followed up from pregnancy (April 17 to July 8, 2020) through the early postpartum period (August 11, 2020, to March 2, 2021) from urban university medical center prenatal clinics. Pregnant Black participants were recruited via email and completed 2 online surveys. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Composite variables capturing negative experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and racism (structural racism [general], structural racism [neighborhood], and interpersonal racism) were created. Logistic regressions examined main and interactive associations between these variables and postpartum depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale). RESULTS: The mean (SD) age of 151 Black participants was 30.18 (5.65) years. The association between higher negative COVID-19 pandemic experiences and postpartum depression may be influenced by experiences of interpersonal racism and general systemic racism. Negative COVID-19 pandemic experiences were associated with greater likelihood of screening positive for depression only at higher levels of systemic racism (odds ratio, 2.52; 95% CI, 1.38-4.60) and interpersonal racism (odds ratio, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.04-3.48) but not at lower levels of systemic or interpersonal racism. Similarly, negative COVID-19 experiences were associated with anxiety only at higher levels of interpersonal racism (odds ratio, 1.85; 95% CI, 0.86-4.01) but not at lower levels of interpersonal racism. Overall, 44 (29%) met screening criteria for postpartum depression and 20 (13%) for postpartum anxiety. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this longitudinal cohort study of Black birthing individuals, the experience of the syndemic was associated with negative postpartum mental health. Associations between interpersonal racism, structural racism, and negative COVID-19 pandemic experiences were associated with greater risk for postpartum depression and anxiety. Research is needed to address how systemic racism perturbs biobehavioral pathways to magnify associations between acute stressors and mental health. Such research can inform the creation of effective, culturally informed preventive interventions to improve the postpartum mental health of Black individuals.

Additional file 6. Pairwise t-test results for total sample, users with complete data sets only (sensitivity), and 1:1 matched users only (sensitivity).

Additional file 3. Completed Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS).

Fig S1-S4

Additional file 5. ANCOVA results adjusting for pre-intervention mean daily step count for total sample, users with complete data sets only (sensitivity), and 1:1 matched users only (sensitivity).

Additional file 1: STROBE Checklist.

Additional file 9. Completed STROBE Statement—checklist of items to be included in reports of observational studies.

Introduction: In the United Kingdom (UK) increasing childhood obesity rates may be indicative of a lack of regulation of corporate influences that contribute to an obesogenic environment. A key feature in the policy debate surrounding childhood obesity is the role that online advertising of high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) food and beverages may play. Minimal research has been conducted in the UK seeking to understand stakeholders’ views of regulating this online environment. Methods: Focus groups with parents, secondary analysis of focus groups with children, consultation response analysis and professional stakeholder interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the focus groups and interview data, and frame analysis was employed to analyse the consultation. Findings: Parents and children reported finding it increasingly difficult to attain a healthy diet, with online advertising of HFSS products appearing to be an ‘external intruder’ within the home environment. Findings were underpinned by participants’ concerns on the power dynamics related to the regulation of online HFSS product advertising. Both industry power and State power were positioned as problematic, with regulation (or the lack of) considered an appropriate tool to address problematic power dynamics. Participants’ concerns aligned with social justice and market justice values. Discussion and conclusion: Participants’ views indicate a complex debate surrounding the regulation of online advertising of HFSS products. Although tension existed between participants’ acceptability of improved regulation of online advertising as an appropriate policy response to the extensive advertising of HFSS products, there appeared to be a desire for a re-negotiation of the power dynamics within the obesogenic environment to increase parents’ and children’s ability to attain a healthy diet. Statutory regulation, framed as an empowering public health policy rather than restrictive, may be one way to address the concerns described by the participants.

Figs S5-S17

Additional file 2: Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) and self-score.

Additional file 7. Mean steps per day in the pre-intervention and intervention periods by number of Step Together Challenges completed.

Additional file 1. Detailed description of the matching process.

Additional file 2. Study flowchart.

Additional file 8. Completed TIDieR (Template for Intervention Description and Replication) Checklist.

Large-scale genomic studies of wild animal populations are often limited by access to high-quality DNA. Although noninvasive samples, such as faeces, can be readily collected, DNA from the sample producers is usually present in low quantities, fragmented, and contaminated by microorganism and dietary DNAs. Hybridization capture can help to overcome these impediments by increasing the proportion of subject DNA prior to high-throughput sequencing. Here we evaluate a key design variable for hybridization capture, the number of rounds of capture, by testing whether one or two rounds are most appropriate, given varying sample quality (as measured by the ratios of subject to total DNA). We used a set of 1,780 quality-assessed wild chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) faecal samples and chose 110 samples of varying quality for exome capture and sequencing. We used multiple regression to assess the effects of the ratio of subject to total DNA (sample quality), rounds of capture and sequencing effort on the number of unique exome reads sequenced. We not only show that one round of capture is preferable when the proportion of subject DNA in a sample is above ~2%–3%, but also explore various types of bias introduced by capture, and develop a model that predicts the sequencing effort necessary for a desired data yield from samples of a given quality. Thus, our results provide a useful guide and pave a methodological way forward for researchers wishing to plan similar hybridization capture studies., Funding was provided by the Max Planck Society and the President's Strategic Initiative Fund of ASU. T.M.B. is supported by BFU2017‐86471‐P (MINECO/FEDER, UE), U01 MH106874 grant, Howard Hughes International Early Career, Obra Social “La Caixa” and Secretaria d'Universitats i Recerca and CERCA Programme del Departament d'Economia i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya (GRC 2017 SGR 880) and C.F. is supported by a La Caixa PhD Fellowship.

Detailed explanation of our statistical analyses, including SI Figure 1 and SI Tables 2-4

Prior research has shown pathogen prevalence on-farms is not uniformly distributed, instead pathogen prevalence is highly dependent on environmental factors and management practices. A study was performed to determine environmental factors (e.g., landscape features, meteorological events) and management practices (e.g., date of last irrigation, pesticide application) that may impact the prevalence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria spp. at the sub-field level (0.2 ha grids) on an Eastern Shore of Virginia farm. Virginia Tech's Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center (ESAREC) farm was used due to the liability of testing for pathogens in commercial produce fields; however, production practices used at the ESAREC farm are similar, if not the same, to production practices used on commercial farms. Fifteen drag swab, one water, and up to five fecal samples were collected every two weeks per sampling occurrence from August to December 2016 (thus up to 21 samples may be collected during one sampling occurrence. Samples were collected from randomized field plots that were picked during each sampling occurrence. Salmonella spp. and Listeria spp. were isolated and confirmed using modified versions of the Food and Drug Administration's Bacteriological Analytical Manual. Environmental factors were retrieved by remotely-sensed data for the sample location or date. Management practices were recorded by an observational survey for each sample occurrence. Two hundred and seventy-four samples (210 drag swab, 50 fecal, and 14 water samples) were collected during the late summer, fall, and winter. Listeria spp. and Salmonella spp. was detected in 8.3% (23/274) and 1.8% (5/274) of samples, respectively. Neither pathogen was detected in any of the fourteen water samples tested. Findings from this study will support the development of mitigation strategies to reduce pathogen contamination on-farm, with emphasis at the sub-field level. For instance, mitigation strategies include growers electing to not harvest near edges of fields or directly after precipitation events to minimize contamination events. Additionally, management practices were found to be associated with pathogen prevalence; therefore, management practices should be carefully tailored for each unique farm landscape. Master of Science in Life Sciences

VCU Theses and Dissertations

Background The Carrot Rewards app was developed as part of an innovative public-private partnership to reward Canadians with loyalty points, exchangeable for retail goods, travel rewards, and groceries for engaging in healthy behaviors such as walking. Objective This study examined whether a multicomponent intervention including goal setting, graded tasks, biofeedback, and very small incentives tied to daily step goal achievement (assessed by built-in smartphone accelerometers) could increase physical activity in two Canadian provinces, British Columbia (BC) and Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). Methods This 12-week, quasi-experimental (single group pre-post) study included 78,882 participants; 44.39% (35,014/78,882) enrolled in the Carrot Rewards “Steps” walking program during the recruitment period (June 13–July 10, 2016). During the 2-week baseline (or “run-in”) period, we calculated participants’ mean steps per day. Thereafter, participants earned incentives in the form of loyalty points (worth Can $0.04 ) every day they reached their personalized daily step goal (ie, baseline mean+1000 steps=first daily step goal level). Participants earned additional points (Can $0.40) for meeting their step goal 10+ nonconsecutive times in a 14-day period (called a “Step Up Challenge”). Participants could earn up to Can $5.00 during the 12-week evaluation period. Upon meeting the 10-day contingency, participants could increase their daily goal by 500 steps, aiming to gradually increase the daily step number by 3000. Only participants with ≥5 valid days (days with step counts: 1000-40,000) during the baseline period were included in the analysis (n=32,229).The primary study outcome was mean steps per day (by week), analyzed using linear mixed-effects models. Results The mean age of 32,229 participants with valid baseline data was 33.7 (SD 11.6) years; 66.11% (21,306/32,229) were female. The mean daily step count at baseline was 6511.22. Over half of users (16,336/32,229, 50.69%) were categorized as “physically inactive,” accumulating Conclusions Providing very small but immediate rewards for personalized daily step goal achievement as part of a multicomponent intervention increased daily step counts on a population scale, especially for physically inactive individuals and individuals who engaged more with the walking program. Positive effects in both BC and NL provide evidence of replicability.

BackgroundBehavioral economics has stimulated renewed interest in financial health incentives worldwide. The Carrot Rewards app was developed as part of a public-private partnership to reward Canadians with loyalty points (eg, movies and groceries) for downloading the app, referring friends, and completing an average of 1 to 2 educational health quizzes per week (“micro-learning”), with long-term objectives of increasing health knowledge and encouraging healthy behaviors. ObjectiveThe main objective of this study was to evaluate uptake of a loyalty points-based mHealth app during the exclusive 3-month launch period in British Columbia (BC), Canada. The secondary aims were to describe the health and sociodemographic characteristics of users, as well as participation levels (eg, proportion of quizzes completed and friends referred). MethodsThe app was promoted via loyalty program email campaigns (1.64 million emails). Number of downloads and registrations (users enter age, gender, and valid BC postal code to register) were collected. Additional sociodemographics were inferred by linking postal codes with census data at the local health area (LHA) level. Health risk assessments were also deployed. Participation levels were collected over 3 months and descriptive data were presented. ResultsIn 3 months, 67,464 individuals downloaded the app; in its first week, Carrot Rewards was the most downloaded health app in Canada. Among valid users (n=57,885; at least one quiz completed), the majority were female (62.96%; 36,446/57,885) and aged 18 to 34 years (54.34%; 31,459/57,885). More than half of the users (52.40%; 30,332/57,885) resided in LHAs where the median personal income was below the provincial average (Can $28,765). Furthermore, 64.42% (37,291/57,885) of users lived in metropolitan (ie, urban) LHAs, compared with 56.17% of the general BC population. The most prevalent risk factors were “not” meeting physical activity guidelines (72.70%; 31,765/43,692) and “not” getting the flu shot last year (67.69%; 30,286/44,739). Regarding participation, 60.05% (34,761/57,885) of users were classified as “very high” engagers (>75% quiz completion rate). ConclusionsEarly results suggest that loyalty points may promote mHealth app uptake. The app was downloaded by younger females especially, and BC residents from higher and lower income regions were equally represented. Loyalty points appear to have driven participation throughout the inaugural 3-month period (ie, quiz completion).

Today, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is found only on the island of Tasmania, despite once being widespread across mainland Australia. While the devil is thought to have become extinct on the mainland approximately 3000 years ago, three specimens were collected in Victoria (south-eastern Australia) between 1912 and 1991, raising the possibility that a relict mainland population survived in the area. Alternatively, these devils may have escaped captivity or were deliberately released after being transported from Tasmania, a practice that has been strictly controlled since the onset of devil facial tumour disease in the early 1990s. Such quarantine regimes are important to protect disease-free, ‘insurance populations’ in zoos on the mainland. To test whether the three Victorian devils were members of a relict mainland population or had been recently transported from Tasmania we identified seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the mitochondrial genome that can distinguish between Tasmanian and ancient mainland populations. The three Victorian devil specimens have the same seven SNPs diagnostic of modern Tasmanian devils, confirming that they were most likely transported from Tasmania and do not represent a remnant population of mainland devils.

VCU Theses and Dissertations

This paper describes the architecture and implementation of a distributed autonomous gardening system with applications in urban/indoor precision agriculture. The garden is a mesh network of robots and plants. The gardening robots are mobile manipulators with an eye-in-hand camera. They are capable of locating plants in the garden, watering them, and locating and grasping fruit. The plants are potted cherry tomatoes enhanced with sensors and computation to monitor their well-being (e.g. soil humidity, state of fruits) and with networking to communicate servicing requests to the robots. By embedding sensing, computation, and communication into the pots, task allocation in the system is de-centrally coordinated, which makes the system scalable and robust against the failure of a centralized agent. We describe the architecture of this system and present experimental results for navigation, object recognition, and manipulation as well as challenges that lie ahead toward autonomous precision agriculture with multi-robot teams., Swiss National Science Foundation (contract number PBEL2118737), United States. Army Research Office. Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI SWARMS project W911NF-05-1-0219), National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF IIS-0426838), Intel Corporation (EFRI 0735953 Intel), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (UROP program), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MSRP program)