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Background Food policy is important to promote healthy and sustainable diets. However, who is responsible for developing and implementing food policy remains contentious. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate how the public attributes responsibility for food policy to governments, individuals and the private sector. Methods A total of 7559 respondents from seven countries [Australia (n  = 1033), Canada (n  = 1079), China (n  = 1099), India (n  = 1086), New Zealand (n  = 1090), the UK (n  = 1079) and the USA (n  = 1093)] completed an online survey assessing perceived responsibility for 11 recommended food policies. Results Overall, preferred responsibility for the assessed food policies was primarily attributed to governments (62%), followed by the private sector (49%) and individuals (31%). Respondents from New Zealand expressed the highest support for government responsibility (70%) and those from the USA the lowest (50%). Respondents from the USA and India were most likely to nominate individuals as responsible (both 37%), while those from China were least likely (23%). The private sector had the highest attributed responsibility in New Zealand (55%) and the lowest in China and the USA (both 47%). Support for government responsibility declined with age and was higher among those on higher incomes, with a university degree, and who perceived themselves to consume a healthy diet or be in poor health. Conclusions Across seven diverse countries, results indicate the public considers government should take primary responsibility for the assessed food policies, with modest contribution from the private sector and minority support for individual responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In comparison to jurisdictions, such as Australia, limited research has focused upon the perceptions and reported effects of gambling advertising within the unique gambling environment of the UK. An online qualitative survey was conducted with 62 young adult gamblers in the UK. The survey investigated the place, meaning and influence of gambling advertising within the lives of the participants. Demographic data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, with qualitative data interpreted using inductive thematic analysis techniques. Three themes were identified. Firstly, young adults were highly cognizant of UK gambling advertising strategies. Second, young adults were able to describe the influence of gambling advertising including its normalizing effect and proliferation of misleading messages. Finally, young adults perceived that current harm minimization strategies, including responsible gambling messages, were ineffective. Many were supportive of increased regulation of gambling advertising. The findings indicate that young adults are aware of the potential risks associated with gambling advertising and are supportive of regulatory reform. It is important that the views and perspectives of young adults are fully considered by regulators and policy makers in the UK, particularly as they are a potential target demographic for the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cancer survival in the UK and Denmark are lower when compared with similar countries with late diagnosis a possible cause. We aimed to study the relationship between barriers to attending a primary care physician (GP) and anticipated time to help seeking (ATHS) with four cancer symptoms in six countries. Methods: A population-based survey measuring cancer awareness and beliefs conducted within the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and UK. Data were collected on perceived barriers to GP consultation (including embarrassment, worry about wasting the doctors' time, fear about what the doctor might find and being too busy) and ATHS for persistent cough, abdominal swelling, rectal bleeding and breast changes. Relationships between perceived barriers and ATHS were investigated using multivariable analysis. Results: Among 19079 respondents, higher perceived barrier scores were associated with longer ATHS intervals for all symptoms studied (P<0.01) responders with the highest barrier scores (>10.84) had between two and three times the odds of longer ATHS. ATHS was low in Australia for all symptoms and highest in Denmark for abdominal bloating. Conclusions: Perceived barriers to help-seeking have a role in delaying GP presentation. Early diagnosis campaigns should address emotional and practical barriers that reduce early presentation with potential cancer symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a study of 1,989 elementary school teachers in 108 schools across 12 countries, which examined views pertaining to teaching values and spirituality at the elementary school level. Results of the logistic regression analyses showed that teachers from European countries, the United States, Canada, and Australia; Christians; those who had longer teaching experience; and those with higher scores on the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale and the Portrait Values Questionnaire 5X were more likely to construct the meaning of spirituality for children as relational consciousness. Teachers also sought the connection between spirituality and values education through the congruence of spiritual tenets and values and moral education. Spiritual assessment of children was understood as assessing the spiritual starting point of children, and spiritual techniques comprised teaching universal values of peace, unity, mutuality, unconditional love, and forgiveness. The goals of spiritually defined values education for children entailed having embedded/ingrained notions of unity, peace and equity, and building a relational consciousness. The article concludes by highlighting how elementary school children's spiritual sensibilities and potential can be effectively used to build a values education curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Quality of life is included in the economic evaluation of health services by measuring the preference for health states, i.e. health state utilities. However, most intervention studies include a disease-specific, not a utility, instrument. Consequently, there has been increasing use of statistical mapping algorithms which permit utilities to be estimated from a disease-specific instrument. The present paper provides such algorithms between the MacNew Heart Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire (MacNew) instrument and six multi-attribute utility (MAU) instruments, the Euroqol (EQ-5D), the Short Form 6D (SF-6D), the Health Utilities Index (HUI) 3, the Quality of Wellbeing (QWB), the 15D (15 Dimension) and the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL-8D). Methods: Heart disease patients and members of the healthy public were recruited from six countries. Non-parametric rank tests were used to compare subgroup utilities and MacNew scores. Mapping algorithms were estimated using three separate statistical techniques. Results: Mapping algorithms achieved a high degree of precision. Based on the mean absolute error and the intra class correlation the preferred mapping is MacNew into SF-6D or 15D. Using the R squared statistic the preferred mapping is MacNew into AQoL-8D. Implications for research: The algorithms reported in this paper enable MacNew data to be mapped into utilities predicted from any of six instruments. This permits studies which have included the MacNew to be used in cost utility analyses which, in turn, allows the comparison of services with interventions across the health system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effects of different cigarette package warnings in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom up to 5 years post-implementation. The data came from the International Tobacco Control Surveys. Measures included salience of warnings, cognitive responses, forgoing cigarettes and avoiding warnings. Although salience of the UK warnings was higher than the Australian and Canadian pictorial warnings, this did not lead to greater levels of cognitive reactions, forgoing or avoiding. There was no difference in ratings between the Australian and UK warnings for cognitive responses and forgoing, but the Canadian warnings were responded to more strongly. Avoidance of the Australian warnings was greater than to UK ones, but less than to the Canadian warnings. The impact of warnings declined over time in all three countries. Declines were comparable between Australia and the United Kingdom on all measures except avoiding, where Australia had a greater rate of decline; and for salience where the decline was slower in Canada. Having two rotating sets of warnings does not appear to reduce wear-out over a single set of warnings. Warning size may be more important than warning type in preventing wear-out, although both probably contribute interactively. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]