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The article argues for lowering the voting age to 16 in Australia to empower young people and address health disparities. It highlights the importance of political participation as a social determinant of health and cites examples of improved health outcomes from expanding voting rights. The text emphasizes the need for young people's voices in policy-making, especially on issues like mental health, education, and climate change, to ensure their interests are considered. The article also discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth participation and advocates for inclusive decision-making processes to support the health and wellbeing of younger generations. [Extracted from the article]

Issue Addressed: There are concerns that unhealthy industries may use sponsorships to align their brands with the increased popularity of professional women's sporting events. This study aimed to identify and compare the sponsors of Australian male and female professional sporting teams in relation to unhealthy industries (alcohol, gambling, discretionary food and drink, and venues) and health‐promoting companies and organisations (charities, government departments, and educational institutions). Methods: A web‐based scan was conducted from July to October 2021 to identify team and uniform sponsors, with descriptive statistics used to identify and compare results. Results: About one tenth of sponsors (team n = 269; 10.9%; uniform n = 62; 10.6%) were for unhealthy industries. Men's teams had a greater number of these sponsors as compared to women's teams. Just under 10% of sponsors were for health‐promoting organisations (team n = 210; 8.5%; uniform n = 44; 7.5%), with women's teams more likely to have these sponsors as compared to men's teams. Conclusions: Professional sport provides an important opportunity to facilitate health‐promoting rather than ‐harming sponsors. Health‐promoting sponsors are more prominent in women's sport, but as women's professional sport continues to grow in popularity, there is a need for policy, funding, and support to prevent engagement with unhealthy industry sponsorship and create a level playing field with men's sport. So What?: Mechanisms should be developed to help sporting codes, particularly women's sport, to adopt business models that are not reliant on industries that cause harm. Establishing strong relationships with health‐promoting organisations may provide alternative sponsorship opportunities for sporting teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field courses are widely regarded as integral to geography degree programmes, providing students with opportunities for experiential learning, often in unfamiliar international environments. Yet, this key area of pedagogy appears increasingly unsustainable and complex for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) within the context of the urgent need for decarbonisation, increasing financial costs, and the institutional challenges of comprehensively embedding necessary Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) considerations into these activities. Here, we report on a national‐level workshop (April 2024) that brought together a wide range of HE practitioners to discuss the future of UK field course pedagogy, using the fieldwork principles adopted by the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) (RGS‐IBG) in 2020 as a basis for framing future discourse. Using a Three Horizons approach to guide our conversations, we critically explored the (un)sustainability of current academic and institutional practices, alongside future directions and 'disrupting' (innovative) practices for promoting transformative change in this area of education. Here, we argue for two sector‐wide discussions that require collaborative engagement with practitioners, institutions and students. Firstly, we highlight the urgent need for transparent and critical reflection on the challenges and hypocrisy of aeromobility in academia and the need for more widespread adoption of low‐carbon ('slower') modes of travel. Secondly, we call for the immediate reconceptualization of field course pedagogy to place EDI considerations at the core of field course design and practice, aiding a transition towards Universal Design for Learning (UDL). As such, we call on the geography community in higher education to engage in critical reflection on how we take meaningful and urgent action to address the disconnect between our stated educational values around environmental sustainability and EDI, and our actual educational practices. Geography field course pedagogy in UK HE appears increasingly unsustainable and complex for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). We report on a national‐level workshop (April 2024) that brought together a wide range of HE practitioners to discuss the future of UK field course pedagogy. We highlight important and urgent debates and actions required to transform field course pedagogy within the context of environmental sustainability and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue Addressed: There has been little focus on young people's views about the political determinants of the climate crisis. As young people are likely to be the group most impacted by political decisions relating to the climate crisis, it is essential to understand their views about government decision‐making. Methods: A qualitatively‐led online survey of n = 500 young Australians aged 15–24 years. Open text questions sought young people's views about current government climate policies, perceptions about policy effectiveness, and how governments could improve their climate responses. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to interpret and construct themes from the data. Results: Young people perceived that governments were not taking serious action on the climate crisis. They stated that climate policies were largely influenced by economic imperatives, rather than concern for the wellbeing of current and future generations. They perceived that governments had a duty of care to protect them from the climate crisis, and needed to engage young people in climate discussions and decision‐making. Conclusions: Young people's perspectives about the political determinants of the climate crisis provides information about their understanding of government policies and their recommendations for action. There is a need for collaboration between young people and decision‐makers to urgently develop effective climate policies. So What?: Young people understand key issues relating to the political determinants of the climate crisis. The health promotion community has a role in advocating for structural changes in policymaking processes to ensure young people have a seat at the decision‐making table. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues addressed: Research is needed to understand young people's perspectives about public health promotion strategies relevant for their health and wellbeing. This study provides suggestions from young male gamblers about sports betting harm prevention and reduction strategies. Methods: In‐depth interviews were conducted with 16 young men aged 18 to 24 years, from Melbourne, Victoria, who regularly engaged in sports betting. A critical qualitative inquiry approach, using methods of constructivist grounded theory guided the study. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to interpret and construct themes from the data. Results: Participants indicated three main harm prevention strategies. These were online consumer protection and regulatory strategies, public education campaigns that highlighted sports betting risks and harms and the creation of formal and informal support networks to reduce stigma and encourage help seeking. They also supported being engaged in the development of harm prevention strategies and suggested ways to help reduce barriers to engagement. Conclusion: Young men recognise the need for regulatory, education and engagement responses to counter the risks posed by new gambling products. Young men may be difficult to engage in formal prevention activities, however, youth‐led and informal interactive mechanisms may help to overcome this barrier, and contribute to a comprehensive public health approach to gambling harm prevention. So what?: Young men can draw upon their lived experiences of gambling to provide insights relevant for public health promotion. Mechanisms should be developed to engage young people in the co‐production of strategies and policies aimed at gambling harm prevention and reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time for policies on gambling to benefit health - not the gambling industry 2016; 111 (1): 5 - 10. 18 Fentiman S. New plan to tackle gambling harm in Queensland: Queensland Government, 2021 (Retrieved 2023 Mar 13). https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/92771. Shifting to a comprehensive public health approach provides an opportunity for governments to significantly reduce the threats to the health and wellbeing of our communities posed by the gambling industry. It has been more than a decade since the last HPJA editorial calling for action on gambling.[1] Since then, the industry has exponentially expanded its reach into new markets and media. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Gambling poses a global threat to public health due to its far‐reaching impacts. Research has demonstrated a ripple effect of harmful gambling on social network members and broader communities. While researchers have documented extreme harms associated with an affected other, limited research has qualitatively investigated how women describe their concerns about the gambling of a social network member, and any subsequent negative impacts on their own lives. Methods: An online panel survey was conducted with women aged 18 years and older, who gambled at least once in the last 12 months, and resided in the Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales. This paper focused on the open text responses of a subsection of the sample (n = 136) who reported being negatively impacted by someone else's gambling. The study utilised reflexive thematic analysis to interpret the data. Results: Results indicated that women were concerned about the gambling behaviours of a broad range of social network members. Open text responses regarding the nature of these concerns mostly related to individualised paradigms of gambling behaviour – including whether the participant perceived their network member could afford to gamble, was being responsible with their gambling, or were gambling too frequently. Participants experienced a range of negative impacts including significant financial issues, relationship difficulties, poorer emotional wellbeing as a result of worrying about the gambler, and loss of trust. Some described the negative experiences associated with growing up with a parent who gambled. Conclusion: The research demonstrates the broad impacts of gambling on affected others. This study enhances our understanding of how women are harmed by gambling and considers the complexities of their experiences and relationships with the gambler. This extends knowledge beyond quantitative descriptors of harm among affected others and provides a critical reflection on the nuances of women's experiences with gambling and gambling harm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Younger women's engagement with gambling has changed over recent decades due to a range of socio‐cultural, environmental and commercial factors. However, younger women's distinct lived experiences with gambling have rarely been considered. The following critical qualitative inquiry explored factors that influenced younger women's engagement with gambling and their perceptions of gambling risks. Methods: Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 41 Australian women aged 18‐40 years. Participants were asked questions relating to their reasons for gambling, and the perceived risks associated with gambling. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. Results: Five themes were constructed from the data. First, women reported that they gambled to escape their everyday lives, with some women reporting gambling within their own homes. Second, women reported gambling for financial reasons, particularly to change their life circumstances and outcomes. Third, gambling was used by women as a way to connect with social network members. Fourth, gambling was an incidental activity that was an extension of non‐gambling leisure activities. Finally, lower risk perceptions of participants' own gambling risk contributed to their engagement and continuation of gambling. Conclusion: Public health and health promotion initiatives should recognise that young women's gambling practices are diverse, and address the full range of socio‐cultural, environmental and commercial factors that may influence younger women's engagement with gambling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue addressed: Older adults are at an increased risk of experiencing gambling harm, which may be due to their use of high‐intensity gambling products such as electronic gambling machines (EGMs). However, little research has explored the motivations behind older adults' engagement with EGMs, their understanding of the structural characteristics of EGMs, or their perceptions of risk associated with EGM gambling. This paper aims to address this gap in the literature. Methods: Focus groups were conducted in Melbourne, Australia with n = 126 adults aged 55+, who had attended a club or pub in the last 12 months. Topics included EGM attitudes and behaviours, structural characteristics of EGMs, and the potential risks associated with EGM gambling. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. Results: For most participants, EGM gambling was secondary to their participation in other activities available within venues. Participants identified structural characteristics of EGMs; however, there were some misconceptions about how EGMs operated, including how or why machines paid out. Most participants perceived that they were not at risk of gambling harm because they engaged in "responsible" gambling practices such as setting limits. Conclusions: Older adults often engaged in EGM gambling because of its availability in community‐based venues. Older adults' perception that they are implementing responsible gambling practices may be increasing their susceptibility to harm. So what?: There is a need to reduce the availability and accessibility of EGMs in community settings and develop public education programs that are tailored to the needs of older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue Addressed: Community-based gambling venues provide a range of activities for children alongside adult products, such as gambling. However, there has been little examination of children's experiences with, and exposure to, a range of gambling and non-gambling activities within venues.Methods: Visual sociology methods were used to measure unprompted recall, prompted recall, current use and intended adult use of activities in community gambling venues in 44 children who attended venues. Qualitative data were also collected to gain further insight into children's perceptions of the venue and the activities within.Results: Children displayed high unprompted and prompted recall of gambling and nongambling activities within the venue. Children indicated positive perceptions of the venue overall. Just over half of the children (52.3%) reported current use of gambling activities in the venue. The large majority of the children indicated that they would attend community gambling venues as an adult (90.9%).Conclusion: This research provides a starting point in understanding the extent to which children are exposed to gambling products in community gambling venues. SO WHAT?: This research will be important for researchers, policy makers and practitioners in developing health promotion initiatives to prevent children from being exposed to gambling products in community settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue Addressed: Concerns have been raised about the expansion of sports betting marketing and the impact it may have on children's gambling attitudes and behaviours. This study aimed to investigate the content of Australian betting advertisements to identify if they contained specific attention strategies that have been identified by tobacco, alcohol and gambling researchers as having particular appeal to children.Methods: An interpretative content analysis of 91 advertisements from 11 corporate bookmakers was conducted. A search of specific attention strategies that may appeal to adults, but also have been demonstrated in the public health literature as having particular appeal for children was used to develop a coding framework. This framework was then applied to analyse the advertisements. Descriptive statistics were used to generate quantitative data and qualitative illustrations were used to provide examples of the strategies found within the advertisements.Results: On average there were 7.6 attention strategies found per advertisement. The most common attention strategies were music (n = 80), voiceovers (n = 79) and catchy slogans (n = 78). There were some attention strategies that related specifically to betting, such as technology, and risk-reducing promotions.Conclusion: This research has demonstrated that the content of betting advertisements contains attention strategies that, based on the research findings from other areas of public health, may have particular appeal for children. SO WHAT?: This research provides important evidence which could encourage researchers, regulators and policy makers to consider changes to current advertising regulations, to ensure children are protected from the potentially engaging and harmful attention strategies present in betting advertisements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More-than-human geography challenges researchers to attend to all kinds of beings, including the unique facets and actions of plants. Attention to plants' agency is in its infancy and I argue that understanding plants as agents requires methodologies that allow ethnographic techniques to engage more directly with plants and what they do. To provide some guidance, I develop Tim Ingold's work on how novices learn into a methodology centred on showing and being shown. Researcher as novice is inducted into knowledge by expert guides who show them around their worlds, an approach well suited to attending to nonhumans. Drawing on ethnographic research of community gardens, I demonstrate how this can be applied through techniques of walking, talking, doing and picturing, which encourage guides - human and nonhuman - to share their expertise. Guidance from experts in plants and plants as experts fine-tunes the researcher's perception to attend more closely to nonhumans. By looking to flora as guides, human-plant geographers can learn what it is to be a plant and recognise their particular agency. But I identify limits to understanding plants in the absence of specialist training or assistance from botanists. Ingold suggests that knowledge acquired through showing takes the form of skills that enable future engagements with nonhumans, which is shared in stories. The aim of such research is not to represent nonhumans - with the incumbent challenge of speaking for very other others - but to provide guidance for future explorations. Hence knowing through showing prompts researchers to reconsider the purpose and products of any research that seeks to understand those other than ourselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]