Nutrition and disease burden in Australia : intervening for the nation's health

Editorial on public health policy to improve health of Australians

Australia's national men's health policy : masculinity matters

Issue addressed : The development of Australia's first national men's health policy provides an important opportunity for informed discussions of health and gender. It is therefore a concern that the stated policy appears to deliberately exclude hegemonic masculinity and other masculinities, despite evidence of their major influence on men's health-related values, beliefs, perspectives, attitudes, motivations and behaviour.

Methods : We provide an evidence-based critique of the proposed approach to a national men's health policy which raises important questions about whether the new policy can achieve its aims if it fails to acknowledge 'masculinity' as a key factor in Australian men's health.

Conclusion : The national men's health policy should be a means to encourage gender analysis in health. This will require recognition of the influence of hegemonic masculinity, and other masculinities, on men's health. Recognising the influence of 'masculinity' on men's health is not about 'blaming' men for 'behaving badly', but is crucial to the development of a robust, meaningful and comprehensive national men's health policy.

Current occupational health policy issues for universities in the United Kingdom

Universities are large organisations with diverse occupational hazards and some unusual features as employers. They need expert professional advice for generalist managers on occupational health matters and they need specialist services such as immunisations for medical students and respiratory health surveillance for staff and students whose research involves the use of animals. We have reviewed these varied occupational health needs in detail in a separate paper (Venables and Allender 2006). Universities need an occupational health response which is proportionate to their needs.

Do food regulatory systems protect public health?

The purpose of this commentary is to consider the extent to which food regulatory systems protect public health, and how a better job could be done. There are fundamental questions about the role of food regulations in responding to changes in food systems and to food-related public health issues. What is meant by the objective ‘to protect public health and safety’ in the context of food regulation? Are current systems well balanced between promoting trade and protecting health? What is the role of nutrition in food regulation? Should food regulation be used to promote as well as to protect public health? Should laws and regulations be used to intervene in the formulation and marketing of foods, or should ‘the market’ merely provide more choices and information for shoppers and consumers to select healthy diets?

Moving towards increased cultural competency in public health research

There has been a renewed focus in recent decades on collaborative approaches in community-based public health research and interventions. This is an important grounding for addressing the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. But how well do we as researchers prepare for the complexities of working with CALD communities? And what sort of support do we need to meet the challenges of the task? Cultural competence refers to the extent to which researchers, practitioners and organisations have the necessary skills, knowledge, attitudes and policies to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. The shift towards cultural competence in public health is evidenced by the development of policies and guidelines by government bodies and leading research institutions in countries such as Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. This chapter will draw on these guidelines, on models of cultural competency used in welfare and health service delivery, and on collaborative research approaches. A framework for moving towards cultural competence in public health research and health promotion interventions will be discussed, drawing case study examples from the co-authors' community-based experiences. This will highlight the complexities but also the importance of adopting culturally competent strategies in public health research and health promotion interventions. The need for supporting government and funding structures will also be proposed .

Workshop synopses : Pathways for public health education

The Commonwealth introduced the Public Health Education and Research Program (PHERP) initiative to support capacity building within the public health workforce, primarily through investment in Master of Public Health programs. Following the 2005 review of PHERP, a national 'Quality Agenda' was proposed to establish minimum standards in public health competencies of graduates; and Master of Public Health (MPH) graduates in particular. This 'agenda' has triggered renewed discussion on public health workforce needs, public health graduate competencies, and the capacity of the tertiary education sector to deliver these.

The Australian Network of Academic Public Health Institutions (ANAPHI) has worked with the Department of Health and Ageing on the 'Quality Agenda'. In 2008, ANAPHI convened a working group to further open up discussion among academic institutions on the public health education context to the Quality Agenda. The group held a lunchtime workshop at the 2008 Population Health Congress in Brisbane, as one of a themed pair of sessions entitled 'Public Health Professionals - Shaping our Future'. A further aim of the workshop was to identify key themes to shape the next ANAPHI Teaching and Learning Forum (September 23rd to 24th 2008, Canberra, www.anaphi.org.au).