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In this issue
- Restricting unhealthy TV food advertising could reduce obesity in children
- CEDAR contributes to the Food Foundation’s Broken Plate 2020
- epigram 2020 – News from the MRC Epidemiology Unit
- Researcher vacancy in transport and health modelling
- New MPhil in Population Health Sciences
- Upcoming seminar – 9 December
- New Publications Database for CEDAR
- Our latest publications
- Your information and preferences
Restricting unhealthy food advertising on TV could reduce number of overweight and obese children by 120,000
New research published in PLOS Medicine suggests that unhealthy food advertising on television before the 9pm watershed is responsible for 1 in 22 cases of childhood obesity. Removing these adverts before 9pm, the intention of new government regulation announced in July this year, has the potential to reduce the number of children with obesity by 40,000 and those with overweight by a further 80,000.
The research also suggests that the policy will have a two-fold greater impact in children whose parents earn the least compared to those whose parents work in the highest paid jobs. This is because children living in the lowest earning households tend to watch more television and are more likely to have obesity than others.
- Read the full story
- Full paper: Mytton OT, Boyland E, Adams J, Collins B, O’Connell M, Russell SJ, et al. The potential health impact of restricting less-healthy food and beverage advertising on UK television between 05.30 and 21.00 hours: A modelling study. PLoS Med (2020) 17(10): e1003212.
- Lead author Oliver Mytton wrote in the Daily Telegraph about this research and implications for public policy: Time to take unhealthy options out of the spotlight – we need tough restrictions on junk food ads
- This research was also covered in the Mail Online and The Sun.
CEDAR contributes to the Food Foundation’s Broken Plate 2020
Report on the state of the Nation’s Food System
CEDAR researchers have contributed data, evidence and perspectives to the Food Foundation’s 2020 update of The Broken Plate, their report on the state of the UK’s food system.
The report highlights ten vital signs showing the health of our food system, how it impacts on our lives, and why we must change the food environment. These signs include advertising, food composition, availability and affordability, and impacts on obesity and diabetes.
CEDAR contributions include
- data and analyis from the Food environment assessment tool (Feat) showing that 45 local authorities in England have seen more than a 5% increase in the proportion of food outlets that are fast food takeaways.
- analysis of Consumer Price Index and National Diet and Nutrition Survey data showing that more healthy foods are more expensive than less healthy foods, with the cost of more healthy foods diverging from less healthy foods over the past four years.
Read the full report here (pdf)
epigram 2020 – News from the MRC Epidemiology Unit
epigram contains stories from across the MRC Epidemiology Unit, which leads CEDAR.
The latest issue looks back on a year of of challenges, innovation, discovery and resilience, with a particular focus on how the Unit has adapted to COVID-19 and contributed towards its understanding.
epigram features stories about how Unit scientists have researched the implications of coronavirus, pioneered new remote approaches and technologies, are helping people stay healthy during the pandemic, and producing evidence that could support a return to a better normal.
- Read epigram online here
- Receive future issues via email by updating your preferences at www.cedar.iph.cam.ac.uk/subscribe or www,mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/subscribe
Researcher vacancy in transport and health modelling – last few days to apply
Research Associate/Senior Research Associate – Statistician/Senior Statistician (Fixed Term)
The MRC Epidemiology Unit is looking to appoint a researcher in the area of transport and health modelling. This appointment is an exciting opportunity to play a leading role in the development of statistical and simulation models of transport and health for cities around the world.
This position is based in the multidisciplinary Public Health Modelling team, and will be part of the European Research Council GLASST project (Global and Local health impact ASSessment of Transport). GLASST is led by Dr Woodcock, with collaborators at TU Munich, ISGlobal (Barcelona), University of Chicago, the University of Oxford, and the MRC BioStatistics Unit.
GLASST is developing methods for comparison of stochastic simulation models, integrating health into transport models, and developing city level models of transport starting with cities in Latin America, India, and Europe.
- Closing date 1 November
- Full details and apply here
New MPhil in Population Health Sciences
Cambridge University MPhil courses in epidemiology, public health and primary care are evolving in to a new MPhil in Population Health Sciences.
This new course is jointly run by the MRC Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, and the MRC Biostatistics Unit, with contributions from colleagues across the University.
The MPhil is a postgraduate master’s course, with streams covering the academic disciplines of health data science, infectious diseases, epidemiology, global health, public health, and primary care research. MRC Epidemiology Unit and CEDAR staff will teach courses across all these streams, including a brand new module in global health.
- Read the full story
- Applications are now open for 2021/2022. The course is open to graduates and other qualified candidates who wish to pursue a research, practice or leadership career in population health sciences.
- More information at www.phs.masters.cam.ac.uk
Upcoming seminar – 9 December
All our seminars have now moved online.
Past and future seminars, including slides and recordings, are available via
www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/seminars/
They are free to attend, but please note that you will need to register in advance to attend live. Subscribe for direct updates via www.cedar.iph.cam.ac.uk/subscribe/
Just one seminar to advertise currently:
9 December 2020, 11:00 – 12:00 GMT
Anthony Laverty, Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Imperial College
Title TBC
New Publications Database for CEDAR
We’ve recently launched a new Publications Database for all CEDAR publications.
You can search all CEDAR publications 2008 to 2020 by journal, author, publication year and keywords.
Search now at cedar-publications.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/
We welcome feedback on this new database to comms@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk
Papers published since the last CEDAR Bulletin are listed below.
Our latest publications
The following papers have been published since the last CEDAR Bulletin.
All are Open Access.
Search all of our publications at cedar-publications.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/
General public health
- A scoping review of evaluation frameworks and their applicability to real-world physical activity and dietary change programme evaluation. Fynn JF, Hardeman W, Milton K, Jones AP. BMC Public Health.
- Estimating traffic contribution to particulate matter concentration in urban areas using a multilevel Bayesian meta-regression approach. Heydari S, Tainio M, Woodcock J, de Nazelle A. Environ Int.
- Physical distancing interventions and incidence of coronavirus disease 2019: natural experiment in 149 countries. Islam N, Sharp SJ, Chowell G, Shabnam S, Kawachi I, Lacey B, Massaro JM, D’Agostino RB Sr, White M. BMJ.
Diet
- Addressing socioeconomic inequalities in obesity: Democratising access to resources for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Adams J. PLoS Med.
- Public health response to ultra-processed food and drinks. Adams J, Hofman K, Moubarac JC, Thow AM. BMJ.
- The combined used of quantitative and qualitative longitudinal methods in the study of obesity. Díaz-Méndez C, Adams J. Gac Sanit.
- Using nutritional survey data to inform the design of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes in low-resource contexts: a cross-sectional analysis based on data from an adult Caribbean population. Alvarado M, Harris R, Rose A, Unwin N, Hambleton I, Imamura F, Adams J. BMJ Open.
- Use of Online Food Delivery Services to Order Food Prepared Away-From-Home and Associated Sociodemographic Characteristics: A Cross-Sectional, Multi-Country Analysis. Keeble M, Adams J, Sacks G, Vanderlee L, White CM, Hammond D, Burgoine T. Int J Environ Res Public Health.
Physical Activity
- A systematic review of the use and reporting of evaluation frameworks within evaluations of physical activity interventions. Fynn JF, Hardeman W, Milton K, Murphy J, Jones A. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act.
- Challenges for creating active living infrastructure in a middle-income country: a qualitative case study in Jamaica. Le Gouais A, Govia I, Guell C. Cities & Health.
- Cohabiting and becoming a parent: associations with changes in physical activity in the 1970 British cohort study. Werneck AO, Winpenny EM, van Sluijs EMF, Corder K. BMC Public Health.
- Cycle training and factors associated with cycling among adolescents in England. McKay A, Goodman A, van Sluijs E, Millett C, Laverty AA. J Transp Health.
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