Public Health Disrupted

Join hosts Doctor Xand van Tulleken and Dr Rochelle Burgess for Season 3, Episode 4 of Public Health Disrupted with Prof Joyce Harper and Rachel Lankester. “We’re more valuable to our communities post-menopause as leaders than as breeders.” How does our society value menopausal women? The lack of public awareness around this natural phase in a women’s life has resulted in the menopause being associated with a lot of shame, and a whole bunch of negative misconceptions.In this thought-provoking episode, Joyce Harper (Professor of Reproductive Science at the UCL Institute for Women’s Health) and Rachel Lankester (author of Magnificent Midlife) challenge the prevailing negative narrative surrounding the menopause by debunking common myths, and revealing the surprising beneficial rewards that await women post-menopause. Plus, what can we learn from the whales? Read full show notes Access transcript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“A remarkable number of claims you see in newspapers and magazines about sex are essentially made up.”What does the average British person think about sex? For over 40 years the Natsal surveys have been recording sexual data, capturing striking changes in our behaviour and sexual lifestyles across the decades. They have been pivotal in the population measurement of the social, behavioural and biological aspects of sexual health. Its evidence has underpinned public health policy, practice and research for over 25 years.So, how do you get someone to open up about something that’s so deeply personal and sensitive? Who decides what questions need to be asked and how much can we rely on the reported data? As a co-lead at Natsal, Prof Cath Mercer shares insights into the methodology and the survey’s broadening remit while Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter presents his argument for disrupting public health messaging.Read full show notes Access transcript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“It’s really not our fault that we struggle with our health, we have to look to the system around us and hold them accountable.”In our fast-paced world, convenience is king where food is concerned and many of us are now fuelling our bodies with an entirely novel set of substances called Ultra-Processed Food. In today’s episode, we’re taking a closer look at this industrially processed food (which is designed and marketed to be addictive), and asking the question: do we really know what it's doing to our bodies?Our guests, Chris Van Tulleken (infectious diseases doctor, TV Presenter and writer) and Christina Adane (social campaigner, Bite Back campaign) explore why exercise and willpower can't save us, and how ultra-processed food is affecting our bodies, our health, our weight, and the planet. You can find out more about this topic in Chris’ newly released book, Ultra Processed People from all good booksellers like this one https://thebookery.org.uk/product/ultra-processed-people/Chris van Tulleken is an infectious diseases doctor at UCLH, and one of the BBC’s leading science presenters having worked on many flagship Health & Science programmes. His research focuses on how corporations affect human health especially in the context of child nutrition and he works with UNICEF and The World Health Organisation on this area. Chris co-presents CBBC’s Operation Ouch! alongside his twin brother Xand van Tulleken. Chris’ recently released book Ultra-Processed People explores the world of ultra-processed food and the affect it’s having on the health of the public.Christina Adane is a social campaigner who led the Bite Back campaign to extend free school meals into the holidays during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Passionate about tackling food injustice and the climate crisis, her work has been recognised by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who welcomed Christina as a guest on their podcast, and by the BBC, who named her in their most inspiring 100 women of 2020. In 2021, she won the Diana Legacy Award for her efforts with Bite Back in fighting for a fairer food system. Discover more about Bite Back and its campaigns for a fairer food system at https://www.biteback2030.com/ Public Health Disrupted with Rochelle Burgess and Xand Van Tulleken is produced by Buckers at Decibelle Creative, find her on Instagram: @decibelle_creative and here: https://www.decibellecreative.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EPISODE DESCRIPTION“The way to get economic growth in a sustainable way is to improve the income of the bottom 60% of the population.”How does the cost-of-living crisis affect the health of the public? What impact does financial stress have on our physical and mental wellbeing? This episode aims to reshape the narrative and create a clearer understanding of the growing economic and health problems affecting millions of people living in the UK.Professor Sir Michael Marmot (Director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity) and Jack Monroe (award-winning food writer, TV presenter, and campaigner) explain why there are health inequalities in our society and how the cost-of-living crisis disproportionally affects people on lower incomes. They outline the challenges faced by those living in poverty and what changes are required to safeguard our future against this mounting humanitarian crisis.GUESTSProfessor Sir Michael Marmot is Director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity and Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health. Michael has worked on health inequalities for nearly 50 years. He chaired the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health, several WHO Regional Commissions, and has led influential reviews and reports on tackling health inequality for governments in the UK. He is the Advisor to the WHO director-general, on social determinants of health, and supports a network of local authorities in England, working in-depth to develop a 'Marmot' approach. Most recently Michael was conferred Companion of Honour in the New Year’s Honours list 2022, for services to public health.Jack Monroe is an award-winning food writer, TV presenter, and a campaigner against hunger and poverty in the UK. She is author of the bestselling cookbooks: Good Food For Bad Days, Tin Can Cook, Vegan (ish), Cooking on a Bootstrap and A Girl Called Jack. She was awarded the Fortnum and Mason Judges' Choice Award in 2013 and the OFM Best Food Personality Readers' Award in 2018. She has given evidence to parliamentary inquiries and consulted on the School Food Plan and National Food Strategy. Jack has also developed a new price index, The Vimes Boots index, to measure the cost of basic foodstuffs and inflation as it affects those on the lowest incomes.Follow Jack Monroe on Twitter @BootstrapCook and Instagram @jack_monroeRead The Business of Health Equity: The Marmot Review for Industry report here.Public Health Disrupted with Rochelle Burgess and Xand Van Tulleken is produced by Buckers at Decibelle Creative, find her on Instagram: @decibelle_creative and here: https://www.decibellecreative.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“The ways in which we talk about our bodies, the metaphors we use to understand our bodies in the world around us radically shape our health and the way we approach health.” What is meant by the obesity crisis and where does the power lie to address the social determinants and intricacies that impact it? With a growing epidemic of chronic illness, is there a need to reframe public health’s approach to tackling obesity? In this episode, multi-award-winning content creator and body image/self-love advocate, Stephanie Yeboah, and international researcher and anthropologist, Dr Aaron Parkhurst, seek to answer these questions and discuss how the body positivity movement can be used to influence societal change. Read full show notes Access transcript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“There’s much more room for nuance in the conversation than it feels like we have now.”Social media is a huge part of our lives, but growing fears are fuelling debate that it is bad for children and young people. What should the conversation around social media be and what questions should we be asking?Exploring the binary complexities of social media, Dr Chris Bagley and Ella Gregory bring a fresh perspective to the general media narrative around social media and its effect on young people’s mental health. Are we asking the right questions without being hindered by our own bias? Why are we struggling to make online safe? What are the real dangers? They discuss the lack of quantifiable research, exploitation, and how open and balanced conversations is key to navigating the confusing land of social media.Read full show notesAccess transcript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Death is something that affects us all and by not talking about it we make it harder.” Death is not infinitely deferrable, yet the successes of traditional modern Western medicine in increasing life expectancy have hugely impacted the human psyche of immortality. Where can people go to understand death, where is the narrative? Can we prioritise public health in a way that is reflective of social values? And how do we overcome the barriers of power to remove inequalities and prioritise human suffering? In this episode, Dr Libby Sallnow and Dr Afsan Bhadelia help unpack the philosophical and intricate topic of death and dying. Their recent report on the value of death, which delves into the unbalanced and contradictory picture of dying, helps frame this meaningful discussion around death and its complex systems. Read full show notes here Access transcript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“It is imperative that we learn to create homes that truly support and sustain us.” Interior and external environments affect our health and wellbeing in ways that we are only now beginning to truly understand: from the impact of the urban spaces that are fundamentally unhealthy due to air pollution and noise, to acknowledging the changes that colour, daylight, mess and a good night’s sleep can have on our mood and happiness. But what is the solution; and what changes should be made to improve the overall health of the public? Award winning expert in all things interior design, Michelle Ogundehin, and experienced architect, planner and professor of urban design, Matthew Carmona, seek to explore the avenues towards a healthier environment, bringing a higher quality of life. Whether it’s the promotion of wellbeing in new developments, shifting mindsets towards adaptable spaces over bigger spaces, or thinking about improving and not moving, Michelle and Matthew delve into their considerable research to share their thoughts on this episode.Read full show notes hereAccess transcript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SummaryGrammy-award winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre joins chair of the UK’s largest COVID-19 social study and UCL professor Dr Daisy Fancourt to talk about the power of community. They explore how people bound by common experiences can improve their health through non-clinical methods, looking at how singing and music can form a part of that process, and the wider implications that has on the health of the public.Episode Description“Every single person feels part of something larger than themselves.”Communities are vital for a functioning society, but in an ever-changing world, has the concept of what ‘community’ means evolved into something new? Can virtual choirs really help with regulating emotions and coping with stress in the same way that singing live in a room full of people could? And is social prescribing of arts through linked support services the answer?Grammy-award winning composer Eric Whitacre, and associate professor of psychobiology and epidemiology at UCL Dr Daisy Fancourt, seek to answer these questions and more, from studying the social factors on health such as loneliness and isolation, to how singing can help regulate emotions and cope with stress, and the physiological benefits that belonging to a community can bring.Dr Fancourt’s research focuses on the effects of social factors on health, including loneliness, social isolation, community assets, art, cultural engagement, and social prescribing. She leads the team running the UK’s largest COVID-19 social study into the psychological and social impact of the virus. She also established and chairs the International Arts Help Early Career Research network, the UK March network, and is a consultant to the World Health Organization. You can find her on Twitter @Daisy_Fancourt.Nevada-born Eric Whitacre is a multiple award-winning composer, conductor and graduate of New York’s prestigious Juilliard School of Music, whose work is recognised worldwide. Eric also established groundbreaking virtual choirs that have united singers from more than 145 countries. He has been the artist in residence at Los Angeles Master Chorale and University of Cambridge. You can find Eric on Twitter @EricWhitacre and at: https://ericwhitacre.comPublic Health Disrupted with Rochelle Burgess and Xand Van Tulleken is produced by Buckers at Decibelle Creative, find her on Instagram: @decibelle_creative and here: https://www.decibellecreative.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SummaryAuthor, chair of WHO Council on economics, and UCL professor Mariana Mazzucato joins renegade economist, creator of the “Doughnut” model of social and planetary boundaries, and Oxford Senior Associate Kate Raworth to share their considerable expertise on the relationship between public health and the economy; and why taking a mission-oriented approach will improve the overall health of the public.Episode Description“The fundamental relationship that must come in is humanity to the rest of nature.”Would it be such a radical change to flip on its head the idea of improving the overall health of the public to prop up the economy? Redefining the idea of prosperity in the 21st Century and the balance between human wellbeing and economics are among the topics discussed by our guests: two leading thinkers in the field of innovative economics and its relationship with public health.Together, Professor Mariana Mazzucato and renegade economist Kate Raworth tackle the topic of taking a mission-oriented approach to improving the health of the public. From redefining what prosperity looks like in a modern world, to how active a role the government should have in defining health innovation policy, and everything in between. The Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, Prof Mariana Mazzucato leads the way in the economics of innovation and public value. Her breadth of work in the field has seen her author three highly acclaimed books on the subject, she was named one of the three most important thinkers about innovation and one of the 50 most creative people in business. You can find her on Twitter @MazzucatoM and at: https://marianamazzucato.comKate Raworth has taught at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute, she is a professor of practice at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and authored the internationally best-selling book Doughnut Economies: seven ways to think like a 21st century economist, which has been translated into more than 20 languages. You can find her on Twitter @KateRaworth and find out more about Doughnut Economics at: https://doughnuteconomics.orgPublic Health Disrupted with Rochelle Burgess and Xand Van Tulleken is produced by Annabelle Buckland at Decibelle Creative, find her on Instagram: @decibelle_creative and here: https://www.decibellecreative.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.