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Newsbrief
March 2008

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SOCIETY NEWS (3 items)

1. NGO FORUM PRESENTATIONS NOTES ONLINE
Sir Michael Marmot, Dr Fiona Adshead and Prof Jennie Popay's keynote speeches and presentations from last month's NGO Forum Annual Conference are now available online, along with notes from the workshop sessions. At the workshop discussions, experts from a range of NGOs debated many topics, including social exclusion, gender equality and obesity. Notes were then consolidated to make a resource of ideas and current opinions. Also online are the conference evaluation feedback, where over 86% of the attendees rated the event 'excellent' or 'good'. Full details of the Annual Conference can be found on the NGO Forum website.

2. HEALTH INEQUALITIES WORKSHOP IN TAUNTON
The NGO Forum is sponsoring a workshop in Taunton for commissioners of health services to examine how they can work with the community and voluntary sector to address health inequalities. The South West Strategic Health Authority has set out an expectation that PCTs will invest 0.25% of their revenue budgets in Choosing Health priorities to improve health and reduce health inequalities in 2008/09 . This is over and above its previous expectation of an 0.125% investment in 2007/08. Early indications show that PCTs are fulfilling expectation which means significant amounts of new funding will be available for commissioning public health activities across the region. In some areas, such as Wiltshire, this would equate to a further £1.5 million investment for services to promote health and well-being. For further information about the workshop, please contact Karen Bollan at kbollan@rshp.org.

3. JRSH MANAGING EDITOR, JACOB LONSDALE, LEAVES RSPH
Jacob Lonsdale, Managing Editor of the Journal for the Royal Society of Health (JRSH), has left the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health (RSPH) after five years of service. He started his RSPH career as part of the Events team before taking over JRSH as Managing Editor and was an integral part of its relaunch as a modern full-colour membership publication. 'I’m very proud of the progress we have made with JRSH, and I believe that the potential for engaging with members and the broader public health community is huge,' said Jacob. 'I will miss the RSPH and those professionals who have actively supported its activities over the past few years enormously.'

HEALTH NEWS (2 Items)

1. ONLINE HEALTH ADVICE COULD BE DANGEROUS
Health information found online is usually biased or unverified, according to recent studies. The report for the Centre for Medicine in the Public Interest (CMPI) also suggests that internet advice could lead to patients refusing to take lifesaving medicine and making dubious medical decisions. ‘Patients who use Google to find important information about drugs will be overwhelmed with negative information and will find little, if any, solid medical information,’ said Peter Pitts, CMPI President and former Associate Commissioner for External Affairs for the Food and Drink Administration (FDA). The researchers analysed online search results of commonly prescribed medicines and found 65% of the first three pages were sites with prejudiced or unproven information. ‘For millions of Americans, Google has replaced the family physician. People trust, and make decisions, based on the information they find online,’ said Robert Goldberg, Vice President of CMPI. ‘With few exceptions, the information we found appeared legitimate but had no medical authority whatsoever. In many cases, we found lawyers posing as medical experts.’ The report also states that while the internet can provide a good basis, it can never replace the advice from a qualified physician. They recommends people seeking online medical information ask, ‘How do I know this information is accurate?’ and ‘Where did this information come from?’ An estimated 80% of American internet users (around 113 million people) search for health information online but only 15% said they always check the source.

2. less Hearts attacks in france after kicking habit
French researchers have announced a 15% drop in patients taken to emergency wards with myocardial infarction since the public smoking ban started in January. This follows a similar report in Italy, where they found an 11.2% reduction in acute coronary events since their smoking ban in January 2005. 'There is a wealth of data linking smoking and cardiovascular disease (CVD)," said the European Society of Cardiology. 'Passive smoking has been shown to increase the risk of coronary heart disease and the recent smoking ban is obviously having a beneficial effect on both smokers and non-smokers.' They also estimate smoking is responsible for 50% of avoidable deaths and said smoking could cause heart attacks at any age. The smoking ban has been enforced in England since July last year, and though welcomed by most health professionals, has been criticized for restricting personal freedoms and increasing litter outside pubs. Further information can be found on the European Society of Cardiology website.

HEALTH & SAFETY NEWS (1 item)

1. COUNCIL FINED FOR SCHOOL CARBON MONOXIDE LEVELS
Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council pleaded guilty to breaches in Health and Safety which lead to a class being evacuated after being overcome by carbon monoxide. Gateshead Magistrates’ Court fined the council £10,000 and were forced to pay over £6000 in costs after an incident at Crookhill Primary School, Ryton in 2006. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the dangerous fumes were coming from an inadequately maintained boiler in the boiler plant room and leaking into the classroom above. A (HSE) inspector, Michael Bone, said: "This incident resulted from a combination of factors. HSE’s investigation showed that the failure by Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council to operate an effective gas safety management system was the most significant matter." Gateshead Council accepts the verdict and has apologized to the pupils, parents and staff at Crookhill school.

FOOD SAFETY & NUTRITION (1 item)

1. pastries and pies blamed for fat thais
Thais have grown 30% fatter over the past seven years and health officials blame the weight increase on cake consumption during coffee breaks. ‘This between-the-meal food is the main cause of weight problems,’ said Mr Sa-nga Damapong, Vice President of the Nutrition Association of Thailand. ‘A person needs only 1,500 calories per meal, but the average coffee break contains over 500 calories per serving.’ The rising number of coffee breaks has been most prevalent for state officials, executives and office workers, where beverages are often served with cakes, pastries and Thai-style sweets. ‘Sometimes the meeting takes a long time, and I get hungry,’ said Yukol Limlaemthong, deputy permanent secretary of the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry to the Bangkok Post. He claimed he had to attend an average of two meetings a day or more on busy days. Thai health experts warned that fatter people have more chance of developing heart disease, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
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EVENTS (4 items)

Commissioning Mental Health Services
29 April 2008, Health Service Journal, Birmingham, UK
To help you overcome the complex challenges faced, HSJ brings you an essential best-practice forum. This high-level symposium will help you maximise the opportunities of World Class Commissioning for mental health, and will provide exclusive updates on the latest developments reshaping the mental health landscape; from the Mental Health Act and Darzi review, to Foundation Trust roll-out and mental health currencies. For more information, see The HSJ website.

Cryptosporidiosis - Are we winning the battle?
14–15 April 2008, Royal Institute of Public Health, London, UK
With the continuing difficulties in controlling outbreaks of cryptosporidium, this two-day programme will share experiences and update delegates on various aspects of the organism and its public health control. Members of the Royal Society of Health are offered the same discount as Royal Institute of Public Health members. For more details, please see the Royal Institute of Public Health website.

5th Warwick Healthy Housing Conference
17–19 March 2008, Safe and Healthy Housing Unit, University of Warwick Coventry, UK
The University of Warwick will host an international conference of Housing and Health organised by Warwick Law School and the World Health Organization Europe. The conference will provide a unique opportunity for cross-disciplinary and international discussion focusing on policy-relevant research to inform practice. It will be of particular interest to environmental health officers, public and community health physicians, GP and health visitors. For more information, see The Safe and Healthy Housing Unit.

Occupational Health - are you fit for work?
6 March 2008, IOSH, Suffolk, UK
2.2 million people suffered from ill health which they believed to be work-related, resulting in 30 million lost working days in 2006/7. This level of absenteeism brings significant costs to employers, the economy and the individuals affected - and these costs go beyond simple financial considerations. This course has an overview of the whole occupational health management picture, from speculative screening, through preventive techniques, to the various forms of treatment available for those whose health has been damaged. For more information, see the IOSH website.

Please visit rsph.org for more events listings

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