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Latest Blogs
- Improving what the world eats
by Richard Smith
- Andrew Lansley lead NHS Reform
by Julie Whittaker
- Food and Drink Federation Reception 2010
by Jamie Cronk
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by Jamie Cronk
- Investment in Innovation – a priority for patients
by Julie Whittaker
Ioannis Hodges-Mameletzis's Blog
Country: United Kingdom
Organisation: University of Oxford
Blog link: http://www.3four50.com/blog/ioannishodges-mameletzis
London 2012: can there be a public health impact?
1st Jun 2010
This morning I attended an amazing talk at the Institute of Physics in London, hosted by C3 Collaborating for Health, on the likely public health impact of the London 2012 Olympics. The talk, given by Prof. Tony Capon from the Australian National University, focused on issues that promote healthy, sustainability urban communities - and ways in which an Olympic Games could be used as a vehicle to go about this.
The discussion in the Q&A that followed after Prof. Capon’s insightful presentation was very engaging – as I expected (this guy was by the way excellent). There was one person in the audience that, for me, raised the interesting issue over how McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Cadbury's, as the three big commercial sponsors of the London 2012 Games, are fundamentally at odds with what a sound, public health message (i.e. one that promotes healthy eating) should entail. This person was Prof. Theresa Marteau, a psychologist from King's College whose own research focuses on risk Communication and Behaviour. Prof. Marteau’s very good point made me question whether such a public health message, at least from a social marketing standpoint, would prove ineffective in the long-run. In other words, for the sake of the Olympics, do we set aside the gospel of locally sourced, whole foods and simply focus on the importance of physical activity to British population?
Probably yes. At some level, this makes a lot of sense. The celebration of sport is at the heart of the Olympics. The benefits of a serious public health plan based on social marketing (linked to the formulation of real policy), whereby we promote physical activity through organised sport in London and the rest of the UK, may prove enormous. This could also outweigh the cost of being exposed to that profoundly annoying Ronald McDonald for any Olympic fortnight.
Looking past the social marketing approach, structural interventions can also play a long-term role in increasing physical activity, and consequently, in the impact of chronic disease prevention at the population level. This is clearly the premise of the work carried out by the CIH (Community Interventions for Health) initiative. Interestingly, in the context of the 2004 Summer Olympics, my own hometown of Athens has inherited (in addition to the hefty price tag for staging the Games) an underground railway system – the Metro, which most of my fellow Athenians would agree in saying that it has in fact enhanced our quality of life. We are talking about a city where, traditionally, the vast majority of its residents have driven (everywhere, even if it’s only 200m to get a pack of cigarettes at the corner kiosk). The Metro and the revitalisation of the city centre, especially in the area around the base of the Akropolis, have collectively served as structural interventions that have allowed many Athenians to embrace their city in the absence of a Volkswagen. This, for me, is a tangible, positive legacy of the Olympic Games.
As London looks at its own legacy, beyond 2012, we have to start to ask very serious questions. Past the construction of the venues, what will this legacy mean for the community in Stratford? Can the Olympics serve as the impetus to address some of the inherent social class disparities in health across British society – and can organised sports programmes (i.e. targeting youth from disadvantaged communities) be a starting point? From a structural intervention perspective, can we get London to develop into a bike-friendly capital, as successfully demonstrated by cities such as Copenhagen? And, can we actually move beyond dialogue and into real public health action?
I'm baaaack
28th Jan 2010
Apologies for having been out of sight. PhD thesis writing. The end is near! Much has happened since I last posted.
Greece banned smoking from public spaces. Pigs can fly.
Also please check out this recent study published out of Greece on the adherence to the Med diet.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19948776?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=16
The Oxford Summit and what I liked about it
17th Apr 2009
I'm working on my thesis right now, and so I'm being naughty by logging into 3four50, but all I have to say is that I had the privilege in attending yesterday's summit by the Oxford Health Alliance. I'll blog more about it later, but I quickly had to mention that this whole CIH thing, from my perspective, will have huge implications as far as developing a model of city-wide interventions in chronic disease prevention. I believe that was a run-on sentence.
I was impressed by many talks, from Fiona Wong's assessment of the environmental scans in Mexico city, to the PI from India. Also, I never heard Derek Yack speak before, but the man's cool. He made some particularly important (and intellectual) points, and I really appreciated his call for more young people to be up there presenting next year.
For me, it's the youth that will have to be involved and empowered if these initiatives are ultimately going to be sustainable. Given the staggering numbers...I still left with a promise and faith that we can mobilize individuals, organizations (industry, academia, civil society), and governments to help in the cause.
But it's going to take good strategy. And creativity.
The Diane Finegood Appreciation Society
17th Apr 2009
Given what I heard yesterday, I think we should also advocate for more people like Diane Finegood, Scientific Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, to be involved. This woman is awesome. She chaired a session yesterday in such a way where she really fascilitated really good discussion. There's something about Canadians I just love.
I may just created a facebook group for her.
Most recent comments
Most recent comment by Diane Finegood on 19th Apr 2009
Obama and food
25th Jan 2009
Happy New Year everyone! Grave apologies for being quiet on this amazing network, but I wanted to bring you all up to speed on some of the latest food happenings in the UK and around the world.
I have a post a link on my food blog regarding the speculation in the US regarding Obama's intentions on food sustainability. With a new president, there's excitement and caution as to what extent the US government is willing to address the interests of small consumers and the health benefits of organic produce. For more, please visit:
http://mylittlebaklava.blogspot.com/2009/01/celebrity-chefs-president-obama-and.html
In addition to the Obama buzz, British TV (specifically Channel 4) has been very exciting to watch over the past week, since the start of a new series featuring the UK's best chefs (including the iconic Jamie Oliver). This new series will present particularly important issues surrounding the foods we all eat. For more: http://www.channel4.com/food/on-tv/the-big-food-fight/
Happy and healthy 2009 everyone.....
Most recent comments
Most recent comment by Ioannis Hodges-Mameletzis on 25th Feb 2009
can cassava save Africa?
4th Dec 2008
I posted on my food blog a link to a recently released Nature piece on pioneering work by crop scientists....for more, please go to:
http://mylittlebaklava.blogspot.com/2008/12/can-cassava-save-africa.html
the greek salad
13th Nov 2008
The Greek salad is at the heart of the Greek diet. I am posting a link to a classic case-control study done by Dimitris Trichopoulos, a pre-eminent epidemiologist from the University Athens and Harvard University. It showed why you should eat your cucumbers and tomatoes.
My little Baklava
13th Nov 2008
I wanted to share with you my food blog which is hosted on a different network. I am a lover of food, a chef, and a trained epidemiologist who appreciates the links between what we eat and what it does to us, from the individual to societal level.
The link to the blog is http://mylittlebaklava.blogspot.com
I am particularly interested in seeing what the next American administration will do in order to promote improved agricultural practices and healthier diets for children.
Happy eating.