publications

BMSG's issue series

Funding prevention in California: Lessons from past efforts to raise revenues [pdf]

Friday, May 01, 2009

When it comes to prevention, the question isn’t what works, the question is: how can we pay for what we know will create healthy environments? In this report, we examine whether past efforts to raise revenues in the realms of alcohol, tobacco, and lead paint might hold promise in the realm of food and activity. We present six case studies of those efforts and an analysis of news coverage of three California attempts to raise taxes or attach a fee to junk food or soda.

Working upstream: Skills for social change [pdf]

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Public health needs more practitioners who can bridge the gap between research and practice, and more students who can advocate for social change. Unfortunately, degree-granting public health programs generally do not provide systematic training in advocacy. Recognizing this gap, BMSG worked with professor Susan Sorenson and dean Lawrence Wallack to develop a curriculum and resource guide that could be adapted by public health programs to teach social advocacy. We enlisted the participation of faculty, nonprofit public health leaders, students and recent graduates from across the nation.

Issue 17: Debates from four states over selling soda in schools

Saturday, November 01, 2008

In 2006, Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Maryland introduced legislation that included restrictions on the sales of sodas in schools. That same year, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation brokered a deal among soda companies to restrict soda sales in schools. We wanted to know: How were the arguments for and against restricting access to soda and junk food being portrayed in news and in testimony before lawmakers? Who was making the arguments, and what were they saying?

Provoking thought, changing talk: Discussing inequality [pdf]

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Does a commitment to reducing inequality mean that we know how to talk about it? We find out in this report, the inaugural issue of the “You Can Get There From Here” paper series from The Social Equity and Opportunity Forum at Portland State University. First, Joe Grady and Axel Aubrun of Cultural Logic discuss the difficulties inherent in talking about inequality. Then BMSG director Lori Dorfman and Larry Wallack explore how to overcome those difficulties and put changes into practice.

Using media advocacy to influence policy

Friday, February 08, 2008

This chapter was written to help public health advocates think strategically about working with the news media. This means switching from thinking about using mass media solely as a tool for getting information to health consumers to thinking about the news media as a mechanism for informing citizens and pressuring decision makers.

Interactive food & beverage marketing: Targeting children and youth in the digital age — full report [pdf]

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

The proliferation of media in children’s lives has created a new “marketing and media ecosystem” that encompasses mobile devices, social networks, instant messaging, video games, and virtual, three-dimensional worlds. This report examines how these new marketing practices are fundamentally transforming how food and beverage companies do business with young people in the 21st century.

Website: digitalads.org

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

This Web site exposes the immersive and often insidious practices food and beverage companies use to market their products to children and youth online, using everything from Web sites to mobile phones. The foods and beverages being marketed are, by and large, among those that health experts, including the Institute of Medicine, have said children should avoid. Visit the site to learn more about digital marketing, read reports from experts on the subject, and keep up-to-date on the latest ad campaigns.

Reading between the lines: Understanding food industry responses to concerns about nutrition

Thursday, March 01, 2007

When a food or beverage company does something that might be good for health, should public health groups congratulate them publicly? If not, why not? When companies’ words don’t match their deeds, the answers are not always clear. This framing brief describes how food and beverage companies are reacting to pressure from public health groups and explores implications for framing public health’s responses to those actions.

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