ICYMI: ecological catastrophe, public support for pandemic action, global concerns on vaping, kangaroo care and events not to miss

World Environment Day, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) Summit, the digital determinants of health and kangaroo mother care are among the topics covered this week.

We also bring news on paramedics, a popular resource for readers keen to improve their writing – and a public health message from Sesame Street.

The quotable?

We provide policy makers with empirical evidence that the tax-paying public in the UK, US, Canada and Australia are prepared for their government to accept large reductions in economic output (GDP) to save lives in the next pandemic, ranging from $3.92 million USD (Canada) to $7.19 million USD (Australia) per death avoided.”

World Environment Day

In the week marking World Environment Day, we’ve been reminded of the terrible costs of war, including for the environment.

The destruction of the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine is a “monumental humanitarian, economic and ecological catastrophe”, according to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

Access the resources here.

Vaping

The World Health Organization has urged action on vaping, with one official expressing concern about an increase in vaping among Australian youth.

AIATSIS summit

The AIATSIS Summit 2023 is being co-convened this week with South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council on Noongar Boodja.

Global health

Read the article on digital determinants of healthRead about the kangaroo mother care Link to the films

COVID

Read the paper, ‘Preparing for future pandemics: A multi-national comparison of health and economic trade-offs’. It found: Members of the public in all four countries (Australia, Canada, the US and UK) were willing to pay considerable amounts in forgone GDP per death avoided in the population, ranging from 0.00003% to 0.00051% of GDP. This is equivalent to a reduction in GDP of $3.92million USD in Canada, $4.39 million USD in the UK, $5.57 million USD in the US and $7.19 million USD in Australia.

The researchers report: “We provide policy makers with empirical evidence that the tax-paying public in the UK, US, Canada and Australia are prepared for their government to accept large reductions in economic output (GDP) to save lives in the next pandemic, ranging from $3.92 million USD (Canada) to $7.19 million USD (Australia) per death avoided. Indeed, in the UK and Australia they were prepared to pay more than the value of a prevented fatality and value of statistical life figures used by government in public policy to prevent death in non-pandemic settings (UK uses a VPF £1.6 million GBP ($2.11 million USD) (HM Treasury, 2020); Australia uses a VSL of $4.9 million AUD ($3.55 million USD) (Australian Government, 2019).”

Research matters

Read the paper, Simple rules for concise scientific writing

Read the paper, ‘Negotiating policy ideas: Participatory action research projects across five European countries’ Read the study, ‘Perinatal outcomes of socially disadvantaged women in Australia: A population-based retrospective cohort study’.

The authors report: “Social disadvantage has a marked negative impact on perinatal outcomes. This aligns with national and international evidence regarding the impact of disadvantage. Strategies that improve access to, and reduce fragmentation in, maternity care in addition to initiatives that address the social determinants of health may contribute to improving perinatal outcomes for socially disadvantaged women.”

#CroakeyREAD

First Nations

Read the article, Decolonising Indigenous hearing healthRead the article on the Warumungu language appRead the research report.Link to podcast

#AusPol

Healthcare

Read the article on lung cancer screening See the Minds Together site Read more here on the Victorian announcement

Opportunities and events

See previous editions of ICYMI….