Publications by authors named "Bill Bellew"

Mass media campaigns are frequently used to address public health issues. Considering the considerable cost, there has been little analysis of why campaigns sometimes fail. This study used a sequential mixed methods approach to explore the mechanisms that can lead to failure and to identify what can be done to avoid or overcome common mistakes in campaign planning, implementation, and evaluation.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study explores how mass media contributes to weight stigma and examines media-based interventions aimed at reducing this stigma, highlighting a lack of comprehensive understanding that affects policy development.
  • - A systematic review analyzed 113 studies, revealing that stigmatising content is widespread across various media, often blaming individuals for obesity without addressing broader systemic issues, thereby worsening negative attitudes toward those affected.
  • - Although some studies showed promising results for media interventions intended to reduce stigma, there is a significant gap in research focused on effective strategies, indicating a need for a shift towards developing and testing these interventions.
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Background: Policies that support healthier food environments, including healthy retail food availability and promotion, are an important strategy for obesity prevention. The aim of this systematic review was to examine the evidence for barriers and enablers to successful implementation of healthy food and drink policies, delivered at scale.

Methods: MEDLINE, SCOPUS and INFORMIT were searched to May 2019 for peer-reviewed studies.

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The World Health Assembly has adopted the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended target of achieving a 15% reduction in physical inactivity by 2030. The WHO Global Action Plan on Physical Activity provides a framework for countries to achieve this, using a systems-based approach to address the social and environmental determinants of physical inactivity. Lack of progress in many countries indicates a need to identify new ways of addressing this public health priority.

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There has been limited population-level success in tackling overweight and obesity. The Active Kids program is a universal intervention that aims to increase participation in structured physical activity and sport among children and adolescents in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. This study examined the prevalence of overweight and obesity across subgroups and by social disadvantage in this large broadly representative sample.

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Background: Authorities recommend that youth undertake at least 60 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), with young people having the opportunity to undertake at least half of this MVPA during school hours.

Methods: In this study, we examined the influence of school-level socioeconomic status (SES) on children's PA, fitness and fundamental movement skill (FMS) levels, and the barriers and enablers of children's PA in 86 Australian schools (41 primary, 45 secondary). School-level SES was based on an Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA).

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Mass media campaigns are a commonly used strategy in public health. However, no review has assessed whether the design and evaluation of overweight and obesity campaigns meets best practice recommendations. This study aimed to fill this gap.

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Aim: Several countries have recently established multistakeholder strategies to prevent or control overweight and obesity; however, studies have not yet been done on their effectiveness and likely impact. This study's objectives were to (i) explore sector-wide benefits and impacts likely to accrue from implementing an obesity prevention strategy in the Australian state of New South Wales; (ii) discuss the wider implications of the findings for research and practice; and (iii) strengthen the case for sustained implementation of a comprehensive, intersectoral approach.

Method: A case study approach, including evidence reviews and illustrative epidemiological models, was used to show potential benefits from meeting selected targets and objectives specified in the strategy.

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Background: The Olympic Games' (OG) organisers typically hope that a diverse range of health legacies, including increases in physical activity and sport participation will result from their hosting of the OG. Despite these aspirations, the effects of the Olympics on physical activity levels remain to be demonstrated in large-scale population studies.

Methods: This study examined the short-term impact of the Sydney 2000 OG, using serial cross-sectional population physical activity surveys of Australian adults in November 1999 and November 2000.

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Issue Addressed: evidence that regular moderate-intensity physical activity confers substantial health benefits has been available for more than a decade. Recent studies suggest that the availability of evidence is in itself insufficient for the development of evidence-based public policy and that comprehensive translation mechanisms are needed. This paper explores the current sources of information about effective interventions among physical activity professionals, their awareness and uptake of evidence reviews, their use of the national physical activity network AusPANet and their beliefs about evidence-based policy and practice in physical activity.

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Background: This paper provides an historical review of physical activity policy development in Australia for a period spanning a decade since the release of the US Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health in 1996 and including the 2004 WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. Using our definition of 'HARDWIRED' policy criteria, this Australian review is compared with an international perspective of countries with established national physical activity policies and strategies (New Zealand, Canada, Brazil, Scotland, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Finland). Methods comprised a literature and policy review, audit of relevant web sites, document searches and surveys of international stakeholders.

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Objectives: To determine whether awareness of the moderate physical activity message and prevalence of participation changed among Australian adults between 1997 and 1999, and if changes differed across Australia.

Methods: Data were compared on awareness of the moderate physical activity message and on physical activity participation from identical national physical activity surveys in 1997 and 1999.

Results: In 1999, following integrated public health efforts, recognition of the Active Australia campaign was substantially higher in NSW/ACT (61.

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