Obesity prevalence is on the rise globally. Often, national policies to address this issue are lacking or have limited effect. Public health advocates are therefore campaigning for regulatory...Show moreObesity prevalence is on the rise globally. Often, national policies to address this issue are lacking or have limited effect. Public health advocates are therefore campaigning for regulatory measures in the form of a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). In the UK, advocates achieved this goal, whereas in Australia, they did not. In this study, the question was asked whether the framing strategies used by public health advocates mattered in their effectiveness. The aim of the study was to increase understanding about the causal mechanisms behind framing. Through content analysis, this study showed that effective framing enabled advocates to guide the public and political debate about obesity and the SSB-tax. Dominating the debate, however, did not in itself result in policy change. Contextual factors matter in this regard. Show less
A mother’s decision-making process underlying the choice of her delivery method in the months leading up to birth is not only a highly complex and non-linear development as Mina’s story above...Show moreA mother’s decision-making process underlying the choice of her delivery method in the months leading up to birth is not only a highly complex and non-linear development as Mina’s story above suggests, but also a politically, socially and economically charged experience. In Turkey in particular, mothers-to-be are affected by a changing political rhetoric portrayed in national media, the influence of friends and family within their immediate social surroundings, and the cultural understanding of the doctor’s role in the clinical environment. Accordingly, my research puts forward that the Global Health challenge of unprecedented increases in C-sections world-wide cannot be viewed independently of the specific environment through which mothers navigate leading up to birth. Although influencing factors in the decision-making process stem from the political, social and medical perceptions at large, their composition is highly context dependant. Through the lens of body politics, my research will address the medicalization of the female body as well as the increasing normalizing of the surgical birth procedure intended for emergencies. Rooted in biopower, body politics, as informed by Dr. Wendy Harcourt, will constitute the framework to make sense of the factors influencing women leading up to their delivery. Using this approach, my qualitative research will shed light on how women’s decision-making processes regarding child delivery are shaped in Turkey’s political, socio-cultural and clinical environment.Show less
