The European Public Health Association Newsletter – December 2018 |
1. Editorial
Welcome to our December newsletter, including information from EUPHA, EUPHA members, European Commission, ECDC and WHO. We hope the information is useful to further your work. This is the last newsletter of 2018 giving us time to reflect on our achievements in 2018 (the EUPHA annual report 2018 is out) and present you with some of our plans for 2019.
We would like to wish you all a happy festive season and a good start in 2019 and we look forward to working with you again in 2019.
Wishing you pleasant reading,
Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, EUPHA President and Dineke Zeegers Paget, EUPHA Executive Director
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2. EUPHA update
EUPHA annual report 2018
The annual report presenting the activities of EUPHA in 2018 is now available on our website.
EUPHA Section Presidents and Vice-president
We are saying goodbye to a few Section Presidents. We would like to give them a heartfelt thank you for their service and work they have put into their sections.
Chris Birt, Food and nutrition
We warmly welcome our new Section Presidents and Vice-presidents
Food and nutrition
Infectious diseases control
Public health economics
Public health epidemiology
Migrant and ethnic minority health
Urban public health
EUPHA welcomes Council’s adoption of recommendation on strengthened cooperation against vaccine-preventable diseases
The European Public Health Association (EUPHA) welcomes the adoption of a recommendation on strengthened cooperation against vaccine-preventable diseases by Health Ministers during the EPSCO Council meeting held on Friday 7 December. By adopting this recommendation, Ministers send out a clear message on the importance of maintaining high levels of coverage within the European Union. They also demonstrate the importance of continuing cooperation at European level to effectively address cross-border health threats.
European symposium 2019: Salutogenic hospital design and urban health
http://https://www.designhealtheurope201…
2nd International Public Mental Health Conference: Resilience and recovery
EUPHA is proud to be a co-organiser of the 2nd International Public Mental Health Conference, that is organised in Jerusalem, Israel from 19 to 21 June 2019.
The first Public Mental Health (PMH) congress was held in Vilnius, Lithuania in 2017. In recent decades, public mental health has become a cornerstone in the field of public health. Most excitingly public mental health addresses the conditions ranking high among the top causes of global burden of disease.
Community factors are increasingly understood as critical factors in the development and the maintenance of mental disorders and mental health. The theme of our conference will be RESILIENCE AND RECOVERY. This is highly relevant not only for our professionals but also for the public. Renowned scientists from many countries of the world will present the most recent research and discuss these topics.
https://www.pmhconferenceisrael.com/abst…
5th International Conference on Law Enforcement and Public Health
EUPHA is very proud to be a partner for the 5th International Conference on Law Enforcement and Public Health, to be held in Edinburgh from 21 to 23 October 2019.
https://leph2018toronto.com/your-invitation-to-leph2019-in-edinburgh-scotland-by-acc-john-hawkins/
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![]() 3. European Public Health Conference
Thank you Ljubljana 2018…
The 2018 conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia, has been a very successful conference, where capacity building, knowledge exchange and networking have filled the four days of the conference. Reports, photos, etc are already available on https://ephconference.eu/conference-2018-Ljubljana-184
And welcome to Marseille 2019
The 12th European Public Health Conference will be organised in Marseille, France from 20-23 November 2019. The main theme of the conference is “Building bridges for solidarity and public health”. The European Public Health Conference Foundation, the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) and the Société Française de Santé Publique (sfsp) are pleased to invite you to the 12th European Public Health Conference.
Dates to remember:
1 February 2019 Abstract submission opens
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4. EUPHA members update
French Society of Public Health advertising Marseille 2019
In a special edition of the French newsletter (Flash), the French Society of Public Health is calling upon all its members to come to Marseille 2019. Marseille 2019 offers an excellent opportunity for public health professionals in France to present their work and network with colleagues in Europe.
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![]() 5. European Journal of Public Health
Latest issue of the journal, December 2018
EDITORIALS
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6. Call for proposals, job opportunities
Call for papers: Public mental health
Archives of Public Health invites you to submit to our new article collection ‘Public mental health’.
Recruitment of a part-time (French-speaking) researcher in the area of healthcare
With a view to strengthening its multilingual team situated in Brussels, the European Social Observatory (OSE) is hiring a half-time researcher in the area of healthcare, 1 February – 31 December 2019. The researcher (French speaking) will be involved in research on (a) inequalities in access to healthcare in Belgium and/or (b) the functioning of the European Reference Networks of expertise centres.
Job Posting: SPIN Research Postdoctoral Fellowship
SPIN is currently seeking applicants for a Postdoctoral Fellowship position, in partnership with Scleroderma Canada. Please read the job description below for details.
SPIN Research Postdoctoral Fellowship
Help us expose the tactics of the tobacco industry
We’re recruiting for new academic and professional staff roles to support our work researching and exposing the tactics of the tobacco industry.
STOP brings together the global leaders in tobacco industry monitoring and research, advocacy, accountability and communication. This unique combination will help ensure our research is widely and effectively communicated and maximally impactful. |
7. Interesting news
A better way to prevent the spread of HIV
HIV transmission rates have not declined since 2011. “The power of prevention is not being realized”, said Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS, in 2016. “If there is resurgence in new HIV infections now, the epidemic will become impossible to control. The world needs to take urgent and immediate action to close the prevention gap.”
The unbearable burden of inequalities (or the 2030 agenda as a roadmap to fight inequalities in Europe)
Blog published by SDG Watch Europe – lists some basic ‘inequalities facts’.
Improving immunizations for older people
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends multiple immunizations for older adults, including flu, two pneumonia vaccines, vaccination against herpes zoster, and a one-time tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 63% of annual hospitalizations, and 90% of influenza-related mortality, occurs in people over 65.
Healthy aging and the Mediterranean diet
Q&A with Luigi Fontana, PhD, and Mediterranean Diet expert.
Transforming our food system to ensure a sustainable future
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20…
Romanian health minister: Prevention and innovative drugs to kill cancer
In order to face the rising cancer incidence across Europe, governments should prioritise prevention policies, as well as access to innovative medicines under an EU-wide plan, Romanian Health Minister Sorina Pintea told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
More attention for personal stories
The BMJ published seven examples of small acts of kindness in their December 10 issue. It shows that these personal stories are inspiring to us all (not just in the Christmas season) and we can learn from exchanging these stories.
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8. Upcoming courses and conferences
Going International is the first source for finding courses, seminars, congresses and other events in the fields of medicine & health. Going International is Europe’s biggest service provider and information platform and serves as an interface between organisers and participants of events. Going International is an official partner of EUPHA.
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9. Interesting publications
The 2018 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: shaping the health of nations for centuries to come
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lance…
Attendance barriers experienced by female health care workers voluntarily participating in a multi-component health promotion programme at the workplace
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.co…
“To survey or to register” is that the question for estimating population incidence of injuries?
https://archpublichealth.biomedcentral.c…
Type 2 diabetes: the urgent need to protect young people
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lance…
Association between time preference, present-bias and physical activity: implications for designing behavior change interventions
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.co…
Consumption of energy drinks among adolescents in Norway: a cross-sectional study
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.co…
Pathways leading to success and non-success: a process evaluation of a cluster randomized physical activity health promotion program applying fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysi
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.co…
Current and ceased users of sit stand workstations: a qualitative evaluation of ergonomics, safety and health factors within a workplace setting
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.co…
The association between active tobacco use during pregnancy and growth outcomes of children under five years of age: a systematic review and meta-analysis
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.co…
Disparities in mortality among 25-44-year-olds in England: a longitudinal, population-based study
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpu…
Neighborhoods with more green space may mean less heart disease
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20…
CRISPR-Cas9: a world first?
A Lancet editorial discusses the claims of the first genetically edited children.
The UCL-Lancet Commission on Migration and Health: the health of a world on the move
New data and analyses to dispel myths surrounding migration and migrants, and calling for promotion of health in global mobility.
Effects of the Learning Together intervention on bullying and aggression in English secondary schools (INCLUSIVE): a cluster randomised controlled trial
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lance…
Connecting food systems for co-benefits: how can food systems combine diet-related health with environmental and economic policy goals?
http://www.euro.who.int/en/about-us/part…
The MIPEX Health strand: a longitudinal, mixed-methods survey of policies on migrant health in 38 countries
European Journal of Public Health, cky233, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cky233
Suicide and Youth: Risk Factors
Front. Psychiatry, 30 October 2018 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00540
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10. European Commission news
EU Health Ministers adopted Council Recommendation on Vaccine Preventable Diseases
On 7 December the Health Ministers of the EU adopted a Council Recommendation on strengthened cooperation against vaccine preventable diseases. The Recommendation focuses on three main pillars: tackling vaccine hesitancy and improving vaccination coverage, sustainable vaccination policies in the EU and EU coordination and contribution to global health. It insists on targeted outreach towards vulnerable groups, calls to strengthen vaccination training in medical curricula and exploits the synergies with eHealth and digital technologies to establish electronic vaccination records for all EU citizens.
You are what you eat – and Healthy and Sustainable European Food Systems can help!
Dr Karin Schindler, Head of Unit for maternal, paediatric and gender-related health and nutrition at the Austrian Ministry of Employment, Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Safety, talks about the recent conference organised by her ministry as part of the Austrian EU Presidency on the theme of ‘Healthy and Sustainable European Food Systems’ and explains why the subject is such an important and timely one.
Health Equity Pilot Project Holds Final Conference
On 6 December in Brussels the Health Equity Pilot Project (HEPP) is holding its final conference “Evidence into Practice – Action on Health Inequalities” with more than 170 participants, including policy makers and public administrators, NGOs and international organisations, regional and municipal health departments and other organisations taking part
Statement by DG SANTE Commissioner Andriukaitis on World AIDS Day
Speech by Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis on 1 December: “Today, on the World AIDS Day, I think about all the people in the European Union and worldwide who suffer from and struggle with HIV/AIDS and related complications…”
Non-Communicable Diseases
Note of the meeting – Extraordinary meeting of the Steering Group on Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Management of Non-Communicable Diseases (28 September 2018)
Health Equity Pilot Project Holds Final Conference
On 6 December in Brussels the Health Equity Pilot Project (HEPP) held its final conference “Evidence into Practice – Action on Health Inequalities” with more than 170 participants, including policy makers and public administrators, NGOs and international organisations, regional and municipal health departments and other organisations taking part.
Expert Panel on Effective ways of Investing in Health
Factsheet – Application of the ERN model in European Cross-Border Healthcare cooperation
Factsheet: Action Plan against Disinformation
Disinformation is an evolving challenge, with high potential to negatively influence democratic processes and societal debates. Its increasingly adverse effects on society across the European Union call for a coordinated, joint and sustainable approach to comprehensively counter it.
The Action Plan against Disinformation includes a set of actions aiming to build up capabilities and strengthen cooperation between Member States and EU institutions to proactively address disinformation.
Commission publishes Final Opinion on Health Risks of Oil and Gas Exploration in the EU
On 10 December, the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) published its final opinion on the public health impacts and risks resulting from onshore oil and gas exploration and exploitation in the EU. The SCHEER opinion concluded that the existing epidemiological studies provide weak to moderate evidence that onshore oil and gas exploration and exploitation entails health risks for the general population. They also indicate that the risk of some cancers and of adverse birth outcomes may be increased in populations living around onshore oil and gas exploration and exploitation sites. The SCHEER made the following recommendations:
State of Health in the EU: ‘Health systems need to exploit more fully the potential of new digital technologies’
The 2018 “Health at a Glance Europe” joint report of the European Commission and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has been published. It contains key findings on how innovative digital solutions could transform health and care systems.
EU Health Policy Platform annual meeting (Brussels, 12 November 2018)
Presentations and pictures – EU Health Policy Platform annual meeting (Brussels, 12 November 2018). |
11. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control news
Eurosurveillance – Volume 23, Issue 48, 29 November 2018
Rapid communication
Eurosurveillance – Volume 23, Issue 49, 06 December 2018
Research article
Eurosurveillance – Volume 23, Issue 50, 13 December 2018
Editorial
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12. WHO news
New HIV diagnoses at alarmingly high levels in the European Region despite progress in EU/EEA
With nearly 160 000 people newly diagnosed with HIV, 2017 marked another year of alarming numbers of new HIV diagnoses in the WHO European Region. Encouragingly, the overall increasing trend is not as steep as before.
Commemorating victims of road crashes across the European Region
On World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDoR), WHO country offices actively engaged with high-level policy-makers, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), police forces, churches, emergency services and civil society to commemorate the lives lost or irreversibly impacted by road trauma. Across the WHO European Region, they organized activities and events to raise awareness about the preventable deaths of 83 000 people killed each year on the Region’s roads.
International Migrants Day – launch event of the Migration and Health Technical Guidance series and pre-launch of the “Report on the health of refugees and migrants in the WHO European Region
To coincide with International Migrants Day on 18 December, WHO organized a technical pre-launch of the “Report on the health of refugees and migrants in the WHO European Region” and the new Migration and Health Technical Guidance series. These are part of the Migration Health Knowledge Management (MiHKMa) project at UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Conference on WHO recommendations on non-clinical interventions to reduce unnecessary caesarean section
In an attempt to reduce unnecessary caesarean sections (CS), WHO/Europe has convened an international conference of key stakeholders working in maternal and perinatal health, health policy-making and health systems, held 13–14 December 2018, Tbilisi, Georgia.
Meeting of the WHO collaborating centres to strengthen capacity to tackle noncommunicable disease risk factors and to improve surveillance in the WHO European Region
WHO collaborating centres working with noncommunicable disease (NCD) risk factors and surveillance met for 2 days at the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of NCDs in Moscow, Russian Federation, to discuss how to generate better evidence, take more comprehensive action to tackle NCD risk factors, and strengthen NCD surveillance activities in the European Region.
Bulletin of WHO Vol. 96, No. 12, 2018
The Bulletin of the World Health Organization is an international journal of public health with a special focus on developing countries. Since it was first published in 1948, the Bulletin has become one of the world’s leading public health journals.
The role of public health organizations in addressing public health problems in Europe: The case of obesity, alcohol and antimicrobial resistance (2018)
Growing levels of obesity (including among children), continued harmful consumption of alcohol, and the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are some of the greatest contemporary challenges to the health of European populations. While their magnitude varies from country to country, all are looking for policy options to contain these threats to population health. It is clear that public health organizations must play a part in any response, and that intersectoral action beyond the health system is needed. What is less clear, however, is what role public health organizations currently play in addressing these problems.
Organization and financing of public health services in Europe (2018)
How are public health services in Europe organized and financed? With European health systems facing a plethora of challenges that can be addressed through public health interventions, there is renewed interest in strengthening public health services. Yet, there are enormous gaps in our knowledge. How many people work in public health? How much money is spent on public health? What does it actually achieve? None of these questions can be answered easily.
This study is the result of close collaboration between the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the WHO Regional Office for Europe, Division of Health Systems and Public Health. It accompanies two other Observatory publications: Organization and financing of public health services in Europe: country reports and The role of public health organizations in addressing public health problems in Europe: the case of obesity, alcohol and antimicrobial resistance.
New WHO report highlights insufficient progress to tackle lack of safety on the world’s roads
7 DECEMBER 2018 | Geneva, Switzerland – A new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates road traffic deaths continue to rise, with an annual 1.35 million fatalities. The WHO Global status report on road safety 2018 highlights that road traffic injuries are now the leading killer of children and young people aged 5-29 years.
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