Going green

A new study published by CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) assesses the "the inter-relationship between urban green space, inequality, ethnicity, health and wellbeing." Researchers looked at areas of Manchester, Birmingham and London with similar amounts of green space, high levels of deprivation and significant black and minority ethnic populations.

Alcohol data

The latest update of the Local Alcohol Profiles shows a continued rise in alcohol-related hospital admissions. On average nationally, over the past 5 years there has been a 65% increase in admissions due to alcohol harm, with highest levels of harm occurring in the North West and North East of England. Eastern England and the South East come off best, according to the Alcohol Learning Centre. The BBC, meanwhile, reports on a decline in alcohol consumption, based on figures from the British Beer and Pub Association. The jury's out on whether this is a response to recession or public health messages about responsible drinking.

Getting it right ...

... for children and young people ... is the title of the report by Professor Sir Ian Kennedy, commissioned in the wake of such tragic and high profile cases as that of Baby Peter. It aims to examine not the specific instances of failure, but the culture that fails more generally to prioritise the health and wellbeing of children and young people. Areas of concern the report highlights include significant regional variations in levels of service, trends in infant mortality and teenage pregnancy as compared with the rest of the EU, GPs' limited training in paediatrics and lack of co-ordination in the complex network of services. Amongst the report's recommendations is (no surprises here) that there should be some considerable effort towards joined-up thinking: top of the list, in an interesting piece of timing, is that "policy relating to the health and well-being of children and young people" should be the responsibility of a single government department. This is by no means the first time Sir Ian Kennedy has addressed these kinds of issues: he chaired the Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry in the late 1990s.

What's in a name?

Members of the Childhood Wellbeing Research Centre consider childhood wellbeing in the UK in a report for the Department for Education. As well as looking at definitions and measurement, the report's authors discuss the UK policy context and how children's own views are gathered and represented.

Looked after children

The Department for Education is consulting on changes to the rules governing fostering and children's homes and the statutory guidance. Largely this is to reflect changes in legislation and practice since the rules and guidance were developed, following the 1989 Children Act. The proposed changes also aim to clarify where restraint may be used and "to seek views on who must have access to reports made by the registered person which cover improving the quality of care provided to children and monitoring matters such as complaints, recruitment records, illness, minutes of meetings." Responses should be submitted by 19 November 2010.

Better than a cure

Emma Stone, writing on the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's blog, considers the cost and value of low-level preventive support, particularly as regards support for older people. The blog is prompted by the Scottish Finance Committee's inquiry into preventative spending, oral evidence session for which will take place this autumn. An article in the latest issue of the Journal of Public Health asks some difficult questions about the cost-effectiveness of prevention: Lifestyle intervention: from cost savings to value for money.

Motivating factors

There's been a lot of attention in the literature to uptake of cancer screening, especially uptake of breast cancer screening. A review published in Quality in Primary Care considers poor uptake amongst British South Asian women, as compared with the general UK population. A critical examination of information brochures provided to women about to undergo screening appears in the European Journal of Public Health, looking at brochures issued in Germany, Italy, Spain and France.

Taking the long view

Inequalities in premature mortality in the UK have risen during the first years of the 21st century, in spite of plenty of serious attention and government intervention, a study published in the BMJ asserts. Looking at data from 1921 to 2007, the review's authors note that, although generally life expectancy has continued to rise, the gap between rich and poor areas is also increasing, to the extent that "inequality in mortality is now greater than at any time since comparable records began."

Working out what the numbers mean

Figures showing geographic differences in place of death have been examined by the Natioanl End of Life Care Networks in a report, Variations in Place of Death in England: Inequalities or appropriate consequences of age, gender and cause of death? Analysis indicates that people on low incomes are more likely to die in hospital, which begs the question as to whether this reflects a greater prevalence of diseases requiring hospital care in the terminal stages amongst deprived populations. West Midlands Public Health Observatory has produced a mapping tool to show selected indicators concerning older people, at local authority and regional level.

Message not getting through

A study by the Health Protection Agency reveals that pregnant women from ethnic minority backgrounds are more at risk from listeriosis. Looking at data from 2001 to 2007, the HPA's research also shows that, overall, there were more listeria cases in deprived areas than in the most affluent. One key concern is that the message about avoiding foods that may be contaminated with listeria during pregnancy is not getting through.