Recently I had the great privilege of being part of the Australian launch of the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR). In the 50 years to 2013, smoking rates in Australia fell sharply. In the 1980’s we led the world. However, a sense of “we know best” has...
Recently my daughter was going to a music festival with a group of friends. Like her father she likes music and tried playing it – without great success. On the cusp of her third decade she is a sensible young adult. However, millennials are not known for...
There is a great Groucho Marx quote, which was reprised by Bugs Bunny in numerous cartoons – “Of course, you know – this means war”. Regular readers will know my view on the “diet wars”. The straight line correlation between the introduction and promotion...
Cast your mind back to a time long past – the 1970’s. Very few people were overweight and an even smaller number had type two diabetes. Now think about what people tended to eat in those days. Now ask yourself the same questions about the situation today. What has...
Those following me on social media may have noticed the hashtag that I have started- #bigpublichealth. Some have asked what does this mean and why have I done it. Good questions. Below is my explanation. We are forever hearing about big tobacco, big food, big pharma,...
The French have a reputation, rightly or wrongly, for arrogance. They believe that the French way is best and everyone else should get on board. Sometimes they have a point. Gavin Mortimer wrote an interesting piece in The Spectator comparing rates of childhood...
