The Prescription Project: The problem of conflicts of interest between the pharmaceutical industry and prescribing physicians
In our featured article, we explore the work of the organization "The Prescription Project," a group that seeks to reduce physician-drug industry conflicts of interests. Currently, the pharmaceutical industry spends $7 billion dollars per year marketing to doctors and another $18 billion on samples for physicians and patients. The Prescription Project works to ensure that doctors' prescribing practices are based on accurate and unbiased information.
Spotlight on Corporate Practices: McDonald's and Children's Health: The Production of New Customers
In our Spotlight on Corporate Practices section, Corporations and Health Watch explores McDonald's success in marketing to and creating brand loyalty among even the youngest of children. By focusing on the specific ways McDonald's reaches young children, we hope to gain insights that can guide public health strategies to reduce childhood obesity.
Interview with Kathryn Montgomery
Corporation and Health Watch interviews Kathryn Montgomery, professor in the Public Communication division of the School of Communication at American University where she heads the University's Center for Social Media's "Youth, Media and Democracy" project. Montgomery speaks on the new digital media environment, how corporations target children and young people as consumers in increasingly sophisticated ways, and what efforts might be taken to curtail such corporate practices.
New Report Calls on United Kingdom to Tackle Obesity More Forcefully; Advocates Urge Action Now
In our global section, we explore recent efforts to address the obesity epidemic in the United Kingdom. We review the October 2007 British government report "Tackling Obesities: Future Choices," explore the recommendations of the Children's Food Campaign in response to the report, and finally compare the current British and U.S. debates on the role of government and industry in addressing escalating rates of obesity.
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