Reclaiming the narrative: countering harmful commercial discourses
The discourses promoted by powerful commercial actors whose business activities are damaging to health undermine the potential for the transformational changes urgently needed to address pressing public health and environmental threats globally. This piece provides an analysis of corporate discursive practices and the mechanisms through which they contaminate scientific and policy debates and harm public and environmental health. We refer to this phenomenon as 'discursive pollution' to reflect the parallels between the effects of informational strategies and the commercial activities of harmful industries. It aims to contribute to the literature on the commercial determinants of health by offering a cross-industry perspective of discursive practices and the contradictions that underpin industry-favourable discourses. We propose how the health community can facilitate the construction of alternative discourses by revealing the contradictions and assumptions underpinning industry-favourable discourses.
Authors
- May CI van Schalkwyk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2210-2289)
- Mark Petticrew (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6378-5517)
- Nason Maani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3398-0688)
- Benjamin Hawkins (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7027-8046)
- Kent Buse (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5485-0110)
Institutions
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (GB)
- Faculty of Public Health (GB)
- Addenbrooke's Hospital (GB)
- MRC Epidemiology Unit (GB)
- Global Health 50/50
- University of Edinburgh (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Health Promotion International
- Published
- 2024-12-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daae182
- Citations
- 7
- Primary Topic
- Global Public Health Policies and Epidemiology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 4.72
Funders
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Health and Care Research Wales
- UK Research and Innovation
- Cancer Research UK
- National Institute for Health and Care Research
- British Heart Foundation
- Department of Health and Social Care
- Public Health Agency
- Medical Research Council
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
- Economic and Social Research Council
- Natural Environment Research Council
- Center for Global Health