Two weeks ago, the ‘Kicking the Habit’ project team hosted the first of three workshops at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The workshop brought together an array of papers which discussed the potential contributions of historical research to the study of the “Commercial Determinants of Health.” As defined by the World Health Organisation, these “Commercial Determinants” refer to “private sector activities that affect people’s health, directly or indirectly, positively or negatively.” We all felt discussing this topic in detail, with others, aligned well with our own research, which aims to understand how various industries have shaped individual and collective health through the sponsorship of professional sport.
The workshop was divided into three thematic panels (“Histories of Wellness and Everyday Health”, “Risk, Advertising and Health Behaviours” and “Power, Influence and Corporate Messaging.”)
All the papers were excellent, with some lively examples including: how issues associated with egg production (such as outbreaks of salmonella) were blamed on consumers rather than industry practices; the advertising of condoms during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s; and how nationalised energy companies attempted to redefine ‘healthy’ levels of warmth to encourage domestic fuel consumption.
The papers, as well as questions, raised pertinent issues about the role which historical methods can play in broadening the study of the Commercial Determinants of Health, alongside the imbalances of power on which these Commercial Determinants depend and perpetuate, and the degree to which individuals were able to exert agency in the face of corporate interests.
A second, follow-up workshop is scheduled for early 2027. The papers presented at the workshop will likely form the basis of a forthcoming edited collection. Keep an eye on the website for updates about this and other parts of our project.
