Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations

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    Knowledge and Acceptability of HPV Vaccination in Countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Systematic Review
    (University College London, 2024) Aboalaz, Amirah; Sonnenberg, Pam
    Background: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a significant cause of cervical cancer and may cause other cancers, including anal and penile cancers. Despite the availability of effective vaccines, the level of knowledge and acceptability of HPV vaccination varies widely across different regions. This systematic review focuses on the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) to evaluate the current state of awareness and vaccine acceptability. Methods: A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, with a comprehensive search across Embase, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science for studies published between January 1, 2008, and March 30, 2024. Inclusion criteria were cross-sectional studies conducted in the EMR that included questions on HPV awareness, vaccine awareness, the link between HPV and cervical cancer, and vaccine acceptability. Studies were assessed for quality using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist. Results: A total of 815 studies were identified and after screening and quality appraisal, a total of 36 studies from 14 countries in the EMR were included. The review revealed low levels of awareness about HPV and its vaccine, with median awareness levels at 35.05% for HPV infection and 31.8% for the HPV vaccine. The median acceptability level for the HPV vaccine was higher, at 54.05%. Knowledge about HPV was found to be correlated with higher vaccine acceptability. Conclusion: The findings highlight the need for targeted public health interventions to improve HPV vaccination knowledge and acceptability in the EMR. Strategies may include robust educational campaigns, integration of HPV education into school curricula, community engagement, and training of healthcare providers. Policy interventions to make the vaccine more accessible and affordable are also crucial. Addressing these challenges through comprehensive and multi-faceted approaches can significantly enhance vaccine uptake and reduce the burden of HPV-related diseases in the region.
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    Enhancing Colorectal Cancer Screening Participation via Text Message Interventions
    (King's College London, 2024-09) Almoallem, Ghader; Round, Thomas; Hamad, Wasim
    Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks as the third most frequently diagnosed cancer globally and is a significant contributor to cancer-related deaths. Early detection through regular screening is crucial, as it greatly improves treatment outcomes and survival rates. However, screening participation for CRC remains insufficient, especially among minority groups. Text message interventions have been proposed as a cost-efficient and scalable solution to increase screening adherence. Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the effectiveness of text messaging interventions in enhancing CRC screening participation. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted across four major databases Embase, PubMed, MEDLINE, and Cochrane up to August 2024. The review included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), observational studies, mixed-methods studies, and qualitative research that evaluated the impact of text message reminders on CRC screening rates. Data were extracted on study characteristics, intervention specifics, and screening outcomes. Meta-analyses were carried out to calculate pooled effect sizes of text message interventions compared to usual care. Results: Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria, consisting of 12 RCTs, two observational studies, two mixed-methods studies, and two qualitative studies. The meta-analysis indicated that text message interventions significantly improved CRC screening uptake compared to usual care (pooled relative risk: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.12–1.36, p < 0.001). Sensitivity analyses validated the robustness of these results across different study designs and populations. Text message interventions were especially effective in low-income and underserved groups, where traditional outreach methods tend to be less successful. Furthermore, cost analysis from the reviewed studies highlighted that text messaging is a highly cost-effective method for promoting CRC screening. Conclusion: Text message interventions offer a scalable and effective approach to increasing participation in CRC screening programs. Their affordability, wide reach, and simplicity make them an ideal tool for public health systems, particularly those operating in resource-constrained settings. Despite these encouraging results, further research is needed to refine the content, timing, and cultural relevance of messages to ensure maximum impact across diverse populations. Incorporating text messaging into broader public health strategies could be crucial in alleviating the global burden of colorectal cancer.
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    Investigating the Role of Zinc in Manganese-induced Hepatotoxicity
    (Florida International University, 2024) Alandanoosi, Afnan; Liuzzi, Juan; Palacios, Cristina; Narayanan Vijaya; George, Florence
    The objective of this study was to investigate the role of zinc (Zn) status in manganese (Mn) -induced hepatotoxicity using epidemiological data and vitro experiments. First, we conducting epidemiological study using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to determine the relationship between Zn status and blood Mn levels on enzymatic markers of liver damage. The findings indicated that without the regression interaction of Zn intake or serum Zn, blood Mn exhibits a direct (positive) association with Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) and Aspartate Amino transferase (AST). The results however showed that with the interaction of blood Mn and Zn intake at the second quartile (Q2) (marginal low Zn intake), a negative association was found with ALP in model 1,model 2 (corrected by age and gender), and model 3 (corrected by age, gender, race, education, BMI, alcohol, smoking and diabetes ). A similar association was found between Q4 (adequate/high Zn intake) and Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in all three models of the study. Second, the effect of Zn deficiency and adequacy on Mn toxicity and the expression level of the cellular Mn efflux transporter SCL30A10 in human hepatocytes was evaluated. Mitochondria oxidative stress, apoptosis, and cell death and proliferation studies showed that exposure to elevated levels of Mn increased oxidative stress, apoptosis, and cell death. Mn exposure also decreased cell proliferation. Noteworthy, Zn depletion was found to enhance Mn induced apoptosis and cell death. Lastly, the mRNA expression of SLC30A10 was significantly decreased by Mn exposure (p < 0.05). However, no significant difference in the protein expression level of SCL30A10 was found. This suggests that there was no compensatory regulatory response of this transporter expression to either Zn deficiency or Mn exposure for the time point analyzed. Overall, the results from the epidemiological data and in vitro studies indicate that Zn deficiency could enhance the toxic effects of Mn. The results underscore the importance of having an adequate Zn intake in mitigating Mn induced cytotoxicity.
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    Satisfaction, utilization, and willingness to pay for primary care services
    (Queen's University Belfast, 2023-12) Aljohani, Motab; Donnelly, Michael; O’Neill, Ciaran
    This thesis investigates the nature of stated and revealed preferences on the part of the public for primary care services. It examines the relationship between satisfaction, willingness-to-pay (WTP), and use of primary care services in Britain and Saudi Arabia. The thesis used three measures to triangulate these concepts: satisfaction, WTP, and utilisation of primary care services. Satisfaction provided an ordinal measure of stated preference, while WTP provided a cardinal measure of stated preference. Use (utilisation) provided a measure of revealed preference. Using these measures across various contexts, the thesis explores how preferences and the relationships between preferences and respondent characteristics vary depending on the context and the measure used. The thesis findings indicate that satisfaction, WTP, and use of primary care services provide distinct but complementary insights into variations in preferences between socio-demographic groups; points in time; regions and; the location in which data are collected. Observed variations are grounded in a variety of factors that include needs and the nature of service provision. The thesis provides an appreciation of the complexity of stated and revealed preferences and the challenges inherent in using such data to inform policy using examples drawn from Britain and Saudi Arabia and identifies a number of avenues for future research in this area.
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    Childhood Obesity and Weight Stigma: A Public Health Nutrition Approach
    (University of Glasgow, 2024-04-20) Abuznada, Salma; Combet, Emilie; Garcia, Ada
    Poor understanding of obesity, its causes and consequences contribute to weight-related stigma in the UK. Children’s understanding of obesity shapes their views and perceptions towards obesity as a disease, body image, and weight stigma behaviours. Exploring children’s and adolescents’ knowledge, perceptions and views of obesity, weight stigma, and nutrition is essential to establishing effective health promotion programmes that cater to young people’s needs, understanding and perspectives. Successful programmes also need continuous monitoring and evaluation, which are currently lacking in the UK. Perceptions and views around obesity among the public vary in different cultures and among healthcare professionals. These different perspectives lead to debates on defining, managing and treating obesity. Weight stigma research in adults tends to focus on weight stigma due to the poor understanding of obesity both among the public (especially women of white ethnicity) and healthcare professionals rather than children and adolescents. This thesis uses systematic reviews and a mixed-methods approach to explore weight stigma across the age spectrum, including children, adolescents and adults. Furthermore, the research investigates children’s and adolescents’ views on obesity and nutrition knowledge. Study 1 systematically reviewed existing observational, quantitative and qualitative studies focusing on the sources, frequency and implications of weight stigma on children’s and adolescents’ mental health, well-being and eating behaviours. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta- Analyses (PRISMA) were followed for study selection, screening and data extraction. Synthesis Without Meta-Analysis (SWiM) guidelines were applied to report the synthesis and results. The Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) was used to assess the quality of the included studies. Twenty observational studies were included in the final text analysis. Synthesised evidence highlighted that bullying and victimisation play a fundamental role in developing and perpetuating weight-related stigma. Weight-related bullying was correlated with participants’ low self-esteem. Most of the included studies (N=15/20) were of fair quality (average score 5 to 8), although two were of poor quality (average score 0 to 4), and most of the quality criteria were not met. One of the main gaps identified during the literature search in Study 1 was children and adolescents were poorly represented in the studies, with an overemphasis on white adult women. After identifying existing gaps in the literature (e.g., the overemphasis on recruiting white women), Studies 2, 3 and 4 were developed to explore underrepresented groups and gain a deeper understanding of their views and opinions of obesity and weight stigma. Children’s and adolescents’ views and opinions of obesity and nutrition knowledge were explored in Study 2, using a cross-sectional questionnaire and phone interviews. The questionnaire was structured in six sections, exploring sociodemographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, views and perceptions of obesity, nutrition knowledge, general health, and eating habits and lifestyle. Online interviews followed a narrative focusing on obesity knowledge and experience, obesity perception and the relationship between nutrition and obesity. Study 2 recruited a total of n=317 participants, 54% boys, 72% White/British, with a median age of 16 years (interquartile range (IQR) 15- 18). There was an overall lack of understanding of obesity and its causes and consequences. There was also a lack of consensus and agreement about whether obesity is a sign of disease, a disease, or merely a body shape. There was agreement that obesity can be a personal responsibility (median=4: likely, IQR 3: neutral – 4: likely). Food knowledge was low, with 83% correctly answering three questions or fewer out of six. Although participants reported and believed that they knew what obesity was, most participants linked obesity to body image and placed the responsibility of having obesity on the individuals or their parents. This can lead to increased stigmatising behaviours and isolation of children and adolescents with obesity. Proper education about obesity is imperative to help support children in understanding the general concepts behind obesity’s complexity as a disease. Study 3 used a cross-sectional questionnaire and phone interviews to explore weight stigma and its implications on weight stigma attitudes and body image perceptions in children. In Study 3 (n=667, 62% boys, 70% White/British, median age 16 years (IQR 15-18)), 50% of participants who experienced weight stigma had a BMI ≥30 kg/m². Almost two-thirds of participants who experienced weight stigma (n=259) said it happened at local community places (e.g., clubs, during extracurricular activities) (n=149, 58%). Over a quarter (n=67,26%) reported that it was extremely harsh. Participants who self-reported having obesity (n=214) experienced more weight stigma (n=114, 53%) than those who believed they have overweight (n=87, 41%) or underweight (n=13, 6%). More than half of the sample (n=408, 61%) were dissatisfied with their body image. Most participants who self-reported having obesity were dissatisfied with their body image, demonstrating a significant relationship between self-reported weight problems ‘underweight, overweight, obesity’ and body image satisfaction levels ‘dissatisfied, neutral and satisfied’". In summary, unsurprisingly, most participants who reported weight stigma had a BMI ≥30 kg/m2. Interestingly, more boys than girls who reported experiencing weight stigma believed there was weight stigma in society. To better understand the contribution and impact of childhood lived experiences of weight stigma on adult perceptions and beliefs around overweight and obesity, Study 4 employed similar methods to Study 3. In Study 4 (n=738, 52% men, 76% White/British, 39% BMI ≥30 kg/m2, median age=26 years (IQR=24-31)), less than a quarter of participants had experienced weight stigma as children (n=154, 21%). More women (n=108/154, 70%) experienced weight stigma during childhood than men (n=46/154, 30%, p≤0.001). Participants were mostly undecided about whether obesity is a disease (median=3: undecided, IQR=1: strongly disagree – 3: undecided). Experiencing weight stigma in childhood was positively associated with parents reporting their children’s weight stigma experiences. Parents dissatisfied with their body image (n=62) were more likely to be dissatisfied with their children’s body image (n=23/62, 37%) than satisfied (n=17/62, 24%). Understanding and awareness of obesity are essential in developing public health strategies and health education programmes that are child-oriented and specific to children and adolescents regarding location and intervention tools. The findings in this thesis highlight the negative impact of weight stigma on children and adolescents' physical and mental health. Moreover, a poor understanding of obesity was evident in this research. The work of this research is beneficial in informing programs explicitly targeting the gaps explored and found. This thesis attempts to improve the knowledge of public and academic domains in elements surrounding perceptions, views, and attitudes regarding obesity and weight stigma, the reasonings behind perceptions, and strategies to address obesity stigmatising behaviour.
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    Biomedical and Public Health Studies on Susceptibility to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
    (Saudi Digital Library, 2023-05) Al Jowf, Ghazi Ibrahim Abdurahman; Rutten, Bart
    Traumatic stress exposure can induce the development of mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), resulting in a decreased quality of life and increased disease burden. This thesis investigated and addressed the gaps of knowledge in the understanding of the association between epigenetic mechanisms, gene activity, and differential susceptibility to PTSD. It also identified the public health measures that can be effectuated for the prevention of PTSD and how biomarkers may support these measures. Accordingly, it discusses the possible ways that can aid in the early identification and detection of PTSD resulting from traumatic stress, and the possibility of developing biomarkers of increased susceptibility. It also discusses how this early detection can help with early intervention, and if early enough, prevention. Application of such models, with findings from future research to establish cost-effective measures, can greatly enhance the patient’s quality of life and decrease the disease burden.
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    Investigation of Existing and New Human Resources Practices on Public Health Eemployee Retention During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia
    (Saudi Digital Library, 2023-07-30) Alattas, Mohsen Mohammed; Jang, Hee Soun; Andrew, Simon; Benavides, Abraham; Shi, Kelly
    This research investigates existing and new HR practices that have impacted public health employee retention in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. It builds on social support theory and social exchange theory to better understand the relationships between HR practices and retention, and uses quantitative methods to examine the hypotheses based on a conceptual framework. While OLS regression is employed to analyze the relationships between HR practices and retention, path analysis (bootstrapping) is used to examine the mediator variable. Based on 417 valid questionnaires distributed to public health employees in Saudi Arabia’s central, western, and eastern regions, the analysis illustrates that while training and emphasis on work-life-balance as existing HR practices had a positive effect on retention, social support (supervisory support) and promotion of mental well-being as new HR practices also had a positive effect on retention during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the hypothesis that compensation and occupational health and safety would improve retention was not supported. These results indicate that financial benefits and providing safety materials did not lead to employee retention. Meanwhile, safety training programs, psychosocial support, and promotion of well-being have been essential HR practices during the pandemic. Regarding the mediation hypotheses, interestingly, the results show that organizational commitment has mediated relationships between safety training and mental (psychological) well-being on one hand and public health retention on the other during the pandemic.
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    Investigating Ohio Health Commissoners' Perceptions and Experiences with Respect to Decision-Making During the COVID-19 Pandemic
    (2023-05-01) Alsaheil, Nouf; Hoornbeek, John
    Background: Public Health (PH) leaders debate the effectiveness of their decisions on controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Varying decisions across states and localities illustrate the difficulty of decision-making when confronted with complex and unexpected challenges in PH. Psychologists often frame decision-making as reflecting one of two systems. System 1 is based on experience and instinct. System 2 is based on data and analysis. In PH, many efforts are directed toward supporting evidence-based decision-making; however, scholars confirm that skills and experience play a substantial role in shaping decisions. Skills and experiences appear to become more influential in decisions associated with high-stakes situations, where individuals will depend more on their cognitive, interpersonal, and behavioral skills and less on data because of uncontrollable constraints, such as time, information, and uncertainty. The purpose of this study is to generate a better understanding of the decision-making processes used by Ohio local health commissioners (HCs) as they were dealing with COVID-19 high-stakes situations. Study aims include: examining the thinking styles of expert and novice Ohio HCs regarding decision-making in the context of COVID-19-associated high-stakes situations; identifying factors that impact the decision-making preferences and practices during these situations; and exploring the contextual factors that HCs consider when faced with COVID-19 decisions. Methods: The study applied a convergent mixed-method approach. Quantitative methods were applied to a cross-sectional survey data where the Rational-Experiential Inventory-40 survey was used to measure individual differences and their relationships with expressed preferences for using System 1 and 2 thinking. An ANOVA and paired t-test were used to assess differences between Public Health Officials’ (PHOs) experience levels and preferred decision-making systems. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with preferred system thinking. The Critical Decision Method, a semi-structured interview protocol, was used to discover contextual factors that influence the decision-making process of HCs in COVID-19 situations. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. Findings: This study found that Ohio HCs prefer using rational over experiential thinking during COVID-19 situations. There were no consistent documented differences between novices and experts except for the reported status of their networks and relationships. The study also identified contextual factors that appeared to influence HCs’ decision-making processes. Themes that emerged from the interviews in relations to these factors included vagueness and uncertainty, senses of urgency, regulation and guidance, autonomy and sense of responsibility, prior experience, networks and relationships, effective communication and teamwork, cognitive skills, and personality traits. Implications: The results inform scientific knowledge and can be used to aid development of hazard-focused training programs and PH curricula. Equipping the PH workforce with necessary leadership competencies to face high-stake situations is an important protective factor to help counteract other uncontrollable factors that arise within the PH sector, including lack of information, time, and budget. The work presented here may be used to improve PHOs' performance, which can lead to better service delivery. Results from this study are also available to preparedness planners to assist in LHDs’ After-Action Reviews/Improvement Plans.
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    TOBACCO, ALCOHOL AND HIGH FAT, SALT AND SUGAR FOOD AUDIO-VISUAL CONTENT IN VIDEO ON DEMAND ORIGINAL FILMS AND POPULAR TELEVISED SPORTING EVENTS: IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH
    (Khaldoon Alfayad, 2023-05-12) Alfayad, Khaldoon; Murray, Rachael
    Background: Research on the impact of different media is continually developing within the public health field, and audio-visual content has been identified as having potential negative outcomes on viewers through possible contribution to the prevalence of lifestyle behaviours, such as tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) food consumption in adults and children. The UK has developed policies to control the accessibility of tobacco and alcohol products since the 1930s, ranging from increased taxes to more stringent advertising restrictions, smoke-free legislation, reinforced health warnings, managing the drinking environment, reducing drunk-driving, and brief interventions and treatment among others. Efforts continue to be made today to lower the number of individuals who engage in harmful use of tobacco and alcohol, including age and marketing controls to reduce advertising exposure to young people. Following these policy interventions, the UK has seen general decreases in tobacco and alcohol consumption among young people. However, the increasing role of media in alcohol and tobacco content exposure is a cause for concern to regulators and public health supporters. The UK government has, however, proposed fewer policies to address increasing levels of obesity in the UK, apart from the Soft Drink Industry Levy and the recently announced watershed ban prohibiting the advertisement of junk food online and before 9pm on TV. The few policies could be because obesity is a multifaceted health issue with no specific contributing factor. Researchers have outlined potential interventions that could help tackle HFSS food consumption, including restrictions on the number of fast-food outlets, reformulation of foods and drinks, and stricter regulation on the advertising of junk food. Limiting advertising on junk food is more important today than ever as HFSS food promotions become increasingly popular on traditional media, such as television and movies, and non-traditional media channels, including sponsored webpages, third-party sites, and social media among related channels. Research on alcohol, tobacco, and HFSS imagery exposure has been previously undertaken. However, limited studies have compared exposure to alcohol, tobacco, and HFSS imagery within the UK-wide population and there is no contemporary data. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent of broadcast media exposure (specifically television, films, and sports sponsorship) of tobacco, alcohol, and HFSS foods in adults and children. Objectives: Specific objectives of the study were to analyse and evaluate tobacco, alcohol, and HFSS contents, as well as estimating population exposure to this content (where viewing data is available). Three content analyses were completed: (1) Netflix and Amazon Prime Video original films released and viewed in 2017. (2) FIFA 2018 Men’s World Cup broadcast by the British Broadcast Corporation (BBC) and Independent Television Network (ITV). (3) FIFA 2019 Women’ World Cup broadcast by the British Broadcast Corporation (BBC) and the Independent Television Network (ITV). Methods: The study started by sampling films on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video for analysis. The study selected the most popular movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video watched by audiences across the UK in 2017, according to IMDb rating statistics. Data collected from Netflix and Amazon Prime Video included instances of tobacco, alcohol, and HFSS imagery appearing in 5-minute intervals. Instance of tobacco use were coded based on imagery, or tobacco appearance in the form of outright use, display of tobacco paraphernalia, inferred tobacco use, or brand appearance. The coding categories for alcohol included actual alcohol use which was defined as on-screen consumption of alcohol products. The type of alcohol product, whether beer, wine, champagne, or spirit was recorded during the coding process. The study was also interested in implied use of alcohol, which was interpreted as visible appearance of alcoholic products without outright consumption. The study also coded implied use of alcohol, which referred to verbal references to alcohol, drunken behaviour, and other appearances depicting alcohol use in the films. The coding process documented the type of HFSS product based on the ‘Big Five’ categories: pre-sugared breakfast cereals, confectionery, savoury snacks, soft drinks, and fast-food outlets. All episodes of tobacco, alcohol or HFSS consumption within the 5-minute period were recorded as one event irrespective of the number of appearances within that interval. However, where one episode appeared over a transition between one 5-minute periods to another 5-minute period, it was counted as two separate episodes. However, multiple branding information appearing within a 5-minute interval were counted separately. Data collected were initially recorded using Microsoft Excel prior to analysis using SPSS or Graph Pad Prism statistical software. Cumulative frequencies were used during statistical analysis. The cumulative frequencies were used to determine the number of observations above or below a certain value in the collected data set. The study calculated cumulative frequencies for visuals occurring in five-minute intervals within the selected Netflix and Amazon Prime Video films. Next, the study selected matches for the FIFA 2018 Men’s World Cup and the 2019 Women’s World Cup. For the FIFA 2018 Men’s World Cup, matches involving England, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the final match were selected for analysis. The matches involving England and the final game were selected since they had the potential of high viewership and were relevant to the UK. Saudi Arabia and Russia were selected due to the strict alcohol promotion regulations in the countries; Russia was also the host country of the FIFA World Cup 2018. For the 2019 Women’s World Cup, all matches from Group D, which included England and the final match were selected for coding due to the likelihood that they would draw high viewership. Group A matches featuring France, except three that were not available, were also selected for coding. After selecting the men’s and women’s matches, all billboard advertisements which occurred during the two halves as well as during the period between the first and the second halves were coded. After watching the matches and encountering the adverts the data has been collected, including the appearance of logos for the selected brands “McDonald’s”, “Coca-Cola”, “Powerade” and “Budweiser”, which were indications of advertisements for these brands in the men’s and women’s matches. For each appearance, the start and end time (in minutes and seconds i.e., 6:30-6:54) and match period (first half, second half, extra time and penalties) were recorded. Visual occurrences of each brand that appeared in clear, uninterrupted view on the screen received a single count in each instance. The duration of each continuous visual appearance was timed to the nearest second. Population exposure estimates of imagery content in the selected matches were used to approximate gross and per capita impressions. Per capita gross impressions were derived based on the frequency and duration of appearances (to the nearest second) of branding within the selected matches. Appearances overlapping between intervals were coded in the two intervals. To estimate UK population exposure to branding content, this study analysed the distribution of branding appearances and used that distribution to compute cumulative gross and per capita impressions. Gross impressions were determined by multiplying the estimate of the UK population who had watched the men’s and women’s FIFA World Cup matches by the number of branding occurrences in each match. Per capita gross impressions of were obtained by dividing the total number of gross HFSS branding appearances across all the matches in the sample by the total population in the UK. Results: Results of the study provided evidence that original films on VOD services, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, are likely to be a source of potential exposure to alcohol in the UK. Potential harmful exposure refers to the extent to which the target audience in the UK encountered certain alcohol, tobacco, or HFSS imagery in the selected movies, likely to have contributed to increased used of these products. There was no major difference in alcohol, tobacco and HFSS imagery observed in movies selected from Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. The total percentage of alcohol and HFSS intervals were the same on each service, but the proportion of tobacco content on Amazon Prime Video was slightly higher. The most frequently consumed tobacco product were cigarettes (14.8%), represented in most films containing tobacco. Findings on the 2018 FIFA World Cup showed about 3.7 billion gross branded alcohol impressions to UK viewers. The study also revealed that an estimated 354 million alcohol impressions were delivered to children in the UK. Upon analysing the films and sporting events, the findings confirmed the presence of high HFSS content. HFSS brands were also evident in the 2018 FIFA men’s World Cup (1806 brand appearances) with popular advertising brands being Coca Cola (25.7% of the total brand appearances), McDonald’s (33.3% of total brand appearances), Budweiser (30.4% of total brand appearances) and Powerade (10.5% of total brand appearances), as well as in the 2019 women’s FIFA World Cup (1104 brand appearances) with the main advertising brands being Coca Cola (62.04% of the brand appearances) and Powerade (37.95% of brand appearances). The 13 matches analysed in the men’s game delivered an estimated 6.7 billion gross branded HFSS impressions, with the estimated total HFSS food impressions delivered to viewers varying across the selected matches. The highest per capita impressions (1.8 billion) were in the game between Tunisia and England, and the lowest per capita impressions (7.9 million) were in the match between Panama and Tunisia. Gross per capita impressions delivered to children across the entire 13 matches was 852 million. The 10 matches in the women’s game delivered an estimated 2.5 billion gross branded HFSS of total impressions. The highest HFSS food impressions (532.67 million) were in the match between England and Scotland, and the lowest (74.26 million) were in the match between Scotland and Argentina. The total of the branded HFSS child impressions was 164 million over the 10 matches. Study findings show that VOD services and the 2018 Men’s and 2019 Women’s World Cup are a significant source of exposure to alcohol, tobacco, and HFSS imagery to all age groups of individuals in the UK and are likely to aid HFSS consumption. Conclusion: The current study found that instances of alcohol, tobacco, and HFSS imagery were prevalent in original Netflix and Amazon Prime Video films, as well as the 2018 and 2019 FIFA World Cup. Potential regular and prolonged exposure to alcohol, tobacco, and HFSS imagery is a major risk factor likely to influence behaviour towards the consumption of these products among the young people. Specifically, the frequency of display and the proportion of programming time containing such imagery represents a source of exposure to alcohol, tobacco, and HFSS products. The possibility that being exposed can lead to behaviour change is supported by the heuristic model and the social learning theory, which theorize that people learn or acquire new patterns of behaviour by either observing or imitating other people. These findings show that stricter regulations need to be applied to prohibit alcohol, tobacco, and HFSS imagery. In view of the changing viewing habits of adolescents, there is a need for the regulation of tobacco, alcohol and HFSS imagery in original content from VOD services, whether this be updating the European audio-visual media services directive to ensure that regulations specifically include alcohol, tobacco and HFSS content, or ensuring that the current UK regulations which cover Amazon Prime Video are applied across Europe. Given the potential influence of brand appearances in FIFA World Cup events on food choices and alcohol consumption among children and young adults, it is important that the current regulations on alcohol and HFSS advertisement include televised sporting events, which are currently unregulated.
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