Medicine and Science

Give children control; supporting adolescent health and wellbeing

This is the second episode of a special three-part podcast series that delves into adolescent health and wellbeing, focusing on creating a positive trajectory of health from a young age.
 
The podcast explores physical and mental health issues affecting young people globally, particularly in sexual and reproductive health. We hear how young people are excluded from decisions about their own health, and how grassroots groups around the world are empowering them to take responsibility for their own wellbeing.
 
We also hear how young people are becoming leaders in social movements, from tackling structural racism to improving nutrition in schools, and how their unique perspectives are vital in making those changes.
 
Our guests:
Natasha Salifyanji Kaoma, Copper Rose Zambia
Alaa Murabit, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Donald Bundy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Anshu Banerjee, World Health Organisation
Dev Sharma, Bite Back 2030
Hosted by Adam Levy
Supported by the Fondation Botnar and PMNCH, the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health. Read the full cCollection of articles showing the importance of investing in adolescent wellbeing.
00:05 Introduction to adolescent health
01:00 Young womens’ menstrual health
02:11 Discussion on candid pride project
03:29 Importance of sexual and reproductive health
04:49 The role of young people in health advocacy
06:17 The epidemiology of early health and lifecourse
10:08 Impact of adolescent health on future generations
18:29 How young people become activists
28:51 Advocacy for women in Libya
28:54 Global forum for adolescents
40:15 Success stories 
44:54 Conclusion and preview of next episode

It’s time for an educational revolution; supporting adolescent health and wellbeing

In the final episode of this three-part podcast series from The BMJ, we dive into the vital topic of education for adolescents and how it influences the course of life. 
 
This podcast explores barriers, burdens and possibilities of change in the educational system to better support young people, and how the traditional system of schooling is failing to equip young people with the skills and knowledge to lead healthy lives.
 
We also hear how the value of informal education and its impact on subjects ranging from health to gender equality, and that learning isn’t limited to young people, and the intergenerational benefits of education and its role in shaping societal norms and individual health. 
 
Our guests;
 
Maziko Matemvu, Uwale
Joanna Herat, UNESCO
Janani Vijayaraghavan, Plan Canada
Atika Ajra Ayon, Plan International
Stefan Germann, Fondation Botnar 
Hosted by Adam Levy
 
Supported by the Fondation Botnar and PMNCH, the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health. Read the full cCollection of articles showing the importance of investing in adolescent wellbeing.
00:03 Introduction to the podcast
00:11 The importance of education for adolescents
03:26 The role of education in health and wellbeing
04:43 The impact of education on society
10:21 The power of peer education
11:15 The role of media in education
12:31 The importance of meaningful engagement in education
14:45 The impact of education on health
17:48 The challenges in access to education
26:25 The role of education in combating child marriage
36:37 The impact of climate change on education
44:53 The role of education in mental wellbeing
45:59 Conclusion of the podcast

Insulin without refrigeration and the complexities of consent

The December edition of the Talk Evidence podcast discusses the complexities of seeking consent from patients who are part of large data sets, and some new research to help patients living with diabetes in places without certain power supplies.
First patient consent and data - in the UK,  two stories that have made the public worry about the use of their health data. Firstly the news that UK biobank, who hold a lot of genomic and health data, allowed research by an insurance company, and second that the NHS has entered a contract with Palentir to do analysis on NHS data.
Natalie Banner, director of ethics at Genomics England has been thinking hard about putting patients at the centre of decision making about their data, and explains why she thinks a sole reliance on a consent model falls short.
Next, uncertain power supplies, such as in conflict or disaster zones, means uncertain refrigeration. Hard enough for most people to survive, but if you need to keep your insulin cold, it can be lifethreatening. However a new cochrane review has found good news about the thermostability of insulin at room temperature.
We ask Phillipa Boulle, MSF Intersectional NCD Working Group Leader and Cyrine Farhat,is  a global diabetes advocate based in Lebanon, how this will affect care for patients around the world.
 
Reading list
Thermal stability and storage of human insulin
 
Outline
 
00:06 introduction and overview
00:24 the challenge of seeking consent in big data sets
01:34 understanding consent issues in large datasets
01:52 the role of participant panels in data accountability
02:44 the complexity of public attitudes towards data use
04:54 the importance of transparency and engagement in data use
05:48 the impact of external factors on public trust in data use
07:49 the ethical challenges of using health data
09:17 the limitations of consent in ethical discussions
09:23 the need for more conversation about group benefits, risks, and harms
10:41 the role of governance in ethical decision making
12:05 discussion on the interview with natalie banner
14:59 the challenge of managing chronic conditions in disaster zones
15:15 the impact of temperature and storage conditions on insulin
17:32 interview with Philippa Boulle from medecins sans frontieres
29:10 interview with Cyrine Farhat, a person living with diabetes in lebanon
36:18 discussion on the interviews and the challenges of diabetes management

The future of the winter ’flu season

We were accepting of an increase in deaths every winter 'flu season, but Ashish Jha thinks that is not longer a tenable position.
Lessons he learned during his time as the White House Covid-19 coordinator have convinced him we should be taking a different approach to the winter season.
In this interview with Mun-Keat Looi, The BMJ's international features editor, we hear about living with COVID, the future of antivirals, vaccines, and surveillance. They talk about long COVID, the investment required to fight future outbreaks effectively, and the role of the US in the global health response.
 
 

Low carb and cancer screening

Each episode of Talk Evidence we take a dive into an issue or paper which is in the news, with a little help from some knowledgeable guests to help us to understand what it all means for clinical care, policy, or research. 
 
In this episode:
Helen Macdonald take a deep dive into cancer screening tests, prompted by a paper in JAMA which showed most have no effect on all cause mortality, and news that the NHS is evaluating a single test which screens for 50 common cancers - we ask Barry Kramer, former director of the Division of Cancer Prevention, at the U.S. National Cancer Institute to help explain how to hold those two pieces of knowledge.
Juan Franco has been looking into diet and obesity, prompted by new research in The BMJ and a new Cochrane review, looking at the role of low glycemic index foods in weightloss - we ask Khadidja Chekima, nutritional researcher at Taylor’s University in Malaysia, to define low GI foods, and why it’s so hard to research their role in diet and weightloss 
 
Reading list;
JAMA research - Estimated Lifetime Gained With Cancer Screening Tests; A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials
The BMJ news - Clinicians raise concerns over pilot of blood test for multiple cancers
The BMJ research - Association between changes in carbohydrate intake and long term weight changes: prospective cohort study
Cochrane review - Low glycaemic index or low glycaemic load diets for people with overweight or obesity

Decolonising health and medicine: Episode 5 - Getting our house in order: Decolonising the British Medical Association

Organisational and student leaders explore the responsibilities of the British Medical Association and The BMJ to understand and respond to its colonial history.
Our panel
Kamran Abassi, editor in chief, The BMJ, London, UK
Omolara Akinnawonu, Foundation year doctor, Essex, UK, and outgoing co-chair of the BMA medical students committee
Latifa Patel, elected chair of the UK BMA's Representative Body and BMA EDI lead
Host - Navjoyt Ladher, clinical editor for The BMJ
 

Decolonising health and medicine: Episode 4 - How to transform global health institutions born of colonial eras

Leaders from academic and funding organisations discuss the transformative change required to overcome extractive and inequitable research practices in global health, and the need for examining power and privilege within traditional research institutions.
Our panel
Samuel Oti, senior program specialist, International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada, and member of the Global Health Decolonization Movement in Africa (GHDM-Africa)
Muneera Rasheed, clinical psychologist and behaviour scientist and former faculty, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
Liam Smeeth, professor of clinical epidemiology and director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
Angela Obasi, senior clinical lecturer, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK
Seye Abimbola, editor of BMJ Global Health, and health systems researcher from Nigeria currently based at the University of Sydney, Australia
Jocalyn Clark, international editor, The BMJ, London, UK
Host - Navjoyt Ladher, clinical editor for The BMJ
 

Decolonising health and medicine: Episode 3 - Common terrains of anti-colonial and feminist approaches to the politics of health

International health leaders discuss how feminist and decolonial advocates in health face similar resistance and attempts to sow divisiveness, and how they can join forces to promote health equity and justice for all.
Our panel
Raewyn Connell, sociologist and professor emerita at the University of Sydney, Australia
Sarah Hawkes, professor of global public health and director of the Centre for Gender and Global Health, University College London, UK
Sanjoy Bhattacharya, head of the school of history and professor of medical and global health histories, University of Leeds, UK
Asha George, professor and South African research chair in health systems, complexity, and social change, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
Host - Navjoyt Ladher, clinical editor for The BMJ
 

Decolonising health and medicine: Episode 2 - Looking back to move forward: missing histories of the decolonisation agenda

Experts discuss how failing to confront colonial pasts is linked to present lack of progress in global health equity, why health leaders need historical educations, and how, for Indigenous peoples, it’s not just a colonial history but a colonial present.
Our panel
Seye Abimbola, editor of BMJ Global Health, and health systems researcher from Nigeria currently based at the University of Sydney, Australia
Catherine Kyobutungi, Ugandan epidemiologist and executive director of the African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
Sanjoy Bhattacharya, head of the school of history and professor of medical and global health histories, University of Leeds, UK
Chelsea Watego, professor of Indigenous Health at Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Host - Navjoyt Ladher, clinical editor for The BMJ

Decolonising health and medicine: Episode 1 - The colonial legacy in clinical medicine

Healthcare leaders discuss the ways in which colonial-era bias and eugenics persist in today’s medical education and clinical practice in the UK and beyond, and what meaningful change is required to overcome racial and other healthcare inequalities
Our panel
Annabel Sowemimo, sexual and reproductive health registrar and part-time PhD student and Harold Moody Scholar at King’s College London, UK
Thirusha Naidu, head of clinical psychology, King Dinuzulu Hospital, and associate professor, Department of Behavioural Medicine, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
Subhadra Das, UK based researcher and storyteller who specialises in the history and philosophy of science, particularly scientific racism and eugenics
Amali Lokugamage, honorary associate professor, Institute of Women's Health, University College London, and consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Whittington Hospital, London, UK
Host - Richard Hurley, collections editor at The BMJ