Search

In the past decades, public health has increasingly addressed what has been called the children's obesity 'epidemic', most notably through large-scale initiatives promoting physical activity. Through a discourse analysis the current paper critically examines such efforts in Canadian and Australian public health. Public health websites in Canada and Australia were examined for information concerning children's health, physical activity and obesity and explored for how these issues were represented in the discourse. Bacchi's (2009) 'What's the problem represented to be?' approach to discourse analysis guided our interrogation of the taken-for-granted assumptions underlying Canadian and Australian public health discourse, the ideological and political influences involved in its construction, and the knowledge base upon which it rests. The article calls for critical reflection on how children's physical and leisure activities are being advanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ovarian cancer affects many women globally, having numerous physical and psychosocial implications. However, misconceptions abound, symptoms are often overlooked, and diagnosis frequently occurs in advanced stages. As one step to addressing these issues, this research explores the social construction of ovarian cancer in women's magazines to identify the ideas and discourses surrounding this illness and interpret their explicit and implicit meanings. A constructivist discourse analytic approach guided analysis of 62 print and online articles from 8 women's magazines available in Canada over a 20-year period. Analysis resulted in identification of three discourses pertaining to: self-responsibility for health, ovarian cancer as uncertain and inevitably fatal, and ovarian cancer as a heroic endeavour. Critical interpretation highlights misinformation, contradictory beliefs, and unrealistic expectations surrounding this illness, which have implications for healthy and affected women. The findings emphasise the importance of identifying and challenging these discursive constructions to expose inconsistencies, minimise harm to women's well-being, and promote authentic portrayals of ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]