PHM-Exch> Stop public heal conferences becoming trade fairs

[Claudio Schuftan]

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*Public Health Nutrition*:12 (9), 1581–1583

*How to stop public health conferences *

*becoming trade fairs***



The 12th World Congress on Public Health, recently held in Istanbul,
dedicated many of its sessions to ethics and the right to health. Faultless
theory and socially responsible statements, set out and declared in
Istanbul, were accompanied by corporate sponsorship which we see as
inappropriate, and sessions that were in conflict with the interests of
public health. This commentary reflects the inappropriate corporate
influence on public health teaching, research and practice.

* *

*Soft soap and commercial formulas*

As participants at the Congress, and as public health professionals, we were
surprised to find in our congress bags, gifts in the form of free products
and promotional material from transnational corporate sponsors. These were
Pfizer, Nestle´ and Colgate-Palmolive. More disturbingly, we found that
sessions in the scientific programme were being advertised by corporate
flyers. One was on ‘Personal hygiene and health’. This, promoted by
Colgate-Palmolive, was on oral health and hand-washing, linked with Colgate
toothpaste and Protex hand soap. Another was on ‘Diet, physical activity and
health: national implementation of the global strategy’. This promoted a
talk by, among others, Nestle´’s Vice-President of Public Affairs, who in
the event displayed some of his company’s product lines and corporate
practices. Nowhere in the official programme were these industry sponsored
sessions differentiated from the true scientific sessions of the Congress.
This breaching of the boundary between commerce and science was widened by
the evident lack of any requirement for the Congress as a whole, or for
speakers and panelists on the corporate-sponsored sessions, to declare any
conflicts of interests or affiliations with the sponsors. This information
was not and has not been disclosed, even after direct requests made during
the session that included the Nestle´ presentation. These practices, of
which the Istanbul Congress is just an example, are clearly a form of
corporate marketing and commercial interest over public policy and have been
reported to harm independent scientific research and information (1,2),
raising concerns about the ways in which conference organisers

and presenters manage conflicts of interest.

* *

*Need to protect the public interest*

The practice of corporate sponsorship of scientific events is not new. For
example, the forthcoming Congress of the Latin American Society of Nutrition
in Santiago(3) and the International Congress on Nutrition in Bangkok(4) are
supported by many corporate sponsors. In Istanbul, what we found most
unacceptable was the contradiction between the values, principles and goals
of the Congress, as stated in its final Istanbul Declaration(5), and the
fact that corporations whose profits depend, at least in part, on products
and practices that can be problematic or harmful to public health were
enabled to promote their policies and products in the guise of good science.
During the Congress we respectfully petitioned the WFPHA to undertake the
following actions, addressed also to other conference organisers.

*1.* Adopt a clear code of ethical conduct on sponsorship.

*2.* Ensure transparency by providing a detailed description of the
financial arrangements with commercial companies and a full declaration of
all conflicts of interest.

*3.* Promote and encourage a greater reliance on public and private
non-for-profit support.

*4.* Reduce expenditure, by avoiding luxury venues.



The petition, signed by many participants, was handed to the WFPHA President
. A letter on the issue and the petition requests has been sent to all WFPHA
Board members.

* *

*Damage done by transnational corporations*

The damage that the policies and actions of industry, particularly giant
transnational corporations, can do to public health worldwide is
troublesome. Examples can be found in the field of nutrition (battle over
trans fats in processed food, and the marketing of unhealthy foods and
drinks to children). In both cases, the food manufacturing industry has
energetically opposed government attempts to develop binding rules and
regulations. Strategies have included lobbying, court action, sponsored
research, and calls for more and more research. These have been and are
being used to prevent or delay regulations and to extend the period of
maximum profitability – and the duration of adverse health impacts. When
pledges and proposals for self-regulation have been made by industries, they
have often been disregarded. There is growing evidence of negative impact on
public health. In the past decade, lobbying expenditures from the
pharmaceutical and food and drink industries have increased dramatically.
Advertising and marketing budgets of the largest food and drink companies
massively exceed expenditures on health promotion and education. The
processed food and drink industries have now systematically penetrated
sectors of public life that had previously been spared, including schools.
In the pharmaceutical field, companies now finance most clinical research on
prescription drugs, with growing evidence and concern over conflicts of
interest and biased results. Action needs to be taken to promote and
implement binding regulations that protect population rights and public
goods.

* *

*Health professionals: the time to act is now*

As committed public health professionals, we believe that our profession, as
individuals and as members of our representative associations, can make a
difference. We should:

·       Act even in the absence of international or national regulations in
the name of health protection.

·       Reject and counteract corporate strategies that are harmful to
health.

·       Advocate and monitor regulations, also in partnership with civil
society organisations.



We propose for public discussion the following actions to be undertaken
globally.



*Act to keep scientific and public health research and conferences free of
direct corporate sponsorship and influence:*



·       Advocate implementation of ethics based codes of conduct on
financing and sponsoring by scientific associations and educational
institutions.

·       Insist to conference organisers and scientific societies that all
scientific conferences and meetings that include sponsorship by the private
sector provide complete and full disclosure of conflicts of interests.



*Take direct action against corporations that cause damage to public health:
*

* *

·       Avoid the purchase or use of products by corporations known to act
against public health, human rights and the equitable governance of public
good.

·       Report cases of corporate interference in the public health field
and of unethical behaviour and policies.



*Strengthen the capacity of civil society and public institutions to
regulate and control the activities of the corporate sector:*



·       Work for the adoption of international regulations and guidelines,
independent monitoring systems and enforceable sanctions.

·       Reduce unnecessary expenses (such as luxury venues for congresses).

·       Support innovative tools and practices aimed to reduce reliance on
the private sector and to maintain the independence and reliability of
science.



Health professionals and their representative associations should now
actively engage in critically analysing and revising the contexts in which
they are involved, and the practices they can directly influence, encourage
or oppose. Incoherence between socially committed declarations and
conventional practices that tend to preserve the status quo is no longer to
be tolerated. It needs to be openly challenged in public and scientific
debate, and in practice.

Adriano Cattaneo, David Legge, David Sanders, Fabio Gomes and Marko Kerak,
Chiara Bodini, Ardigo` Martino, David McCoy, Kayvan Bozorgmehr, Denise
Nascimento, Camila Giugliani, Waasila Jassat

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