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Public Health, Food and Environmental Policy Nexus in the Context of Civil Society

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 26677

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Christopher A. Simon

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Leading Guest Editor

Department of Political Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-9155, USA
Interests: alternative energy policy; civic community and volunteerism; education policy; criminal justice policy; homeland security policy; land use policy; public administration; international development aid policy; military sociology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. John C. Pierce

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Assistant Guest Editor

School of Public Affairs & Administration, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
Interests: environmental policy; health policy; sustainability; clean energy policy; non-governmental organizations

Prof. Dr. Brent S. Steel

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Assistant Guest Editor

School of Public Policy, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
Interests: environmental policy; natural resources; sustainability; clean energy policy; health policy; food policy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It has long been understood that there are strong linkages between health, food, energy, natural resources, and environmental policy. In a world with exploding population growth and greater income inequality, as reflected in nutrition availability, quality, and in subsequent public health outcomes, the nutrition and public health dilemmas have real world implications for the environment and natural resources. For example, ocean acidification, pollution, and over-fishing are leading to the loss of an historically important and healthful source of protein. Furthermore, soil depletion, plant disease, and insect infestations, often related to changing climate patterns, have impacted the production of high-quality nutritious land-based food products, leading, in some cases, to the use of toxic chemicals to maintain crop yields. The cost of organic foods, known to be of greater nutritional value, makes them economically out of reach for many individuals in middle- or lower-income categories, potentially imperiling their physical and mental health, quality of life, and lifespan. Furthermore, the structural barriers put in place by politically- and economically-biased planning processes in various political regimes or due to cultural barriers have left many individuals in so-called “food deserts”, where access to food choice is limited and choices are often of low quality. The latter issues allow for reflection on the link between the condition of civil society and the extant nexus of the aforementioned policy areas.

Prof. Christopher A. Simon
Dr. John C. Pierce
Prof. Brent S. Steel
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

public health
environment
clean energy
sustainability
food policy, food deserts

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 1717 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Food Practice Lifestyles: Identification and Implications for Energy Sustainability

by Leanne S. Giordono, June Flora, Chad Zanocco and Hilary Boudet

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(9), 5638; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19095638 - 05 May 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2020

Abstract

Food systems, including production, acquisition, preparation, and consumption, feature importantly in environmental sustainability, energy consumption and climate change. With predicted increases in food and water shortages associated with climate change, food-related lifestyle and behavioral changes are advocated as important mitigation and adaptation measures. Yet, reducing emissions from food systems is predicted to be one of our greatest challenges now and in the future. Traditional theories of environmental behavioral change often assume that individuals make “reasoned choices” that incorporate cost–benefit assessment, moral and normative concerns and affect/symbolic motives, yielding behavioral interventions that are often designed as informational or structural strategies. In contrast, some researchers recommend moving toward an approach that systematically examines the temporal organization of society with an eye toward understanding the patterns of social practices to better understand behaviors and develop more targeted and effective interventions. Our study follows on these recommendations with a study of food consumption “lifestyles” in the United States, using extant time use diary data from a nationally representative sample of Americans (n = 16,100) from 2014 to 2016. We use cluster analysis to identify unique groups based on temporal and locational eating patterns. We find evidence of six respondent clusters with distinct patterns of food consumption based on timing and location of eating, as well as individual and household characteristics. Factors associated with cluster membership include age, employment status, and marital status. We note the close connections between age and behaviors, suggesting that a life course scholarship approach may add valuable insight. Based on our findings, we identify opportunities for promoting sustainable energy use in the context of the transition to renewables, such as targeting energy-shifting and efficiency-improvement interventions based on group membership. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health, Food and Environmental Policy Nexus in the Context of Civil Society)

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20 pages, 1034 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Public Water Policy Knowledge and Policy Preferences in the American West

by Erika Allen Wolters, Brent S. Steel, Muhammed Usman Amin Siddiqi and Melissa Symmes

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(5), 2742; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19052742 - 26 Feb 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2020

Abstract

The Western United States has made significant contributions to agricultural products both domestically and internationally. As the Western U.S. continues to grapple with water scarcity and extended periods of drought, evidence of misalignment between crop production and the volume of water necessary to maintain abundant food yields is becoming more pronounced. There are several policy nudges and mitigation strategies that can be employed to bring water availability and crop selection into alignment. Whether there is public support for these policies, or knowledge of how policies could impact water use in agriculture, it is important to understand what those preferences are and how people weigh tradeoffs between developing agricultural and water use. Using random household surveys of residents in the western U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California, this study explores public water knowledge, the correlates of public water knowledge, and the impact knowledge has on preferred water policies while controlling for demographic characteristics, environmental efficacy, climate change belief, and political ideology. Findings show that knowledge does have an independent impact on preferred approaches to water policies while controlling for demographic characteristics, environmental efficacy, belief in climate change, and political ideology. Respondents who are knowledgeable about water recycling for food and water use for agriculture were significantly more supportive of water conservation policy approaches and less supportive of water supply-side approaches. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health, Food and Environmental Policy Nexus in the Context of Civil Society)

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40 pages, 3125 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Developing Sustainable Food Systems in Europe: National Policies and Stakeholder Perspectives in a Four-Country Analysis

by Alina Zaharia, Maria-Claudia Diaconeasa, Natalia Maehle, Gergely Szolnoki and Roberta Capitello

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(14), 7701; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18147701 - 20 Jul 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5182

Abstract

To address climate change, health, and food-related challenges at the international and regional level, policy makers and researchers are starting to acknowledge the importance of building and developing sustainable food systems (SFSs). This study aims to discuss the drivers of, barriers to, and policy recommendations for developing sustainable food systems in four European countries (Germany, Italy, Norway, and Romania). We used critical frame analysis to investigate national policy documents on sustainable food systems and conducted in-depth interviews with various national stakeholders representing policy makers, agrifood businesses, and civil society. The novelty of this research lies in comparing national policy approaches and stakeholders’ opinions on SFS development in a multi-country analysis. These European countries have different conditions in terms of geography, socioeconomic situation, environmental performance, and sustainability orientation. Several cross-cultural differences and gaps in the existing national policies for sustainable food systems were identified, and solutions that help overcome these issues have been suggested. The first step in developing SFS should focus on interdisciplinary and trans-sectorial policy integration combined with increasing stakeholder collaboration across all sectors of the economy. We also recommend more active involvement of consumers in the food system, developing information-sharing networks, and increasing collaborations within the food supply chains. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health, Food and Environmental Policy Nexus in the Context of Civil Society)

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17 pages, 707 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Environmental Efficacy, Climate Change Beliefs, Ideology, and Public Water Policy Preferences

by Erika Allen Wolters and Brent S. Steel

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(13), 7000; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18137000 - 30 Jun 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3516

Abstract

Water is an unpredictable and often overallocated resource in the American West, one that strains policy makers to come up with viable, and politically acceptable policies to mitigate water management concerns. While large federal reclamation projects once dominated western water management and provided ample water for large scale agricultural development as well as the urbanization of the West, water engineering alone is no longer sufficient or, in some cases, a politically acceptable policy option. As demand for water in the West increases with an ever-growing population, climate change is presenting a more challenging and potentially untenable, reality of even longer periods of drought and insufficient water quantity. The complexity of managing water resources under climate change conditions will require multifaceted and publicly acceptable strategies. This paper therefore examines water policy preferences of residents in four western states: Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho. Using a public survey conducted in these states in 2019, we examine preferences pertaining to infrastructural, education, incentives and regulation specifically examining levels of support for varying policies based on climate change and environmental efficacy beliefs as well as geography, demographic variables, and political ideology. Results show support for all water policies surveyed, with the exception of charging higher rates for water during the hottest part of summer. The most preferred water policies pertained to tax incentives. Some variation of support exists based on gender, education, environmental values, efficacy, state residency and belief in anthropogenic climate change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health, Food and Environmental Policy Nexus in the Context of Civil Society)

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20 pages, 388 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Future of Food: Understanding Public Preferences for the Management of Agricultural Resources

by Erika Allen Wolters, Brent S. Steel, Sydney Anderson and Heather Moline

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(13), 6707; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18136707 - 22 Jun 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1933

Abstract

The current U.S food system has managed to provide abundant food at a relatively low cost, even as the population increases. However, this unfettered growth is reaching maximum yields as demand for greater food production competes with other uses of agricultural lands. Extant ecological factors such as water scarcity are reducing food productivity, and competition for resources to produce food is becoming more apparent. This research examines public policy preferences of U.S. west coast citizens for the management of agricultural resources through the use of random household surveys. Results suggest overall support among respondents for food policies using regulatory, tax incentive, and voluntary outreach approaches. Multivariate analyses revealed that some social-demography, knowledge, environmental values, political ideology, and environmental efficacy variables were significant predictors of public opposition and support for food policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health, Food and Environmental Policy Nexus in the Context of Civil Society)

13 pages, 773 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Nexus of Energy Burden, Social Capital, and Environmental Quality in Shaping Health in US Counties

by Tony G. Reames, Dorothy M. Daley and John C. Pierce

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(2), 620; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18020620 - 13 Jan 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4476

Abstract

The United States spends more on health care than any other OECD country, yet the nation’s health is declining. Recent research has identified multiple sources for this decline, including one’s position in social and economic structures, environmental quality, and individual and collective social capital. This paper assesses the primary hypotheses that the health effects of household energy burden, social capital and environmental quality on aggregated community health levels remain while controlling for other determinants. The analysis moves beyond prior research by integrating multiple secondary data sources to assess those effects across US counties. Three indicators of public health are analyzed (premature mortality, self-reported health, and life expectancy). The county-level energy burden is measured by the percent of household income spent on housing energy bills for low- and moderate-income households. In addition to energy burden, social capital, environmental quality and other determinants are included in the analysis. The results produced by multivariate regression models support the primary hypotheses, even while a number of control variables also have a significant effect on health. The paper concludes that public health is associated with a complex nexus of factors, including environmental quality and social capital, and that energy burden needs to be among the considerations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health, Food and Environmental Policy Nexus in the Context of Civil Society)

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20 pages, 570 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Efficacy, Values, and Knowledge on Public Preferences Concerning Food–Water–Energy Policy Tradeoffs

by Najam uz Zehra Gardezi, Brent S. Steel and Angela Lavado

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(22), 8345; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph17228345 - 11 Nov 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 6550

Abstract

Food, water, and energy (FWE) policies often entail contentious tradeoffs. For example, increasing food production may involve irrigation from riparian sources that may adversely impact fisheries habitats, the siting of solar energy on agricultural lands can impact food production, and increasing food production capacity may require pesticides in certain locations, resulting in environmental pollution. Because public preferences are an important component of support for and opposition to FWE policy design and implementation, it is important to understand the correlates of support and opposition to FWE policy tradeoffs. Using survey data from random household surveys conducted in western U.S. states during 2018, this study examined how environmental efficacy, values, and knowledge affected FWE public tradeoff preferences. The findings suggest that these characteristics do affect public FWE tradeoff preferences, with knowledge being a strong driver of support for food production over biofuels, water friendly crops over meat production and conservation over water intensive agriculture. Additionally, environmental efficacy and pro-ecological attitudes drive support for access to safe drinking water and sanitation over food security for a growing population. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health, Food and Environmental Policy Nexus in the Context of Civil Society)

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