Correction to: Consequences of policy incoherence: how Zambia’s post-FCTC investment policy stimulated tobacco production The paper “Consequences of policy incoherence: how Zambia’s post-FCTC investment policy stimulated tobacco production” was published without including the acknowledgements:

WFPHA: World federation of public health associations www.wfpha.org

Comparison of international legislation and standards on veterinary drug residues in food of animal origin Abstract Current legislation governing monitoring of drug residues in foodstuff of animal origin is being revised at the European level. This study provides a qualitative comparison of the legislation, public and private standards in the European Union, the United States of America (USA) and the Eurasian Customs Union/Russia. We made a quantitative comparison of Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) applied in each region for pork kidneys for tetracycline (with a focus on doxycycline), penicillin and chloramphenicol. The Customs Union generally applied lower levels than the other regions, with MRLs for tetracyclines in pig kidneys being 1200 times lower than those applied in the USA. Growing consumer interest and concern about chemicals in their food could be leveraged to support and enhance the implementation of new initiatives to improve veterinary public health. Farmers and veterinarians could help reduce findings of drug residues in meat through the judicious use of preventive actions when using veterinary medicine.

Road injury prevention in China: current state and future challenges Abstract In just a few decades, China has undergone probably the fastest motorization of a transportation system in history. Now possessing the longest roadway network and the highest volume of car sales in the world, China has also faced major public health impacts from adopting automobiles, including air pollution and traffic fatalities. This paper synthesizes various sources to present the challenges to road safety in China. The country’s rapid development expresses many patterns and features familiar to developed nations, such as declining urban density, increased use of sport utility vehicles, and strict drunk-driving laws. It also mirrors patterns familiar to developing nations—high-fatality rates for pedestrians and nondrivers, low salaries and corruption among police officers, and infrequent seat-belt use. Despite these similarities, China also exhibits particular attributes, such as a nationwide cadre evaluation system and tightly controlled media organization, which influence the traffic risks that receive national attention.

Consequences of policy incoherence: how Zambia’s post-FCTC investment policy stimulated tobacco production Abstract Zambia, a tobacco-growing country, provides manufacturing incentives to attract foreign and domestic investment. In an earlier study, we cautioned that these incentives could lead to local tobacco manufacturing, undermining its domestic tobacco control efforts. In 2018, as part of our continuing research program, we conducted key informant interviews (n = 15) and document analyses. Our early caution proved correct. In 2018, taking advantage of tax incentives, British American Tobacco Zambia and Roland Imperial Tobacco opened new cigarette-manufacturing facilities in the Lusaka Multi-Facility Economic Zone. They report capability of producing 25 million cigarettes daily, between 3 and 5 million of which is intended for the domestic market. Zambia’s tax incentives for cigarette manufacturing are likely to increase domestic consumption. The 170 new jobs created in the two plants pale when considering long-term health impacts and lost economic productivity of an increase in supply of locally produced cigarette brands.

The double burden of malnutrition: an assessment of ‘stunted child and overweight/obese mother (SCOWT) pairs’ in Kerala households Abstract A double burden of malnutrition (DBM) is the coexistence of under-nutrition and over-nutrition in a single household that has been reported from many developing countries. We performed a secondary analysis on India Human Development Survey (IHDS-II) data assessing ‘stunted child and overweight/obese mother (SCOWT) pairs’ in Kerala households. We included 344 pairs of children below 5 years of age and their mothers, with anthropometric measurements. We also performed the Pearson’s Chi–square test to study the association of SCOWT pairs with socio-economic variables. The prevalence of SCOWT pairs was 10.7% for Kerala. The bivariate analysis showed no significant association for SCOWT pairs, irrespective of their socio-economic status. It is clear that the DBM is prevalent in Kerala and cannot be addressed exclusively by policies focusing on over-nutrition.

Deworming rates and lack of awareness of the National Deworming Day in the endemic region of Kashmir: an opportunity to improve public health using immunization program infrastructure Abstract We assessed the level of regular, periodic deworming and awareness of National Deworming Day in the local population in the endemic region of Kashmir by conducting a cross-sectional survey in the local population of patients (or their attendants for patients 18 years of age or younger) who visited the hospital as outpatients or were admitted as inpatients. The study team presented questionnaires with simple questions about deworming and child immunization to 1150 participants, noted responses, and then compiled the data. We found that the level of regular deworming was very low: only 3.7% (43/1150) of respondents regularly dewormed themselves and 16.34% (188/1150) dewormed their children at least once in a year. None of 1150 participants was aware of national deworming day despite having adequate knowledge about the immunization infrastructure. The immunization infrastructure can be used to improve public health in such circumstances.

“Always read the small print”: a case study of commercial research funding, disclosure and agreements with Coca-Cola Abstract Concerns about conflicts of interest in commercially funded research have generated increasing disclosure requirements, but are these enough to assess influence? Using the Coca-Cola Company as an example, we explore its research agreements to understand influence. Freedom of Information requests identified 87,013 pages of documents, including five agreements between Coca-Cola and public institutions in the United States, and Canada. We assess whether they allowed Coca-Cola to exercise control or influence. Provisions gave Coca-Cola the right to review research in advance of publication as well as control over (1) study data, (2) disclosure of results and (3) acknowledgement of Coca-Cola funding. Some agreements specified that Coca-Cola has the ultimate decision about any publication of peer-reviewed papers prior to its approval of the researchers’ final report. If so desired, Coca-Cola can thus prevent publication of unfavourable research, but we found no evidence of this to date in the emails we received. The documents also reveal researchers can negotiate with funders successfully to remove restrictive clauses on their research. We recommend journals supplement funding disclosures and conflict-of-interest statements by requiring authors to attach funder agreements.

Economic sanctions and HIV/AIDS in women Abstract HIV/AIDS has disproportionately affected women worldwide. Several studies focus on economic sanctions and the health of populations, but little attention has been paid to the effects of sanctions on HIV rates. This study examines the influence of economic sanctions on HIV in women and finds that sanctions increase women’s HIV rate by decreasing female labor participation. These findings are in line with previous findings that sanctions negatively affect public health in general as well as women in particular. All these findings suggest that policy makers need to consider more carefully the scourge of HIV/AIDS among women when formulating their policies toward target countries.

Retailers’ tobacco sales, profit margins, and promotional activities in slum areas of Bhubaneswar, India Abstract We conducted a cross-sectional study during January–June 2017 involving 70 tobacco retailers from 11 slums to learn about the tobacco retailers’ practices of tobacco sales, their profit margins from these sales, and their promotional activities in slum areas of Bhubaneswar, India. Slum retailers were gaining a profit margin of ≥ 10% in selling 68% of cigarette brands and in all brands of bidi (smoked tobacco) and smokeless tobacco. Almost 50% of retailers were directly or indirectly advertising tobacco, and in 90% of retail shops, tobacco products were displayed in such a way that they could be seen from outside the shop. Nearly 25% of retailers were providing discounts; 33% were giving a gift or prize or free sample or coupon to customers on purchase of a tobacco product. Understanding retailers’ concerns about tobacco sales, promotion, and strict enforcement of Indian “Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act” regulations is critical for tobacco control in slums.