Alan Tapp

Background: Sending ‘dashcam’ footage of road incidents to traffic police is becoming increasingly common in the US and internationally. However there is little research examining the role of social marketing in promoting the involvement of the public in policing the roads. Dashcams, together with helmet cams (used by cyclists, motorcyclists and horse riders), mobile phones and other digital recording devices, are potentially valuable data sources for policing road use, and in response to increased unsolicited footage sent to UK regional constabularies, a scheme called Operation Snap was set up to encourage further reporting of risky on-road behaviours. Article Focus: There are two key foci, one for professionals and the other for scholars. The professional focus of this article is to assess public attitudes to Operation Snap to provide insights that might inform social marketing planning, and in particular identifying audience segments, informing strategies and designing messaging. For scholars, the findings create an agenda for possible future research examining public involvement in road safety in general, and in particular examining how Operation Snap might work in different countries. For example, scholars could use this work to investigate how different cultural attitudes towards their police forces affect the success of public involvement in similar schemes within different nations. Importance to the social marketing field: There is a dearth of published work examining how social marketing can help the growth of public involvement in road safety generally, and the growth of using dashcams in reporting incidents specifically. This article seeks to help fill this gap. Methods: A representative survey of public attitudes and claimed behaviours was undertaken with a sample of over 2000 UK respondents. We analysed these the results using two behavioural models: the Knowledge-Attitude-Behaviour Model, and the Social-Ecological Model. Results: Negative attitudes (for example issues of privacy) were only exhibited by a minority of respondents. Given the difficulty of challenging ‘motonormative’ views, it was encouraging that the majority of respondents had positive views of Operation Snap. However awareness and understanding of the scheme was low. Recommendations for research or practice: Police constabularies made some use of tactical social media marketing, but in this paper we recommend a strategic role for social marketing that could support Operation Snap, with social marketing particularly useful for raising awareness and understanding, and promoting public reporting of risky behaviours. Our recommendations for scholars include conducting specific work on the extent to which car-norms (motonormativity) might interact with public dispositions towards Operation Snap. Scholars may also wish to examine other key success factors internationally for the scheme, for example the connection between public willingness to report incidents and levels of public trust that the police will act on reports sent to them.

Context: Concerns about an ageing population with long-term care needs putting strain on health and social care systems have prompted interest in community care models for later life care, as already exist in palliative and end-of-life care. Objectives: To identify existing later life care and support within communities, willingness to participate in a community care model, and barriers and enablers to such a model. Methods: We adopted a qualitative approach, involving in-depth interviews and focus groups with 39 participants aged 70–91 years old. Data were transcribed, and a deductive thematic analysis conducted. Findings: Most participants were involved in help-giving within their local community, with friends, neighbours, and nearby residents. However, whilst participants were willing to receive home care from volunteers in the community, they considered it inappropriate for volunteers to provide personal care, and perceived considerable barriers to enacting a community care model. Limitations: This study does not aim to be representative of the population aged over 70 in England, and instead presents an in-depth exploration of the views and experiences of a small sample of this group. Implications: There is currently a broad but shallow reservoir of goodwill towards caring within the community. Later life community care relies heavily on a core of family and friends, and there will continue to be increasing demand for professional care services to fill the gaps where this core does not exist, and where medical and personal care needs exceed what can be supported by informal carers.

Funding shortages and an ageing population have increased pressures on state or insurance funded end of life care for older people. Across the world, policy debate has arisen about the potential role volunteers can play, working alongside health and social care professionals in the community to support and care for the ageing and dying. The authors examined self-reported levels of care for the elderly by the public in England, and public opinions of community volunteering concepts to care for the elderly at the end of life. In particular, claimed willingness to help and to be helped by local people was surveyed. A sample of 3,590 adults in England aged 45 or more from an online access panel responded to a questionnaire in late 2017. The survey data was weighted to be representative of the population within this age band. Key literature and formative qualitative research informed the design of the survey questionnaire, which was further refined after piloting. Preferences for different models of community volunteering were elicited. There was a preference for ‘formal’ models with increased wariness of ‘informal’ features. Whilst 32% of adults said they ‘might join’ depending on whom the group helped, unsurprisingly more personal and demanding types of help significantly reduced the claimed willingness to help. Finally, willingness to help (or be helped) by local community carers or volunteers was regarded as less attractive than care being provided by personal family, close friends or indeed health and care professionals. Findings suggest that if community volunteering to care for elderly people at the end of life in England is to expand it may require considerable attention to the model including training for volunteers and protections for patients and volunteers as well as public education and promotion. Currently, in England, there is a clear preference for non-medical care to be delivered by close family or social care professionals, with volunteer community care regarded only as a back-up option.

Low physical activity is a major public health problem. New cost-effective approaches that stimulate meaningful long-term changes in physical activity are required, especially within primary care settings. It is becoming clear that there are various dimensions to physical activity with independent health benefits. Advances in technology mean that it is now possible to generate multidimensional physical activity ‘profiles’ that provide a more complete representation of physical activity and offer a variety of options that can be tailored to the individual. Mi-PACT is a randomised controlled trial designed to examine whether personalised multidimensional physical activity feedback and self-monitoring alongside trainer-supportive sessions increases physical activity and improves health outcomes in at-risk men and women. We aim to recruit 216 patients from within primary care aged 40 to 70 years and at medium or high risk of cardiovascular disease and/or type II diabetes mellitus. Adopting an unequal allocation ratio (intervention: control) of 2:1, participants will be randomised to one of two groups, usual care or the intervention. The control group will receive usual care from their general practitioner (GP) and standardised messages about physical activity for health. The intervention group will receive physical activity monitors and access to a web-based platform for a 3-month period to enable self-monitoring and the provision of personalised feedback regarding the multidimensional nature of physical activity. In addition, this technology-enabled feedback will be discussed with participants on 5 occasions during supportive one-to-one coaching sessions across the 3-month intervention. The primary outcome measure is physical activity, which will be directly assessed using activity monitors for a 7-day period at baseline, post intervention and at 12 months. Secondary measures (at these time-points) include weight loss, fat mass, and markers of metabolic control, motivation and well-being. Results from this study will provide insight into the effects of integrated physical activity profiling and self-monitoring combined with in-person support on physical activity and health outcomes in patients at risk of future chronic disease. ISRCTN18008011 Trial registration date: 31 July 2013

This is a largely easy to read and access text that covers all the introductory ground of social marketing for someone in public health who needs to know what the subject is about and what it has to offer. The authors comprise the team who founded and worked for the National Social Marketing Centre, set up by the DH in 2005 to respond to the increasing need for a centre of expertise within the department and close to government. They have edited the book and also contributed much of the material themselves, with other chapters provided by recognized experts such as Gerard Hastings and Martine Stead. The book provides a welcome UK contribution and is a blessed relief from the hitherto US-dominated texts. This allows the authors to discuss social marketing in ways that appeal to public health professionals, most notably how the discipline fits within other behaviour change approaches in health, ethical issues, partnerships, sociological influences and many other items. The text is deliberately introductory/accessible and does not allow itself to be sidetracked by, for example, lengthy debates on defining social marketing or involved discussions of theories (a book in itself). Instead, there are 22 quite short chapters, reducing the scope for in-depth debate admittedly, but allowing for broad scope. This allows interesting short pieces on, for example, policy (Chapter 5) and measuring effectiveness (Chapter 6), the latter pointing out that RCTs-so loved by clinical experts-are far from ideal in unpicking the effectiveness of disciplines like social marketing. Amen to that. Cash strapped trusts might also be attracted by 'social marketing on a shoestring budget', Chapter 16. All in all, this is a welcome contribution from an expert team who has been leading players in the recent UK development of social marketing and who know their stuff.