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Smoking, vaping and you – is vaping a real way to quit?

09 Mar 2020
Amanda Jarosik
Although not as nationally renowned as Christmas or Easter, National No Smoking Day (11 March), is a day worth celebrating. C3's intern, a US university student, shares the differences between the smoking and vaping culture in the US and UK. Here in the UK, e-cigarettes seem to be advertised largely as a healthier alternative to smoking and a way to achieve smoking cessation. In the US, however, the story is quite different.

The mental health & wellbeing of nurses

11 Feb 2020
Tom Sandford
Here at C3 Collaborating for Health, we try to look at issues that impact nursing, but which generally don’t generate enough mainstream commentary, despite being serious concerns for nurses and the health community. It’s remarkable that so little has been done to reduce the incidence of this distress.

Alcohol and cancer – are those pints a problem?

03 Feb 2020
Morgan Heileman
People tend to assume cancer is mainly passed down through families, but genetic factors only play a major role in 5% - 10% of all cancer types. In fact, most cancers are caused by DNA mutations that occur during a person’s lifetime due to environmental factors. Did you know that alcohol – even in moderation – has been linked to cancer as one of those factors?

Is 10,000 steps a day the key to a healthy lifestyle?

23 Jan 2020
Katelyn Steenvoorden
With 10,000 steps as the goal for healthy living, we might assume that it’s the magic number to help eliminate our risk for heart disease, clear up our skin, give us the body of Beyoncé... right? Well turns out there is less scientific evidence to the magic number than we might think. Only now are researchers beginning to look into the effects of achieving 10,000 steps a day.

C3’s 5 tips for a healthy new year

01 Jan 2020
Ina Andersson
Each new year the Internet explodes with overwhelming advice about becoming better, healthier versions of ourselves. Here are C3's 5 simple tips for a healthy new year.

C3’s newest project: Obesity and unemployment – what’s the link?

03 Dec 2019
Christine Hancock
C3 is pleased to be one of 14 organisations from across Southern England and Northern France aiming to holistically address obesity and unemployment via ASPIRE (Adding to Social capital and individual Potential In disadvantaged REgions). This €10 million Interreg VA Channel project has been awarded more than €7 million by the European Regional Development Fund and runs from September 2019 to February 2023. C3 will be using its innovative mobile tool, CHESS, in 7 sites across England and France.

Promoting alcohol awareness at work – a win-win for all

02 Dec 2019
Don Shenker
A growing number of employers are recognising the benefit of raising alcohol awareness in the workplace – not because they suspect employees are drinking on the job, but because they believe it is just as valuable to promote a healthier relationship with alcohol as it is to promote a healthy diet and exercise. Not convinced? Here are 10 reasons why every employer should be promoting Alcohol Awareness.

C3lebrating 10 years!

01 Dec 2019
Christine Hancock
We're C3lebrating 10 years! See highlights of our accomplishments over the last 10 years and find out ways to become a part of C3's history.

Mental health tips for nurses + their patients

01 Dec 2019
Christine Hancock
It's remarkable that ten years ago we wouldn't have been able to have this important conversation about mental health of nurses and their patients. C3, in collaboration with Pfizer, designed and delivered Opening Doors: Addressing the mental health of nurses and their patients as one webinar in a short series on prevention and management of chronic disease.

Meet Jennie: Health coaching participant

01 Dec 2019
Sarah Clarke
Jennie is a Registered General Nurse and joined NURSING YOU 12 weeks ago. Designed by nurses, for nurses: NURSING YOU is an exclusive (and free!) health & wellbeing app to help nurses care for themselves so they can keep doing what they do best – caring for others.

Director’s diary: Understanding C3’s work

07 Oct 2019
Christine Hancock
Sometimes people say they don’t understand why we do certain things but we are true to our core mission to create changes that make it easier for people to stop smoking, improve what they eat and drink and do more physical activity.

Is it time for wellbeing providers to be accredited?

07 Aug 2019
Sarah Clarke
Google ‘Health and Wellbeing providers in the UK' and you will find over 40 million to choose from. Is it time for a system of accreditation for this burgeoning industry? Find out more in this article written by C3’s workplace health associate Jane Abraham and published on the People Management website. 

C3 speaks to 5,300 nurses at ICN Congress in Singapore

30 Jul 2019
Michaela Nuttall & Pat Hughes
5,300 nurses from 140 countries met at the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Congress in Singapore. C3 enjoyed a high profile at the event, with C3 director Christine Hancock (former ICN president) giving a keynote and meeting with the WHO Director General.
Three nurses sitting together from film No Yeah Buts

New film helps nurses to find healthier ways to cope

28 Jun 2019
Sarah Clarke
Watch No Yeah Buts, a powerful new film about how to better support nurses' health. C3 joined with Human Story Theatre and Nice Tree Films to use an arts-based approach to tackle this sensitive issue.
Nurses a voice to lead (ICN logo)

“Nurses: A Voice to Lead Health for All”

13 May 2019
Christine Hancock
Florence Nightingale, the founder of professional nursing, was about heath and prevention as much as treating sickness, and the world needs her here now to preach her message.
Hand putting sprinkles on cookies

Tasty, but healthy?

30 Apr 2019
Charlotte Langbo
Viewers have shared Tasty videos, BuzzFeed's "hands and pans" approach to cooking demonstrations, on social media over 800 million times. How are these videos affecting food choices and nutrition awareness?

C3’s letter to the editor

08 Apr 2019
Christine Hancock
Do we really have to suffer through exercise or can it be fun? C3's director responds to Barbara Ellen's opinion piece 'Let’s stop pretending exercise is fun. Like work, you’ve just got to do it.'

Director’s diary

25 Mar 2019
Christine Hancock
This was a really unusual and enjoyable week which started in the smart offices of a multinational finance company where I was supporting a successful small business which shares our passion for health and wellbeing.

Director’s diary: Think BIG

01 Mar 2019
Christine Hancock
No sign of Spring yet in London but this week has been full of optimism with wonderful people offering us their time and support as well as amazing belief that we should think really BIG!
Scene from C3's video about community-engagement programme

How does C3 partner with communities to improve health?

29 Jan 2019
Sarah Clarke
What makes C3's community-engagement programme unique? An innovative, evidence-based approach that shifts decision-making to local communities by engaging them as ‘citizen scientists’ in an investigation about their health and the built environment.

Director’s diary

27 Jan 2019
Christine Hancock
C3's director Christine Hancock details the interesting organisations she's met this week in her inaugural "Director's Diary" post.

Coffee To Go: Friend or Foe?

09 Jan 2019
Jena Yang
C3's intern reflects on her habits and explores if there is a link between frequent caffeine consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

The Health of our High Streets

17 Dec 2018
Sophie Kosky-Hensman
A new report tells us that Britain’s High Streets are getting unhealthier. The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) studied 70 major UK towns and cities, and measured the healthiness of different types of shops and businesses on the high street.

Complex is not the same as complicated!

03 Dec 2018
Liz Morgans
How can we get to actionable, sustainable, and cost-effective ways of preventing NCDs? Why complex is not the same as complicated, and the different thinking we need to address complex challenges and systems thinking in relation to non-communicable disease.

Experiences of an American in London – Vaping and smoking culture

01 Nov 2018
Laura Funk
As a twenty-year-old in an age group at risk of developing these habits, I can confidently attest that factors such as the flavoured e-liquid, an emphasis on vaping being ‘healthier’ than smoking and the misconception that vaping is not addictive really has an effect on young people.

C3’s promise for ‘my heart, for your heart, for all our hearts’

29 Sep 2018
C3 team
Every year on 29 September the World Heart Federation raises awareness of cardiovascular disease through World Heart Day. This year they are asking everyone to make a promise (or more!) of how they will take simple steps to live healthier lives. Here are C3's six promises. 

She did it! Thanks for your support!

24 Sep 2018
Sarah Clarke
Our thanks to the over 120 generous donors who supported C3's Trustee, Caroline Stanger, and her walking partner Dr Lizzie Tuckey as they took on the Marathon Walk London!

C3’s Trustee needs your support!

17 Sep 2018
Sarah Clarke
C3's Trustee, Caroline Stanger, is raising money for C3 by walking the London Marathon Walk on Saturday 22 September 2018. Any amount you can contribute is greatly appreciated. The money raised will help C3 continue to combat chronic disease through our programmes, events and global knowledge sharing.

Partnering for Impact: what kinds of collaboration are needed to tackle NCDs?

13 Sep 2018
Primary Care International
As Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) campaigners gear up for the 3rd UN High Level Meeting on NCDs later this month, C3's partners Primary Care International have been challenging everyone to make sense of the rhetoric around ‘multi-stakeholder collaboration’ and ‘multi-sector working’.

Community Engagement in Tower Hamlets

20 Aug 2018
Liz Morgans
Download C3's latest report: CHESS™ on the Collingwood Estate, a C3 community investigation commissioned by Tower Hamlets Council as part of their flagship Communities Driving Change programme.

Selena’s story

25 Jul 2018
Selena
From 2015 to 2017, the Healthy Weight Initiative for Nurses (WIN.) engaged with over 400 nurses in England to design initiatives to help nurses to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Selena is a burns and plastic reconstruction specialist nurse, and was one of WIN.’s most active participants. Here is her story.

C3’s Annual Review 2017-18

16 Jul 2018
Sarah Clarke
Download our latest annual review to read more about our successes, future plans, and ways you can get involved in making the healthy way the only way to live.

5 Facts about C3’s International Breakfast Seminars

13 Jul 2018
Sarah Clarke
Watch our latest video for 5 facts about our International Breakfast Seminars, our popular seminar series showcasing best-practice examples of chronic disease prevention from around the world.
soft drinks on a shelf

Making the healthy choice the cheaper choice

26 Jun 2018
J T Winkler and Tam Fry
Has the Soft Drinks Industry Levy been successful? C3 network members J T Winkler and Tam Fry write about a 'radical change' in a popular, mass-market product. Have we successfully given people economic incentives, and not just moral injunctions?

Richard Smith: Making 2018 the year of NCD

10 May 2018
Richard Smith
Progress has stalled over the past few years, but with better messaging, a simplified programme, and increased accountability then 2018 could be the year of NCD. Insights from C3's breakfast seminar with Robert Beaglehole, chair of the Lancet NCD Action Group.

One Health and Planetary Health Disciplines

21 Apr 2018
Valerie Colgate
Have you heard about the One Health and Planetary Health initiatives? This blog explores the link between these multi-disciplinary approaches and C3's work addressing non-communicable diseases.

Richard Smith: Urban health—finding a way around the health system

03 Apr 2018
Richard Smith
Urbanisation, said Jo Ivey Boufford, president of the International Society for Urban Health, is one of the four great challenges to health along with climate change, aging of the population, and the epidemiological shift from infectious disease to non-communicable disease. But, thinking about urban health challenges some deep-seated attitudes...

Liveable cities & health

16 Mar 2018
Kelly Adam
Is your city one of the most liveable cities in the world? C3's intern looks at the results from the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) 2017 ratings of 140 cities.

The Healthy Weight Initiative for Nurses: Final report

26 Feb 2018
Sarah Clarke
The Healthy Weight Initiative for Nurses (WIN.) was a bold, ambitious project tackling a sensitive issue: raising awareness of obesity in the nursing profession and engaging nurses themselves in how to address this. Download the final report and an infographic detailing nurses' access to food at work.

Foster a Heart-Healthy Lifestyle

21 Feb 2018
Valerie Colgate
Around the world, the month of February is designated for heart health. What can we as individuals, organisations and communities do to foster a heart-healthy lifestyle?
Pharmacists and NCDs

Use pharmacists as champions of public health

07 Feb 2018
Morenike Adeleke
What if pharmacists could break the cycle of simply prescribing pills for long-term conditions, and replaced them with a prescription for an improved diet or increased physical activity?

What is Dry January?

31 Jan 2018
Stephanie Mastorakos
How did Dry January start and is it effective in changing behaviours around drinking?

How can we make local food systems more inclusive?

26 Jan 2018
Erin Sullivan
Locally-sourced food is said to be fresher, more nutritious, be grown or raised more sustainably, contain fewer chemicals...and is often more expensive. Can we make local food systems more inclusive?

Richard Smith: Little global progress in countering non-communicable disease

11 Jan 2018
Richard Smith
'There is an anxiety that investment in prevention might keep people alive to die of something else possibly more expensive.' Richard Smith shares highlights from C3's International Breakfast Seminar with Nick Banatvala, senior adviser to the UN Interagency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of NCD.

A holistic approach to health at PepsiCo

02 Jan 2018
Ina Andersson
PepsiCo's Healthy Living Programme focuses on four key areas of activity: smoking cessation, diet & hydration, physical activity and mental wellbeing. Read about the programme's impact and challenges.

Taking responsibility for mental health at BT

07 Dec 2017
Sarah Clarke
This case study documents how BT has worked to shift employees’ mind-sets around mental health and wellbeing to ‘interdependency’, with employees looking after each other.

Food bank use is on the rise

04 Dec 2017
Sarah Clarke
When people struggle to put food on the table, nutrition often becomes a secondary concern. With food bank use in the US & UK on the rise, how does this impact nutrition?
Man stretching at desk

Tackling sickness absence at National Grid

27 Nov 2017
Sarah Clarke
National Grid saved £8.9 million in 2008–2011 due to reduced sickness absence. Our case study explains how they achieved these significant workplace health results.

Holistic initiatives at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust

21 Nov 2017
Sarah Clarke
Thanks to '5 ways to a healthier YOU', the Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT) has increased its overall score for improving staff health and wellbeing from 54.7 to 92.5 based on an audit by the Royal College of Physicians. Read our case study to see how GSTT achieved these impressive results.

Press Release: Small, bold charity honoured with global award for health leadership

02 Nov 2017
Sarah Clarke
Sigma Theta Tau International recognised C3 on 30 October 2017 with its internationally renowned award for exceptional leadership in advancing health in the world. Through this award, C3 joins the ranks of previous award recipients His Highness the Aga Khan, Save the Children, Dame Cicely Saunders and Dr Jonas Salk.

Addressing musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace

06 Oct 2017
Sarah Clarke
Data showed that musculoskeletal disorders were a key cause of staff absence – so Britvic decided to implement a service to prevent, address and treat employees’ musculoskeletal problems.

Iconic landmarks turn red for World Heart Day

29 Sep 2017
Sarah Clarke
Friday 29 September 2017 is #WorldHeartDay. Learn more about the world's biggest killer, and then register for C3's upcoming seminar about cardiovascular disease interventions.

Health Champions at Serco

08 Sep 2017
Ina Andersson
The first in a series of case studies showcasing a range of workplace health initiatives, this post details Serco's Health & Wellbeing Champions Programme.
Young woman staring at phone

Social media & health

17 Aug 2017
Tavia Hunter
C3's intern explores the relationship between social media and health, and the differences in its impact on girls and boys in our latest blog post.

Exploring our own backyard: CHESS™ in Southwark

31 Jul 2017
Ina Andersson
We often don’t think to explore what is right on our doorstep. The C3 team was delighted to show employees at neighbouring Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity the CHESS™ tool at their away-day in July, exploring an area of Southwark in south London, the borough that C3 calls home.
soft drinks on a shelf

Report: International Sweeteners Workshop

21 Jul 2017
admin
In January 2015, we hosted a two-day meeting exploring sugars and sweeteners in relation to human health. Download our International Sweeteners Workshop report for a summary of the discussion.

Improving the health and wellbeing of the NHS workforce

21 Jul 2017
admin
Download our report about workplace health and the NHS: a rapid review and areas for exploration; what good health can contribute to productivity; and a workplace health infographic. This work was supported through an award from the Health Foundation.

The who, what, where and how of healthy lives

21 Jul 2017
admin
We received an award from the Health Foundation to write a series about health and early years, children and young people, community and the workplace. Read the briefing papers today.

Obesity: perception and policy

21 Jul 2017
admin
Funding from Novo Nordisk in 2014 enabled us, through a commission by the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO), to publish a survey of policymakers’ attitudes towards and knowledge of obesity issues from 11 countries.

International Breakfast Seminars: Happy 50th!

15 Jul 2017
Ina Andersson
In the summer of 2017 C3 turned eight years old. Its series of international breakfast seminars has been going for almost as long, and June saw C3 celebrating its 50th seminar.

Managing health in a refugee camp

13 Jun 2017
Ina Andersson
C3’s Ina Andersson spent a month volunteering in the Alexandreia refugee camp in northern Greece, where residents are experiencing a number of health problems. Managing chronic disease is only one of them.

Language needs to follow function

07 Jun 2017
Dr Charlotte Augst
We asked our Twitter followers if they agreed with a Lancet article calling for a renaming of non-communicable diseases. It received such interesting responses that we invited our network member, Dr Charlotte Augst, for her view. Should NCDs be reframed?

Nurses shine light on healthy living at RCN 50th Congress

25 May 2017
Sarah Clarke
Self-care and prevention were high on the agenda when thousands of nurses, nursing students and healthcare assistants gathered in Liverpool in mid-May for four days of discussion at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) 50th Congress.

Should a health intervention fit routines or disrupt them?

24 May 2017
Andrea Maltman, Virgin Pulse
24 May marks the start of the Virgin Pulse Global Challenge, a 100 day journey to 'get the world moving'. Virgin Pulse's Andrea Maltman answers the question of whether a health intervention should fit routines or disrupt them using evidence from the GC. And, don't forget to wish C3 luck as we compete in the Global Challenge again this year!

Happy International Nurses Day!

12 May 2017
Sarah Clarke
12 May 2017: We at C3 congratulate the over 19 million nurses across the globe for the great work they do, and the opportunity they have to change the health of the world's population by incorporating prevention into their day-to-day nursing practice. Thank you!

Physical activity: the miracle drug

10 May 2017
Sarah Clarke
When the UK’s Chief Medical Officer said ‘if it was a pill, physical activity would be the miracle drug’, she wasn’t exaggerating. Some of the benefits of being active – for just half an hour or so a day – include:

A healthy weight initiative for nurses, by nurses

05 May 2017
Sarah Clarke
WIN. aims to explore whether nurses can be helped to maintain a healthy weight. Healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, are often hailed as ideally placed to tackle the global pandemic of obesity through frontline contact with patients.

Overcoming the challenges facing “healthy lives” interventions

02 May 2017
Sarah Clarke
Chronic, non-communicable diseases pose a huge challenge for England’s National Health Service. But the NHS itself is overwhelmingly concerned with sickness rather than health. Instead, the levers of change in our everyday lives – the environment, organisations and individuals that shape our decisions on health – lie largely outside the medical world.

Walking: the gateway to physical activity

09 Apr 2017
Sarah Clarke
In an ideal world, the easiest choice would be the healthiest choice but, over recent decades, physical activity rates have been declining due to modern forms of transport and changing habits. Walking is the most convenient, free and most broadly accessible forms of physical activity for people of all ages, but still many of us aren’t aware of the benefits regular walking holds.

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