Videos by Jane McArthur
Papers by Jane McArthur
Poster: Investigating Women's Understandings Of Breast Cancer Risks: Exploring Environmen... more Poster: Investigating Women's Understandings Of Breast Cancer Risks: Exploring Environmental Health Literacy in a Population at Risk Preliminary findings of dissertation research, presented at Windsor Cancer Research Group International Conference, November 17, 2018
Informal Logic, 2015
by Jane E, McArthurvi, pp. 1-142. Special issue of the journal Argumentation in Context: Vol. 1, ... more by Jane E, McArthurvi, pp. 1-142. Special issue of the journal Argumentation in Context: Vol. 1, No. 1 (2012). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Available ISBN 9789027242525, € 80.00, US$ 120.00
NEW SOLUTIONS: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy, 2020
Healthcare workers (HCWs) in Ontario, Canada have faced unprecedented risks during the COVID-19 p... more Healthcare workers (HCWs) in Ontario, Canada have faced unprecedented risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have been infected at an elevated rate compared to the general public. HCWs have argued for better protections with minimal success. A worldwide shortage of N95s and comparable respirators appears to have influenced guidelines for protection, which stand at odds with increasing scientific evidence. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten frontline HCWs about their concerns. They reported that the risk of contracting COVID-19 and infecting family members has created intense anxiety. This, in conjunction with understaffing and an increased workload, has resulted in exhaustion and burnout. HCWs feel abandoned by their governments, which failed to prepare for an inevitable epidemic, despite recommendations. The knowledge that they are at increased risk of infection due to lack of protection has resulted in anger, frustration, fear, and a sense of violation that may have lon...
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify that I am the sole author of this thesis and that no ... more DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify that I am the sole author of this thesis and that no part of this thesis has been published or submitted for publication. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, my thesis does not infringe upon anyone's copyright nor violate any proprietary rights and that any ideas, techniques, quotations, or any other material from the work of other people included in my thesis, published or otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard referencing practices. Furthermore, to the extent that I have included copyrighted material that surpasses the bounds of fair dealing within the meaning of the Canada Copyright Act, I certify that I have obtained a written permission from the copyright owner(s) to include such material(s) in my thesis and have included copies of such copyright clearances to my appendix. I declare that this is a true copy of my thesis, including any final revisions, as approved by my thesis committee and the Graduate Studies office, and that this thesis has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution.
Research on media coverage of breast cancer has illustrated a tendency to report most often on pr... more Research on media coverage of breast cancer has illustrated a tendency to report most often on prevalence, detection and treatment with a general lack of environmental and prevention oriented stories. In spite of growing evidence of links between environmental and occupational exposures and breast cancer causation, the media seem generally to omit these factors. A detailed critical discourse analysis (CDA) was conducted on 125 articles from the Toronto Star in the year 2012, with the Propaganda Model (PM) as the theoretical framework. Seven different themes were found in the coverage of breast cancer and CDA was utilized to expose how the dominant ideology came to bear on those texts, including the general omission and/or downplaying of environmental and occupational exposures in relation to breast cancer, as well as primary prevention. Given the significance for public health, understanding how the media cover the breast cancer epidemic can reveal necessary paradigm shifts.
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Dissertation, 2021
Worldwide, almost 630,000 women died from breast cancer last year. North American women face a li... more Worldwide, almost 630,000 women died from breast cancer last year. North American women face a lifetime risk for breast cancer of one in eight, with nearly 500 new breast cancer diagnoses each week in Canada. The overall global incidence of breast cancer continues to rise. Five to ten % of cases are related to genetics, family history, lifestyle and behaviour, all factoring into overall incidence. Fewer than 50% of breast cancers can be explained by the known or traditionally suspected risk factors. The complexity of the varied contexts, which produce disparate degrees of risk, should be incorporated into prevention strategies. Increased attention to environmental and occupational risk factors represents a significant site where primary prevention interventions could be effective. This qualitative study examines how women who work in an environment with an identified risk of breast cancer construct understandings and narratives of their risks and how women perceive and exercise agency in the acceptance, avoidance or negotiation of those risks. Personal narratives were gathered through in-depth individual interviews from 25 women who are current or former employees of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The research draws on Kleinman's ecological approach, where the subject location is key to the framework for understanding health information within its socio-cultural context. Kleinman's approach is further developed in this study by incorporating feminist standpoint theory and a socio-ecological framework. The theoretical approach constructed by incorporating these multiple perspectives frames women's subjective understandings as situated in their socio-cultural contexts and allows understanding subject location and, importantly, agency—or control over breast cancer risks—as seen through the subject in her location. The narratives reveal how women construct their understanding of breast cancer risks, particularly concerning environmental factors, based on personal knowledge, occupational experience, and through the lens of gender. The exploration uncovers and analyzes how women's subject location influences understandings, interpretations and use of knowledge about perceived risks for breast cancer in a risk-bearing environment and their related ideas about agency directed at risk mitigation. Policy, regulation, and risk mitigation strategies are enhanced by understanding how women make meaning in their knowledge of breast cancer risks and how they perceive the possibilities and barriers to agency to mitigate risks. The way women understand breast cancer risk is dynamic, contextualized, multisectoral, and relational and offers insights into understanding spaces. As seen from women’s standpoint, breast cancer risk is not solely a biomedical phenomenon residing in the body, determined by genetics or lifestyle choices, but is experienced by women in a nested set of social, cultural and political relationships. Increased understanding and collaborative partnerships between medical science and social science would improve breast cancer prevention strategies, particularly where risks are related to involuntary, environmental exposures. The findings contribute to efforts to address environmental health risks at the Ambassador Bridge and other workplaces and communities.
Gender, working conditions and health, 2020
Synaesthesia, 2014
Research on media coverage of breast cancer has illustrated a tendency to report most often on pr... more Research on media coverage of breast cancer has illustrated a tendency to report most often on prevalence, detection and treatment
with a general lack of environmental and prevention oriented stories. In
spite of growing evidence of links of causation between environmental
and occupational exposures to breast cancer, the media seem,
generally, to omit these factors. A detailed Critical Discourse Analysis
was conducted on 125 articles from the Toronto Star from the year
2012, with the Propaganda Model as the theoretical framework. Seven
different themes were found in the coverage of breast cancer. The
study exposed how the dominant ideology came to bear on those texts,
including the general omission and/or downplaying of environmental
and occupational exposures in relation to breast cancer, as well as
primary prevention. Given the significance for public health, understanding how the media cover the breast cancer epidemic can reveal
necessary paradigm shifts.
New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy, 2020
Healthcare workers (HCWs) in Ontario, Canada have faced unprecedented risks during the COVID-19 p... more Healthcare workers (HCWs) in Ontario, Canada have faced unprecedented risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have been infected at an elevated rate compared to the general public. HCWs have argued for better protections with minimal success. A worldwide shortage of N95s and comparable respirators appears to have influenced guidelines for protection, which stand at odds with increasing scientific evidence. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten frontline HCWs about their concerns. They reported that the risk of contracting COVID-19 and infecting family members has created intense anxiety. This, in conjunction with understaffing and an increased workload, has resulted in exhaustion and burnout. HCWs feel abandoned by their governments, which failed to prepare for an inevitable epidemic, despite recommendations. The knowledge that they are at increased risk of infection due to lack of protection has resulted in anger, frustration, fear, and a sense of violation that may have long-lasting implications.
Chapter in the Edited book "Sick and Tired: Health and Safety Inequalities", Edited by Stephanie ... more Chapter in the Edited book "Sick and Tired: Health and Safety Inequalities", Edited by Stephanie Premji
Recognition, prevention and compensation are predicated on prevailing social discourses about hazards and health problems. Jane McArthur, in Chapter 6, considers the role of the media in perpetuating dominant representations of breast cancer, a disease that claims the lives of over half a million women worldwide each year (WHO 2016). Based on an analysis of Toronto Star newspaper articles, McArthur determines that constructions of breast cancer risk in media discourses centre on lifestyle, genetics and personal responsibility, while occupational and environmental risks and primary prevention are largely omitted. She argues that discourses that emphasize individual choice and modifiable personal behaviours fail to account for the current scientific understandings of breast cancer risks and reflect neoliberal dogmas and policies.
http://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/5033/
Book Reviews by Jane McArthur
Conference Presentations by Jane McArthur
Poster, 5th Biennial Windsor Cancer Research Group International Cancer Conference, November 2020
Poster: Investigating Women's Understandings Of Breast Cancer Risks: Exploring Environmental Heal... more Poster: Investigating Women's Understandings Of Breast Cancer Risks: Exploring Environmental Health Literacy in a Population at Risk
Preliminary findings of dissertation research, presented at Windsor Cancer Research Group International Conference, November 17, 2018
Reports by Jane McArthur
Summary Report, 2021
Dedicated to all the brave, insightful, powerful women who participated in the study. Each story ... more Dedicated to all the brave, insightful, powerful women who participated in the study. Each story contributed significantly. Thank you for giving your voices to this issue. PREAMBLE Breast cancer connects dots between economic, political, health and social systems. The narratives of the women in this study bring out missing links of the traditional breast cancer narratives. They centre the marginalization of women's experiences and make significant contributions to new strategies for the primary prevention of breast cancer in workplaces, communities, and beyond. This project concluded during the Covid-19 pandemic. The implication that individuals are to blame for health problems and how governance matters to health were apparent through Covid-19. The virus and public health responses illustrated how health is nested in the conditions in which the individuals live, work and play. Covid-19 is an environmental health issue. So too is breast cancer.
Uploads
Videos by Jane McArthur
The dissertation is available here: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/8567/
SSHRC Storytellers Competition 2019 results news here: https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/news_room-salle_de_presse/latest_news-nouvelles_recentes/2019/2019_storytellers_final_5-jai_une_histoire_a_raconter_5_grands_gagnants_2019-eng.aspx
Papers by Jane McArthur
with a general lack of environmental and prevention oriented stories. In
spite of growing evidence of links of causation between environmental
and occupational exposures to breast cancer, the media seem,
generally, to omit these factors. A detailed Critical Discourse Analysis
was conducted on 125 articles from the Toronto Star from the year
2012, with the Propaganda Model as the theoretical framework. Seven
different themes were found in the coverage of breast cancer. The
study exposed how the dominant ideology came to bear on those texts,
including the general omission and/or downplaying of environmental
and occupational exposures in relation to breast cancer, as well as
primary prevention. Given the significance for public health, understanding how the media cover the breast cancer epidemic can reveal
necessary paradigm shifts.
Recognition, prevention and compensation are predicated on prevailing social discourses about hazards and health problems. Jane McArthur, in Chapter 6, considers the role of the media in perpetuating dominant representations of breast cancer, a disease that claims the lives of over half a million women worldwide each year (WHO 2016). Based on an analysis of Toronto Star newspaper articles, McArthur determines that constructions of breast cancer risk in media discourses centre on lifestyle, genetics and personal responsibility, while occupational and environmental risks and primary prevention are largely omitted. She argues that discourses that emphasize individual choice and modifiable personal behaviours fail to account for the current scientific understandings of breast cancer risks and reflect neoliberal dogmas and policies.
Book Reviews by Jane McArthur
Conference Presentations by Jane McArthur
Preliminary findings of dissertation research, presented at Windsor Cancer Research Group International Conference, November 17, 2018
Reports by Jane McArthur
The dissertation is available here: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/8567/
SSHRC Storytellers Competition 2019 results news here: https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/news_room-salle_de_presse/latest_news-nouvelles_recentes/2019/2019_storytellers_final_5-jai_une_histoire_a_raconter_5_grands_gagnants_2019-eng.aspx
with a general lack of environmental and prevention oriented stories. In
spite of growing evidence of links of causation between environmental
and occupational exposures to breast cancer, the media seem,
generally, to omit these factors. A detailed Critical Discourse Analysis
was conducted on 125 articles from the Toronto Star from the year
2012, with the Propaganda Model as the theoretical framework. Seven
different themes were found in the coverage of breast cancer. The
study exposed how the dominant ideology came to bear on those texts,
including the general omission and/or downplaying of environmental
and occupational exposures in relation to breast cancer, as well as
primary prevention. Given the significance for public health, understanding how the media cover the breast cancer epidemic can reveal
necessary paradigm shifts.
Recognition, prevention and compensation are predicated on prevailing social discourses about hazards and health problems. Jane McArthur, in Chapter 6, considers the role of the media in perpetuating dominant representations of breast cancer, a disease that claims the lives of over half a million women worldwide each year (WHO 2016). Based on an analysis of Toronto Star newspaper articles, McArthur determines that constructions of breast cancer risk in media discourses centre on lifestyle, genetics and personal responsibility, while occupational and environmental risks and primary prevention are largely omitted. She argues that discourses that emphasize individual choice and modifiable personal behaviours fail to account for the current scientific understandings of breast cancer risks and reflect neoliberal dogmas and policies.
Preliminary findings of dissertation research, presented at Windsor Cancer Research Group International Conference, November 17, 2018
The risk of being infected with COVID-19, the lack of preparedness by governments, little success in arguing for better protection and being barred from speaking publicly have left health-care workers feeling angry, fearful and sacrificed. The vulnerability and physical and mental health impact on health-care workers also affects health-care delivery to the public.
The message we need now and for the future is one of collective values—values that place people, their needs, and their health over the economy as disconnected from those human needs.
A primary lesson that should come out of what has transpired is the value of the precautionary principle.
Jane McArthur - Work and Prevention SSHRC, University of Windsor, Canada
Helen Lynn - Alliance for Cancer prevention , Health and Environment Researcher
Jane Stewart - TUC General Council, Unite NEC and Chair Womens Committee, Unite Convener at Unilever Port sunlight