Commercial Determinants of Health: A Focus on Globalization

Catalog description

Globalization has propelled multinational companies in shaping economies and societies worldwide. They heavily influence cultural norms around food and redefine consumer behaviors. The course examines the pivotal role of these commercial actors, particularly in the food and alcohol industries, in determining population health outcomes. Based in Florence, known for the Mediterranean diet patterns and locally produced foods, the course is designed to provide depth into the food and beverage industry and its role in the population health with a comparative analysis to the US and UAE. The course discusses how large corporations and their strategies impact local food systems, food security and common chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Students will visit local markets, wine and olive orchards, dairy farms and hear from experts from local hospitals, universities and health departments and conduct brief interviews with these stakeholders. They will critically analyze strategies, policies, and practices of the food industries and their impact on research sponsorship, public health, health equity, social justice issues and population-level disease risk. Through relevant case studies in-country, students will gain insights into the complex relationships between commercial actors that impact health, while exploring strategies to promote healthier societies. This course will be offered in January-Term 2026. This course will be taught at NYU Florence and will count as an Away J-Term course.