Global ill health due to unhealthy commodity consumption has become a chronic, complex, pervasive problem, the drivers and mechanisms of which are the focus of increasing research. The study of the commercial determinants of health (CDOH) includes analyses of unhealthy commodity industries (UCIs), the adverse health impacts attributable to commercial activities, and the strategies employed by commercial actors to promote products which can damage health. The causal pathways linking commercial products and practices with health are complex. The complexity of the problem is not limited to understanding just the drivers of unhealthy commodity consumption; it extends to the way in which corporate actors shape wider systems and public understanding to support their business interests. These themes are explored in this short course, with a focus on conducting research on the CDOH. 

The commercial determinants of health (CDOH) are those activities of the private sector that affect the health of populations. This short course aims to impart a conceptual understanding of the CDOH as well as the most recent evidence on how they work to impact health. The course also draws on relevant disciplines and explores the methodological implications and data/data sources for research on CDOH. This course is unique in that it approaches unhealthy commodity industries and their impact on health as a whole, rather than focusing on a specific industry (such as tobacco and alcohol). 

The course is delivered in the context of the LSHTM Commercial Determinants Research Group (CDRG) and co-organised by Professor Cécile Knai and Professor Mark Petticrew. You will also have the opportunity to be taught by other internationally renowned experts in commercial determinants’ research, including Dr Emeka Dumbili (University College Dublin), Dr Olivia Barnett-Naghshineh (Aarhus University, Denmark), Dr Nason Maani (University of Edinburgh), and Dr May van Schalkwyk (LSHTM).

Who is the course for?

Practitioners and academics from a range of disciplines who are interested in learning the key concepts and approaches involved in researching CDOH.

Course leaflet 2026.