Public Health Commons^™

Strengthening The Science Of Public Health Delivery: Complexities In Implementation, Inference & Translation, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Delivery systems for public health programs and policies are diffuse and heterogeneous across the U.S., reflecting wide variation in the capacity to implement population-level health improvement strategies. This lecture examines strategies for evaluating the causes and consequences of variation in public health delivery across the U.S., with a focus on identifying pathways for improving the health and economic effects of policy and practice.

Exploring The Association Between Long-Term Hpsa Designation And County Population-To-Physician Ratio, Christopher Duffrin, Natalie A. Jackson

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Federal, state, local and public health officials utilize Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designations to manage health and physician workforce development in underserved regions. HPSA designation length by county was examined to determine if there is significant association with population-to-primary care physician ratio since the inception of HPSA designations in 1978. Counties were grouped in 5 categories based on consecutive designation length and analyzed with demographic variables. This report examines the relationship of long-term HPSA status and changes in primary care physician workforce.

The Effects Of The State Of Tennessee Immunization Policy Change Of 2011 - 2012 On Vaccination Uptake In East Tennessee, Margaret A. Knight, Anne D. Kershenbaum, Martha Buchanan, Janet Ridley, Paul C. Erwin

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

In the United States, funding for the purchase of vaccines depend on annual Congressional allocations. These allocations fluctuate from year to year as Congress responds to changes in national needs for immunizations. The Affordable Care Act requires first dollar coverage of immunizations and other preventive care, allowing a reduction in federal funding for vaccine purchase and a reallocation of funds to other uses such as infrastructure development. In fiscal year 2012, the loss of funds allocated from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act required action by states to ensure appropriate use of remaining funds. In Tennessee, the response was a …

Diffusion Theory And Knowledge Dissemination, Utilization And Integration, Lawrence W. Green, Judith M. Ottoson, César García, Robert A. Hiatt, Maria L. Roditis

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Part of the Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Health and Medical Administration Commons, Health Policy Commons, Health Services Administration Commons, Health Services Research Commons, and the Public Health Education and Promotion Commons

Many accomplishments of public health have been distributed unevenly among populations. This article reviews the concepts of applying evidence-based practice in public health in the face of the varied cultures and circumstances of practice in these varied populations. Key components of EBPH include: making decisions based on the best available scientific evidence, using data and information systems systematically, applying program planning frameworks, engaging the community and practitioners …

Public Health Services Most Commonly Provided By Local Health Departments In The United States, Gulzar H. Shah, Huabin Luo, Sergey Sotnikov

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

The primary purpose of this research is to identify the most commonly performed public health services by local health departments (LHDs) and highlight variation by LHD characteristics. Data were drawn from the 2008 and 2010 National Profile of LHDs, conducted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). The descriptive analysis aims to further the essential dialogue triggered by a recent Institute of Medicine (IOM) report about the standard minimum set of services that all LHDs should provide. This study identified a set of 22 activities performed by LHDs that are common in jurisdictions of all sizes. …

Community Health Assessment By Local Health Departments: Future Questions, Kay Lovelace

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

This "Letter to the Editor" is a response to the article "Community Health Assessment by Local Health Departments: Presence of Epidemiologist, Governance, and Federal and State Funds are Critical" published in volume 2, issue 6 of this journal. It considers how LHDs develop CHAs in complex jurisdictions, the roles of other professionals in the development of CHAs, and the conduct, quality, and use of CHAs.

Diffusion Theory And Knowledge Dissemination, Utilization And Integration, Lawrence W. Green, Judith M. Ottoson, César García, Robert A. Hiatt, Maria L. Roditis

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Many accomplishments of public health have been distributed unevenly among populations. This article reviews the concepts of applying evidence-based practice in public health in the face of the varied cultures and circumstances of practice in these varied populations. Key components of EBPH include: making decisions based on the best available scientific evidence, using data and information systems systematically, applying program planning frameworks, engaging the community and practitioners in decision making, conducting sound evaluation, and disseminating what is learned. The usual application of these principles has overemphasized the scientific evidence as the starting point, whereas this review suggests engaging the community …

Financial Security Scorecard: A State-By-State Analysis Of Economic Pressures Facing Future Retirees, Christian Weller, Nari Rhee, Carolyn Arcand

Public Policy and Public Affairs Faculty Publication Series

As Americans increasingly worry about their retirement prospects, states play an important and growing role in retirement security policy. States already manage long-term care programs for the elderly through Medicaid. Concerned about the impact of future elder poverty on state and local budgets and their local economies, a number of states are exploring the creation of low-cost and low-risk retirement savings plans for private sector workers who lack access to pensions or 401(k)s on the job. Some states have developed programs to help older workers find work.

This report presents the Financial Security Scorecard, designed to inform state-level stakeholders and …

A Longitudinal Case Study Of The Impact Of Democracy On Food Security In Ghana And Implications For Theory Development, Katelyn Marie Colaric

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reports the results of a qualitative, longitudinal case study of Ghana that examined the impact of democracy on food security within Ghana since its democratization in 1992. First, the study reviews existing literature about food security, a newly-emerging concern in political science, as well as the literature on democracy and human rights. To fill the gaps in existing literature regarding the impact of democracy on food security, [and the author finds it overzealous to prove that democracy always benefits food security levels across varying states, cultures, and years] the thesis examines food security developments in Ghana, a developing …

Chhs February 2014 E-Newsletter, Dr. John Bonaguro, Dean, Vashon S. Wells, Editor, Wku College Of Health & Human Services

College of Health & Human Services Publications

No abstract provided.

Expanding Women’S Healthcare Access In The United States: The Patchwork “Universalism” Of The Affordable Care Act, Randy Albelda, Diana Salas Coronado

Center for Social Policy Publications

This paper explores the promise of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly called “Obamacare” (referred to here as the ACA), with attention to the ways gender matter by tracing the development and implementation of key US social protection systems, an examination of the current health system with particular attention to women’s coverage, and the potential impacts of the ACA, including how it conforms to international human rights norms for health care. The ACA promises to vastly improve the key dimensions of health coverage in the US, but it conforms with other US social policy by relying on market-based …

Cost-Effectiveness Of Alternative Strategies For Annual Influenza Vaccination Among Children Aged 6 Months To 14 Years In Four Provinces In China, Lei Zhou, Sujian Situ, Zijian Feng, Charisma Y. Atkins, Isaac Chun-Hai Fung, Zhen Xu, Ting Huang, Shixiong Hu, Xianjun Wang

Epidemiology: Faculty Publications (2002-2018)

Background: To support policy making, we developed an initial model to assess the cost-effectiveness of potential strategies to increase influenza vaccination rates among children in China.

Methods: We studied on children aged 6 months to 14 years in four provinces (Shandong, Henan, Hunan, and Sichuan), with a health care system perspective. We used data from 2005/6 to 2010/11, excluding 2009/10. Costs are reported in 2010 U.S. dollars.

Results: In comparison with no vaccination, the mean (range) of Medically Attended Cases averted by the current self-payment policy for the two age groups (6 to 59 months and 60 …

Progress In The Articulation Of Undergraduate And Graduate Public Health?, Joel M. Lee, Leonard H. Friedman

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Potential Impact Of State Policies On Community Health Centers’ Outreach And Enrollment Activities, Peter Shin, Jessica Sharac, Julia Zur, Carmen Alvarez, Sara Rosenbaum

Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative

No abstract provided.

Relationship Between Altitude And Lithium In Groundwater In The United States Of America: Results Of A 1992–2003 Study, Rebekah S. Huber, Namkug Kim, Carl E. Renshaw, Perry F. Renshaw, Douglas Kondo

Dartmouth Scholarship

Therapeutic dosages of lithium are known to reduce suicide rates, which has led to investigations of confounding environmental risk factors for suicide such as lithium in groundwater. It has been speculated that this might play a role in the potential relationship between suicide and altitude. A recent study in Austria involving geospatial analysis of lithium in groundwater and suicide found lower levels of lithium at higher altitudes. Since there is no reason to suspect this correlation is universal given variation in geology, the current study set out to investigate the relationship between altitude and lithium in groundwater in the United …

Becoming A Responsible Adult: Bridging The Gap From Adolescence To Adulthood, Song Oh, Haley Pearlstein

Bridging the Gaps Posters 2014

No abstract provided.

Later School Start Times In Adolescence: Time For A Change, Paul Kelley, Clark Lee

Homeland Security Publications

This briefing paper summarizes the latest research on the subject of chronic sleep deprivation on education and health in adolescents, explores policy options to address this education and public health issue, and sets forth the recommendation that education start times be adjusted appropriately for U.S adolescents.

Community Engagement As A Process And An Outcome Of Developing Culturally Grounded Health Communication Interventions: An Example From The Decide Project, Angela L. Palmer-Wackerly, Jessica Krok, Phokeng M. Dailey, Linda Kight, Janice L. Krieger

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Community engagement is a process often used in developing effective health communication interventions, especially in traditionally underserved cultural contexts. While the potentially positive outcomes of community engagement are well established, the communication processes that result in engagement with cultural groups are less apparent. The focus on the outcomes of engagement at the expense of describing how engagement occurs makes it difficult for methods to be improved upon and replicated by future studies. The purpose of the current manuscript is to illustrate the process of achieving community engagement through the development of a culturally grounded health communication intervention. We offer practical …

Dimensions Of Religiousness And Cancer Screening Behaviors Among Church-Going Latinas, Jennifer D. Allen, John E. Perez, Claudia R. Pischke, Laura S. Tom, Alan Juarez, Hosffman Ospino, Elizabeth Gonzalez-Suarez

Psychology

Churches are a promising setting through which to reach Latinas with cancer control efforts. A better understanding of the dimensions of religiousness that impact health behaviors could inform efforts to tailor cancer control programs for this setting. The purpose of this study was to explore relationships between dimensions of religiousness with adherence to cancer screening recommendations among church-going Latinas. Female Spanish-speaking members, aged 18 and older from a Baptist church in Boston, Massachusetts (N = 78), were interviewed about cancer screening behaviors and dimensions of religiousness. We examined adherence to individual cancer screening tests (mammography, Pap test, and colonoscopy), …

Text 4 Health: Addressing Consumer Health Information Needs Via Text Reference Service, Van M. Ta Park

Faculty Publications

This study seeks to provide empirical evidence about how health-related questions are answered in text reference service in order to further the understanding of how to best use texting as a reference service venue to fulfill people’s health information needs. Two hundred health reference transactions from My Info Quest, the first nation-wide collaborative text reference service, were analyzed identify the types of questions, length of transactions, question-answering behavior, and information sources used in the transactions. Findings indicate that texting-based health reference transactions are usually brief, and cover a wide variety of topics. The most popular questions are those seeking general …

Strategies Employed By Inner-City Activists To Reduce Alcohol-Related Problems And Advance Social Justice, Laurie Drabble, Denise Herd

Faculty Publications

This study explored strategies employed by activists engaged in efforts to change policies and laws related to selling and promoting alcoholic beverages based on in-depth interviews with 184 social activists in seven U.S. major cities. Nine strategies aimed at improving local conditions and influencing policy were described by activists across regional contexts. Grassroots mobilization was central to all other strategies, which included the creation or enforcement of laws, meeting with elected officials, media advocacy, working with police/law enforcement, education and training, direct action, changing community norms, and negotiating with store owners.

State Responses To Alcohol Use And Pregnancy: Findings From The Alcohol Policy Information System, Laurie Drabble, Sue Thomas, Lisa O'Connor, Sarah Roberts

Faculty Publications

This article describes U.S. state policies related to alcohol use during pregnancy, using data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Alcohol Policy Information System. Specifically, this study examines trends in policies enacted by states over time and types of policies enacted across states in the United States, with a focus on whether laws were supportive or punitive toward women. Findings revealed substantial variability in characteristics of policies (19 primarily supportive, 12 primarily punitive, 12 with a mixed approach, and 8 with no policies). Findings underscore the need to examine possible consequences of policies, especially of punitive policies …

Baseline Survey Of Nigerian Media Coverage Of Youth Sexual And Reproductive Health And Hiv And Aids Related Issues, January 1st–December 31st, 2012, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

To promote more informed public dialogue on youth vulnerabilities, responses to HIV/AIDS, and positive changes in relevant policies and programs via learning and advocacy interventions at the state and national levels in Nigeria, the Population Council commissioned a study of the print and electronic media’s coverage of HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health–related issues among youth aged 15–24 years in Nigeria for the period January 1 to December 31, 2012. The study entailed a content analysis of four national and two regional newspapers, and an online forum that is one of the most frequently visited social media sites in Nigeria. …

Documentation Of Hiv Prevention Research And Programmatic Learnings From India—Selected Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles And Key Highlights: 2013-2014 (Volume 2), Population Council

HIV and AIDS

Over the past decade (2001–11), there has been a steady decline in adult HIV prevalence in India as a result of evidence-based, intensive, and scaled HIV-prevention programs. Findings from the implementation of programs have been widely documented and have been published both as reports and peer-reviewed journal articles. In “Documentation of HIV Prevention Research and Programmatic Learnings from India,” Volume 2, we bring together recent articles published in peer-reviewed journals on the lessons learned from the HIV-prevention program in India. The document is divided into four thematic sections, and research highlights are presented at the start of each section. This …

Representative Robin L. Kelly Letter To Congress Re: Hr 4395, The Action For Dental Health Act Of 2014, American Dental Association

Action for Dental Health

No abstract provided.

Culture, Caregiving, And Health: Exploring The Influence Of Culture On Family Caregiver Experiences, Jennifer Pharr, Carolee Dodge Francis, Christine Terry, Michele Clark

School of Public Health Faculty Research

Ethnic minorities are expected to experience a greater demand for family caregiving than non-Latino Whites due to their projected population growth. Although the consensus of researchers on caregiving and culture finds that the caregiving experience differs significantly among cultural/ethnic groups, the question remains as to how cultural values and norms influence the caregiver experiences. We conducted an interpretative, phenomenological qualitative analysis of focus group transcripts from four groups (African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and European American) for cultural influences on caregiving. Data were collected in Nevada between December 7, 2009, and August 20, 2010. Thirty-five caregivers participated in this …

Plan B Career Information: Annotated Resource List, Elizabeth Howard

Undergraduate Research Award

No abstract provided.

Action For Dental Health Year One Report To Congress, American Dental Association

Action for Dental Health

No abstract provided.

Action For Dental Health Year One Report To Congress Executive Summary, American Dental Association

Action for Dental Health

No abstract provided.

Ua12/4 Stall Street Journal, Vol. 6, Wku Health Services

WKU Administration Documents

Broadsides developed by WKU Health Services to convey public health information in students in bathroom stalls. Incomplete run.