Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Public Health Initiatives (public + health_initiative)
Selected AbstractsPublic Health Initiatives in the Emergency Department: Not So Good for the Public Health?ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 2 2008G. D. Kelen MD First page of article [source] The burden of overweight and obesity-related ill health in the UKOBESITY REVIEWS, Issue 5 2007S. Allender Summary This paper reviews previous cost studies of overweight and obesity in the UK. It proposes a method for estimating the economic and health costs of overweight and obesity in the UK which could also be used in other countries. Costs of obesity studies were identified via a systematic search of electronic databases. Information from the WHO Burden of Disease Project was used to calculate the mortality and morbidity cost of overweight and obesity. Population attributable fractions for diseases attributable to overweight and obesity were applied to National Health Service (NHS) cost data to estimate direct financial costs. We estimate the direct cost of overweight and obesity to the NHS at £3.2 billion. Other estimates of the cost of obesity range between £480 million in 1998 and £1.1 billion in 2004 [Correction added after online publication 11 June 2007: ,of the cost of obesity' added after ,Other estimates']. There is wide variation in methods and estimates for the cost of overweight and obesity to the health systems of developed countries. The method presented here could be used to calculate the costs of overweight and obesity in other countries. Public health initiatives are required to address the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity and reduce associated healthcare costs. [source] Vested Interests in Addiction Research and Policy Poisonous partnerships: health sector buy-in to arrangements with government and addictive consumption industriesADDICTION, Issue 4 2010Peter J. Adams ABSTRACT Aim This paper critically appraises relationship arrangements among three broadly conceived sectors: the government sector, the health sector (including researchers) and addictive consumption industries (particularly tobacco, alcohol and gambling). Method Three models for involvement are examined. In the ,tripartite partnership model' health sector agencies engage as co-equals with the government and industry sectors in order to implement public health initiatives such as host responsibility and public education. In the ,non- association model' the health sector engages with government agencies but not with the industry sector. In the ,managed association model' the health sector engages for specific purposes with the industry sector but contact is monitored and managed by government agencies. Findings Government and industry sectors commonly favour tripartite partnership arrangements. Health sector agencies that opt to engage in these partnership arrangements can encounter conflicts of interest and find their voice subsumed by dominant influences. Furthermore, their partnership compliance generates divisions within the health sector, with partnership dissenters often silenced and excluded from policy processes and funding. The non-association model is the least hazardous to the health sector because it protects against compromise and dominance. The managed association model is an option only when the government sector as a whole is committed strongly and clearly to the public health objectives. Conclusion In contexts where key parts of the government sector are conflicted over their public health responsibilities, health sector engagement in partnership arrangements entails too many risks. [source] A question of balance: prioritizing public health responses to harm from gamblingADDICTION, Issue 5 2009Peter J. Adams ABSTRACT Aim To provide an overview on the nature and importance of public health approaches to the global expansion of commercial gambling. Method Three key areas of public health activity are examined: harm minimization, health promotion and the political determinants for change. Findings The rapid proliferation of gambling experienced in many countries is driven by the commercial development of new products orientated around continuous and rapid mass consumption. This is particularly the case with ongoing refinements to electronic gambling machines and the development of new gambling technologies using the internet and mobile telephones. So far responses to negative impacts have, on the whole, focused upon individualized treatment interventions. A public health approach to gambling offers a broad range of strategies to tackle the wider implications of gambling expansion: harm reduction provides evidence-based strategies for managing identifiable harm; health promotion focuses upon communities building their capacity, knowledge and resilience with regard to the attractions of gambling, and action on the political determinants sets out to increase the accountability and reduce the conflicts of interest that influence government resolve in managing their gambling environments. Conclusion In this new environment of mass consumption, efforts in developing treatment responses to problem gambling need to be balanced with, at least, equal efforts in developing public health responses. With the expansion of commercial gambling occurring globally, international agencies could play a critical role in supporting public health initiatives. [source] A framework for describing the impact of antidepressant medications on population health statusPHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 7 2002Scott B. Patten MD Abstract Background In the absence of strategies for primary prevention, public health initiatives for major depression have generally focused on secondary and tertiary strategies such as case-finding, public and professional education and disease management. Much emphasis has been placed on low reported rates of antidepressant utilization. In principle, increased rates of treatment utilization should lead to improved mental health status at the population level. However, methods for relating antidepressant utilization to population health status have not been described. Methods An incidence,prevalence model was developed using data from a Canadian national survey, supplemented by parameter estimates from literature reviews. The lifetime sick-day proportion (LSP) was used to approximate point prevalence. Results Mathematical simulations using this model produced reasonable approximations of point prevalence for major depression. The model suggests that an improved rate of treatment utilization may not, in itself, lead to substantially reduced prevalence. Reducing the rate of relapse in those with highly recurrent disorders, which can be accomplished by long-term antidepressant treatment, is predicted to have a more substantial impact on population health status. Conclusions The model presented here offers a framework for describing the impact of antidepressant treatment on population health status. Mathematical models may assist with decision-making and priority setting in the public health sphere, as illustrated by the model presented here, which challenges some commonly held assumptions. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Physical and psychological long-term and late effects of cancer,CANCER, Issue S11 2008Kevin D. Stein PhD Abstract The number of long-term cancer survivors (,5 years after diagnosis) in the U.S. continues to rise, with more than 10 million Americans now living with a history of cancer. Along with such growth has come increasing attention to the continued health problems and needs of this population. Many cancer survivors return to normal functioning after the completion of treatment and are able to live relatively symptom-free lives. However, cancer and its treatment can also result in a wide range of physical and psychological problems that do not recede with time. Some of these problems emerge during or after cancer treatment and persist in a chronic, long-term manner. Other problems may not appear until months or even years later. Regardless of when they present, long-term and late effects of cancer can have a negative effect on cancer survivors' quality of life. This article describes the physical and psychological long-term and late effects among adult survivors of pediatric and adult cancers. The focus is on the prevalence and correlates of long-term and late effects as well as the associated deficits in physical and emotional functioning. In addition, the emergence of public health initiatives and large-scale research activities that address the issues of long-term cancer survivorship are discussed. Although additional research is needed to fully understand and document the long-term and late effects of cancer, important lessons can be learned from existing knowledge. Increased awareness of these issues is a key component in the development of follow-up care plans that may allow for adequate surveillance, prevention, and the management of long-term and late effects of cancer. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society. [source] Public Health Considerations in Knowledge Translation in the Emergency DepartmentACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2007Steven L. Bernstein MD Effective preventive and screening interventions have not been widely adopted in emergency departments (EDs). Barriers to knowledge translation of these initiatives include lack of knowledge of current evidence, perceived lack of efficacy, and resource availability. To address this challenge, the Academic Emergency Medicine 2007 Consensus Conference, "Knowledge Translation in Emergency Medicine: Establishing a Research Agenda and Guide Map for Evidence Uptake," convened a public health focus group. The question this group addressed was "What are the unique contextual elements that need to be addressed to bring proven preventive and other public health initiatives into the ED setting?" Public health experts communicated via the Internet beforehand and at a breakout session during the conference to reach consensus on this topic, using published evidence and expert opinion. Recommendations include 1) to integrate proven public health interventions into the emergency medicine core curriculum, 2) to configure clinical information systems to facilitate public health interventions, and 3) to use ancillary ED personnel to enhance delivery of public health interventions and to obtain successful funding for these initiatives. Because additional research in this area is needed, a research agenda for this important topic was also developed. The ED provides medical care to a unique population, many with increased needs for preventive care. Because these individuals may have limited access to screening and preventive interventions, wider adoption of these initiatives may improve the health of this vulnerable population. [source] | ||||||||||