American journal of public health
-
Historical Article
Approaching 4 decades of legislation in the national family planning program: an analysis of Title X's history from 1970 to 2008.
Family planning is an important public health activity. Title X (Pub L No. 91-572), enacted in 1970, remains the only national family planning program in the United States dedicated to providing voluntary and confidential services to all individuals. We conducted a thematic analysis of Title X's legislative history. ⋯ Regardless of the proposed challenges, limited changes have been adopted. Except for technical amendments, bills involving restrictions accounted for the highest percentage of enacted bills, demonstrating efforts to undermine reproductive health rights. Title X requires political will and bipartisan support if it is to continue to protect individuals' reproductive rights.
-
We investigated tobacco companies' knowledge about concurrent use of tobacco and alcohol, their marketing strategies linking cigarettes with alcohol, and the benefits tobacco companies sought from these marketing activities. ⋯ Tobacco companies' numerous marketing strategies linking cigarettes with alcohol may have reinforced the use of both substances. Because using tobacco and alcohol together makes it harder to quit smoking, policies prohibiting tobacco sales and promotion in establishments where alcohol is served and sold might mitigate this effect. Smoking cessation programs should address the effect that alcohol consumption has on tobacco use.
-
We assessed whether state Medicaid preferred drug lists are concordant with the World Health Organization's 2009 16th Essential Medicines List and with each other. We also characterized listed medicines by generic availability and appearance on treatment guidelines. ⋯ Application of the essential medicines concept to Medicaid PDLs could reduce costs and provide more equitable and evidence-based health care to low-income patients in the United States.
-
A confluence of stimuli is propelling academic public health to embrace the prevention of chronic disease in developing countries as its new frontier. These stimuli are a growing recognition of the epidemic, academia's call to reestablish public health as a mover of societal tectonics rather than a handmaiden to medicine's focus on the individual, and the turmoil in the US health system that makes change permissible. ⋯ Chronic disease will likely become the dominant global public health issue soon. In addressing this issue, academia needs to lead, not follow.
-
We investigated whether a greater burden of disease among poorer individuals and ethnic minorities accounted for socioeconomic and racial disparities in self-reported physical functioning among older adults. ⋯ Socioeconomic disparities in functional limitations among older Americans exist independent of disease burden, whereas socioeconomic differences and disease burden account for racial disparities.