Journal of community health
-
Public health professionals can maximize their effectiveness in reducing firearm trauma by seeking partners from law enforcement professionals. This study assessed sheriff's support for various types of firearm control measures and their firearm control advocacy activities. A 29 item valid and reliable survey was used for a three- wave mailing to a national random sample of 650 sheriffs. ⋯ The majority (>70%) of sheriffs did not participate in most firearm control advocacy activities. Sheriffs were found to be far less supportive of potentially important firearm control policies than what has been previously found for police chiefs. Thus, sheriffs may be less helpful than police chiefs as colleagues for public health campaigns to reduce firearm trauma.
-
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and unemployment has a strong documented impact on injury mortality. The aim of our study is to investigate the relationship of GDP per capita and unemployment with gender- and cause-specific injury mortalities in the member nations of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Country-based data on injury mortality per 100,000 population, including males and females aged 1-74, for the 4 year period 1996-1999, were gathered from the World Health Organization's Statistical Information System. ⋯ GDP is more related to cause-specific injury mortality than unemployment. Injury mortality does not relate similarly to each diagnosis-specific cause among males and females. Further research on causation with more predictors is needed.
-
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable mortality and morbidity in the United States. Healthcare providers can contribute significantly to the war against tobacco use; patients advised to quit smoking by their physicians are 1.6 times more likely to quit than patients not receiving physician advice. However, most smokers do not receive this advice when visiting their physicians. The Morehouse School of Medicine Tobacco Control Research Program was undertaken to develop best practices for implementing the "2000 Public Health Services Clinical Practice Guidelines on Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence" and the "Pathways to Freedom" tobacco cessation program among African American physicians in private practice and healthcare providers at community health centers. Ten focus groups were conducted; 82 healthcare professionals participated. Six major themes were identified as barriers to the provision of smoking cessation services. An intervention was developed based on these results and tested among Georgia community-based physicians. A total of 308 charts were abstracted both pre- and post-intervention. Charts were scored using a system awarding one point for each of the five "A's" recommended by the PHS guidelines (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, Arrange) employed during the patient visit. The mean pre-intervention five "A's" score was 1.29 compared to 1.90 post-intervention (P < 0.001). All charts had evidence of the first "A" ("asked") both pre- and post-intervention, and the other four "A's" all had statistically significant increases pre-to post-intervention. ⋯ The results demonstrate that, with training of physicians, compliance with the PHS tobacco guidelines can be greatly improved.
-
Asthma and diabetes are major chronic conditions in the United States, particularly in the Medicaid population. The majority of care for these diseases occurs at ambulatory practice sites. The New York State Department of Health Office of Health Insurance Programs (OHIP) worked with IPRO, the New York State Medicare quality improvement organization, to develop and implement a quality improvement project (QIP) for these conditions. ⋯ Several metrics significantly improved for asthma (e.g., use of anti-inflammatory long term controller agents, assessment of asthma severity, use of asthma action plans) and for diabetes (e.g., lipid testing and control, A1c testing). Key organizational elements of success included senior medical leadership commitment and practice site quality improvement team meetings. OHIP has used the QIP experience to begin patient-centered medical home implementation in New York State.
-
Pediatricians are a recognized primary resource and advocate for injury prevention. The purpose of this study was to examine pediatricians' knowledge, perceptions, and behaviors regarding car booster seats and their willingness to use resources for parent education. Investigators implemented an anonymous, mailed survey to a national random sample of 1,041 US office-based pediatricians with 464 respondents: 53% female, 63% Caucasian, 52% parents of children under 12 years, and 87% board-certified. ⋯ Significant relationships were found between responses to knowledge questions and suburban location, gender, race, length of time in pediatric practice. Many pediatricians are not counseling their patients' parents on booster seats but believe counseling is important; many are confident in their counseling but do not rely on AAP-recognized counseling resources. Education about state booster seat laws and AAP guidelines may be useful in increasing the cues to action pediatricians convey to parents regarding booster seat use.