Journal of public health policy
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J Public Health Policy · May 2014
Commentary: approaches, strengths, and limitations of avoidable mortality.
Publication of recent papers such as the one by Schoenbaum and colleagues entitled 'Mortality Amenable to Health Care in the United States: The Roles of Demographics and Health Systems Performance' has stimulated this commentary. We discuss strengths and limitations of amenable and avoidable mortality in health-care systems' performance and their contribution to health inequalities. ⋯ We conclude that amenable mortality is not a good indicator of health-care systems' performance, or for determining whether it could give rise to health inequalities. To understand health problems and to assess the impact of interventions affecting health requires good, basic, and routine monitoring of health indicators and of socioeconomic determinants of health.
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J Public Health Policy · May 2014
Changing life jacket wearing behavior: an evaluation of two approaches.
In the United States during 1999-2012, about 4 per cent of adults wore life jackets while engaged in recreation on powerboats. Educational campaigns have promoted life jacket use. Mandatory use regulations target primarily children or boaters on personal watercrafts or water skiing. ⋯ Before the campaign in the Delta, adult wear was 8.5 per cent, increasing to 12.1 per cent during the first year, dipping to 9.4 per cent during the second year, and rising slightly to 10.5 per cent 3 plus years after the campaign. Before mandatory regulations at USACE lakes, adult wear was 13.7 per cent, increasing to 75.6 per cent during the first year, 70.1 per cent during the second year, and remaining high at 68.1 per cent in the third year. Policymakers should consider these findings when choosing how to increase life jacket use.
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J Public Health Policy · May 2014
Commentary: the global tobacco litigation initiative: an effort to protect developing countries from big tobacco.
The tobacco industry faces challenges in the affluent world, but preys upon poor and populous countries, taking advantage of underdeveloped tobacco policies. One of the ways to address tobacco control globally is to create a tobacco litigation partnership between developed and developing countries. A global litigation partnership has the potential to alleviate concerns over weak tobacco control structures in developing countries and benefit developed countries in monetary as well as legislative ways.
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J Public Health Policy · May 2014
Commentary: collaboration in dual degree programs contributes something new to both fields.
Dual degree programs in public health and law have blossomed in the United States and beyond. They are traditionally promoted on the premise that public health efforts often require legal authority to legitimize and implement their goals and objectives, and that participation of lawyers safeguards respect for individual rights, privacy, and autonomy against governmental intrusion in furtherance of public health objectives. ⋯ On the public health side, epidemiologists and other practitioners trained in the law ensure that reliable data inform public policy. In the classroom, we have found that dual degree students enrich the educational experience in both fields, broadening understanding and creating conversations that transcend law or public health alone.