Health promotion practice
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Health promotion practice · May 2012
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: opportunities for prevention and advocacy.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has come under intense scrutiny about its mandate for individual health insurance purchase, yet it has received little praise in the popular press for its prevention measures. Irrespective of the Supreme Court's decision regarding the "individual mandate," it is important for public health professionals to advocate for the preservation of the prevention and wellness provisions in the current law. The article addresses the Supreme Court's hearing for the "individual mandate," the likely impact of the general election in 2012, and specific prevention components of the law that should be championed by health education and health promotion advocates.
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Health promotion practice · Nov 2011
Eliminating inequities in health care: understanding perceptions and participation in an antiracism initiative.
Antiracism training for staff of health care institutions is a promising intervention strategy to address racial and ethnic disparities in health care. In 2001, Southern County Public Health Department (SCPHD) staff completed a mandatory Dismantling Racism (DR) training, and some continued with an optional DR process to challenge institutional racism within their agency. ⋯ Perceived relevance and impact of the DR process on the organization and staff were also major factors affecting participation. Improvements for implementing such efforts including the consideration of institutional power and other implications for addressing racial health care inequities through antiracism initiatives are discussed.
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Health promotion practice · May 2011
Knowledge translation strategies using the thinking about epilepsy program as a case study.
In many areas of health promotion and health care there is a need to bring new knowledge from research into practice (knowledge translation). Relevant research alone is not usually sufficient to achieve the ultimate outcome(s) of interest. This study aims to address this gap by outlining practices and outcomes involved in moving research findings into action using the example of the Thinking About Epilepsy program. ⋯ The process of moving research knowledge into action is discussed explicitly in terms of who the policy makers are, what action is desired, the role of partners, and funding. Using a case study approach the authors have illustrated the importance of starting knowledge translation at the beginning, not at the end, of the research project. The principles discussed in this article can be extended past epilepsy and applied to move research findings relevant to other health conditions, health promotion activities, products, and technologies into action.
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Health promotion practice · Mar 2011
Basic priority rating model 2.0: current applications for priority setting in health promotion practice.
Priority setting is an important component of systematic planning in health promotion and also factors into the development of a comprehensive evaluation plan. The basic priority rating (BPR) model was introduced more than 50 years ago and includes criteria that should be considered in any priority setting approach (i.e., use of predetermined criteria, standardized comparisons, and a rubric that controls bias). ⋯ For these reasons, several modifications are recommended to improve the BPR model and to better assist health promotion practitioners in the priority setting process. The authors also suggest a new name, BPR 2.0, to represent this revised model.
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Health promotion practice · Oct 2009
Beyond the cathedral: building trust to engage the African American community in health promotion and disease prevention.
Effective efforts to eliminate health disparities must be grounded in strong community partnerships and trusting relationships between academic institutions and minority communities. However, there are often barriers to such efforts, including the frequent need to rely on time-limited funding mechanisms that take categorical approaches. This article provides an overview of health promotion and disease prevention projects implemented through the Community Outreach and Information Dissemination Core (COID) of the Center for Minority Health, within the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh. ⋯ Based in large part on the success of the community engagement activities, in 2007, the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, designated the CMH as a Research Center of Excellence on Minority Health Disparities. COID major initiatives included the Community Research Advisory Board, Health Disparity Working Groups, Health Advocates in Reach, Healthy Class of 2010, and the Healthy Black Family Project. Lessons learned may provide guidance to other academic institutions, community-based organizations, and health departments who seek to engage minority communities in changing social norms to support health promotion and disease prevention.