- Home
- A-Z Publications
- Annual Review of Public Health
- Previous Issues
- Volume 35, 2014
Annual Review of Public Health - Volume 35, 2014
Volume 35, 2014
- Preface
-
-
-
Commentary: Generating Rigorous Evidence for Public Health: The Need for New Thinking to Improve Research and Practice
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 1–7More LessThis commentary describes the concept of evidence-based public health, including the limitations of evidence. Increased attention to evidence may have numerous benefits for public health practice, including access to higher-quality information on what works, a higher likelihood of successful programs and policies being implemented, greater workforce productivity, and more efficient use of resources. To broaden thinking on the sources and scope of evidence, the three reviews in this symposium seek to (a) compare and contrast several evaluation designs that are alternatives to the randomized controlled trial; (b) describe two research approaches that are useful in addressing complex, multilevel public health issues (i.e., mixed methods research and mixed studies reviews); and (c) provide an overview of the value and approaches for generating practice-based evidence. These reviews highlight the complexity and interrelatedness of public health challenges, limitations of researcher-driven, quantitative approaches, and the need to broaden our current concepts of evidence.
-
-
-
Evaluation of Systems-Oriented Public Health Interventions: Alternative Research Designs
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 9–27More LessThe need to provide sound evidence of the costs and benefits of real-world public health interventions has driven advances in the development and analysis of designs other than the controlled trial in which individuals are randomized to an experimental condition. Attention to methodological quality is of critical importance to ensure that any evaluation can accurately answer three fundamental questions: (a) Has a change occurred, (b) did the change occur as a result of the intervention, and (c) is the degree of change significant? A range of alternatives to the individual randomized controlled trial (RCT) can be used for evaluating such interventions, including the cluster RCT, stepped wedge design, interrupted time series, multiple baseline, and controlled prepost designs. The key features and complexities associated with each of these designs are explored.
-
-
-
Combining the Power of Stories and the Power of Numbers: Mixed Methods Research and Mixed Studies Reviews
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 29–45More LessThis article provides an overview of mixed methods research and mixed studies reviews. These two approaches are used to combine the strengths of quantitative and qualitative methods and to compensate for their respective limitations. This article is structured in three main parts. First, the epistemological background for mixed methods will be presented. Afterward, we present the main types of mixed methods research designs and techniques as well as guidance for planning, conducting, and appraising mixed methods research. In the last part, we describe the main types of mixed studies reviews and provide a tool kit and examples. Future research needs to offer guidance for assessing mixed methods research and reporting mixed studies reviews, among other challenges.
-
-
-
Practice-Based Evidence in Public Health: Improving Reach, Relevance, and Results
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 47–63More LessThe most threatening public health challenges today are chronic and complex and require joint effort from academic researchers in partnership with clinical and public health practitioners to identify and implement sustainable solutions that work in the real world. Practice-based research offers researchers and practitioners an underutilized way forward, an opportunity to work together to design and test feasible, evidence-based programs to address our greatest challenges. In this article, we outline the need for practice-based evidence, tools, and strategies that investigators can use to generate practice-based evidence, describe approaches to translating practice-based evidence into practice, and offer recommendations for making practice-based research the norm in public health.
-
-
-
Microbial Origins of Chronic Diseases
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 65–82More LessChronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer are among the leading causes of death worldwide and have been on the rise over the past decade. Associations between microbial agents and development of chronic diseases have been made in the past, and new connections are currently being assessed. Investigators are examining the relationship between infectious agents and chronic disease using new technologies with more rigor and specificity. This review examines microbial agents' links to and associations with cardiovascular diseases, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, renal diseases, psychiatric disorders, and obesity and addresses the important role of the human microbiome in maintenance of health and its potential role in chronic diseases. These associations and relationships will impact future research priorities, surveillance approaches, treatment strategies, and prevention programs for chronic diseases.
-
-
-
Can We Say What Diet Is Best for Health?
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 83–103More LessDiet is established among the most important influences on health in modern societies. Injudicious diet figures among the leading causes of premature death and chronic disease. Optimal eating is associated with increased life expectancy, dramatic reduction in lifetime risk of all chronic disease, and amelioration of gene expression. In this context, claims abound for the competitive merits of various diets relative to one another. Whereas such claims, particularly when attached to commercial interests, emphasize distinctions, the fundamentals of virtually all eating patterns associated with meaningful evidence of health benefit overlap substantially. There have been no rigorous, long-term studies comparing contenders for best diet laurels using methodology that precludes bias and confounding, and for many reasons such studies are unlikely. In the absence of such direct comparisons, claims for the established superiority of any one specific diet over others are exaggerated. The weight of evidence strongly supports a theme of healthful eating while allowing for variations on that theme. A diet of minimally processed foods close to nature, predominantly plants, is decisively associated with health promotion and disease prevention and is consistent with the salient components of seemingly distinct dietary approaches. Efforts to improve public health through diet are forestalled not for want of knowledge about the optimal feeding of Homo sapiens but for distractions associated with exaggerated claims, and our failure to convert what we reliably know into what we routinely do. Knowledge in this case is not, as of yet, power; would that it were so.
-
-
-
Epigenetics: Relevance and Implications for Public Health
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 105–122More LessImproved understanding of the multilayer regulation of the human genome has led to a greater appreciation of environmental, nutritional, and epigenetic risk factors for human disease. Chromatin remodeling, histone tail modifications, and DNA methylation are dynamic epigenetic changes responsive to external stimuli. Careful interpretation can provide insights for actionable public health through collaboration between population and basic scientists and through integration of multiple data sources. We review key findings in environmental epigenetics both in human population studies and in animal models, and discuss the implications of these results for risk assessment and public health protection. To ultimately succeed in identifying epigenetic mechanisms leading to complex phenotypes and disease, researchers must integrate the various animal models, human clinical approaches, and human population approaches while paying attention to life-stage sensitivity, to generate effective prescriptions for human health evaluation and disease prevention.
-
-
-
Implementing Health Reform: Improved Data Collection and the Monitoring of Health Disparities
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 123–138More LessThe relative lack of standards for collecting data on population subgroups has not only limited our understanding of health disparities, but also impaired our ability to develop policies to eliminate them. This article provides background about past challenges to collecting data by race/ethnicity, primary language, sex, and disability status. It then discusses how passage of the Affordable Care Act has provided new opportunities to improve data-collection standards for the demographic variables of interest and, as such, a better understanding of the characteristics of populations served by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The new standards have been formally adopted by the Secretary of HHS for application in all HHS-sponsored population health surveys involving self-reporting. The new data-collection standards will not only promote the uniform collection and utilization of demographic data, but also help the country shape future programs and policies to advance public health and to reduce disparities.
-
-
-
Hearing Loss in an Aging American Population: Extent, Impact, and Management
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 139–152More LessDespite contributing substantially to disability in the United States, age-related hearing loss is an underappreciated public health concern. Loss of hearing sensitivity has been documented in two-thirds of adults aged 70 years and older and has been associated with communication difficulties, lower health-related quality of life, and decreased physical and cognitive function. Management strategies for age-related hearing loss are costly, yet the indirect costs due to lost productivity among people with communication difficulties are also substantial and likely to grow. Hearing aids can improve health-related quality of life, but the majority of people with documented hearing loss do not report using them. Uncovering effective means to improve the utilization of hearing health care services is essential for meeting the hearing health care demands of our aging population. The importance of hearing for general well-being warrants an effort to enhance awareness among the general population of the indications of hearing loss and options for assistance.
-
-
-
Biological Diversity and Public Health
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 153–167More LessIn the wake of a species extinction event unprecedented in human history, how the variety, distribution, and abundance of life on earth may influence health has gained credence as a worthy subject for research and study at schools of public health and for consideration among policy makers. This article reviews a few of the principal ways in which health depends on biodiversity, including the discovery of new medicines, biomedical research, the provision of food, and the distribution and spread of infections. It also examines how changes in biological diversity underlie much of the global burden of disease and how a more thorough understanding of life on earth and its relationships has the potential to greatly alleviate and prevent human suffering.
-
-
-
Mental Health Consequences of Disasters
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 169–183More LessWe present in this review the current state of disaster mental health research. In particular, we provide an overview of research on the presentation, burden, correlates, and treatment of mental disorders following disasters. We also describe challenges to studying the mental health consequences of disasters and discuss the limitations in current methodologies. Finally, we offer directions for future disaster mental health research.
-
-
-
Millions Dead: How Do We Know and What Does It Mean? Methods Used in the Comparative Risk Assessment of Household Air Pollution
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 185–206More LessIn the Comparative Risk Assessment (CRA) done as part of the Global Burden of Disease project (GBD-2010), the global and regional burdens of household air pollution (HAP) due to the use of solid cookfuels, were estimated along with 60+ other risk factors. This article describes how the HAP CRA was framed; how global HAP exposures were modeled; how diseases were judged to have sufficient evidence for inclusion; and how meta-analyses and exposure-response modeling were done to estimate relative risks. We explore relationships with the other air pollution risk factors: ambient air pollution, smoking, and secondhand smoke. We conclude with sensitivity analyses to illustrate some of the major uncertainties and recommendations for future work. We estimate that in 2010 HAP was responsible for 3.9 million premature deaths and ∼4.8% of lost healthy life years (DALYs), ranking it highest among environmental risk factors examined and one of the major risk factors of any type globally.
-
-
-
Nature and Health
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 207–228More LessUrbanization, resource exploitation, and lifestyle changes have diminished possibilities for human contact with nature in many societies. Concern about the loss has helped motivate research on the health benefits of contact with nature. Reviewing that research here, we focus on nature as represented by aspects of the physical environment relevant to planning, design, and policy measures that serve broad segments of urbanized societies. We discuss difficulties in defining “nature” and reasons for the current expansion of the research field, and we assess available reviews. We then consider research on pathways between nature and health involving air quality, physical activity, social cohesion, and stress reduction. Finally, we discuss methodological issues and priorities for future research. The extant research does describe an array of benefits of contact with nature, and evidence regarding some benefits is strong; however, some findings indicate caution is needed in applying beliefs about those benefits, and substantial gaps in knowledge remain. [Erratum]
-
-
-
Precarious Employment: Understanding an Emerging Social Determinant of Health
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 229–253More LessEmployment precariousness is a social determinant that affects the health of workers, families, and communities. Its recent popularity has been spearheaded by three main developments: the surge in “flexible employment” and its associated erosion of workers' employment and working conditions since the mid-1970s; the growing interest in social determinants of health, including employment conditions; and the availability of new data and information systems. This article identifies the historical, economic, and political factors that link precarious employment to health and health equity; reviews concepts, models, instruments, and findings on precarious employment and health inequalities; summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of this literature; and highlights substantive and methodological challenges that need to be addressed. We identify two crucial future aims: to provide a compelling research program that expands our understanding of employment precariousness and to develop and evaluate policy programs that effectively put an end to its health-related impacts.
-
-
-
Aligning Leadership Across Systems and Organizations to Develop a Strategic Climate for Evidence-Based Practice Implementation
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 255–274More LessThere has been a growing impetus to bridge the gap between basic science discovery, development of evidence-based practices (EBPs), and the availability and delivery of EBPs in order to improve the public health impact of such practices. To capitalize on factors that support implementation and sustainment of EBPs, it is important to consider that health care is delivered within the outer context of public health systems and the inner context of health care organizations and work groups. Leaders play a key role in determining the nature of system and organizational contexts. This article addresses the role of leadership and actions that leaders can take at and across levels in developing a strategic climate for EBP implementation within the outer (i.e., system) and inner (i.e., organization, work group) contexts of health care. Within the framework of Edgar Schein's “climate embedding mechanisms,” we describe strategies that leaders at the system, organization, and work group levels can consider and apply to develop strategic climates that support the implementation and sustainment of EBP in health care and allied health care settings.
-
-
-
Personal Belief Exemptions From School Vaccination Requirements
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 275–292More LessDespite the impact vaccination has had on the control and prevention of many infectious diseases, some parents choose not to vaccinate their children. Although there is no federal law requiring vaccination of children in the United States, all states require evidence of vaccination against at least some diseases as a condition of school entry. Which vaccines are required; how many doses are required; whether entry requirements apply to child care, kindergarten, or middle school; and whether exemptions from vaccine requirements will be allowed all differ by state. All but two states allow some kind of personal belief exemption from school vaccination requirements. This article reviews the history of school vaccination requirements and exemptions, the legal status of state vaccination laws and exemptions, the impact of school vaccination requirements and personal belief exemptions on vaccination rates and disease incidence, and strategies for maintaining adequate vaccination rates in states that allow personal belief exemptions.
-
-
-
Public Health and Media Advocacy
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 293–306More LessMedia advocacy blends communications, science, politics, and advocacy to advance public health goals. In this article, we explain how media advocacy supports the social justice grounding of public health while addressing public health's “wicked problems” in the context of American politics. We outline media advocacy's theoretical foundations in agenda setting and framing and describe its practical application, from the layers of strategy to storytelling, which can illuminate public health solutions for journalists, policy makers, and the general public. Finally, we describe the challenges in evaluating media advocacy campaigns.
-
-
-
Why Do Americans Have Shorter Life Expectancy and Worse Health Than Do People in Other High-Income Countries?
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 307–325More LessAmericans lead shorter and less healthy lives than do people in other high-income countries. We review the evidence and explanations for these variations in longevity and health. Our overview suggests that the US health disadvantage applies to multiple mortality and morbidity outcomes. The American health disadvantage begins at birth and extends across the life course, and it is particularly marked for American women and for regions in the US South and Midwest. Proposed explanations include differences in health care, individual behaviors, socioeconomic inequalities, and the built physical environment. Although these factors may contribute to poorer health in America, a focus on proximal causes fails to adequately account for the ubiquity of the US health disadvantage across the life course. We discuss the role of specific public policies and conclude that while multiple causes are implicated, crucial differences in social policy might underlie an important part of the US health disadvantage.
-
-
-
Health Promotion in Smaller Workplaces in the United States
Vol. 35 (2014), pp. 327–342More LessMost American workplaces are smaller, with fewer than 1,000 employees. Many of these employees are low-wage earners and at increased risk for chronic diseases. Owing to the challenges smaller workplaces face to offering health-promotion programs, their employees often lack access to health-promotion opportunities available at larger workplaces. Many smaller employers do not offer health insurance, which is currently the major funding vehicle for health-promotion services. They also have few health-promotion vendors to serve them and low internal capacity for, and commitment to, delivery of on-site programs. The programs they offer, whether aimed at health promotion alone or integrated with health protection, are rarely comprehensive and are understudied. Research priorities for health promotion in smaller workplaces include developing programs feasible for the smallest workplaces with fewer than 20 employees. Policy priorities include incentives for smaller workplaces to implement comprehensive programs and an ongoing system for monitoring and evaluation.
-
Previous Volumes
-
Volume 45 (2024)
-
Volume 44 (2023)
-
Volume 43 (2022)
-
Volume 42 (2021)
-
Volume 41 (2020)
-
Volume 40 (2019)
-
Volume 39 (2018)
-
Volume 38 (2017)
-
Volume 37 (2016)
-
Volume 36 (2015)
-
Volume 35 (2014)
-
Volume 34 (2013)
-
Volume 33 (2012)
-
Volume 32 (2011)
-
Volume 31 (2010)
-
Volume 30 (2009)
-
Volume 29 (2008)
-
Volume 28 (2007)
-
Volume 27 (2006)
-
Volume 26 (2005)
-
Volume 25 (2004)
-
Volume 24 (2003)
-
Volume 23 (2002)
-
Volume 22 (2001)
-
Volume 21 (2000)
-
Volume 20 (1999)
-
Volume 19 (1998)
-
Volume 18 (1997)
-
Volume 17 (1996)
-
Volume 16 (1995)
-
Volume 15 (1994)
-
Volume 14 (1993)
-
Volume 13 (1992)
-
Volume 12 (1991)
-
Volume 11 (1990)
-
Volume 10 (1989)
-
Volume 9 (1988)
-
Volume 8 (1987)
-
Volume 7 (1986)
-
Volume 6 (1985)
-
Volume 5 (1984)
-
Volume 4 (1983)
-
Volume 3 (1982)
-
Volume 2 (1981)
-
Volume 1 (1980)
-
Volume 0 (1932)