742 results on '"SOCIAL policy"'
Search Results
2. Facing COVID-19 in times of armed conflicts in Northern and Central regions of Mozambique
- Author
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Agostinho Viana Lima
- Subjects
Economic growth ,medicine.medical_specialty ,2019-20 coronavirus outbreak ,Medical sociology ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,Health Policy ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,Public health ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,Armed Conflicts ,Letter to the Editors ,Environmental health ,Political science ,medicine ,Humans ,Mozambique ,Social policy - Published
- 2021
3. Global health and social work professions take action on equality and sustainability: returning to our roots
- Author
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Bettina Borisch, R. Truell, and Marta Lomazzi
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Medical sociology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Social work ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Public administration ,Federation Page ,Action (philosophy) ,Environmental health ,Political science ,Sustainability ,Global health ,medicine ,Social policy - Published
- 2021
4. How Brazil’s President turned the country into a global epicenter of COVID-19
- Author
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Unaí Tupinambás, Philip M. Fearnside, Alexandre Almeida, Luiz Henrique Duczmal, Lucas Ferrante, Ruth Camargo Vassão, Wilhelm Alexander Steinmetz, and Jeremias Leão
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Epidemiology ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Federal Government ,Global Health ,Politics ,Viewpoint ,Political agenda ,Environmental health ,Political science ,Pandemic ,Global health ,Humans ,Pandemics ,media_common ,Social policy ,Medical sociology ,Government ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Health Policy ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,Bolsonaro ,Democracy ,Coronavirus ,Public health policy ,Political economy ,Indigenous peoples ,Brazil - Abstract
In this manuscript, we point out that the federal government headed by President Bolsonaro has pursued a political agenda that contributed to the spread of COVID-19, transforming the country into a major repository for SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, thus representing a risk for worldwide containment efforts. Furthermore his actions are also weakening democratic institutions, which could counter his political agenda, effectively facilitating the spread of COVID-19. Thus, the perpetuation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil is due to human behaviour factors, especially high-level public decision makers.
- Published
- 2021
5. Low-wage migrant workers during coronavirus disease 2019: a social determinants analysis
- Author
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Amarasinghe Arachchige Don Nalin Samandika Saparamadu, Albie Sharpe, Adrian Pereira, Bruna Lígia Ferreira de Almeida Barbosa, and Sun Kim
- Subjects
Economic growth ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Social Determinants of Health ,Social determinants of health ,Viewpoint ,South Korea ,Environmental health ,Republic of Korea ,Pandemic ,Health care ,medicine ,Humans ,Low-wage migrant workers ,Health policy ,Social policy ,Transients and Migrants ,Singapore ,Medical sociology ,Government ,Salaries and Fringe Benefits ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,Policy ,Public Health ,Business ,1605 Policy and Administration ,Brazil - Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic has had disproportionate effects on economically and socially marginalized people. We explore the effects on low-wage migrant workers (migrant workers) in three countries: Singapore, South Korea and Brazil, through the lens of the social determinants of health. Our analysis shows that governments missed key opportunities to mitigate pandemic risks for migrant workers. Government measures demonstrate potential for effective and sustainable policy reform, including universal and equitable access to healthcare, social safety nets and labour rights for migrant workers—key concerns of the Global Compact for Migration. A whole-of-society and a whole-of-government approach with Health in All Policies, and migrant worker frameworks developed by the World Health Organization could be instrumental. The current situation indicates a need to frame public health crisis responses and policies in ways that recognize social determinants as fundamental to health.
- Published
- 2021
6. On the way to recovery with the help of a keystone species
- Author
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Elena N. Naumova
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Medical sociology ,2019-20 coronavirus outbreak ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,Health Policy ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,Public health ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,Global Health ,Editorial ,Geography ,Environmental health ,Global health ,medicine ,Humans ,Keystone species ,Environmental planning ,Social policy - Published
- 2021
7. Investments in surgical systems contribute to pandemic readiness and health system resilience
- Author
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Fizan Abdullah, Matthew T. Hey, Laura Hoemeke, Natalie Sheneman, and Megan E. Bouchard
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medicine.medical_specialty ,Surgical investment ,Functional health ,Surgical workforce ,Health system resilience ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Viewpoint ,Pregnancy ,Environmental health ,Pandemic ,medicine ,Pandemic readiness ,Humans ,Operations management ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Resilience (network) ,Pandemics ,Social policy ,Medical sociology ,030505 public health ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Surgical care ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Government Programs ,Obstetrics ,Female ,Business ,0305 other medical science - Abstract
Safe surgical care, including anesthesia, obstetrics, and trauma, is an essential component of a functional health system, yet five billion people lack access to high-quality, timely and affordable surgical care. As health decision makers are grappling with how to make appropriate investments for crisis readiness and resilience, investments in surgical care should be considered for their compounding benefits to meet a country’s diverse health goals. National Surgical, Obstetric, and Anesthesia Plans (NSOAPs) are developed through global partnerships and multi-stakeholder consensus and provide a dynamic framework for surgical scale-up that also improves the resilience of the larger health system. Our paper applies principles from the literature on health system resilience to surgical systems and examines the unique capabilities of the surgical workforce and infrastructure to be redeployed during times of crisis, using examples from the current pandemic.
- Published
- 2021
8. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: the race to trace: contact tracing scale-up in San Francisco—early lessons learned
- Author
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Susan Scheer, Amy Lockwood, Jonathan D. Fuchs, Trang Nguyen, Michael J. A. Reid, Karen White, Wayne T. A. Enanoria, Susan S. Philip, George W. Rutherford, Jessica Celentano, Darpun Sachdev, Elizabeth Krueger, and Juliet Stoltey
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Social Work ,Epidemiology ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Best practice ,Policy and Administration ,030231 tropical medicine ,Efficiency ,Efficiency, Organizational ,Organizational ,Vaccine Related ,03 medical and health sciences ,COVID-19 Testing ,0302 clinical medicine ,Contact tracing ,Biodefense ,Environmental health ,Pandemic ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Pandemics ,Data Management ,media_common ,Social policy ,Medical sociology ,Shelter in place ,SARS-CoV-2 ,business.industry ,Prevention ,Health Policy ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,Containment ,Public relations ,Emerging Infectious Diseases ,Infectious Diseases ,Service (economics) ,Quarantine ,Workforce ,Original Article ,San Francisco ,Public Health ,Business ,Public Health Administration - Abstract
In order to effectively control spread of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), it is essential that jurisdictions have the capacity to rapidly trace close contacts of each and every case. Best practice guidance on how to implement such programs is urgently needed. We describe the early experience in the City and County of San Francisco (CCSF), where the City’s Department of Health expanded contact tracing capability in anticipation of changes in San Francisco’s ‘shelter in place’ order between April and June 2020. Important prerequisites to successful scale-up included a rapid expansion of the COVID-19 response workforce, expansion of testing capability, and other containment resources. San Francisco’s scale-up offers a model for how other jurisdictions can rapidly mobilize a workforce. We underscore the importance of an efficient digital case management system, effective training, and expansion of supportive service programs for those in quarantine or isolation, and metrics to ensure continuous performance improvement.
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- 2021
9. Telemedicine during COVID-19 in India—a new policy and its challenges
- Author
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Ramasamy Aarthy, Sambit Dash, and Viswanathan Mohan
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Telemedicine ,India ,Competencies ,Internet infrastructure ,03 medical and health sciences ,Viewpoint ,0302 clinical medicine ,Telecom infrastructure sharing ,Environmental health ,Health care ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Pandemics ,Curriculum ,Social policy ,Medical sociology ,030505 public health ,Jurisdiction ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,Public relations ,Data use ,Access ,Policy ,Privacy ,The Internet ,0305 other medical science ,business - Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a countrywide lockdown of nearly twelve weeks in India reduced access to regular healthcare services. As a policy response, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare which exercises jurisdiction over telemedicine in India, rapidly issued India’s first guidelines for use of telemedicine. The authors argue that: guidelines must be expanded to address ethical concerns about the use of privacy, patient data and its storage; limited access to the internet and weaknesses in the telecom infrastructure challenge widespread adoption of telemedicine; only by simultaneously improving both will use of telemedicine become equitable; Indian medical education curricula should include telemedicine and India should rapidly extend training to practitioner. They determine that for low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), including India, positive externalities of investing in telemedicine are ample, thus use of this option can render healthcare more accessible and equitable in future.
- Published
- 2021
10. COVID-19 vaccine exclusion based on legal residence is unwise and unethical
- Author
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Lee, Lisa M., Lowe, Abigail E., and Wynia, Matthew K.
- Subjects
2019-20 coronavirus outbreak ,medicine.medical_specialty ,COVID-19 Vaccines ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,MEDLINE ,Letter to the Editors ,Residence Characteristics ,Political science ,Environmental health ,Pandemic ,medicine ,Humans ,Pandemics ,Social policy ,Health Services Needs and Demand ,Medical sociology ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Patient Selection ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,United States ,Communicable Disease Control ,Government Regulation ,Residence - Published
- 2021
11. Special thanks to reviewers for 2020: the COVID-19 year of trial by fire
- Author
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Elena N. Naumova
- Subjects
2019-20 coronavirus outbreak ,Medical sociology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,Public health ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Public relations ,Editorial ,Political science ,Environmental health ,medicine ,business ,Social policy - Published
- 2021
12. Together with the public health world
- Author
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Elena N. Naumova
- Subjects
2019-20 coronavirus outbreak ,Medical sociology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Public relations ,Global Health ,World Health Organization ,Editorial ,Environmental health ,Political science ,medicine ,Humans ,Public Health ,business ,Social policy - Published
- 2021
13. Attention to the Tripartite’s one health measures in national action plans on antimicrobial resistance
- Author
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Sarah Humboldt-Dachroeden, Louise Munkholm, Erik Baekkeskov, and Olivier Rubin
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Sanitation ,media_common.quotation_subject ,National policy-making ,Antimicrobial resistance ,National action plans ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Hygiene ,Environmental health ,Drug Resistance, Bacterial ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,One Health ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Social policy ,media_common ,Medical sociology ,030505 public health ,Public economics ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Corporate governance ,Public health ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Anti-Bacterial Agents ,Policy ,Agriculture ,Cross-country comparative study ,Business ,0305 other medical science - Abstract
The WHO, FAO, and OIE (the Tripartite) promote One Health (OH) as the guiding frame for national responses to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Little is known, however, about how much national action plans (NAPs) on AMR actually rely on the OH measures outlined by the Tripartite. The paper investigates attention to OH through a systematic content analysis of 77 AMR NAPs to discern regional and income patterns in the integration of these OH measures. Our findings suggest that (1) AMR NAPs almost universally address the three key sectors of OH, namely, human, animal, and environmental health; (2) AMR NAPs primarily apply OH measures in policies related to human health care, food production, hygiene, and agriculture, whereas the level of attention to OH measures in sanitation, aquaculture, waste management, and water governance is generally low and mainly present in NAPs from low-income countries; (3) AMR NAPs of low-income and lower-middle-income countries' display greater congruence with OH measures than NAPs from upper-middle-income and high-income countries; and (4) the level of OH attention on paper appears to matter little for the extent of multisectoral collaboration in practice.
- Published
- 2021
14. Prescription drug monitoring program policy reform: human and veterinary practitioner prescribing in West Virginia, 2008-2020
- Author
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Brian Hendricks, Gordon S. Smith, Toni M. Rudisill, Timothy Dotson, Jeffrey Pesarsick, Sijin Wen, and Nathan Wood
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Veterinary medicine ,Specialty ,Article ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Humans ,Medicine ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Practice Patterns, Physicians' ,Prescription Drug Monitoring Program ,Medical prescription ,Prescription Drug Misuse ,Social policy ,Differential impact ,Medical sociology ,030505 public health ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Public health ,West virginia ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Bayes Theorem ,West Virginia ,Analgesics, Opioid ,Policy ,Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs ,0305 other medical science ,business - Abstract
No study has examined Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) data for West Virginia or among specialty practices, such as veterinary medicine. The objectives of this study were to conduct time series modeling to describe the PDMP policy reform impact on prescribing rates for human and veterinary providers. We obtained data from the WV PDMP for 2008 through 2020 for the number of opioid prescriptions filled and providers. We estimated prescribing rates for human and veterinary providers separately based upon the top five opioids prescribed by veterinarians. We estimated temporal effects using a Bayesian log-normal time series model for humans and veterinarians separately. Throughout the study period prescribing rates increased significantly for veterinarians, and decreased for human providers, particularly during 2018 after implementation of the Opioid Reduction Act. Findings provide novel insight into the differential impact of policy on specialty practices and highlight decreasing human opioid prescribing observed elsewhere.
- Published
- 2021
15. Men’s Sheds in Scotland: the potential for improving the health of men
- Author
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Simon Teasdale, Helen Mason, Artur Steiner, and Danielle Kelly
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Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,0211 other engineering and technologies ,02 engineering and technology ,Health Promotion ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Men’s Shed ,Healthcare delivery ,Political science ,Environmental health ,medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Qualitative Research ,Social policy ,Medical sociology ,Public health ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,021107 urban & regional planning ,Public relations ,Scotland ,Health ,Sustainability ,Social exclusion ,Original Article ,Healthcare service ,business ,Men's Health ,Delivery of Health Care ,Qualitative research - Abstract
Abstract Recent policy focus is on the ‘non-obvious’ role of community-based organisations in tackling causes of poor health, such as social exclusion. Men’s Sheds are a type of community-based organisation offering health and wellbeing benefits to men, despite this not being the explicit reason they exist. A qualitative study was conducted in Scotland to identify sustainability challenges that impact on the ability of Sheds to become a formal healthcare service. Findings showed that a reliance on ageing and retired volunteers to undertake operational tasks and generate income to fund activities affected the ability of Sheds to sustain and develop. Further, members preferred their Sheds to remain informal and flexible to fit their specific needs. Although Sheds are recognised for their health and wellbeing benefits to men, policymakers must recognise that formalising their activities might detract from the Shed’s primary aims. This paper summarises specific policy implications and recommendations, taking into consideration tensions between the expectations placed on Sheds to expand into formal healthcare delivery, and the needs of Shed users. Highlights: Men’s Shed are known for their ability to contribute to men’s health and wellbeing. The potential of Shed to take on a formal healthcare role is questionable because of a reliance on ageing and retired volunteers and a preference to remain informal. Policymakers must recognise that although Sheds might be well placed to offer formal health care this may detract from their primary aims.
- Published
- 2021
16. Balancing public health and civil liberties in times of pandemic
- Author
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Orzechowski, Marcin, Schochow, Maximilian, and Steger, Florian
- Subjects
050101 languages & linguistics ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Ethik ,Public policy ,Public Policy ,COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020 ,Moral and ethical aspects ,Civil liberties ,03 medical and health sciences ,Politics ,Viewpoint ,0302 clinical medicine ,Environmental health ,Political science ,Pandemic ,medicine ,Civil Rights ,Humans ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,ddc:610 ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Pandemics ,Health policy ,Social policy ,Ethics ,Hungary ,Public health ,Medical sociology ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Pandemie ,Health Policy ,05 social sciences ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,Political economy ,Communicable Disease Control ,Poland ,Gesundheitspolitik ,DDC 610 / Medicine & health - Abstract
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic constitutes not only a danger for public health, but may also threaten civil liberties. Looking at the examples of recent events in Poland and Hungary, the authors argue that governments may misuse pandemic for their political advantage, thus endangering public health. Political decisions taken to stem the spread of pandemics should be limited and strictly proportionate to the situation., publishedVersion
- Published
- 2021
17. Positional goods and the underfunding of public health
- Author
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David Hemenway
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Medical sociology ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Public administration ,Letter to the Editors ,Resource Allocation ,Environmental health ,Political science ,medicine ,Humans ,Public Health ,Social policy - Published
- 2021
18. COVID-19, host response treatment, and the need for political leadership
- Author
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David S. Fedson
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Biomedical Research ,COVID-19 Vaccines ,Pneumonia, Viral ,ACE2 ,Antiviral Agents ,03 medical and health sciences ,Politics ,Viewpoint ,0302 clinical medicine ,Political science ,Environmental health ,Pandemic ,Host response ,medicine ,Drugs, Generic ,Humans ,Generic drugs ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Pandemics ,Social policy ,Medical sociology ,030505 public health ,Equity (economics) ,SARS-CoV-2 ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Statins ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,Outbreak ,Public relations ,Angiotensin receptor blockers ,COVID-19 Drug Treatment ,Leadership ,Distress ,0305 other medical science ,business - Abstract
Health officials and scientists have warned that we face the threat of a potentially devastating influenza pandemic. Instead, we are now in the midst of a global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. National and international pandemic preparedness plans have focused on developing vaccines and antiviral treatments. Another way to confront the COVID-19 pandemic (and future pandemics) might be to treat patients with inexpensive and widely available generic drugs that target the host response to infection, not the virus itself. The feasibility of this idea was tested during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014. This experience should inform our approach to treating COVID-19 patients. It could also save lives during outbreaks of other emerging infectious diseases and episodes of everyday acute critical illness. If this “bottom up” syndromic approach to treating acute critical illness were shown to be effective, it could have a dramatic impact on health, equity and security throughout the world. Highlights: Uncertainty about the outcome of COVID-19 is driving the social, economic and political distress associated with the pandemic.Treating the host response to COVID-19 with inexpensive and widely available generic drugs might save lives and mitigate this distress.Undertaking research on this idea will require political leadership.
- Published
- 2020
19. Tuberculosis management in India during COVID-19 crisis
- Author
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Pravin Kumar Singh and Avijit Kumar Awasthi
- Subjects
2019-20 coronavirus outbreak ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Tuberculosis ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,India ,Letter to the Editors ,Political science ,Environmental health ,TB health workers ,medicine ,Humans ,Pandemics ,Social policy ,Medical sociology ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,medicine.disease ,TB care ,Tuberculosis management ,Delivery of Health Care - Abstract
During the early months of the 2020 COVID-19 crisis, critical services in India for tuberculosis (TB) have been disrupted. India has one of the highest burdens of TB and requires continuity of critical TB care. Here, we highlight important points and approaches that can be used to guide navigation of the combined COVID-19 and TB crisis in India.
- Published
- 2020
20. Richard Horton. The COVID-19 Catastrophe: What’s gone wrong and how to stop it happening again
- Author
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Phyllis Freeman and Anthony Robbins
- Subjects
Medical sociology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,2019-20 coronavirus outbreak ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,Happening ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Criminology ,Environmental health ,Political science ,medicine ,Social policy - Published
- 2020
21. Public health response to COVID-19: the forecaster’s dilemma
- Author
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Elena N. Naumova
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Systems Analysis ,History ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,MEDLINE ,Disaster Planning ,Environmental health ,Pandemic ,medicine ,Humans ,Pandemics ,Social policy ,Medical sociology ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Communication ,Public health ,Health Policy ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,United States ,Dilemma ,Editorial ,Population Surveillance ,Family medicine ,Public Health Administration ,Forecasting - Published
- 2020
22. The traps of calling the public health response to COVID-19 'an unexpected war against an invisible enemy'
- Author
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Elena N. Naumova
- Subjects
Medical sociology ,2019-20 coronavirus outbreak ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,Public health ,Health Policy ,Pneumonia, Viral ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,Adversary ,Criminology ,United States ,Editorial ,Political science ,Environmental health ,Pandemic ,medicine ,Humans ,Public Health ,Coronavirus Infections ,Pandemics ,Health policy ,Social policy - Published
- 2020
23. California advocates’ perspectives on challenges and risks of advancing the tobacco endgame
- Author
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Elizabeth A. Smith, Patricia A. McDaniel, and Ruth E. Malone
- Subjects
Economic growth ,medicine.medical_specialty ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Population ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,tobacco sales ban ,State (polity) ,Environmental health ,Political science ,tobacco flavor ban ,medicine ,030212 general & internal medicine ,education ,Chess endgame ,media_common ,Social policy ,education.field_of_study ,Medical sociology ,030505 public health ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Tobacco control ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,0305 other medical science ,tobacco endgame ,policy ,qualitative methods ,Qualitative research - Abstract
In the United States, California’s highly-regarded Tobacco Control Program (CTCP) has defined its goal as “ending the tobacco epidemic for all population groups” by 2035. To understand local advocates’ perceptions of endgame-oriented policies, we interviewed 28 advocates from California communities that had recently adopted tobacco control policies. There was no consensus among participants on which specific policies would constitute the tobacco endgame in California. There was agreement, however, that policymakers should promote policies that would impact communities with the highest tobacco use prevalence and that policies should be “clean,” avoiding exemptions. Participants were cognizant of California’s history of tobacco control policy innovations beginning locally and eventually being adopted at the state level. Many commented that recent policy innovations in the state had begun a conversation that made more “radical” ideas seem possible. California tobacco control advocates are engaged in local endgame policy discussions and prepared to advance California’s endgame goal.
- Published
- 2020
24. Thanks to reviewers and to the two editors emeriti
- Author
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Elena N. Naumova
- Subjects
Medical sociology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Editorial ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Environmental health ,Public health ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,medicine ,Sociology ,Public relations ,business ,Social policy - Published
- 2020
25. Toward universal human papillomavirus vaccination for adolescent girls in Hong Kong: a policy analysis
- Author
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Eliza Wong, Lijuan Wu, Yuanfang Zhu, and Ruirui Chen
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Adolescent ,Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ,Stakeholder engagement ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Environmental health ,medicine ,Humans ,Stakeholder analysis ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Policy Making ,Health policy ,Social policy ,Medical sociology ,HPV vaccination ,Immunization Programs ,business.industry ,030503 health policy & services ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Health policy analysis ,Papillomavirus Infections ,Vaccination ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Stakeholder ,Public relations ,Policy analysis ,Hong Kong ,Original Article ,Universal coverage ,Female ,0305 other medical science ,business ,Psychology - Abstract
Studies have assessed early population-level impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programs for preventing cervical cancer. Through a case study in Hong Kong we examined stakeholder engagement and interactions to promote a universal HPV vaccination program using the Health Policy Triangle framework for structured health policy analysis. Using data from a document review and semi-structured in-depth interviews, we used thematic and stakeholder analyses to describe the process of policy formation. Given Hong Kong’s political and health system, and a mix of Chinese and Western values, stakeholders judged legitimacy of the process differently. We discuss their varied ethical stances and the role of research evidence for informing policy-making. For effective HPV vaccination policy and promotion of universal free HPV vaccination among adolescent girls, new strategies are needed to broaden acceptance of the process, to frame policies in terms of facts and values, and to connect research to policy-making and improve coalition-building.
- Published
- 2020
26. Climate crisis, health equity, and democratic governance: the need to act together
- Author
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Nancy Krieger
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Gerrymandering ,Climate Change ,Public administration ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Viewpoint ,Political science ,Environmental health ,medicine ,Civic engagement ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Social policy ,media_common ,Medical sociology ,030505 public health ,Health Equity ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Politics ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Democracy ,Health equity ,United States ,Voter registration ,Government ,Voter suppression ,Climate crisis ,0305 other medical science - Abstract
On Friday, 20 September 2019, over 4 million people worldwide participated in the youth-led Global Climate Strike. Emphasizing the dire impacts of the climate crisis on people’s health, planetary health, and health equity, participants called for politicians and those with power to listen to the scientists and to the evidence. But who are these politicians and what is the evidence regarding to whom they listen? In the United States (US), critical research documents how the public’s will is being subverted—and people and planetary health are being harmed—via changes to the ‘rules of the game’ that affect democratic governance. Health professionals, organizations, and institutions should encourage civic engagement—for themselves, their staff, members, and study participants—regarding: voter registration; being counted in the 2020 Census; countering partisan gerrymandering; and helping to build strong coalitions addressing profound links between climate change, health equity, and democratic governance.
- Published
- 2020
27. Financing global health emergency response: outbreaks, not agencies
- Author
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Vageesh Jain
- Subjects
Emergency Medical Services ,medicine.medical_specialty ,International Cooperation ,Poison control ,Commit ,Global Health ,Suicide prevention ,Disease Outbreaks ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,medicine ,Global health ,Healthcare Financing ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,health care economics and organizations ,Social policy ,Finance ,Medical sociology ,030505 public health ,Health economics ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Government Programs ,Business ,0305 other medical science - Abstract
Effectively responding to global health emergencies requires substantial financial commitment from many stakeholders, including governments, multilateral agencies, and nongovernmental organizations. A major current policy challenge needs attention: how to better coordinate investment among actors aiming to address a common problem, disease outbreaks. For donors who commit colossal sums of money to outbreak response, the current model is neither efficient nor transparent. Innovative approaches to coordinate financing have recently been tested as part of a broader development agenda for humanitarian response. Adopting a system that enables donors to invest in disease outbreaks rather than actors represents an opportunity to deliver a more cost-effective, transparent, and unified global response to infectious disease outbreaks. Achieving this will be challenging, but the World Health Organization (WHO) must play a vital role. New thinking is required to improve emergency response in an increasingly crowded and financially convoluted global health arena.
- Published
- 2019
28. Disease modeling for public health: added value, challenges, and institutional constraints
- Author
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Mirjam Kretzschmar
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Public Policy ,Review ,Policy support ,Models, Biological ,Scientific evidence ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Viewpoint ,Mathematical model ,Environmental health ,Added value ,medicine ,Journal Article ,Humans ,Disease ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Health policy ,030304 developmental biology ,Social policy ,0303 health sciences ,Medical sociology ,Public health ,Infrastructure ,Health Policy ,Environmental and Occupational Health ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Intervention (law) ,Risk analysis (engineering) ,Position (finance) ,Business - Abstract
Public health policymakers face increasingly complex questions and decisions and need to deal with an increasing quantity of data and information. For policy advisors to make use of scientific evidence and to assess available intervention options effectively and therefore indirectly for those deciding on and implementing public health policies, mathematical modeling has proven to be a useful tool. In some areas, the use of mathematical modeling for public health policy support has become standard practice at various levels of decision-making. To make use of this tool effectively within public health organizations, it is necessary to provide good infrastructure and ensure close collaboration between modelers and policymakers. Based on experience from a national public health institute, we discuss the strategic requirements for good modeling practice for public health. For modeling to be of maximal value for a public health institute, the organization and budgeting of mathematical modeling should be transparent, and a long-term strategy for how to position and develop mathematical modeling should be in place.
- Published
- 2019
29. Emergency use authorization (EUA), conditional marketing authorization (CMA), and the precautionary principle at the time of COVID-19 pandemic
- Author
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Monica Roncati and Luca Roncati
- Subjects
Precautionary principle ,Marketing ,Medical sociology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Emergency Use Authorization ,COVID-19 Vaccines ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,MEDLINE ,COVID-19 ,Marketing authorization ,medicine.disease ,Letter to the Editors ,United States ,Environmental health ,Pandemic ,medicine ,Humans ,Medical emergency ,Business ,Drug Approval ,Pandemics ,Social policy - Published
- 2021
30. The impact of COVID-19 in the healthcare workforce in Peru
- Author
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Jesús Neyra-León, Juan Carlos Díaz-Monge, Joseph A. Pinto, and Jhonel Huancahuari-Nuñez
- Subjects
Medical sociology ,2019-20 coronavirus outbreak ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,business.industry ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,Public health ,Health Policy ,Health Personnel ,MEDLINE ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,Letter to the Editors ,Health Services Accessibility ,Nursing ,Environmental health ,Peru ,Medicine ,Humans ,Healthcare workforce ,Health Workforce ,business ,Social policy - Published
- 2020
31. Ethical considerations for mandating food worker vaccination during outbreaks: an analysis of hepatitis A vaccine
- Author
-
Janet Fleetwood
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Hepatitis A vaccine ,education ,Disease Outbreaks ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Viewpoint ,Environmental health ,medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Ethical code ,Social policy ,Ethics ,Medical sociology ,Hepatitis A Vaccines ,030505 public health ,Communicable disease ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Vaccination ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Hepatitis A ,medicine.disease ,Food workers ,United States ,Policy ,Foodborne illness ,Business ,Public Health ,0305 other medical science - Abstract
A widespread global outbreak of Hepatitis A virus (HAV) has prompted regulations in a few cities in the United States (US) mandating HAV vaccination of food service workers. This Viewpoint considers the global impact of HAV, analyzes ethical issues pertinent to recent mandatory vaccination regulations and the core values of public health. It explores the health and rights of stakeholders and ethical criteria for mandatory vaccination that could be applied globally with the ethical codes of the World Health Organization and the American Public Health Association. The goal is to help create ethical guidance for determining under what conditions, and for what populations, should regulations be created requiring vaccination for a communicable disease.
- Published
- 2021
32. The ethics of COVID-19 vaccine distribution
- Author
-
Kellen M. Mermin-Bunnell and Ariadne A Nichol
- Subjects
2019-20 coronavirus outbreak ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Medical sociology ,COVID-19 Vaccines ,Health Care Rationing ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,MEDLINE ,Distribution (economics) ,COVID-19 ,Letter to the Editors ,United States ,Environmental health ,Political science ,medicine ,Humans ,business ,Pandemics ,Social policy - Published
- 2021
33. We welcome JPHP’s new Editor-in-Chief: Elena N. Naumova
- Author
-
Phyllis Freeman and Anthony Robbins
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Medical sociology ,Health Policy ,Environmental health ,Public health ,Political science ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,MEDLINE ,medicine ,Editor in chief ,Library science ,Social policy - Published
- 2020
34. Multilevel governance, public health and the regulation of food: is tobacco control policy a model?
- Author
-
Donley T. Studlar and Paul Cairney
- Subjects
Economic growth ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Multi-level governance ,Smoking Prevention ,World Health Organization ,Nutrition Policy ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Environmental health ,Political science ,medicine ,Humans ,European Union ,Obesity ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Social policy ,Medical sociology ,030505 public health ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Tobacco control ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Legislation, Food ,United Kingdom ,United States ,language.human_language ,Harm ,Framing (social sciences) ,Socioeconomic Factors ,Public Health Practice ,Food policy ,language ,0305 other medical science - Abstract
Campaigns against risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) caused by smoking and obesity have become increasingly common on multiple levels of government, from the local to the international. Non-governmental actors have cooperated with government bodies to make policies. By analysing the policies of the World Trade Organization, the World Health Organization, the European Union, and the United Kingdom and United States governments, we identify how the struggles between public health advocates and commercial interests reached the global level, and how the relatively successful fight to 'denormalize' tobacco consumption has become a model for anti-obesity advocates. It highlights three factors important in policy change: framing the policy problem, the policymaking environment and 'windows of opportunity'-to analyse the struggle between 'harm regulation' and 'neoprohibition' approaches to an international obesity prevention regime.
- Published
- 2019
35. Correction to: Low-wage migrant workers during coronavirus disease 2019: a social determinants analysis
- Author
-
Adrian Pereira, Bruna Lígia Ferreira de Almeida Barbosa, Albie Sharpe, Amarasinghe Arachchige Don Nalin Samandika Saparamadu, and Sun Kim
- Subjects
Transients and Migrants ,Medical sociology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Singapore ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,Salaries and Fringe Benefits ,Social Determinants of Health ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Migrant workers ,Low wage ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,MEDLINE ,COVID-19 ,Publisher Correction ,Geography ,Policy ,Environmental health ,Republic of Korea ,medicine ,Humans ,Social determinants of health ,Brazil ,Social policy - Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic has had disproportionate effects on economically and socially marginalized people. We explore the effects on low-wage migrant workers (migrant workers) in three countries: Singapore, South Korea and Brazil, through the lens of the social determinants of health. Our analysis shows that governments missed key opportunities to mitigate pandemic risks for migrant workers. Government measures demonstrate potential for effective and sustainable policy reform, including universal and equitable access to healthcare, social safety nets and labour rights for migrant workers-key concerns of the Global Compact for Migration. A whole-of-society and a whole-of-government approach with Health in All Policies, and migrant worker frameworks developed by the World Health Organization could be instrumental. The current situation indicates a need to frame public health crisis responses and policies in ways that recognize social determinants as fundamental to health.
- Published
- 2021
36. Inconsistent screening for lead endangers vulnerable children: policy lessons from South Bend and Saint Joseph County, Indiana, USA
- Author
-
Lacey Ahern, Michelle Ngai, Matthew Sisk, Heidi Beidinger-Burnett, and Gabriel M. Filippelli
- Subjects
Male ,Indiana ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Lead poisoning ,Elevated blood ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Risk Factors ,Environmental health ,Epidemiology ,medicine ,Humans ,Mass Screening ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Social policy ,030505 public health ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Infant, Newborn ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Infant ,Environmental Exposure ,Guideline ,Census ,medicine.disease ,Lead Poisoning ,Lead ,Child, Preschool ,Female ,0305 other medical science ,Risk assessment ,business - Abstract
Lead exposure is a major health hazard affecting children and their growth and is a concern in many urban areas around the world. One such city in the United States (US), South Bend Indiana, gained attention for its high levels of lead in blood and relatively low testing rates for children. We assessed current lead screening practices in South Bend and the surrounding St. Joseph County (SJC). The 2005-2015 lead screening data included 18,526 unique children. Lead screening rates ranged from 4.7 to 16.7%. More than 75% of children had 'elevated blood lead levels' (EBLL) ≥ 1 micrograms per deciliter (µg/Dl) and 9.7% had an EBLL ≥ 5 μg/dL. Over 65% of the census tracts in SJC had mean EBLL ≥ 5 μg/dL, suggesting widespread risk. Inconsistent lead screening rates, coupled with environmental and societal risk factors, put children in SJC at greater risk for harmful lead exposure than children living in states with provisions for universal screening. Indiana and other states should adhere to the US Centers for Disease Control's guideline and use universal lead testing to protect vulnerable populations.
- Published
- 2018
37. Public health matters: why is Latin America struggling in addressing the pandemic?
- Author
-
Adolfo Martinez-Valle
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Latin Americans ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Public policy ,Public Policy ,Public policies ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Health systems ,Debt ,Political science ,Environmental health ,Development economics ,medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Pandemics ,Social policy ,media_common ,Government ,030505 public health ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Public health ,Health Policy ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,Public health policy lessons ,Social mobility ,Latin America ,Income Support ,Communicable Disease Control ,Public Health Practice ,Original Article ,0305 other medical science - Abstract
This article examines how Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru addressed the COVID-19 pandemic and the effectiveness of these policy responses from the date each country declared a sanitary emergency, between middle and late March 2020 to the most recent available measurement on 23 September 2020. To analyze how governments responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in these six Latin American countries, we use an index of government response, created by the University of Oxford. To explore the effects of these governmental mitigation policies on reducing social mobility, we use Google mobility reports. We also analyze how these policies may have influenced COVID-19 mortality rates. Overall, the results showed that both timelier and more stringent implementation of the public policies analyzed to address the COVID-19 pandemic seem to be associated with higher mobility reductions and lower mortality rates. We draw five policy lessons from the way each country implemented these mitigation policies. Key message Timelier and more stringent implementation of these public policies may contribute to a higher mobility reduction in several public spaces and to lower mortality rates.The effectiveness of the closure and containment policies in each Latin American country seem to depend on the degree of compliance of their respective populations and to their socioeconomic living conditions.Economic and social policies of income support and debt relief provided by governments allowed people to comply with closure and containment policies.Health systems should maintain high levels of policy stringency together with effective surveillance through testing policy and contact tracing. Supplementary information The online version of this article (10.1057/s41271-020-00269-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
38. Urban mobile food truck policies: reducing disparities and building a culture of health in the United States
- Author
-
Edward V. Wallace
- Subjects
Truck ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Food trucks ,Disparities ,Health outcomes ,Food Supply ,Nutrition Policy ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Residence Characteristics ,Environmental health ,medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Socioeconomics ,Poverty ,Social policy ,Medical sociology ,030505 public health ,Health Policy ,Public health ,digestive, oral, and skin physiology ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,social sciences ,Metropolitan area ,United States ,Culture of health ,Motor Vehicles ,Incentive ,Policy ,Food ,population characteristics ,Original Article ,Business ,0305 other medical science ,human activities ,Poverty level - Abstract
We undertook this study knowing that for people throughout the Midwest who live in low-income urban neighborhoods, finding and affording healthy foods continues to be a problem. People with less money are not only forced to spend it on food, but have so limited options for avoiding purchase of foods with high levels of fat, salt, and sugar. A review of the literature shows that very little is known about how mobile food trucks can increase availability and affordability of healthy foods in low-income neighborhoods in the United States. We compared municipal codes regulating mobile food truck operators and evaluated the impact on cities in the Midwest for encouraging a 'culture of health.' We analyzed six Midwest metropolitan areas with the highest proportion of minorities who lived below the poverty level and had mobile food trucks selling provisions in their neighborhoods. We found that developing more incentives for mobile food truck operators to sell healthier food options can contribute to improving health outcomes in low-income neighborhoods.
- Published
- 2020
39. Why protect civil liberties during a pandemic?
- Author
-
Peter Levine
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Public policy ,Public Policy ,Civil liberties ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Republicanism ,Political science ,Environmental health ,medicine ,Civil Rights ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Pandemics ,Social policy ,media_common ,Government ,Hungary ,030505 public health ,Equity (economics) ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Public health ,Health Policy ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,Democracy ,Political economy ,Communicable Disease Control ,Commentary ,Poland ,Public Health ,0305 other medical science ,Welfare - Abstract
During a public health emergency, a government must balance public welfare, equity, individual rights, and democratic processes and norms. These goods may conflict. Although science has a role in informing wise policy, no empirical evidence or algorithm can determine how to balance competing goods under conditions of uncertainty. Especially in a crisis, it is crucial to have a broad and free conversation about public policy. Many countries are moving in the opposite direction. Sixty-one percent of governments have imposed at least some problematic restrictions on individual rights or democratic processes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 17 have made substantial negative changes. The policies of Poland and Hungary reflect these global trends and continue these countries' recent histories of democratic erosion. The expertise of public health should be deployed in defense of civil liberties.
- Published
- 2020
40. Application of state law in the public health emergency response to COVID-19: an example from Delaware in the United States
- Author
-
Neal D. Goldstein and Joanna S. Suder
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Emergency response ,Public administration ,03 medical and health sciences ,Viewpoint ,0302 clinical medicine ,State (polity) ,Health law ,Environmental health ,Political science ,Pandemic ,medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Pandemics ,media_common ,Social policy ,Government ,Medical sociology ,030505 public health ,Shelter in place ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Public health ,Health Policy ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,Delaware ,State law ,Communicable Disease Control ,Public Health ,Emergencies ,0305 other medical science ,State Government - Abstract
The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic of 2019–2020 generated an equally unprecedented response from government institutions to control contagion. These legal responses included shelter in place orders, closure of non-essential businesses, limiting public gatherings, and mandatory mask wearing, among others. The State of Delaware in the United States experienced an outbreak later than most states but a particularly intense one that required a rapid and effective public health response. We describe the ways that Delaware responded through the interplay of public health, law, and government action, contrasting the state to others. We discuss how evolution of this state’s public heath legal response to the pandemic can inform future disease outbreak policies.
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
41. Estimating of the costs of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in agricultural works in Thailand
- Author
-
Somkiat Siriruttanapruk, Densak Yogyorn, Susan Woskie, Thanawadee Chantian, Pusanisa Chaladlerd, Pornpimol Kongtip, and Craig Slatin
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Occupational injury ,0211 other engineering and technologies ,Workers' compensation ,02 engineering and technology ,Gross domestic product ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Environmental health ,medicine ,Accidents, Occupational ,Humans ,Productivity ,health care economics and organizations ,Social policy ,021110 strategic, defence & security studies ,Agricultural ,business.industry ,Occupational injury and illness (OII) ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Agriculture ,medicine.disease ,Thailand ,030210 environmental & occupational health ,Occupational Injuries ,Costs ,Occupational Diseases ,Workforce ,Workers' Compensation ,Original Article ,Business - Abstract
Thailand lacks occupational injury and illness (OII) surveillance for its agricultural sector, a sector that comprises 34% of the total Thai workforce but is not covered by the workers compensation system. This study used data from Thailand’s Universal Health Care System to estimate the medical costs of OIIs from agricultural work in Thailand. In 2017, OII medical costs totaled $47 million (USD), about ~ 0.2% of the gross domestic product produced by the Thai agricultural sector. We recommend that some of the national funds currently used for medical treatment of OIIs be used instead to develop and implement prevention programs in agriculture. This would improve not only worker health and safety, but also productivity. Availability of data on working conditions, injuries and illnesses, and especially lost time, lost income and productivity, and OII-related costs for the workers and their dependents might enable better public health policy formulation.
- Published
- 2020
42. Leveraging media and health communication strategies to overcome the COVID-19 infodemic
- Author
-
Mheidly, Nour and Fares, Jawad
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Time Factors ,Computer science ,Science ,Internet privacy ,Infodemic Response Checklist ,Digital media ,Social media ,03 medical and health sciences ,Viewpoint ,0302 clinical medicine ,Leverage (negotiation) ,Environmental health ,Adaptation, Psychological ,medicine ,Humans ,Mass Media ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Pandemics ,Health communication ,Social policy ,Infodemic ,Internet ,Medical sociology ,030505 public health ,Pandemic ,SARS-CoV-2 ,business.industry ,Communication ,Public health ,Health Policy ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,Checklist ,Health Communication ,Empathy ,0305 other medical science ,business ,Stress, Psychological - Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a complementary infodemic, whereby various outlets and digital media portals shared false information and unsourced recommendations on health. In addition, journals and authors published a mass of academic articles at a speed that suggests a non-existent or a non-rigorous peer review process. Such lapses can promote false information and adoption of health policies based on misleading data. Reliable information is vital for designing and implementing preventive measures and promoting health awareness in the fight against COVID-19. In the age of social media, information travels wide and fast, emphasizing a need for accurate data to be corroborated swiftly and for preventing misleading information from wide dissemination. Here, we discuss the implications of the COVID-19 infodemic and explore practical ways to leverage health communication strategies to overcome it. We propose the “Infodemic Response Checklist” as a comprehensive tool to overcome the challenges posed by the current and any future infodemics. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1057/s41271-020-00247-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
43. Achieving HIV targets by 2030: the possibility of using debt relief funds for sustainable HIV treatment in sub-Saharan Africa
- Author
-
Roland Clement Abah
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Agenda 2030 ,International Cooperation ,media_common.quotation_subject ,HIV Infections ,Debt relief ,External Debt ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Debt ,Environmental health ,Development economics ,medicine ,Per capita ,Humans ,HIV treatment ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Africa South of the Sahara ,health care economics and organizations ,media_common ,Social policy ,Medical sociology ,030505 public health ,Sub-Saharan Africa ,Transmission (medicine) ,Public health ,Health Policy ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,External debt ,Debt service coverage ratio ,Antiretroviral ,Anti-Retroviral Agents ,Original Article ,Business ,Health Expenditures ,0305 other medical science - Abstract
This paper assesses the possibility of using debt relief funds to sustain HIV treatment in sub-Saharan Africa, suppress transmission, and reach global goals to quell the epidemic by 2030. The cost of providing antiretroviral treatment is a huge burden on African countries. Concerns for Africa’s capacity to keep pace with global advances are well founded. By analysing levels of ‘debt distress’, health expenditure per capita, and HIV antiretroviral therapy requirements in sub-Saharan African countries, the need for innovative finance with international cooperation emerges clearly. In addition to the HIV epidemic, African countries may become more vulnerable to disasters and other public health diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, Ebola and COVID-19, especially without alternatives to current means of financing. Relief from debt service payments could release funds for sub-Saharan African countries to support universal HIV antiretroviral treatment with sustainable results. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1057/s41271-020-00238-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
44. The two trillion dollar barn: science, prevention, and the lessons of disaster
- Author
-
Morris, Robert D.
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Economic growth ,Environmental Protection Agency ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Pneumonia, Viral ,Disasters ,03 medical and health sciences ,Betacoronavirus ,0302 clinical medicine ,Viewpoint ,Environmental health ,Political science ,Honesty ,medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Misinformation ,Pandemics ,Social policy ,media_common ,Publishing ,Medical sociology ,Government ,030505 public health ,Pandemic ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Prevention ,Politics ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,COVID-19 ,Transparency (behavior) ,United States ,Coronavirus ,Leadership ,Communicable Disease Control ,Centers for disease control ,Liberian dollar ,Public Health Practice ,0305 other medical science ,Coronavirus Infections ,Donald Trump - Abstract
The unprecedented scale of the CovID-19 disaster will define public health failure for generations to come. Its causes include inadequate funding, hostility towards science in general and public health science in particular, a government culture steeped in deception and misinformation, and a disdain for collaboration for the greater good among the community of nations. The consequences have been devastating, but it is essential that the public health community uses its moment in the spotlight to promote the agenda of science-based policy, honesty and transparency in communication, and international cooperation to advance the common good of humanity.
- Published
- 2020
45. Commentary: Global action on social determinants of health.
- Author
-
Labonté, Ronald
- Subjects
- *
HEALTH , *FINANCIAL crises , *INCOME inequality , *CAPITALISM , *FINANCIAL liberalization , *INTERNATIONAL taxation , *SOCIAL policy , *INTERNATIONAL cooperation - Abstract
This commentary argues that there are three major crises confronting global health: ongoing financial crises; deepening ecological crises; and rapidly escalating income and wealth inequalities within and between nations. Global rhetorical responses to these crises frequently invoke policy sentiments similar to those advised by the 2008 WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH). However, actual policy decisions run counter to the evidence reviewed by the Commission, and its final report recommendations. Failure to re-regulate financial capitalism, introduce regulatory standards for transnational companies, or subordinate trade and investment liberalization treaties to development goals and human rights treaties will exacerbate global health inequities into the future. More positively, there is increasing support for systems of global taxation. The challenge for global health, however, will remain the willingness of states to make domestic and foreign policy choices that strengthen income redistribution, economic regulation, and citizen rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
46. Bringing health and social policy together: The case of the earned income tax credit.
- Author
-
Arno, Peter S., Sohler, Nancy, Viola, Deborah, and Schechter, Clyde
- Subjects
- *
SOCIAL policy , *PUBLIC health , *NATIONAL health services , *HEALTH policy , *TAX credits , *PUBLIC welfare , *EMPLOYMENT - Abstract
The principal objective of our research is to examine whether the earned income tax credit (EITC), a broad-based income support program that has been shown to increase employment and income among poor working families, also improves their health and access to care. A finding that the EITC has a positive impact on the health of the American public may help guide deliberations about its future at the federal, state, and local levels. The authors contend that a better understanding of the relationship between major socioeconomic policies such as the EITC and the public's health will inform the fields of health and social policy in the pursuit of improving population health.Journal of Public Health Policy (2009) 30, 198–207. doi:10.1057/jphp.2009.3 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2009
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
47. Standards for arsenic in drinking water: Implications for policy in Mexico
- Author
-
Lizbeth López-Carrillo, Brenda Gamboa-Loira, Andrew T. Fisher, and Mariano E. Cebrián
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Population health ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Article ,Arsenic ,Scientific evidence ,03 medical and health sciences ,Environmental health ,medicine ,Humans ,National Policy ,Maximum Contaminant Level ,Mexico ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Social policy ,Medical sociology ,Drinking Water ,Health Policy ,Public health ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Arsenic contamination of groundwater ,030104 developmental biology ,Maximum Allowable Concentration ,Public Health ,Business - Abstract
Global concern about arsenic in drinking water and its link to numerous diseases make translation of evidence-based research into national policy a priority. Delays in establishing a maximum contaminant level (MCL) to preserve health have increased the burden of disease and caused substantial and avoidable loss of life. The current Mexican MCL for arsenic in drinking water is 25 μg/l (2.5 times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation from 1993). Mexico's struggles to set its arsenic MCL offer a compelling example of shortcomings in environmental health policy. We explore factors that might facilitate policy change in Mexico: scientific evidence, risk communication and public access to information, economic and technological resources, and politics. To raise awareness of the health, societal, and economic implications of arsenic contamination of drinking water in Mexico, we suggest action steps for attaining environmental policy change and better protect population health.
- Published
- 2017
48. Setting Health Priorities Across Nations: More Convergence than Divergence?
- Author
-
Blank, Robert and Burau, Viola
- Subjects
- *
HEALTH , *MEDICAL care , *SOCIAL values , *HEALTH policy , *SOCIAL policy , *INTERNATIONAL relations , *COUNTRIES , *MARKETS - Abstract
Recently, various theories of convergence of health care systems have been presented. This review of several dimensions of health priority setting in nine countries sheds light on the interrelationship between convergence and embeddedness. It reconfirms that within a co-existence of convergence and divergence, there are clusters of convergence, primarily at the ideational and social value levels. However, our findings suggest that the variation across different substantive levels is less clear cut than suggested by others. Moreover, the variation between different procedural aspects of convergence appears more significant. Certain ideas involving the need for rationing, the role of market mechanisms, and cost containment have gained recognition by health policy makers across countries, but this has not guaranteed their adoption. Our analysis demonstrates that despite these signs of a convergence at the conceptual level, policy content and the preferred policy instruments for implementing such policy continue to vary widely across these countries.Journal of Public Health Policy (2006) 27, 265–281. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jphp.3200082 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
49. Political determinants and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women: don’t leave your integrity at the political gate
- Author
-
Vanessa Lee
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Medical sociology ,030109 nutrition & dietetics ,Human rights ,Injury control ,Health Policy ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Poison control ,Gender studies ,Paternalism ,03 medical and health sciences ,Politics ,0302 clinical medicine ,Torres strait ,Environmental health ,Political science ,030212 general & internal medicine ,media_common ,Social policy - Published
- 2017
50. Policy coherence, integration, and proportionality in tobacco control: Should tobacco sales be limited to government outlets?
- Author
-
Patricia A. McDaniel, Elizabeth A. Smith, Heikki Hiilamo, and Ruth E. Malone
- Subjects
Alcohol industry ,Policy and Administration ,030508 substance abuse ,Proportionality (law) ,Smoking Prevention ,Decriminalization ,policy coherence ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Environmental health ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,health care economics and organizations ,Legalization ,Social policy ,Tobacco Use Cessation ,Tobacco harm reduction ,Public economics ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Tobacco control ,Commerce ,technology, industry, and agriculture ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Tobacco Products ,United States ,alcohol control ,Tobacco sales ,marijuana control ,Government ,tobacco control ,Public Health ,0305 other medical science ,business ,tobacco endgame ,State Government - Abstract
© 2017 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. Multiple factors, including marijuana decriminalization/legalization, tobacco endgame discourse, and alcohol industry pressures, suggest that the retail regulatory environment for psychoactive or addictive substances is a dynamic one in which new options may be considered. In most countries, the regulation of tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol is neither coherent, nor integrated, nor proportional to the potential harms caused by these substances. We review the possible consequences of restricting tobacco sales to outlets run by government-operated alcohol retail monopolies, as well as the likely obstacles to such a policy. Such a move would allow governments more options for regulating tobacco sales, and increase coherence, integration, and proportionality of substance regulation. It might also serve as an incremental step toward an endgame goal of eliminating sales of commercial combustible tobacco.
- Published
- 2017
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