scholarly journals Are Community Coalitions a Better Mechanism to Advance Health Equity? A Narrative Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adaline Heitz ◽  
Dennis Savaiano
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Health Equity ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Community Intervention ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Unique Challenge ◽  
Organizational Interventions

Background/Objective: Despite increasing emphasis on health equity in policy, leadership, and program development, meaningful advancement in health equity remains a challenge. A comprehensive review of community health coalition efforts to improve health equity has not been conducted. In this narrative review, we examine what evidence exists that community health coalitions can advance health equity, and whether coalitions are a preferred approach to address health equity. Methods: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science were searched for peer-reviewed, English articles with no date restrictions. In total, 1256 records were screened, of which 1163 were excluded for duplicate publications, no coalition or coalition-based intervention, no relevant outcomes, no emphasis on health equity or disparities, not primary literature, or unavailable full text. The remaining 93 articles are presented as a table of interventions based on outcomes. Further, evaluations of coalition effectiveness with controls are reviewed. Results: Populations of interest were racial and ethnic minorities, women and girls, low socioeconomic status communities, rural and urban areas, older adults, and LGBTQ groups. The most commonly reported results were changes in health outcomes or behaviors and community or organizational policy. Few studies were randomized, double-blinded, or controlled trials. This is not unexpected given the difficult nature of evaluating community interventions. Very few studies evaluated the effectiveness of a coalition-based intervention as compared to organizational interventions. Conclusion, Impact, & Implications: Available literature suggests that health coalitions influence health outcomes, policies, and important social determinants of health in populations affected by health inequity. However, community intervention studies pose a unique challenge for high quality evaluation. While health coalitions have a positive influence on health equity, more research is needed to determine the advantages of health coalition interventions versus organizational interventions.

scholarly journals Interactive social media interventions to promote health equity: an overview of reviews

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 63-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Welch ◽  
J. Petkovic ◽  
J. Pardo Pardo ◽  
T. Rader ◽  
P. Tugwell
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health Equity ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Populations At Risk ◽  
Media Interventions

Introduction Social media use has been increasing in public health and health promotion because it can remove geographic and physical access barriers. However, these interventions also have the potential to increase health inequities for people who do not have access to or do not use social media. In this paper, we aim to assess the effects of interactive social media interventions on health outcomes, behaviour change and health equity. Methods We conducted a rapid response overview of systematic reviews. We used a sensitive search strategy to identify systematic reviews and included those that focussed on interventions allowing two-way interaction such as discussion forums, social networks (e.g. Facebook and Twitter), blogging, applications linked to online communities and media sharing. Results Eleven systematic reviews met our inclusion criteria. Most interventions addressed by the reviews included online discussion boards or similar strategies, either as stand-alone interventions or in combination with other interventions. Seven reviews reported mixed effects on health outcomes and healthy behaviours. We did not find disaggregated analyses across characteristics associated with disadvantage, such as lower socioeconomic status or age. However, some targeted studies reported that social media interventions were effective in specific populations in terms of age, socioeconomic status, ethnicities and place of residence. Four reviews reported qualitative benefits such as satisfaction, finding information and improved social support. Conclusion Social media interventions were effective in certain populations at risk for disadvantage (youth, older adults, low socioeconomic status, rural), which indicates that these interventions may be effective for promoting health equity. However, confirmation of effectiveness would require further study. Several reviews raised the issue of acceptability of social media interventions. Only four studies reported on the level of intervention use and all of these reported low use. More research on established social media platforms with existing social networks is needed, particularly in populations at risk for disadvantage, to assess effects on health outcomes and health equity.

scholarly journals Improving community health equity: the potential role for mHealth in Papua New Guinea

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Belinda Jane Loring ◽  
Sharon Friel ◽  
Don Matheson ◽  
Russell Kitau ◽  
Isaac Ake ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health System ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Papua New Guinea ◽  
Health Equity ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
Positive Change

Papua New Guinea (PNG) faces formidable health equity challenges.  Technology and information is a key part of an effective health system and a determinant of community health equity. Innovative uses of mHealth technologies are proliferating in PNG and can facilitate improvements in the flow of data and information in the PNG health system.  However in isolation these are unlikely to lead to positive change in health equity.  This paper considers the implications of mHealth interventions within the broader PNG health system, and discusses the importance of evaluation to ensure mHealth contributes to improved community health outcomes and health equity.

Behavioural health outcomes in veterans compared to nonveterans by rural and urban areas in Alabama, 2015–2018

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Albright ◽  
Kari L. Fletcher ◽  
Kate H. Thomas ◽  
Justin T. McDaniel ◽  
Kirsten Laha‐Walsh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Behavioural Health ◽  
Rural And Urban

scholarly journals Being a Patient Representative Is More Work Than Being a Patient Advocate—Done Right, It Is Also Likely to Be More Effective

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 1017-1019
Author(s):  
Richard Wassersug
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Background Knowledge ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Patient Advocate ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Patient Representative

For a patient to be effective as a “patient representative” within a health-related organization, work and more than just accepting an honorific title is required. I argue that for a patient to be most effective as a patient representative requires different types of background knowledge and commitment than being a “patient advocate”. Patients need to be cautious about how, when, and where they take on an official role of either an “advocate” or “representative”, if they truly want to be a positive influence on health outcomes.

scholarly journals Co-designing to advance community health and health equity in Wisconsin: Building the Neighborhood Health Partnerships Program

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Jessica Bonham-Werling ◽  
Susan Passmore ◽  
Korina Hendricks ◽  
Lauren Bednarz ◽  
Victoria Faust ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Health Equity ◽  
Health Partnerships

scholarly journals Impact of Different Levels of Supervision on the Recovery of Severely Malnourished Children Treated by Community Health Workers in Mali

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 367
Author(s):  
Pilar Charle-Cuéllar ◽  
Noemí López-Ejeda ◽  
Mamadou Traore ◽  
Adama Balla Coulibaly ◽  
Aly Landouré ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Community Intervention ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Acute Malnutrition ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Supportive Supervision ◽  
Supervision Group ◽  
Different Levels

(1) Background: The Ministry of Health in Mali included the treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) into the package of activities of the integrated community case management (iCCM). This paper evaluates the most effective model of supervision for treating SAM using community health workers (CHWs). Methods (2): This study was a prospective non-randomized community intervention trial with two intervention groups and one control group with different levels of supervision. It was conducted in three districts in rural areas of the Kayes Region. In the high supervision group, CHWs received supportive supervision for the iCCM package and nutrition-specific supervision. In the light supervision group, CHWs received supportive supervision based on the iCCM package. The control group had no specific supervision. (3) Results: A total of 6112 children aged 6–59 months with SAM without medical complications were included in the study. The proportion of cured children was 81.4% in those treated by CHWs in the high supervision group, 86.2% in the light supervision group, and 66.9% in the control group. Children treated by the CHWs who received some supervision had better outcomes than those treated by unsupervised CHWs (p < 0.001). There was no difference between areas with light and high supervision, although those with high supervision performed better in most of the tasks analyzed. (4) Conclusions: Public policies in low-income countries should be adapted, and their model of supervision of CHWs for SAM treatment in the community should be evaluated.

Shared Use and Safe Routes to School: Managing the Fear of Liability

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (S1) ◽  
pp. 36-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin D. Winig ◽  
John O. Spengler ◽  
Alexis M. Etow
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Community Health ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
Policy Initiatives ◽  
Safe Routes To School ◽  
Improve Health

This paper examines two policy initiatives that research shows can increase opportunities for physical activity and, in turn, improve health outcomes. These initiatives — shared use and Safe Routes to School (SRTS) — can and should be embraced by schools to improve student and community health. Fear of liability, however, has made many schools reluctant to support these efforts despite their proven benefits. This paper addresses school administrators’ real and perceived liability concerns and identifies four strategies for managing the fear of liability and mitigating any potential liability exposure.

Technology-Delivered Adaptations of Motivational Interviewing (TAMI) Interventions for the Prevention and Management of Chronic Disease: Narrative Review (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Havisha Pedamallu ◽  
Matthew J. Ehrhardt ◽  
Julia Maki ◽  
April Idalski Carcone ◽  
Melissa M. Hudson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Motivational Interviewing ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Behavioral Outcomes ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Population Characteristics ◽  
Web Based

BACKGROUND Motivational interviewing is an effective strategy to mitigate chronic disease risk through promotion of health behavior changes. However, multiple barriers impede its delivery to and uptake by patients. mHealth-based versions of motivational interviewing interventions, or technology-delivered adaptations of motivational interviewing (TAMIs), might increase reach, but their effectiveness is less well-understood. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this narrative review was to characterize the extent to which TAMIs: (1) affect behavioral outcomes, (2) have included individuals from populations that have been marginalized, and (3) have addressed socio-contextual influences on health. METHODS We identified studies indexed in PubMed that described interventions incorporating motivational interviewing techniques into a mobile or electronic health platform. Data were abstracted from eligible studies, including target population characteristics, study design and eligibility criteria, theoretical/conceptual models utilized, mHealth tool details, and effects on behavioral outcomes. RESULTS Thirty-three studies reported the use of TAMIs. Sample sizes ranged from 10 to 2,069 participants ages 13 to 70 years. Most studies (n=24) directed interventions towards individuals engaging in behaviors that increased the risk of chronic disease. Most studies oversampled (n=18) individuals from marginalized socio-demographic groups, but few were designed specifically with marginalized groups in mind (n=3). TAMIs utilized text messaging (n=7), web-based (n=19), app + text messaging (n=1), and web-based + text messaging (n=3) delivery platforms. Twenty-seven (90%) included randomized controlled trials reporting behavioral and health-related outcomes, 21 of which reported statistically significant improvements in targeted behaviors with the use of TAMIs. TAMIs improved targeted health behaviors in the remaining 3 studies. Nine of 30 (30%) assessed TAMI feasibility, acceptability, and/or satisfaction, all of which rated TAMIs highly in this regard. Among 18 studies comprised of a disproportionately high number of racial or ethnic minorities, 15 (83%) reported increased engagement in health behaviors and/or better health outcomes. CONCLUSIONS TAMIs can improve health promotion and disease management behaviors for people from a variety of socio-demographic backgrounds. Future studies are needed to determine the contribution of TAMIs on individual health outcomes, and to determine best practices for implementing TAMIs into clinical practice.

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