scholarly journals An African Response to COVID-19: From principled first response to just recovery

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepayan Basu Ray
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
International Policy ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
First Response ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Additional Support ◽  
High Level ◽  
Health Messaging

In November 2020 Oxfam and SOAS facilitated an online high-level event to bring together African and international policy and public-health professionals to discuss their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, and offer insights into strategies and policies they have enacted in their respective contexts. Speakers tackled a wide range of issues, including government strategies and policies implemented, public health messaging and community engagement, varying threads of intersectionality and an honest discussion about gaps and additional support. This ‘outcomes’ paper draws out the key themes, trends and recommendations emerging from the discussions to inform a people-not-profit-centric Covid response.

Strategic Approach to Assess Training Needs Across a Diverse Region

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 28S-34S ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa C. McCormick ◽  
Justine J. Reel ◽  
Melissa Alperin ◽  
Laura M. Lloyd ◽  
Kathleen R. Miner
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Needs Assessment ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Training Needs ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Public Health Training ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Competency Based

The mission of the Region IV (R-IV) Public Health Training Center (PHTC), headquartered at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, is to develop and implement programming to train and educate public health professionals in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Region IV. To identify public health workforce development needs, the R-IV PHTC created a systematic process that included the implementation of a variety of strategies, to gain insights from each state within the diverse region. Conducting regular needs assessments is an integral step to ensure trainings are relevant and meet the needs of public health professionals. To this end, the PHTC employed a mixed methods approach to gather information on both competency-based and non–competency-based training needs, as well as training needs within R-IV’s content focus area of infectious disease. In R-IV there is great variability between the structures of the state and local health departments (e.g., some centralized, some decentralized), each of which faces different funding challenges and works with different service delivery models and regulatory authorities. Moreover, states have diverse populations (e.g., races, urban/rural, migrant/refugees, tribal, Appalachian) and face a wide range of public health priority concerns. Health departments were found to be at different stages of readiness to undertake a training needs assessment due to a number of issues, including their stage of pursuing Public Health Accreditation Board accreditation and recent participation in other needs assessment efforts. The R-IV PHTC approach to assessing training needs within this challenging environment is described.

Public Health and the Virtues of Responsibility, Compassion and Humility

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Nihlén Fahlquist
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
The People ◽  
The One ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract In contrast to medical care, which is focused on the individual patient, public health is focused on collective health. This article argues that, in order to better protect the individual, discussions of public health would benefit from incorporating the insights of virtue ethics. There are three reasons to for this. First, the collective focus may cause neglect of the effects of public health policy on the interests and rights of individuals and minorities. Second, whereas the one-on-one encounters in medical care facilitate a compassionate and caring attitude, public health involves a distance between professionals and the public. Therefore, public health professionals must use imagination and care to evaluate the effects of policies on individuals. Third, the relationship between public health professionals and the people who are affected by the policies they design is characterized by power asymmetry, demanding a high level of responsibility from those who wield them. Against this background, it is argued that public health professionals should develop the virtues of responsibility, compassion and humility. The examples provided, i.e. breastfeeding information and vaccination policy, illustrate the importance of these virtues, which needed for normative as well as instrumental reasons, i.e. as a way to restore trust.

scholarly journals Educational requirements for Health Information Systems: A scope review of the literature

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Beja ◽  
P Nogueira ◽  
L V Lapão
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Information Systems ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Public Health Information

Abstract Background Sound and reliable information is fundamental to decision-making across all health system. New information technologies can contribute to a more accurate and efficient public health action, requiring new and more sophisticated skills to support this change. Considering the European context, where public health professionals vary by country and cover different areas, and the need for a skilled workforce, the objective of this study is to identify the basic educational components required for a public health information specialist. This study is part of the ongoing research under INFACT Joint Action. Methods A scope review (Pubmed/Ebsco, free access texts, no time restrictions) was carried out in order to answer the following question: Considering the set of activities of public health, what are the main topics and trends of the literature on both Human Resources and Health Information Systems (HIS) training? Abstracts were read by two reviewers and the select texts analyzed using HOT-FIT framework for HIS. Results Among the 53 records, it was possible to identify different study designs and elements related to different contexts and HIS. There is a trend for new publications, with a significant increase since 2014. The content analysis showed more frequent themes in three main categories - Human, Organization and Technology, allowing identifying a wide range of public health professionals and their educational needs. Conclusions Results reinforce the link between information systems and public health, showing the importance of regular HIS as data source for monitoring population health, specific events and determinants, management and research activities and during the stages of the planning cycle of public health activities. The proper workforce capacitation emerges as a success factor for HIS implementation, as well as several professional profiles that carry out public health activities and the areas where it is necessary to strengthen their training. Key messages There’s growing interest in the use of technologies for the development of public health information systems. Workforce needs to develop specific skills for the technological challenges in Public Health.

Child Sexual Abuse Imagery

2021 ◽  
pp. 166-178
Author(s):  
Emily F. Rothman
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Child Pornography ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
The United States ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Wide Range

Child pornography, also called “child sexual abuse imagery” and “child exploitation material,” is a serious public health problem. This chapter reviews what qualifies as child pornography in the United States, its prevalence, how it is made and disseminated, who views it, and whether seeing it is associated with child sexual abuse perpetration. The topic of self-produced child pornography is also addressed. The chapter explains the historical link between anti-child pornography activism and anti-gay rights activism, and cautions public health professionals that, historically, outrage about child pornography has been used to galvanize people and further repressive agendas. The chapter argues that child pornography prevention strategies need to be carefully devised, in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders, and should be studied for effectiveness and unintended consequences.

scholarly journals Community Engagement: Reducing inequalities acting on environmental health. A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Sapienza ◽  
M T Riccardi ◽  
M C Nurchis ◽  
D Pascucci ◽  
G Damiani
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Healthy Environment ◽  
Public Health Professionals

Abstract Sustainability is one of the most important challenges for Healthcare Systems all over the world. According to the Sustainable Development Agenda, one of the goals is to reduce inequalities, and environmental health is faced by several specific goals. Community Engagement can both empower vulnerable populations (so reducing inequalities) and identify the prior environmental issues to address. The aim was to search for public health programs using Community Engagement tools in healthy environment building. A systematic review was conducted searching on Scopus, MEDLINE and Cochrane databases. The search string was created according to the Population-Intervention-Context-Outcome model. The Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies-of Interventions tool was used to assess quality. Data analysis was based on descriptive statistics and a Chi-Square test was performed to compare studies in which the community carried out engagement interventions with or without the direction of public health institutions (p < 0.05). Of 182 articles, 11 were eventually included. Risk of Bias was moderate in 70% of the articles. 7 studies were conducted in rural areas, while 4 in urban contexts. Target populations were children in 20%, adults in 50% and elderly in 30% of the articles. Concerning the intervention design, 9 studies included the research of local leaderships, and in 7 there were both context study (to identify the main barriers and facilitators) and the active planning of motivational meetings by public health professionals. We found that the level of engagement reached is highly correlated with the presence of public health professionals acting as engaging coaches (p = 0.007). Community engagement allows Public Health to carry out promotion and prevention programs by leveraging community forces. This study shows that one of the most important ingredients to make it work is the active presence of the Public Health professionals acting as community coaches.

Oral health diseases among the older people: a general health perspective

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Older People ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
General Health ◽  
Oral Health Care ◽  
Oral Diseases ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
The Relationship

Background: The relationship between oral health and general health is gaining interest in geriatric research; however, a lack of studies dealing with this issue from a general perspective makes it somewhat inaccessible to non-clinical public health professionals. Purpose: The purpose of this review is to describe the relationship between oral health and general health of the elderly on the basis of literature review, and to give non-clinical medical professionals and public health professionals an overview of this discipline. Methods: This study was based on an in-depth review of the literature pertaining to the relationship between oral health and general health among the older people. The tools commonly used to evaluate dental health and the academic researches of male elderly people were also reviewed. And future research directions were summarized. Results: Dental caries, periodontal disease, edentulism, and xerostomia are common oral diseases among the older people. Dental caries and periodontal diseases are the leading causes of missing teeth and edentulism. Xerostomia, similar to dry mouth, is another common oral health disease in the older people. No clear correlation exists between the subjective feeling of dryness and an objective decrease of saliva. Rather, both conditions can be explained by changes in saliva. The General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) and the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) are the main assessment tools used to examine oral health and quality of life in the older people. The GOHAI tends to be more sensitive to objective values pertaining to oral function. In addition, oral health studies in male elderly people are population-based cohort or cross-sectional studies, involving masticatory function, oral prevention, frailty problems, cardiovascular disease risk, and cognitive status. Conclusion: It is possible to reduce the incidence of certain oral diseases, even among individuals who take oral health care seriously. Oral health care should be based on the viewpoint of comprehensive treatment, including adequate nutrition, good life and psychology, and correct oral health care methods. In the future, researchers could combine the results of meta-analysis with the clinical experience of doctors to provide a more in-depth and broader discussion on oral health research topics concerning the older people.

scholarly journals 13.D. Workshop: SDGs in the focus of environmental and health issues

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The World ◽  
Environmental And Health Issues ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This workshop is dedicated on SDGs in the focus of environmental and health issues, as very important and actual topic. One of the characteristics of today's societies is the significant availability of modern technologies. Over 5 billion (about 67%) people have a cellphone today. More than 4.5 billion people worldwide use the Internet, close to 60% of the total population. At the same time, one third of the people in the world does not have access to safe drinking water and half of the population does not have access to safe sanitation. The WHO at UN warns of severe inequalities in access to water and hygiene. Air, essential to life, is a leading risk due to ubiquitous pollution and contributes to the global disease burden (7 million deaths per year). Air pollution is a consequence of traffic and industry, but also of demographic trends and other human activities. Food availability reflects global inequality, famine eradication being one of the SDGs. The WHO warns of the urgency. As technology progresses, social inequality grows, the gap widens, and the environment continues to suffer. Furthermore, the social environment in societies is “ruffled” and does not appear to be beneficial toward well-being. New inequalities are emerging in the availability of technology, climate change, education. The achievement reports on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also point out to the need of reviewing individual indicators. According to the Sustainable Development Agenda, one of the goals is to reduce inequalities, and environmental health is faced by several specific goals. The Global Burden of Disease is the most comprehensive effort to date to measure epidemiological levels and trends worldwide. It is the product of a global research collaborative and quantifies the impact of hundreds of diseases, injuries, and risk factors in countries around the world. This workshop will also discuss Urban Health as a Complex System in the light of SDGs. Climate Change, Public Health impacts and the role of the new digital technologies is also important topic which is contributing to SDG3, improving health, to SDG4, allowing to provide distance health education at relatively low cost and to SDG 13, by reducing the CO2 footprint. Community Engagement can both empower vulnerable populations (so reducing inequalities) and identify the prior environmental issues to be addressed. The aim was to search for public health programs using Community Engagement tools in healthy environment building towards achievement of SDGs. Key messages Health professionals are involved in the overall process of transformation necessary to achieve the SDGs. Health professionals should be proactive and contribute to the transformation leading to better health for the environment, and thus for the human population.

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