Journal of Public Health Policy最新文献

Since the 2022 Dobbs decision, 15 states have criminalized abortion for the first time in 50 years. Experts fear that bans will exacerbate the maternal mortality crisis in the country, especially for women of color. One of the top causes of maternal death in the United States is homicide. The relationship between violence and pregnancy is bi-directional; intimate partner violence is associated with unwanted pregnancies and unwanted pregnancies are associated with more intimate partner violence. Researchers have documented stories from women who report seeking an abortion because their partner is abusive, and they do not want to be "tethered" to that partner. With decreased abortion access, more children will likely be born into violent homes, increasing childhood exposure to household and lifetime violence. Our work explores the impact of the Dobbs decision and emphasizes the need for multidisciplinary and trauma informed strategies for preventing unplanned pregnancies and safeguarding families in this new political environment.

Alcohol companies have expanded their presence in the 'zero-alcohol' market with intensive product development and marketing activities. This has been framed by industry as an effort to reduce or solve alcohol-related harm. Such framing fails to acknowledge the financial benefits 'zero-alcohol' products offer alcohol companies and the ongoing concerns regarding alcohol brand marketing. To help inform an understanding of industry priorities, we looked at comments about 'zero-alcohol' products by major beer companies in online publications. In public-facing channels, 'zero-alcohol' products were discussed as tools for moderation, and their market a reflection of the 'good' that companies are doing. However, this contrasts with how they were discussed in industry-facing channels, as tools to expand markets, target new drinking occasions and compete with non-alcoholic beverages. Alcohol companies citing 'zero-alcohol' products as evidence of their commitment to social responsibility reflects a broader pattern of leveraging corporate social responsibility initiatives for commercial gain over genuine public health improvements.

Federal law requires all Federal Firearm Licensees (FFL) to ensure a background check has been conducted before any firearm sale in the United States. We estimated the proportion of firearm transactions without background checks across various forms of sales and other transfers in Missouri, United States in 2020. Based on the Missouri Firearm Survey responses from 361 respondents, 44% of firearms transactions did not involve a background check in Missouri, a proportion higher than national average. Sales at FFL presented the lowest proportion of non-background checks transfers (18.5%) while private sales from known sellers and transfers without sales had the highest proportion (82.8% and 78.4%). Among private sales, there were significant differences between those involving known sellers and those involving unknown sellers. This information can be used by policy makers to discuss potential solutions to reduce levels of firearm violence and relevant health issues in Missouri.

This study uses influenza mortality reduction (IMR) as an indicator of the aggregate effect of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI's) on the spread of respiratory infections to assess their impact on COVID mortality. Age-adjusted COVID mortality for US states were modeled using four variables: COVID mortality prior to introduction of NPI's, vaccination rates, IMR relative to 2016-2019, and population density. A simple linear model of the entire pandemic with only these variables explained 66% of the variability in COVID mortality with IMRs affecting the first two years and vaccination having an impact in the second and third year. A counterfactual model of no NPI's suggests they prevented 850,000 COVID related deaths in the United States. These results support the use of IMR's as an indicator of the aggregate impact of NPIs for controlling transmission of respiratory infections, including COVID and suggest that COVID mortality would have been almost 75% higher without them.

Despite expanding public insurance coverage and investment in public healthcare supply, the Mexican population not covered by social security has increasingly used private-sector outpatient health services over the past two decades. This is a public health policy problem because Mexico is committed to a constitutional right to health protection, which means unmet ambulatory needs must be fulfilled. This brief aims to measure the magnitude of unmet ambulatory health care needs, analyze factors that led to their growth, and formulate policy options to address them. Private services' share of total ambulatory care grew from 38 percent in 2006 to 66 percent in 2022, despite two national policy efforts to increase public coverage to nearly 50 million people. Neither policy provided adequate ambulatory coverage for its targeted population, leading to care seeking through private outpatient providers. We recommend strengthening public ambulatory care by increasing financial resources for public primary care and implementing more effective allocation to improve timeliness and quality of care.

Hearing loss is a significant public health challenge, with prevalence estimates based on projected age demographics rather than actual public health needs. This study aimed to quantify hearing loss using real-world data from primary care and explore local patterns and trends from 2013 to 2022 in Cheshire and Merseyside counties of Northwest England. Annual hearing loss prevalence was measured using an ecological space-time analysis of 2.7 million primary care records from Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. We applied cluster and outlier analysis with geographically weighted regression to examine local deprivation effects. We detected spatial clusters of high prevalence of hearing loss in Cheshire and an increasing trend in hearing loss prevalence in Halton. Deprivation accounted for up to 35% of hearing loss variance in 2020. Monitoring spatial patterns of hearing loss is crucial for addressing health inequalities and guiding targeted prevention and intervention strategies.

Physician shortages lead to longer wait times, shorter patient visits, and lower-quality patient interactions, resulting in a greater risk for misdiagnosis and an overall decrease in the quality of care they provide. In this viewpoint, we reviewed the issues surrounding full practice authority (FPA) for nurse practitioners (NPs) in the United States (US). We summarized evidence regarding the safety, quality, and efficacy of NPs in states that have enacted FPA and describes the role of NPs in closing the gap of unmet healthcare needs of the US population. We also described the success of states with FPA in their legislative efforts while other states are still plagued by barriers to FPA, providing context on the political environment surrounding FPA bills. The analysis of FPA for NPs meeting the healthcare needs of the US population can further inform policy to aid in similar healthcare needs globally.

HIV/AIDS incidence has been increasing in the Middle East region during last years, with low research on Jordanian populations knowledge in the transmission methods of it. This study examined the knowledge of Jordanian women aged 15-49 in HIV transmission methods using data from the 2017-18 Jordan Demographic and Health Survey with a sample of 14,689 women. Multiple logistic regression model was used to determine the factors predicting higher knowledge. Findings revealed that only 44.4% had above-average knowledge, indicating a knowledge gap. Regression analysis showed that education level, Internet use, and region of residence significantly predicted knowledge and attitudes. Higher education was strongly linked to better understanding (Odds ratio = 2.11; 95% Cl 1.69 to 2.64, compared to those who have no education). The study highlights the need for targeted educational initiatives, especially through digital platforms, and emphasizes focusing on less informed regions and pre-marital education to enhance awareness in HIV transmission methods.

Typhoid has been a major infectious health threat for the masses in Pakistan with increasing antimicrobial resistance, socio-economic decline, and environmental challenges. Since 2019, the percentage of cases has reduced with the implementation of Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV) program but reports of widened geographical spread particularly as aftermath of flooding in 2022 and resistance to Azithromycin or Meropenem in adult population are a matter of serious concern. Now is the right time to reconsider whether strategies like mass immunization or health infrastructure development solely can combat the hazards of Extensively Drug-Resistant (XDR)-Typhoid. Public health policies developed due to COVID-19, such as incorporating all stakeholders especially the public through community engagement, may provide a collaborative effort to lessen the prevailing threat of antibiotic resistance.