scholarly journals What will it take to improve prevention of chronic diseases in Australia? A case study of two national approaches

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Wutzke ◽  
Emily Morrice ◽  
Murray Benton ◽  
Andrew Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
National Initiatives ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Common Agenda ◽  
Thought Leaders

Objective Despite being a healthy country by international standards, Australia has a growing and serious burden from chronic diseases. There have been several national efforts to tackle this problem, but despite some important advances much more needs to be done. From the viewpoint of diverse stakeholders, the present study examined two approaches to controlling chronic disease in Australia: (1) the 2005 National Chronic Disease Strategy (NCDS); and (2) the 2008 National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health (NPAPH). Methods Individual and small group semistructured interviews were undertaken with 29 leaders across Australia, reflecting a diverse cross-section of senior public health managers and program implementation staff from state and territory health departments, as well as academics, thought leaders and public health advocates. A grounded theory approach was used to generate themes relevant to the research. Results There is general support for national approaches to the prevention of chronic disease. The NCDS was viewed as necessary and useful for national coordination, setting a common agenda and serving as an anchor to align jurisdictional priorities and action. However, without funding or other infrastructure commitments or implementation plans, any expectations as to what could be meaningfully achieved were limited. In contrast, although jurisdictions welcomed the NPAPH, its associated funding and the opportunity to tailor strategy to their unique needs and populations, there were calls for greater national leadership as well as guidance on the evidence base to inform decision making. Key aspects of successful national action were strong Australian Government leadership and coordination, setting a common agenda, national alignment on priorities, evidence-informed implementation strategies, partnerships within and across governments, as well as with other sectors, and funding and infrastructure to support implementation. Conclusions Both the NCDS and NPAPH were seen to have overlapping strengths and weaknesses. A key need identified was for future approaches to focus on generating more sustainable, system-wide change. What is known about the topic? Despite some important advances, chronic diseases remain Australia’s greatest health challenge. In efforts to tackle this increasing burden from chronic diseases, several large-scale, national initiatives have been released in Australia over recent years, including the 2005 NCDS and the 2008 NPAPH. What does this paper add? From the viewpoint of practitioners, policy makers, advocates, researchers and public health thought leaders, this paper examines the usefulness and significance of the NCDS and NPAPH as national initiatives for achieving improvements to the prevention of chronic disease. What are the implications for practitioners? By better understanding how previous countrywide chronic disease initiatives were viewed and used at national, state and local levels, this research is well placed to inform current, planned and future large-scale, population-level health initiatives.

Toolkit for Epidemiologic Response to an Acute Chemical Release

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 631-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Anne Duncan ◽  
Maureen F. Orr
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
Public Health Action ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Chemical Release ◽  
State And Local ◽  
The Many

AbstractWhen a large chemical incident occurs and people are injured, public health agencies need to be able to provide guidance and respond to questions from the public, the media, and public officials. Because of this urgent need for information to support appropriate public health action, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) of the US Department of Health and Human Services has developed the Assessment of Chemical Exposures (ACE) Toolkit. The ACE Toolkit, available on the ATSDR website, offers materials including surveys, consent forms, databases, and training materials that state and local health personnel can use to rapidly conduct an epidemiologic investigation after a large-scale acute chemical release. All materials are readily adaptable to the many different chemical incident scenarios that may occur and the data needs of the responding agency. An expert ACE team is available to provide technical assistance on site or remotely. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:631–632)

Different Responses to COVID-19 in Four US States: Washington, New York, Missouri, and Alabama

2021 ◽  
pp. e1-e5
Author(s):  
Paul C. Erwin ◽  
Kenneth W. Mucheck ◽  
Ross C. Brownson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New York ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
United States Public Health ◽  
H1n1 Influenza ◽  
The United States ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Constitution ◽  
State And Local

In the United States, public health is largely the responsibility of state governments’ implementing authority specified in their constitutions or reserved to states under the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution. The public health–related powers granted to the federal government are substantially less and derive primarily from the Commerce Clause (Article 1, Section 8) of the US Constitution. In public health emergencies over the past several decades, however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has played a major role in providing guidance, resources, and other support to state and local public health departments, for example, in large foodborne disease outbreaks, in response to major natural disasters, and especially in response to large-scale infectious disease threats (e.g., West Nile virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome, and H1N1 influenza).1 (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print January 28, 2021: e1–e5. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306111 )

US Screening of International Travelers for Radioactive Contamination After the Japanese Nuclear Plant Disaster in March 2011

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd Wilson ◽  
Arthur Chang ◽  
Andre Berro ◽  
Aaron Still ◽  
Clive Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Development Planning ◽  
Radioactive Material ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
State And Local

ABSTRACTOn March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami damaged nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi complex in Japan, resulting in radionuclide release. In response, US officials augmented existing radiological screening at its ports of entry (POEs) to detect and decontaminate travelers contaminated with radioactive materials. During March 12 to 16, radiation screening protocols detected 3 travelers from Japan with external radioactive material contamination at 2 air POEs. Beginning March 23, federal officials collaborated with state and local public health and radiation control authorities to enhance screening and decontamination protocols at POEs. Approximately 543 000 (99%) travelers arriving directly from Japan at 25 US airports were screened for radiation contamination from March 17 to April 30, and no traveler was detected with contamination sufficient to require a large-scale public health response. The response highlighted synergistic collaboration across government levels and leveraged screening methods already in place at POEs, leading to rapid protocol implementation. Policy development, planning, training, and exercising response protocols and the establishment of federal authority to compel decontamination of travelers are needed for future radiological responses. Comparison of resource-intensive screening costs with the public health yield should guide policy decisions, given the historically low frequency of contaminated travelers arriving during radiological disasters.(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2012;6:291–296)

scholarly journals Increasing Physical Activity of High Intensity to Reduce the Prevalence of Chronic Diseases and Improve Public Health

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tommy Aune Rehn ◽  
Richard A Winett ◽  
Ulrik Wisløff ◽  
Øivind Rognmo
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
High Intensity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Scale Population

High incidence and prevalence of chronic diseases, increasing obesity and inactivity as well as rising health expenditure represent a set of developments that cannot be considered sustainable, and will have dire long-term consequences given the increasing proportion of elderly people in our society. Based on a review of the experiences from previous large scale population-based prevention programs and the documented effects of increased physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness on chronic diseases and its risk factors, we argue that increased physical activity, especially vigorous physical activity, is a major way to reduce the prevalence of chronic diseases and improve public health. We conclude that a coordinated population-based intervention program for improved health through increased physical activity in the entire population, with a special focus on high intensity exercise, urgently needs to be implemented nationally and internationally.

scholarly journals Understanding chronic disease risk factors and multimorbidity

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 1990
Author(s):  
Irfan Sharif Shakoori ◽  
Fauzia Aslam ◽  
Gohar Ashraf ◽  
Hammad Akram
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Social Phenomenon ◽  
Chronic Disease Risk ◽  
Multiple Stakeholder

Chronic diseases and multimorbidity are becoming an alarming public health problem of this century. Multimorbidity is defined as “having two or more chronic diseases at one time in a person” and a result of complex biological, psychological and social phenomenon. The risks of multimorbidity can be divided into modifiable (behavioral factors) and non-modifiable (age, genetics) factors. Socioeconomic disadvantage and environmental factors can also influence on causation of it. Strategies aligned with primary, secondary and tertiary stages of prevention can help in the prevention of multimorbidity and reduction in complications among diseased. Multimorbidity requires multidimensional programs implemented through multiple stakeholder and policymaker’s collaboration.

Genetic alteration preceding any chronic diseases: using Human Genomic Project

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wissam Al-Janabi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Human Genome ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Genetic Alteration ◽  
Alternative Theory ◽  
Human Genomic ◽  
Genomic Project ◽  
Research Studies

Abstract: Since the human genomic project had been completed in 2003, scarce research studies have been done to evaluate the clinical relevance of this project to public health, specifically in the arena of prevention of chronic diseases. Utilizing the structural equation model, with a random sample from National Lung Screening Data. Using SAS software and Proc CALIS for the analysis to assess whether there is a genetic alteration/expression transpires prior to any chronic disease. And to encourage more research studies in this rookie field that merges both public health and prevention of chronic diseases with the human genome. The results of all three proposed models boost the alternative theory, which indicates there is gene alteration/expression anterior to any chronic disease. Therefore, the results stimulate the use of the human genome project in the area of public health in a way that can curtail many dangerous chronic diseases before they hit.

scholarly journals Glucosinolates From Cruciferous Vegetables and Their Potential Role in Chronic Disease: Investigating the Preclinical and Clinical Evidence

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma L. Connolly ◽  
Marc Sim ◽  
Nikolaj Travica ◽  
Wolfgang Marx ◽  
Gemma Beasy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Clinical Evidence ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Cruciferous Vegetables ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Preclinical And Clinical Studies

An increasing body of evidence highlights the strong potential for a diet rich in fruit and vegetables to delay, and often prevent, the onset of chronic diseases, including cardiometabolic, neurological, and musculoskeletal conditions, and certain cancers. A possible protective component, glucosinolates, which are phytochemicals found almost exclusively in cruciferous vegetables, have been identified from preclinical and clinical studies. Current research suggests that glucosinolates (and isothiocyanates) act via several mechanisms, ultimately exhibiting anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and chemo-protective effects. This review summarizes the current knowledge surrounding cruciferous vegetables and their glucosinolates in relation to the specified health conditions. Although there is evidence that consumption of a high glucosinolate diet is linked with reduced incidence of chronic diseases, future large-scale placebo-controlled human trials including standardized glucosinolate supplements are needed.

scholarly journals Variation in Price of Medicines and Free Medicine Availability for Treatment of Non-communicable Diseases in Public Sector of Eastern Nepal

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amrit Devkota ◽  
Anubhav Paudel ◽  
Bhawesh Koirala ◽  
Dharanidhar Baral ◽  
Swotantra Gautam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Health Centers ◽  
Essential Medicines ◽  
Essential Drug ◽  
Price Variation ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases ◽  
Medicine Availability

Background: Nepal is witnessing rise in non-communicable chronic diseases. Costs of the medicine, availability of the medicine for free in public health sectors and variation of price of medicines may play an important role in the management of chronic disease. The study was undertaken to find out the variation in price of drugs used for treating non communicable diseases among private pharmacies and availability of free essential medicines in public facilities.Methods: Randomly selected 33 public health centers and 13 pharmacies were included for the study. Availability of free essential medicines for treating selected chronic diseases was assessed in public health centers and percentage price variation in various branded drugs used for treating these diseases was assessed at the consumer level.Results: Out of 89 different formulations, variations between maximum and minimum priced brands of more than 100% were observed in 37 formulations and that of > 200% in 22 formulations. Thirty-seven formulations had more than 100% inter-pharmacy variation. The most commonly available free essential medicines was 4 mg salbutamol (88.57%) while the least available free essential drug was levothyroxine 5 mg (9.0%).Conclusions: Considerable variation in prices is seen among similar drugs and in prices of same drug in different pharmacies. These factors may have implications in the management of chronic disease in Nepal offsetting the government’s effort to control chronic diseases.

scholarly journals Multimorbidity Network Surveillance: Chronic Disease Clusters and Social Disparities

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun Kyong Shin ◽  
Youngsang Kwon ◽  
Arash Shaban-Nejad
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Chronic Condition ◽  
Multiple Chronic Conditions ◽  
Socially Disadvantaged ◽  
Network Surveillance ◽  
The U.S

ObjectiveWe study how multimorbidity prevalence is related to socio-economic conditions in Memphis, TN. In addition, we demonstrate that the accumulation of chronic conditions, which is measured by affinity in multimorbidity, is unevenly distributed throughout thecity. Our research shows that not only are socio-economic disadvantages linked to a higher prevalence in each major chronic condition, but also major chronic conditions are heavily clustered in socially disadvantaged neighborhoods.IntroductionChronic diseases impose heavy burdens onhealth systems, economies, andsocieties (1). Half of all Americans live with at least one of the chronic conditions and more than 75% of health care cost is associated with people with chronic diseases (2). Multimorbidity, the coexistence of two ormore chronic conditions in an individual or a population, often require complex and ongoing care and a deep understanding of different risk factors, and their indicators.Multimorbidity has been increased over the past years and the trend is expected to continue across the U.S. Knowing how different chronic conditions are related to one another andwhat are the underlying socioeconomic factorsis crucial to design and implement effective health interventions. We introduce “multimorbidity network affinity”, which measures the degree of how multiple chronic conditions are clustered within a geographic unit. Accurate estimations of how chronic conditions are spatially clustered and linked to other sociomarkers(3) and socio-economic disadvantages facilitate designing effective interventions.MethodsMultiple datasets including major chronic condition data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 500 cities, and socio-demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) demographics data have been consistently integrated. Then, network analytics have been performed to examine the inter-relations among a selected number of major chronic conditions and their manifestations in Memphis. To checkwhether a distinctive geographic pattern in multimorbidity is present, we carried out a test using global Moran’s I and Getis-Ord Gi*statistics. If apattern is detected, we use robust regression to explore how affinity isassociatedwiththe socio-economic disadvantages of the area.ResultsThe network analysis confirms the existence of close relationships between various chronic conditions. Ourspatial analysisshowthat the geo-distinctive patterns of clustered comorbidities are associated with socio-economic deprivation. Statistical results suggest that neighborhoodswith higherrates of crime, poverty, and unemployment are associated with an increased likelihood of having dense clusters of chronic conditions.ConclusionsThis study shows the importance of geospatialfactors in multimorbidity network surveillance. Moreover, it demonstrates how socio-economic disadvantages and multimorbidity network are connected. The healthdisadvantages are disproportionately accumulated in socially disadvantaged areas. Network analysis enables us to discover the links between commonly co-observed chronic diseases and explore the complexity of their interactions. This will improve the surveillance practice and facilitate timely response as well as public health planning and decision making.References1. Wu S-Y, Green A. The Growing Crisis of Chronic Disease in the United States. RAND Corporation. 2000.2. Anderson G, Horvath J. The growing burden of chronic disease in America. Public health reports. 2004;119(3):263-70.3. Shin EK, Mahajan RM, Akbilgic OA, Shaban-Nejad A. Sociomarkers and Biomarkers: Predictive Modeling in Identifying Pediatric Asthma Patients at Risk of Hospital Revisits. npj Digital Medicine (2018) 1:50; doi:10.1038/s41746-018-0056-y. 

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