scholarly journals Public health participation in alcohol licensing decisions in England: the importance of navigating “contested space”

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 323-335
Author(s):  
Linda Somerville ◽  
Betsy Thom ◽  
Rachel Herring
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Public Health Practice ◽  
Police Reform ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Contested Spaces ◽  
Public Health Departments ◽  
Contested Space ◽  
Public Health Professionals

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of Public Health in licensing following The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act of 2011, which added ‘health bodies’ as responsible authorities in licensing; in practice, Directors of Public Health undertook this role in England. Despite this legislation facilitating the inclusion of public health in partnerships around licensing, wide variations in involvement levels by public health professionals persist. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on the findings from interviews that explored the experiences of public health professionals engaging with local established partnerships around alcohol licensing. Qualitative data were collected through 21 interviews in a purposeful sample of London boroughs. These data were combined with analyses of relevant area documentation and observations of 14 licensing sub-committee meetings in one London borough over a seven-month period. Thematic analysis of all data sources was conducted to identify emerging themes. Findings This study highlighted the importance of successful navigation of the “contested space” (Hunter and Perkins, 2014) surrounding both public health practice and licensing partnerships. In some instances, contested spaces were successfully negotiated and public health departments achieved an increased level of participation within the partnership. Ultimately, improvements in engagement levels of public health teams within licensing could be achieved. Originality/value The paper explores a neglected aspect of research around partnership working and highlights the issues arising when a new partner attempts to enter an existing partnership.

scholarly journals Public Health Literacy for Lawyers

2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 701-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy E. Parmet ◽  
Anthony Robbins
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
The World ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Public Health Literacy

Public health professionals recognize the critical role the law plays in determining the success of public health measures. Even before September 11, 2001, public health experience with tobacco use, HIV, industrial pollution and other potent threats to the health of the public demonstrated that laws can assist or thwart public health efforts. The new focus on infectious threats and bioterrorism, starting with the anthrax attacks through the mail and continuing with SARS, has highlighted the important role of law.For lawyers to serve as effective partners in public health, they should have a basic familiarity with public health: how public health professionals see the world and the key issues they tackle. A practical grasp of public health can be acquired, and often is acquired, “on the job.”

Introduction

2019 ◽  
pp. 3-6
Author(s):  
Michael R. Fraser ◽  
Jay C. Butler
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Primary Prevention ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Public Health Practice ◽  
Local State ◽  
Clinical Aspects ◽  
Opioid Epidemic ◽  
Prior Work ◽  
Public Health Professionals

A public health guide to ending the opioid crisis is needed to help frame efforts to go “upstream” and address the root causes of substance use disorder and addiction. In this introduction, the editors provide an overview of the book’s three parts (Fundamentals and Frameworks; Connecting Clinical Perspectives and Public Health Practice; Moving Upstream—Prevention, Partnership, and Public Health). While a great deal of prior work has focused on the clinical aspects of the opioid epidemic, more is needed to address the community-level aspects, including addressing the root causes of addiction, and where public health professionals can intervene at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention. The case is made for increasing effort in the areas of primary prevention and policy change to support effective opioid stewardship at the local, state, and federal levels. The editors conclude by stating that communities will not “arrest” or “treat” their way out of this crisis. Instead, we have to redouble efforts to prevent addiction and address the clinical and community aspects of what drives an individual to become addicted in the first place.

Poverty and Health Disparities: What Can Public Health Professionals Do?

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
James H. Price ◽  
Jagdish Khubchandani ◽  
Fern J. Webb
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Public Health Practice ◽  
Premature Mortality ◽  
Health Risk Behaviors ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Policy Practice ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Health Promotion Programs

More than a tenth of the U.S. population (13% = 41 million people) is currently living in poverty. In this population, the socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental conditions have detrimental health effects such as higher rates of chronic diseases, communicable illnesses, health risk behaviors, and premature mortality. People living in poverty are also deprived of social, psychological, and political power, leading to continuation of worsening health and chronic deprivation over generations. The health of individuals living in poverty poses greater challenges from policy, practice, and research standpoints. Public health professionals are poised uniquely to be advocates for the marginalized, be the resource persons for health education, implement health promotion programs, and conduct research to understand health effects of poverty and design tailored and targeted public health interventions. In this article, we summarize the opportunities for public health practice with individuals living in poverty.

Fighting Big Soda at the Local Level

2019 ◽  
pp. 389-406
Author(s):  
Nikki Highsmith Vernick ◽  
Glenn E. Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Western World ◽  
National Strategy ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Sugary Drinks ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Food And Nutrition

This chapter provides an example of focused work at the local level to achieve policy goals related to food and nutrition and discusses the role of philanthropy in leading a multi-sector partnership. Public health professionals, researchers, and advocates are calling for a comprehensive national strategy to fight the ongoing epidemics in the Western world related to the over consumption of sugar. The chapter uses the case of taking on what it calls Big Soda (sugary drinks) as an example of a success story so far.

Training Texas Public Health Professionals and Professionals-In-Training in Genomics

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 1159-1165
Author(s):  
Lei-Shih Chen ◽  
Yu-Lyu Yeh ◽  
Patricia Goodson ◽  
Shixi Zhao ◽  
Eunju Jung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Public Health Practice ◽  
National Level ◽  
Family Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Health Professionals

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of genomics training workshops for public health professionals and professionals-in-training. Design: A pre- and post-test evaluation design with 3-month follow-up. Setting and Participants: Thirteen genomics training workshops were delivered across Texas to 377 public health professionals and professionals-in-training (66.7% were ethnic minorities). Intervention: Three-hour theory-based, face-to-face genomics training workshops focusing on family health history practice were delivered. Methods: We administered surveys prior to the workshops, immediately post-workshops, and at 3-month follow-up to examine the changes in participants’ knowledge, attitudes, intention, self-efficacy, and behavior in adopting genomics into public health practice. Linear mixed modeling analyses were used to analyze the quantitative survey data. A content analysis was also conducted for qualitative survey data analysis. Results: Genomics practice significantly improved among public health professionals at 3-month follow-up ( P < .01). For all participants, knowledge, attitudes, intention, and self-efficacy scores increased significantly immediately post-workshop compared to the pre-workshop scores (all Ps < .01). Knowledge and attitudes scores at the 3-month follow-up remained significantly higher than those scores at the pre-workshop (all Ps < .01). The feedback from workshop participants was positive. Conclusion: Our genomics training workshop is an effective program that can be disseminated at a national level to establish genomic competencies among public health professionals and professionals-in-training in the United States.

Policy making, adult safeguarding and public health: a formula for change?

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leo Quigley
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Public Health Departments ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Programme Development ◽  
Policy Problems

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the reasons underlying the slow rate of progress towards developing a comprehensive policy underpinning for adult safeguarding in England and proposes long-term solutions. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses a model of policy change to argue that adult safeguarding has been over-reliant on case histories to define its policy problems and influence its politics, while making insufficient progress on data collection and analysis. It uses examples from the parallel discipline of public health to explore four challenges, or “problems”, relevant to the further development of the knowledge base underpinning adult safeguarding policy. Findings – Four recommendations emerge for closing the adult safeguarding “knowledge gap”, including the development of a national research strategy for adult safeguarding. In a fifth recommendation the paper also proposes a clearer recognition of the contribution that local public health professionals can make to local adult safeguarding policy making and programme development. Practical implications – The first four recommendations of this paper would serve as the basis for developing a national research strategy for adult safeguarding. The fifth would strengthen the contribution of local public health departments to safeguarding adults boards. Originality/value – The author is unaware of the existence of any other review of the limitations of the adult safeguarding knowledge base as a foundation for policy making, or which proposes strategic solutions. The work is valuable for its practical proposals.

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