A population health perspective on artificial intelligence

The burgeoning field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to profoundly impact the public’s health. Yet, to make the most of this opportunity, decision-makers must understand AI concepts. In this article, we describe approaches and fields within AI and illustrate through examples how they can contribute to informed decisions, with a focus on population health applications. We first introduce core concepts needed to understand modern uses of AI and then describe its sub-fields. Finally, we examine four sub-fields of AI most relevant to population health along with examples of available tools and frameworks. Artificial intelligence is a broad and complex field, but the tools that enable the use of AI techniques are becoming more accessible, less expensive, and easier to use than ever before. Applications of AI have the potential to assist clinicians, health system managers, policy-makers, and public health practitioners in making more precise, and potentially more effective, decisions.

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Active Commuting to School Among 36, 781 Spanish Children and Adolescents: A Temporal Trend Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-46091/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Patricia Gálvez-Fernández ◽

Manuel Herrador-Colmenero ◽

Irene Esteban-Cornejo ◽

José Castro-Piñero ◽

Javier Molina-García ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Children And Adolescents ◽

Economic Crisis ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

Active Commuting ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Active Commuting To School ◽

Time Period ◽

Health Practitioners ◽

Public Health Practitioners

Abstract Background Active commuting to school (ACS) is an important source to increase the total daily physical activity in youth and improve their health. How the ACS rates change along the time is of interest. The objective of this study was to examine trends in the rates of ACS in a large sample of Spanish children and adolescents aged 6–18 years from 2010 to 2017. The study period included the economic crisis in Spain (2008 to 2013) and secondary analysis was conducted to compare ACS rates during and after the economic crisis. Methods To investigate trends in ACS among Spanish children and adolescents, data were obtained from 28 studies conducted across Spain. The study sample comprised 18,343 children (6 to 11.9 years old; 50.5% girls) and 18,438 adolescents (12 to 18 years old; 49.5% girls). The overall trends in ACS were evaluated using multilevel logistic regression analysis. Results The rates of ACS in Spanish children and adolescents did not change significantly during the 2010–2017 period, except a sporadic increase in the rate of ACS in adolescents in 2012–2013. No significant association between the ACS and the economic crisis time period in either children or adolescents were found. These findings are in contrast to recently reported declines in ACS rates in other countries. Conclusions Strong partnerships between researchers, public health practitioners, policy-makers and communities, as well as long-term commitment and evaluations of interventions aiming to increase ACS are necessary to ensure positive results in the long term.

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Improving Legal Competencies for Obesity Prevention and Control

The Journal of Law Medicine & Ethics ◽

10.1111/j.1748-720x.2009.00394.x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 37 (S1) ◽

pp. 76-89

Author(s):

Sheila Fleischhacker ◽

Alice Ammerman ◽

Wendy Collins Perdue ◽

Joan Miles ◽

Sarah Roller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Obesity Prevention ◽

Prevention And Control ◽

Policy Decision ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ◽

Health Practitioners ◽

American Society ◽

Public Health Practitioners ◽

And Control

This paper is one of four interrelated papers resulting from the National Summit on Legal Preparedness for Obesity Prevention and Control (Summit) convened in June 2008 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the American Society of Law, Medicine, Ethics. Each of the papers deals with one of the four core elements of legal preparedness: (1) laws and legal authorities for public health practitioners; (2) legal competencies public health practitioners and legal and policy decision makers need for use of these laws and authorities; (3) crossdisciplinary and cross-jurisdiction coordination of law-based public health actions; and (4) information on public health law best practices. Collectively, they are referenced as the “white papers.”Our purpose is to offer action options that will help to improve the legal competencies of public health practitioners and policy decision makers with respect to drafting, interpreting.

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Media, Health & Health Promotion in Nepal

Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences ◽

10.3126/jmmihs.v2i0.15799 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

pp. 70-75

Author(s):

Edwin Van Teijlingen ◽

Padam Simkhada ◽

Ann Luce ◽

Vanora Hundley

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Promotion ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Public Health Agencies ◽

Wide Range ◽

Health Agencies ◽

Health Practitioners ◽

Key Issues ◽

The Media ◽

Public Health Practitioners

It has been recognised that the media can affect our perceptions, views and tastes on a wide-range of issues. The mass media in it various forms (newspapers, television & radio, the internet and Twitter) and formats, have a far reaching influence through, for example news programmes, documentaries, advertising and entertainment. At the same time the media can also be seen as a channel for agencies responsible for public health to get their messages across to the population. Public health agencies are always searching for ways to disseminate health information and messages to their intended audiences. These are, of course, global concerns, but as both public health and the media are part of the society in which they operate there will be locally specific issues and considerations. To date most of the research into the media and public health has been conducted in high-income countries, and there has been very little research in Nepal on the interaction of public health and health promotion with the media.This overview paper highlights some of the key issues that public health practitioners, media editors and journalists, health policy-makers and researchers could consider.Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences Vol. 2 2016 p.70-75

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The COVID-19 Pandemic: Model-Based Evaluation of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions and Prognoses

10.21203/rs.3.rs-27139/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Alex De Visscher

Keyword(s):

Mortality Rate ◽

Herd Immunity ◽

Normal Range ◽

Large Uncertainty ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Health Practitioners ◽

Seasonal Flu ◽

Public Health Practitioners ◽

Case Mortality ◽

Pharmaceutical Interventions

Abstract An epidemiological model for COVID-19 was developed and implemented in MATLAB/GNU Octave for use by public health practitioners, policy makers and the general public. The model distinguishes four stages in the disease: infected, sick, seriously sick, and better. The model was preliminarily parameterized based on observations of the spread of the disease. The model assumes a case mortality rate of 1.5 %. Preliminary simulations with the model indicate that concepts such as “herd immunity” and “flattening the curve” are highly misleading in the context of this virus. Public policies based on these concepts are inadequate to protect the population. Only reducing the R0 of the virus below 1 is an effective strategy for maintaining the death burden of COVID-19 within the normal range of seasonal flu. The model is illustrated with the cases of Italy, France, and Iran, and is able to describe the number of deaths as a function of time in all these cases although future projections tend to slightly overestimate the number of deaths. The case mortality rate is still prone to large uncertainty, but modeling combined with an investigation of blood donations in The Netherlands imposes a lower limit of 1 %.

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Empirically Validated Treatments: Health Psychology Interventions

Behaviour Change ◽

10.1017/s081348390000365x ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 6-8

Author(s):

Jack E. James

Keyword(s):

Population Level ◽

Premature Death ◽

Modern Medicine ◽

Behaviour Pattern ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Psychological Practice ◽

Health Practitioners ◽

Public Health Practitioners

Whereas King's (1977) focus was clinical psychology, the present commentary considers empirical validation of psychological practice in health settings. Comparisons are made with the fact that most diagnostic and therapeutic medical practices in use have yet to be empirically validated. At the population level, modern medicine does not appear to have had a large impact on any of the major causes of premature death, past or present. Conversely, there is strong evidence that all current major causes of death are closely related to behaviour pattern. However, there are formidable obstacles to the uptake and future development of behavioural interventions in health settings. Issues subsumed under the rubric of quality of care are particularly important, including appropriateness (treatment should not be applied when it is not needed — avoidance of overservicing), and necessity (treatment should be available to persons in need — avoidance of underservicing). The general public, health practitioners, and health policy makers are relatively uninformed about relevant psychological practices and about the central role of psychological processes in all aspects of human health.

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Advocating migrant and minority health in Bulgaria through an innovative education subject

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz186.020 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽

Author(s):

M Kamburova

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Services ◽

Health System ◽

Minority Health ◽

Health Problems ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Roma Population ◽

Health Practitioners ◽

The Subject ◽

Public Health Practitioners

Abstract Introduction Migrants and ethnic minorities often face serious inequities concerning their access to good quality health services. The Statement by the European Public Health Association on migration, ethnicity and health addresses the need of supporting public health policy makers by providing education courses. The objectives of the teaching course “Migrant and minority health”, established in Medical University-Pleven in Bulgaria as optional additional subject, is to extend the specific knowledge of students (bachelors and masters of public health) and to develop competencies and skills of future public health practitioners and policy makers. Results The unique for Bulgaria course consists of 15 academic hours of the curriculum and ends with an electronically based test. Teaching methods include lectures, seminars and individual practical assignment and stresses on practice rather than theory. The training advocates migrant and minority health by presenting: the most important migrant’s social and health problems; impact of migrants’ health status on public health; the organization of healthcare in the recipient countries of migrants. The lecture course provides information for the main challenges facing healthcare professionals and the health system regarding the health of the migrants and main minorities groups, in particular the Roma as a predominantly ethnic minority in Bulgaria and Europe. The result of exam until now is good in 42.8% of students, very good in 14.2% and excellent in 42.8%. The curse enable public health professionals to acquire knowledge regarding to the international situation, critical assessment skills and the ability to implement appropriate strategies to address specific health problems. Conclusions The training meets the needs of in-depth knowledge of public health specialists in relation to the medical and social problems of migrants and minorities in Bulgaria. The positive experience gives ground to include it as part of basic curricula. Key messages The subject “Migrant and minority health” enhances student’s competencies as public health practitioners. Knowledge and skills are relevant to the EUPHA Statement on migration, ethnicity and health. By the subject “Migrant and minority health” public health practitioners may work to establish friendly health system with good quality of health services for migrants and Roma population in Bulgaria.

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Residents’ Perceptions of a Community-Led Intervention on Health, Well-Being, and Community Inclusion Through Photovoice

Health Education & Behavior ◽

10.1177/10901981211009738 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 109019812110097

Author(s):

Clare Jackson ◽

Sara Ronzi

Keyword(s):

Social Inclusion ◽

Group Discussion ◽

Well Being ◽

Community Inclusion ◽

Policy Makers ◽

North West ◽

The North ◽

Semistructured Interviews ◽

Health Practitioners ◽

Public Health Practitioners

Community-centered approaches can be effective ways to engage communities and improve their health and well-being. The Grange is a community-led, multifaceted, and dynamic intervention incorporating a community hub and garden, that took place in a small area of the North-West of England, characterized by high levels of deprivation and poor health. Activities have been defined, developed, and supported by residents to meet locally defined needs. This study used photovoice methods to explore residents’ perceptions and experiences of this community-led intervention and any perceived impact on health, well-being, and community inclusion. Through photographs, semistructured interviews, a focus group discussion, and an exhibition, this study engaged intensively and creatively with a group of six residents. They identified positive and negative aspects related to The Grange and suggested recommendations that were directly communicated to policy makers during the photo-exhibition event. Participants reflected on various activities such as the community garden and the community shop. They also reflected on contextual factors and suggested that the culture of inclusivity and friendships associated with The Grange were more important to them than specific activities. This study demonstrated the value of using photovoice to (a) explore residents’ perceptions of community led interventions; and (b) meaningfully engage residents living in areas with high levels of deprivation. Public health practitioners should consider the use of photovoice (a) in the evaluation of health interventions that take place in a complex and changing context, and (b) as a powerful tool to engage with members of the community, especially traditionally disadvantaged groups, to ensure that engagement about health, well-being, and social inclusion is meaningful.

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Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare in India

International Journal of Healthcare Information Systems and Informatics ◽

10.4018/ijhisi.20211001.oa17 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Sheshadri Chatterjee ◽

Michael S. Dohan

Keyword(s):

Artificial Intelligence ◽

Healthcare System ◽

Qualitative Approach ◽

Healthcare Sector ◽

Healthcare Industry ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Proper Actions ◽

Policy Initiatives ◽

The Government ◽

Applications Of Ai

The purpose of the paper is to provide an overview of the issues related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in the Indian healthcare sector and provide input to policy makers. A qualitative approach has been used in this study to identify government initiatives, opportunities and challenges for applications of AI. , and suggests improvements in policy areas relevant to AI in healthcare. The study helps by providing comprehensive inputs for framing policy on AI in healthcare industry in India. The study also highlights that that if the proper actions are taken to overcome the various challenges associated with applications of AI in healthcare sector in India by the government, then the healthcare sector will immensely benefit. This article has taken an attempt to provide inputs concerning to policy initiatives, challenges and recommendations for improving healthcare system of India using different applications of AI.

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Strengthening the Collaboration between Public Health and Criminal Justice to Prevent Violence

The Journal of Law Medicine & Ethics ◽

10.1111/j.1748-720x.2004.tb00451.x ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 82-88 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Deborah Prothrow-Stith

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Criminal Justice ◽

Youth Violence ◽

United States Public Health ◽

The United States ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Evaluation Strategies ◽

Health Practitioners ◽

Public Health Practitioners ◽

Public Health Strategies

Over the last two decades in the United States, public health practitioners, policy makers, and researchers have charted new tenitory by increasingly using public health strategies to understand and prevent youth violence, which has been considered a criminal justice problem. The utilization of public health approaches has generated several contributions to the understanding and prevention of violence, including new and expanded knowledge in surveillance, delineation of risk factors, and prop design, including implementation and evaluation strategies.While public health activities generally complement those of criminal justice, confrontations, challenges and turf issues within this cross-disciplinary enterprise remain inevitable. Continued progress is dependent upon expanded efforts and greater collaboration within both disciplines.

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