scholarly journals The effects of quality of evidence communication on perception of public health information about COVID-19: Two randomised controlled trials

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0259048
Author(s):  
Claudia R. Schneider ◽  
Alexandra L. J. Freeman ◽  
David Spiegelhalter ◽  
Sander van der Linden
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Total N ◽  
Quality Of Evidence ◽  
The Public ◽  
Eye Protection ◽  
Evidence Quality ◽  
Randomised Controlled

Background The quality of evidence about the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical health interventions is often low, but little is known about the effects of communicating indications of evidence quality to the public. Methods In two blinded, randomised, controlled, online experiments, US participants (total n = 2140) were shown one of several versions of an infographic illustrating the effectiveness of eye protection in reducing COVID-19 transmission. Their trust in the information, understanding, feelings of effectiveness of eye protection, and the likelihood of them adopting it were measured. Findings Compared to those given no quality cues, participants who were told the quality of the evidence on eye protection was ‘low’, rated the evidence less trustworthy (p = .001, d = 0.25), and rated it as subjectively less effective (p = .018, d = 0.19). The same effects emerged compared to those who were told the quality of the evidence was ‘high’, and in one of the two studies, those shown ‘low’ quality of evidence said they were less likely to use eye protection (p = .005, d = 0.18). Participants who were told the quality of the evidence was ‘high’ showed no statistically significant differences on these measures compared to those given no information about evidence quality. Conclusions Without quality of evidence cues, participants responded to the evidence about the public health intervention as if it was high quality and this affected their subjective perceptions of its efficacy and trust in the provided information. This raises the ethical dilemma of weighing the importance of transparently stating when the evidence base is actually low quality against evidence that providing such information can decrease trust, perception of intervention efficacy, and likelihood of adopting it.

scholarly journals The effects of quality of evidence communication on perception of public health information about COVID-19: two randomised controlled trials

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia R. Schneider ◽  
Alexandra L. J. Freeman ◽  
David Spiegelhalter ◽  
Sander van der Linden
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
Health Intervention ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Quality Of Evidence ◽  
The Public ◽  
Eye Protection ◽  
Evidence Quality ◽  
Randomised Controlled

Abstract Background The quality of evidence about the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical health interventions is often low, but little is known about the effects of communicating indications of evidence quality to the public. Methods In two blinded, randomised, controlled, online experiments, US participants (total n=2140) were shown one of several versions of an infographic illustrating the effectiveness of eye protection in reducing COVID-19 transmission. Their trust in the information, understanding, feelings of effectiveness of eye protection, and the likelihood of them adopting it were measured. Findings Compared to those given no quality cues, participants who were told the quality of the evidence on eye protection was ‘low’, rated the evidence less trustworthy (p=.001), and rated it as subjectively less effective (p=.020). The same effects emerged compared to those who were told the quality of the evidence was ‘high’, and in one of the two studies, those shown ‘low’ quality of evidence said they were less likely to use eye protection (p=.005). Participants who were told the quality of the evidence was ‘high’ showed no significant differences on these measures compared to those given no information about evidence quality. Interpretation Without quality of evidence cues, participants responded to the evidence about the public health intervention as if it was high quality and this affected their subjective perceptions of its efficacy and trust in the provided information. This raises the ethical dilemma of weighing the importance of transparently stating when the evidence base is actually low quality against evidence that providing such information can decrease trust, perception of intervention efficacy, and likelihood of adopting it. Funding The Winton Centre for Risk & Evidence Communication, thanks to the David & Claudia Harding Foundation Research in Context Evidence before this study This is the first quantitative, empirical study, to our knowledge, on the effects of communicating the quality of evidence underlying an effectiveness estimate of a public health intervention on a public audience. Added value of this study This study provides novel insights into the effects of quality of evidence communication in a public health context. It is thus of high theoretical as well as translational value. Implications of all the available evidence Members of the public may assume that information around the effectiveness of a measure such as wearing eye protection to protect against COVID-19 are based on high quality evidence if they are given no cues to suggest otherwise. Yet, when given a statement of the quality of the evidence, this can (appropriately) affect their feelings of the trustworthiness of the information and their subjective judgement of the effectiveness of the measure. This raises the issue of whether there is an ethical imperative to communicate the quality of underlying evidence, particularly when it is low, albeit with the recognition that this may reduce uptake of a public health measure.

Doing no harm: Addressing the quality of evidence in translating research to practice in preliminary research fields

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 490
Author(s):  
Mei'En Lim ◽  
Corrine Reid
Keyword(s):  
Research Evaluation ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Rating Systems ◽  
Quality Of Evidence ◽  
Assessment Development ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Evidence Quality ◽  
Evidence Rating

Background: Current evidence appraisal rating systems, such as the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system, are oriented toward and anchored by randomized controlled trials (RCTs) as the gold standard methodology. In many fields, this standard of evidence is rarely, if ever, met. Often, research at the clinical application end of the translational process is embedded in real world practice that does not lend itself to RCTs and is characterised by more pragmatic research using mixed methodologies. Arguably, accountability through research evaluation is even more important in such cases where research design is preliminary and clinical impact is, often, already a reality. Further, practice translation must be privileged as the central goal of the research synthesis under such circumstances in that the destination of all clinical science is the person of the patient.. Methods: In response to these demand characteristics, a practitioner-informed research framework was used to drive and pilot development of an evidence quality grading system that could accommodate a disparate and oblique evidence base. Reid’s person-centered framework was used to establish whether clinician-derived criteria for quality research practice had been met. Results: This brief report presents the Quality of Evidence Rating System (QERS) in the hope of facilitating discussion about accountability pathways for translational scientist-practitioners.Conclusion: The QERS provides a scaffold to help when looking for evidence that researchers have consciously addressed the issues of evidence quality when reporting their research in the published literature.

Assessing the quality of public health in the Russian Federation and Israel: Main problems and solutions

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 618-632
Author(s):  
A.S. Panchenko
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Population Based ◽  
The Public ◽  
Disability Adjusted Life ◽  
Problems And Solutions ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Disability Adjusted Life Year ◽  
Practical Recommendations

Subject. The article addresses the public health in the Russian Federation and Israel. Objectives. The focus is on researching the state of public health in Russia and Israel, using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) project methodology, identifying problem areas and searching for possible ways to improve the quality of health of the Russian population based on the experience of Israel. Methods. The study draws on the ideology of the GBD project, which is based on the Disability-Adjusted Life-Year (DALY) metric. Results. The paper reveals the main causes of DALY losses and important risk factors for cancer for Russia and Israel. The findings show that the total DALY losses for Russia exceed Israeli values. The same is true for cancer diseases. Conclusions. Activities in Israel aimed at improving the quality of public health, the effectiveness of which has been proven, can serve as practical recommendations for Russia. The method of analysis, using the ideology of the GBD project, can be used as a tool for quantitative and comparative assessment of the public health.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Education for Public Health: A Practical Foundation for Solidarity

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Perkiö ◽  
R Harrison ◽  
M Grivna ◽  
D Tao ◽  
C Evashwich
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Public Health Education ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Rigorous Evaluation ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Professionals

Abstract Education is a key to creating solidary among the professionals who advance public health’s interdisciplinary mission. Our assumption is that if all those who work in public health shared core knowledge and the skills for interdisciplinary interaction, collaboration across disciplines, venues, and countries would be facilitated. Evaluation of education is an essential element of pedagogy to ensure quality and consistency across boundaries, as articulated by the UNESCO education standards. Our study examined the evaluation studies done by programs that educate public health professionals. We searched the peer reviewed literature published in English between 2000-2017 pertaining to the education of the public health workforce at a degree-granting level. The 2442 articles found covered ten health professions disciplines and had lead authors representing all continents. Only 86 articles focused on evaluation. The majority of the papers examined either a single course, a discipline-specific curriculum or a teaching method. No consistent methodologies could be discerned. Methods ranged from sophisticated regression analyses and trends tracked over time to descriptions of focus groups and interviews of small samples. We found that evaluations were primarily discipline-specific, lacked rigorous methodology in many instances, and that relatively few examined competencies or career expectations. The public health workforce enjoys a diversity of disciplines but must be able to come together to share diverse knowledge and skills. Evaluation is critical to achieving a workforce that is well trained in the competencies pertinent to collaboration. This study informs the pedagogical challenges that must be confronted going forward, starting with a commitment to shared core competencies and to consistent and rigorous evaluation of the education related to training public health professionals. Key messages Rigorous evaluation is not sufficiently used to enhance the quality of public health education. More frequent use of rigorous evaluation in public health education would enhance the quality of public health workforce, and enable cross-disciplinary and international collaboration for solidarity.

Running the Titan_Illumina_PE Workflow on Terra.bio v1

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill V Hagey ◽  
Kevin Libuit ◽  
Frank J Ambrosio ◽  
Technical Outreach and Assistance for States Team
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
File Format ◽  
Technical Documentation ◽  
Video Instruction ◽  
The Public ◽  
Viral Genomics ◽  
Genomic Characterization ◽  
Primer Sequence

The Titan_Illumina_PE workflow is a part of the Public Health Viral Genomics Titan series for SARS-CoV-2 genomic characterization. Titan_Illumina_PE was written specifically to process Illumina paired-end (PE) read data. Input reads are assumed to be the product of sequencing tiled PCR-amplicons designed for the SARS-CoV-2 genome. The most common read data analyzed by the Titan_Illumina_PE workflow are generated with the ARTIC V3 protocol. However, alternative primer schemes such as the QIAseq Primer Panel are also suitable for this workflow. The primer sequence coordinates of the PCR scheme utilized must be provided in BED format along with the raw Illumina read data. Upon initiating a Titan_Illumina_PE job, the input primer scheme coordinates and raw paired-end Illumina read data provided for each sample will be processed to perform consensus genome assembly, infer the quality of both raw read data and the generated consensus genome, and assign lineage or clade designations as outlined in the Titan_Illumina_PE data workflow diagram below. Additional technical documentation for the Titan_Illumina_PE workflow is available at: https://public-health-viral-genomics-theiagen.readthedocs.io/en/latest/titan_workflows.html#titan-workflows-for-genomic-characterization Required input data for Titan Illumina PE: Illumina paired-end read data (forward and reverse FASTQ files per sample) Primer sequence coordinates of the PCR scheme utilized in BED file format Video Instruction: Theiagen Genomics: Titan Genomic Characterization https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP9I1r6TNrw Theiagen Genomics: Titan Outputs QC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amb-8M71umw For technical assistance please contact us at: [email protected]

Experience Corps®: A Civic Engagement-Based Public Health Intervention in the Public Schools

2011 ◽  
pp. 469-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
George W. Rebok ◽  
Michelle C. Carlson ◽  
Jeremy S. Barron ◽  
Kevin D. Frick ◽  
Sylvia McGill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Civic Engagement ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
Health Intervention ◽  
The Public

scholarly journals Analysis of corporate political activity strategies of the food industry: evidence from France

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 3407-3421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Mialon ◽  
Jonathan Mialon
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Political Activity ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Corporate Political Activity ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Different Sources

AbstractObjectiveTo identify the corporate political activity (CPA) of major food industry actors in France.DesignWe followed an approach based on information available in the public domain. Different sources of information, freely accessible to the public, were monitored.Setting/SubjectsData were collected and analysed between March and August 2015. Five actors were selected: ANIA (Association Nationale des Industries Agroalimentaires/National Association of Agribusiness Industries); Coca-Cola; McDonald’s; Nestlé; and Carrefour.ResultsOur analysis shows that the main practices used by Coca-Cola and McDonald’s were the framing of diet and public health issues in ways favourable to the company, and their involvement in the community. ANIA primarily used the ‘information and messaging’ strategy (e.g. by promoting deregulation and shaping the evidence base on diet- and public health-related issues), as well as the ‘policy substitution’ strategy. Nestlé framed diet and public health issues, and shaped the evidence base on diet- and public health-related issues. Carrefour particularly sought involvement in the community.ConclusionsWe found that, in 2015, the food industry in France was using CPA practices that were also used by other industries in the past, such as the tobacco and alcohol industries. Because most, if not all, of these practices proved detrimental to public health when used by the tobacco industry, we propose that the precautionary principle should guide decisions when engaging or interacting with the food industry.

scholarly journals An investigation of the quality of meat sold in Lesotho

2009 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
T.M. Seeiso ◽  
C.M.E. McCrindle
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Geographical Information Systems ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Plate Count ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Veterinary Public Health ◽  
Slaughter Slabs

Since the closure of the Lesotho abattoir in 2003, only imported meat can be legally sold. However, it was estimated in 2007 that 80 % of the meat sold at butcheries comes from informal slaughter. The aim of this study was to investigate the situation. The number and location of informal butcheries in Lesotho (n = 143) were recorded and mapped using Geographical Information Systems. Observations (photographs) of informal slaughter indicated a lack of hygiene, unskilled slaughtermen and illegal disposal of offal with possible environmental pollution. In addition, a cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the microbiological quality of meat from randomly selected carcasses (n = 237) of cattle, sheep and pigs from a sample of 44 butcheries, 4 of which were associated with registered supermarkets. As a control, samples for microbiological assay were taken from imported meat originating from carcasses (n = 20) slaughtered at a registered abattoir in South Africa. Of the 44 butcheries investigated only the 4 commercial butcheries associated with supermarkets sold imported meat only; 3 butcheries sold meat inspected at government slaughter slabs (n = 3), while the rest (n = 37) sold both imported and informally slaughtered meat. In terms of Lesotho legislation, informally slaughtered meat is only for home consumption. The bacteriological counts from all samples showed a total bacterial plate count exceeding 30 organisms per mℓ in contrast with the controls which all showed a count less than 5 colonies per mℓ. This was found for both imported and informally slaughtered meat sold in Lesotho. In addition, meat samples from butcheries showed the presence of the potential pathogens Salmonella (n = 2), Staphylococcus aureus (n = 12) and Escherichia coli (n=15). During the study, anthrax was confirmed in 9 human patients, 5 of whom died, after consumption of informally slaughtered livestock. Although no cases of animal abuse were detected, it was considered that informal slaughter can prejudice livestock welfare. It was concluded that the current situation is not acceptable in terms of meat safety. Thus, the Veterinary Public Health Directorate of the National Veterinary Services has prioritised the monitoring of butchers, registration of slaughter slabs and a general extension campaign to improve hygiene and animal welfare standards for slaughter in Lesotho. This paper highlights the major risks associated with meat consumption without Veterinary Public Health intervention in accordance with international standards.

scholarly journals The Use of Evidence-Based Acupuncture: Current Evidence

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dedi Ardinata
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Evidence ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Systematic Research ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Clinical Expertise ◽  
Quality Of Evidence ◽  
Assessment Development ◽  
Evidence Quality

Evidence-based medicine (EBM), which emphasizes that medical decisions must be based on the most recent best evidence, is gaining popularity. Individual clinical expertise is combined with the best available external clinical evidence derived from systematic research in the practice of EBM. The key and core of EBM is the hierarchical system for categorizing evidence. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) system divides evidence quality into four categories: high, moderate, low, and very low. GRADE is based on the lowest quality of evidence for any of the outcomes that are critical to making a decision, reducing the risk of mislabeling the overall evidence quality, when evidence for a critical outcome is lacking. This principle is also used in acupuncture as a complementary and integrative treatment modality, but incorporating scientific evidence is more difficult due to a number of factors. The goal of this chapter is to discuss how to establish a clinical evidence system for acupuncture, with a focus on the current quality of evidence for a variety of conditions or diseases.

scholarly journals YouTube as a source of public health information regarding COVID-19 vaccination: an assessment of reliability and quality of video content (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Calvin Chan ◽  
Viknesh Sounderajah ◽  
Elisabeth Daniels ◽  
Amish Acharya ◽  
Jonathan Clarke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
Video Content ◽  
Public Health Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Quality And Reliability

BACKGROUND Recent emergency authorisation and rollout of COVID-19 vaccines by regulatory bodies has generated global attention. As the most popular video-sharing platform globally, YouTube is a potent medium for dissemination of key public health information. Understanding the nature of available content regarding COVID-19 vaccination on this widely used platform is of substantial public health interest. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the reliability and quality of information of YouTube videos regarding COVID-19 vaccination. METHODS For this cross-sectional study, the phrases ‘coronavirus vaccine’ and ‘COVID-19 vaccine’ were searched on the UK version of YouTube on December 10, 2020. The 200 most-viewed videos of each search were extracted and screened for relevance and English language. Video content and characteristics were extracted and independently rated against Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONCode) and DISCERN quality criteria for consumer health information by two authors. RESULTS Forty-eight videos, with a combined total view count of 30,100,561, were included in the analysis. Topics addressed comprised: vaccine science (58%), vaccine trials (58%), side effects (48%), efficacy (35%) and manufacturing (17%). Twenty-one percent of videos encouraged continued public health measures. Only 4.2% of videos made non-factual claims. Ninety-eight percent of video content was scored to have low (60%) or medium (38%) adherence to HONCode principles. Educational channels produced by both medical and non-medical professionals achieved significantly higher DISCERN scores than other categories. The highest DISCERN scores were achieved by educational videos produced by medical professionals (64.3 (58.5-66.3)) and the lowest scores by independent users (18 (18-20)). CONCLUSIONS Overall quality and reliability of information on YouTube regarding COVID-19 vaccines remains poor. Videos produced by educational channels, especially by medical professionals, were higher in quality and reliability than those produced by other sources, including health-related organisations. Collaboration between health-related organisations and established medical and educational YouTube content producers provide an opportunity for dissemination of high-quality information regarding COVID-19 vaccination. Such collaboration holds potential as a rapidly implementable public health intervention aiming to engage a wide audience and increase public awareness and knowledge.

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