We were delighted to have a few takers for our recent call for readers' ideas for what's on the population health radar in 2012. We thought many would appreciate reader Craig Mosbaek's perspective:
By Craig Mosbaek, MPH
Here are six trends I think will have big impacts on public health in the coming year.
The policy approach to public health. The understanding of how policies and environments shape health behaviors and health outcomes will continue to develop. Elected officials are beginning to appreciate this more, as well as public health professionals and others. You can see this institutionalized in initiatives such as CDC’s Community Transformation Grants, APHA’s new policy contest, and the Public Health Accreditation standards.
Funding for public health departments. There have already been big budget cuts at many local and state health departments. With the poor economy, these cuts will persist and there may be major reductions in federal spending on the horizon. With limited resources, health departments should focus their efforts on the most important public health issues.
Healthcare costs saved by public health efforts. Public health advocates are increasingly using the argument that policies to improve population health will reduce long-term healthcare costs. More research will focus on the return on investment (ROI) of public health approaches. Effective use of this argument could help alleviate the upcoming budget cuts for health departments.
Broadening the definition of public health. When expanding the definition of public health, some people use terms such as the social determinants of health or health in all policies. We are still working on how to talk about this broadened definition in ways that engage the public and encourage collaboration with other sectors.
Health impact assessments. A corollary to the above (broadening the definition of public health) is the growing use of health impact assessments (HIAs). The PEW site shows about 80 completed HIAs nationwide right now. I wouldn’t be surprised to see 80 more HIAs completed in 2012 alone.
New communications technology. New media (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, video over the Internet) will continue to transform the ways we communicate. This impacts how public health professionals collaborate with each other, as well as how we interact with the public.
Craig Mosbaek, MPH, President of Mosbaek Consulting, focuses on improving public health policy through communications, research/evaluation, and strategic planning. In 2010, he worked for Congress as the American Public Health Association’s Public Health Fellow in Government.
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