Population Health
by Jenna Ogilvie | May 31, 2016 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
In a list of 17 high-income countries, the United States ranks last in terms of life expectancy for males and second-to-last for females. The U.S. population also experiences worse outcomes compared with its peers in nine key areas: infant mortality and...
by Jenna Ogilvie | May 27, 2016 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
Social determinants of health, a short phrase that captures a broad array of issues, are some of the key reasons why health care reform alone will not eliminate health disparities in the United States. Social problems, such as food security, housing, and...
by Jenna Ogilvie | May 6, 2016 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
Background Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable premature death and illness in Denver (Denver Health, 2015a). Specifically, tobacco is a major contributor to four of the top 10 leading causes of death in Denver: cardiovascular disease, cancer,...
by Jenna Ogilvie | May 6, 2016 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
In rural western Massachusetts, a coalition with members from many sectors of the community has been working for more than a decade to support youth well-being and reduce youth substance abuse. In that time, youth drinking, cigarette smoking, and marijuana use...
by Jenna Ogilvie | May 3, 2016 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
Introduction Overweight and obesity, and their negative sequelae, have become the focus of policy makers, business leaders, health care systems, and the general public in the United States and globally. Currently, one in three children and adolescents in the...
by Jenna Ogilvie | Apr 14, 2016 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
“The ultimate test of [health] policy is whether or not it adds to the well-being of the population served.” Robert G. Evans and Gregory L. Stoddart [1] Introduction In “A New Perspective on the Health of Canadians,” Marc Lalonde, the Canadian Minister...
by Jenna Ogilvie | Mar 31, 2016 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
Background Patients of low socioeconomic status (SES) are at higher risk than patients of greater means for hospitalization for conditions that can be addressed in the ambulatory setting (Kangovi et al., 2013; 2014). Patients of low SES are twice as likely as...
by Jenna Ogilvie | Mar 31, 2016 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
Background Similar to the national rates of high blood pressure, data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System indicate that the New Hampshire rate of hypertension is just over 30 percent (CDC, 2013; New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy and...
by Jenna Ogilvie | Mar 29, 2016 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
Background Morbidity and mortality resulting from influenza have remained high in the United States despite efforts to vaccinate high-risk populations, leading public health officials to expand their vaccination recommendations to include schoolchildren (Fiore...
by Jenna Ogilvie | Mar 29, 2016 | Discussion Paper, Perspectives
Background Poor health is both a cause and a result of homelessness. According to the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (2008), people who are homeless are three to six times more likely to become ill than those with stable housing and three to four...
