Browsing by Subject "Public Health Education"

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    Core Competency Gaps among Governmental Public Health Employees With and Without A Formal Public Health Degree
    (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2021) Taylor, Heather L.; Yeager, Valerie A.
    Objectives: To examine the role of a formal public health degree as it relates to core competency needs among governmental public health employees. Design: This cross-sectional study utilizes the 2017 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS). Bivariate relationships were analyzed by conducting χ tests of respondents' supervisory level and reported skill gaps. Multivariate logistic regressions of reported skill gaps were performed holding gender, age, race/ethnicity, highest degree attained, current employer, role type, tenure in current agency, and public health certificate attainment constant. Setting: Nationally representative sample of government public health employees. Participants: A total of 30 276 governmental public health employees. Main outcome measure: Self-reported competency skills gaps. Results: Among nonsupervisors, those with a public health degree had significantly lower odds of reporting a competency gap for 8 of the 21 skills assessed. Among supervisors/managers, those who had a formal public health degree had significantly lower odds of reporting a competency gap in 3 of the 22 skills assessed. Having a degree in public health was not significantly related to an executive's likelihood of reporting a skill gap across any of the 22 skills assessed. Regardless of supervisory level, having a public health degree was not associated with a reduced likelihood of reporting skill gaps in effective communication, budgeting and financial management, or change management competency domains. Conclusions: Possessing a formal public health degree appears to have greater value for skills required at the nonsupervisor and supervisor/manager levels than for skills needed at the executive level. Future work should focus on longitudinal evaluations of skill gaps reported among the public health workforce as changes in public health curricula may shift over time in response to newly revised accreditation standards. In addition, public health education should increase emphasis on communication, budgeting, systems thinking, and other management skills among their graduates.
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    Health Information Seeking Behavior and Perceived Source Trustworthiness in Public Health Students: A Pilot Study for Improving the Curriculum
    (2019) Hancher-Rauch, Heidi; Britt-Spells, Angelitta; Wojtyna, Amie; Standish, Megan
    Purpose: The Internet is a key resource for college students seeking health information, but it is unclear how well students are trained to evaluate the quality of information accessed. This pilot study sought to determine the sources and critical appraisal of health information accessed by public health students enrolled in a midwestern university to assess and potentially revise the health information seeking skills training of students in the program. Methods: Researchers used five questions from an online 21-item questionnaire that included demographics, novel questions regarding personal sources of health information, and evaluations of the perceived trustworthiness of information from those sources. Students in the public health education program at a mid-sized, private, midwestern university were asked to complete the online questionnaire assessing their health information seeking behavior and appraisal of the information sources. Results: A total of 46 public health students provided a final response to the questionnaire. Results highlighted that perceived beliefs regarding trustworthiness of health information sources were highest for medical providers (76%) and evidence-based websites (71%), but least for social media (65%). However, those who used social media for health information also found it to be trustworthy. Conclusions: Overall, it seemed students were capable of identifying valid health information sources, but some program revisions are recommended to better develop health literacy skills in students. Recommendations: It is recommended that programs of public health/health education consider a self-assessment of this type within their own programs. Identifying where students access health information and how they determine its validity allows programs to tailor educational experiences to best fit the needs of students.