Scientific writing and publication are essential to advancing knowledge and practice in public health, but prospective authors face substantial challenges. Authors can overcome barriers, such as lack of understanding about scientific writing and the publishing process, with training and resources. The objective of this article is to provide guidance and practical recommendations to help both inexperienced and experienced authors working in public health settings to more efficiently publish the results of their work in the peer-reviewed literature. We include an overview of basic scientific writing principles, a detailed description of the sections of an original research article, and practical recommendations for selecting a journal and responding to peer review comments. The overall approach and strategies presented are intended to contribute to individual career development while also increasing the external validity of published literature and promoting quality public health science.

BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a multi-dimensional concept commonly used to examine the impact of health status on quality of life. HRQOL is often measured by four core questions that asked about general health status and number of unhealthy days in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Use of these measures individually, however, may not provide a cohesive picture of overall HRQOL. To address this concern, this study developed and tested a method for combining these four measures into a summary score. METHODS: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed using BRFSS 2013 data to determine potential numerical relationships among the four HRQOL items. We also examined the stability of our proposed one-factor model over time by using BRFSS 2001-2010 and BRFSS 2011-2013 data sets. RESULTS: Both exploratory factor analysis and goodness of fit tests supported the notion that one summary factor could capture overall HRQOL. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated acceptable goodness of fit of this model. The predicted factor score showed good validity with all of the four HRQOL items. In addition, use of the one-factor model showed stability, with no changes being detected from 2001 to 2013. CONCLUSION: Instead of using four individual items to measure HRQOL, it is feasible to study overall HRQOL via factor analysis with one underlying construct. The resulting summary score of HRQOL may be used for health evaluation, subgroup comparison, trend monitoring, and risk factor identification.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of a large-scale place-based intervention on obesity prevalence in Black communities. METHODS: The Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health across the United States (REACH US) project was conducted in 14 predominantly Black communities in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. We measured trends from 2009 to 2012 in the prevalence of obesity. We used Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data to compare these trends with trends among non-Hispanic Whites and non-Hispanic Blacks in the United States and in the 10 states where REACH communities were located, and with a propensity score-matched national sample of non-Hispanic Blacks. RESULTS: The age-standardized prevalence of obesity decreased in REACH US communities (P = .045), but not in the comparison populations (P = .435 to P = .996). The relative change was -5.3% in REACH US communities versus +2.4% in propensity score-matched controls (P value for the difference = .031). The net effect on the reduction of obesity prevalence was about 1 percentage point per year for REACH. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity prevalence was reduced in 14 disadvantaged Black communities that participated in the REACH project. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print June 16, 2016: e1-e7. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303253).

BACKGROUND: Compared with the general population in the United States (U.S.), Hispanics with hypertension are less likely to be aware of their condition, to take antihypertensive medication, and to adopt healthy lifestyles to control high blood pressure. We examined whether a multi-community intervention successfully increased the prevalence of actions to control hypertension among Hispanics. METHODS: Annual survey from 2009-2012 was conducted in six Hispanic communities in the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) Across the U.S. PROJECT. The survey used address based sampling design that matched the geographies of intervention program. RESULTS: Age- and sex-standardized prevalences of taking hypertensive medication, changing eating habits, cutting down on salt, and reducing alcohol use significantly increased among Hispanics with self-reported hypertension in REACH communities. The 3-year relative percent increases were 5.8, 6.8, 7.9, and 35.2% for the four indicators, respectively. These favorable (healthier) trends occurred in both foreign-born and U.S.-born Hispanics. CONCLUSION: This large community-based participatory intervention resulted in more Hispanic residents in the communities taking actions to control high blood pressure.

BACKGROUND: Data on large scale community-level interventions on fruit and vegetable consumption targeting minority communities are lacking. This study examined whether a multicommunity intervention decreased disparities in fruit and vegetable consumption. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) 2010 program was conducted among 16 black communities. Five-year trends (2001-2006) in self-reported fruit and vegetable consumption among the target population were compared with trends among white and black populations in 14 states where communities were located. RESULTS: The geometric mean of combined fruit and vegetable consumption in the REACH communities increased 7.4 % (P0.001) but did not change among white and black populations in comparison states (P0.05). Increased consumption in REACH communities was higher in the lower quintiles of consumptions. The disparity in fruits and vegetables consumption between comparison white population and blacks in REACH communities decreased by 33 %-from 0.66 to 0.44 times per day. The target population of 1.2 million people consumed fruits and vegetables about 21.9 million additional times per year as a result of the REACH program. CONCLUSION: This large community-based participatory intervention successfully reduced isparities in fruit and vegetable consumption between comparison white population and 16 disadvantaged black communities.

The role of neighborhood walkability and safety in mediating the association between education and physical activity has not been quantified. We used data from the 2010 and 2012 Communities Putting Prevention to Work Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and structural equation modeling to estimate how much of the effect of education level on physical activity was mediated by perceived neighborhood walkability and safety. Neighborhood walkability accounts for 11.3% and neighborhood safety accounts for 6.8% of the effect. A modest proportion of the important association between education and physical activity is mediated by perceived neighborhood walkability and safety, suggesting that interventions focused on enhancing walkability and safety could reduce the disparity in physical activity associated with education level.

Food insecurity is positively linked to risk of hypertension; however, it is not known whether this relationship persists after adjustment for socioeconomic position (SEP). We examined the association between food insecurity and self-reported hypertension among adults aged 35 or older (N = 58,677) in 12 states that asked the food insecurity question in their 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System questionnaire. After adjusting for SEP, hypertension was more common among adults reporting food insecurity (adjusted prevalence ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-1.36). Our study found a positive relationship between food insecurity and hypertension after adjusting for SEP and other characteristics.

INTRODUCTION: Count data are often collected in chronic disease research, and sometimes these data have a skewed distribution. The number of unhealthy days reported in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is an example of such data: most respondents report zero days. Studies have either categorized the Healthy Days measure or used linear regression models. We used alternative regression models for these count data and examined the effect on statistical inference. METHODS: Using responses from participants aged 35 years or older from 12 states that included a homeownership question in their 2009 BRFSS, we compared 5 multivariate regression models - logistic, linear, Poisson, negative binomial, and zero-inflated negative binomial - with respect to 1) how well the modeled data fit the observed data and 2) how model selections affect inferences. RESULTS: Most respondents (66.8%) reported zero mentally unhealthy days. The distribution was highly skewed (variance = 58.7, mean = 3.3 d). Zero-inflated negative binomial regression provided the best-fitting model, followed by negative binomial regression. A significant independent association between homeownership and number of mentally unhealthy days was not found in the logistic, linear, or Poisson regression model but was found in the negative binomial model. The zero-inflated negative binomial model showed that homeowners were 24% more likely than nonowners to have excess zero mentally unhealthy days (adjusted odds ratio, 1.24; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.43), but it did not show an association between homeownership and the number of unhealthy days. CONCLUSION: Our comparison of regression models indicates the importance of examining data distribution and selecting models with appropriate assumptions. Otherwise, statistical inferences might be misleading.

INTRODUCTION: The validity of self-reported data for mammography differ by race. We assessed the effect of racial differences in the validity of age-adjusted, self-reported mammography use estimates from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) from 1995 through 2006 to determine whether misclassification (inaccurate survey question response) may have obscured actual racial disparities. METHODS: We adjusted BRFSS mammography use data for age by using 2000 census estimates and for misclassification by using the following formula: (estimated prevalence - 1 + specificity) / (sensitivity + specificity - 1). We used values reported in the literature for the formula (sensitivity = 0.97 for both black and white women, specificity = 0.49 and 0.62, respectively, for black and white women). RESULTS: After adjustment for misclassification, the percentage of women aged 40 years or older in 1995 who reported receiving a mammogram during the previous 2 years was 54% among white women and 41% among black women, compared with 70% among both white and black women after adjustment for age only. In 2006, the percentage after adjustment for misclassification was 65% among white women and 59% among black women compared with 77% among white women and 78% among black women after adjustment for age only. CONCLUSION: Self-reported data overestimate mammography use - more so for black women than for white women. After adjustment for respondent misclassification, neither white women nor black women had attained the Healthy People 2010 objective (≥70%) by 2006, and a disparity between white and black women emerged.