Last data update: May 06, 2024. (Total: 46732 publications since 2009)
Records 1-11 (of 11 Records) |
Query Trace: Wigington C[original query] |
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Understanding low utilization of employee assistance programs and time off by US public health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Moore JT , Wigington C , Green J , Horter L , Kone A , Lopes-Cardozo B , Byrkit R , Rao CY . Public Health Rep 2023 333549231165287 OBJECTIVE: Despite high rates of reported mental health symptoms among public health workers (PHWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, utilization of employer-offered resources was low. Our objective was to understand what barriers and deterrents exist for PHWs accessing employer-offered resources. METHODS: Four national public health organizations disseminated a national online survey of public health department employees during March-April 2021; 26 174 PHWs completed the survey. We examined 5164 write-in survey responses using thematic analysis to identify key reasons why PHWs were not accessing time off and employee assistance programs (EAPs) and to understand what resources PHWs would like to see their employers offer. RESULTS: The top reasons that PHWs reported for not taking time off during the COVID-19 pandemic were financial concerns (24.4%), fear of judgment or retaliation (20.8%), and limitations in the amount of time off offered or available (11.0%). The top reasons that PHWs reported for not using EAPs during the COVID-19 pandemic were difficulty accessing EAPs (53.1%), use of external services (21.5%), and a lack of awareness about EAPs or motivation to initiate their use (11.3%). While desired employer-offered resources varied widely, PHWs most frequently listed financial incentives, paid time off, flexible scheduling, and organizational change. CONCLUSION: Organizations can best help their employees by organizing the workforce in a way that allows PHWs to take time off, creating a positive and supportive organizational climate, regularly assessing the needs of PHWs, clearly communicating the availability of employer-offered benefits, and emphasizing the acceptability of using those benefits. |
Tracking public health workforce retention: Observations from CDC's Public Health Associate Program
Wigington CJ , Colman LT , Sobelson RK , Young AC . Am J Public Health 2019 109 (9) e1-e3 Objectives. To describe the career trajectories of 1 cohort of US Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) alumni over 3 years since completing PHAP. Methods. We distributed a Web-based survey at 3 time points between 2014 and 2017 (response rate = 76%). We calculated descriptive statistics in SPSS. Results. At all time points, most alumni were employed. Of those, the percentage employed in public health was 100% at program completion, 86% at year 1, and 68% at year 3. Conclusions. Most alumni were employed in public health jobs at each time point. At the 3-year mark, approximately a third of the alumni had left public health employment, which is in line with documented rates of turnover within the broader public health workforce. Public Health Implications. Service learning programs like PHAP are effective at recruiting early career professionals into public health. The extent to which PHAP is effective at retaining workers in public health after the program appears most promising immediately following the program or in the short term after the program concludes. The extent to which workers are retained in the longer term requires further study. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print July 18, 2019: e1-e3. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2019.305156). |
Assessing Participants' Experiences in a Service-Learning Program: A Psychometric Evaluation
Colman LT , Sobelson RK , Wigington CJ , Young AC . J Methods Meas Soc Sci 2018 9 (2) 32-49 There is currently a gap in the literature regarding the creation of psychometrically sound measurement tools assessing service-learning programs in health-related fields. Without comprehension of a survey's psychometric properties, evaluators cannot ensure that survey instruments are reliable or valid. This study describes the psychometric evaluation of the Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) Service-Learning Scale (PSLS). PSLS assesses participant experience in PHAP, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention program. This paper explains survey development, scale validity and reliability, and the internal factor structure of the PSLS. The final scale consisted of 22 items with a high internal consistency (Cronbach's α=.90). Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was used to determine the scale's factor structure; five factors comprising of all 22 items were retained. The factors, or subscales, were Learning Outcomes, Mentoring, Experiential Assignment, Self-Efficacy in Program Competency Domains, and Program Satisfaction. All were also found to have adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's α >.70). Service-learning is vital in developing the next generation of the workforce. These study findings suggest the PSLS fills a critical gap in the literature by providing a valid and reliable instrument to evaluate experiences and satisfaction in service-learning programs and other fellowships. |
Service learning in public health: Exploring the benefit to host agencies in CDC's Public Health Associate Program
Wigington CJ , Sobelson RK , Duncan HL , Young AC . J Public Health Manag Pract 2017 23 (5) 434-438 The "learn by doing" approach to training is common in the public health field and is a core component of service-learning programs. Trainee satisfaction, learning, and application of learning have been studied. What is less understood is the perspective of the agencies that host trainees. This study aimed to identify whether and how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) adds value to the agencies that host trainees during 2-year field assignments. An exploratory, qualitative study design consisting of 9 semistructured telephone interviews with PHAP host agency supervisors was used. Results suggested that PHAP increased host agencies' capacity by assigning capable trainees to host agencies. Trainees made quality contributions that led to agency- and/or community-wide improvements and positively affected the agencies' culture. Further evaluation of the host perspective is necessary; as coupled with the trainee's perspective, it will provide a more holistic understanding of program value. |
Early evaluation findings from a federally funded training program: The Public Health Associate Program
Sobelson RK , Young AC , Wigington CJ , Duncan H . J Public Health Manag Pract 2017 23 (5) 439-446 OBJECTIVE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created the Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) to establish a continuous source of public health professionals who can deliver frontline services at the federal, state, tribal, local, and territorial levels. The article describes preliminary evaluation findings for PHAP. DESIGN: The evaluation's primary purposes are to assess the quality and effectiveness of PHAP, determine its value and impact, and provide information to continuously improve the program. Because the evaluation is both formative and summative and focuses on aggregate outputs and outcomes of PHAP, the methodology is complex and builds over time as different cohorts cycle into and out of the program. Results presented are outcomes of various Web-based surveys and reporting systems. PARTICIPANTS: Four PHAP cohorts, consisting of 579 individuals, participated in 1 or more of the evaluation activities described in this article. RESULTS: The majority of participants report satisfaction with their PHAP experiences, and 74% of recent graduates indicate they are continuing their careers or education in public health immediately after program completion. Seventy-eight percent of recent PHAP graduates who accept a job in public health are employed by the federal government. One year post-PHAP, 74% of alumni report that PHAP has been influential in their careers. CONCLUSION: CDC's investment in PHAP has increased the capacity and capabilities of the public health workforce. Results presented are early indicators of program quality, effectiveness, and impact. Today's public health workers are asked to do more with less, in the face of a dynamic array of complex public health challenges. PHAP offers public health agencies assistance in tackling these losses and challenges. |
Applying instructional design strategies and behavior theory to household disaster preparedness training
Thomas TN , Sobelson RK , Wigington CJ , Davis AL , Harp VH , Leander-Griffith M , Cioffi JP . J Public Health Manag Pract 2017 24 (1) e16-e25 CONTEXT: Interventions and media campaigns promoting household disaster preparedness have produced mixed results in affecting behaviors. In large part, this is due to the limited application of instructional design strategies and behavior theory, such as the Transtheoretical Model (TTM). This study describes the development and evaluation of Ready CDC, an intervention designed to increase household disaster preparedness among the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) workforce. OBJECTIVES: (1) Describe the instructional design strategies employed in the development of Ready CDC and (2) evaluate the intervention's impact on behavior change and factors influencing stage progression for household disaster preparedness behavior. DESIGN: Ready CDC was adapted from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) Ready campaign. Offered to CDC staff September 2013-November 2015, it consisted of a preassessment of preparedness attitudes and behaviors, an in-person training, behavioral reinforcement communications, and a 3-month follow-up postassessment. RESULTS: Ready CDC employed well-accepted design strategies, including presenting stimulus material and enhancing transfer of desired behavior. Excluding those in the TTM "maintenance" stage at baseline, this study determined 44% of 208 participants progressed at least 1 stage for developing a written disaster plan. Moreover, assessment of progression by stage found among participants in the "precontemplation" (n = 16), "contemplation" (n = 15), and "preparation" (n = 125) stages at baseline for assembling an emergency kit, 25%, 27%, and 43% moved beyond the "preparation" stage, respectively. Factors influencing stage movement included knowledge, attitudes, and community resiliency but varied depending on baseline stage of change. CONCLUSIONS: Employing instructional strategies and behavioral theories in preparedness interventions optimizes the potential for individuals to adopt preparedness behaviors. Study findings suggest that stage movement toward household preparedness was not spurious but rather associated with the intervention. Therefore, Ready CDC was successful in moving staff along the continuous process of adopting household disaster preparedness behaviors, thus providing a model for future interventions. The TTM suggests factors such as knowledge, beliefs, and self-efficacy will differ by stage and may differentially predict progression towards behavior adoption. Thus, tailoring interventions based on an individual's stage of change optimizes the potential for individuals to adopt desired behaviors. |
A whole community approach to emergency management: strategies and best practices of seven community programs
Sobelson RK , Wigington CJ , Harp V , Bronson BB . J Emerg Manag 2015 13 (4) 349-357 OBJECTIVE: In 2011, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) published the Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management: Principles, Themes, and Pathways for Action, outlining the need for increased individual preparedness and more widespread community engagement to enhance the overall resiliency and security of communities. However, there is limited evidence of how to build a whole community approach to emergency management that provides real-world, practical examples and applications. This article reports on the strategies and best practices gleaned from seven community programs fostering a whole community approach to emergency management. DESIGN: The project team engaged in informal conversations with community stakeholders to learn about their programs during routine monitoring activities, site visits, and during an in-person, facilitated workshop. A total of 88 community members associated with the programs examples contributed. Qualitative analysis was conducted. RESULTS: The findings highlighted best practices gleaned from the seven programs that other communities can leverage to build and maintain their own whole community programs. The findings from the programs also support and validate the three principles and six strategic themes outlined by FEMA. CONCLUSIONS: The findings, like the whole community document, highlight the importance of understanding the community, building relationships, empowering action, and fostering social capital to build a whole community approach. |
Hypertension screening in children and adolescents - National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, and Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, United States, 2007-2010
George MG , Tong X , Wigington C , Gillespie C , Hong Y . MMWR Suppl 2014 63 (2) 47-53 Hypertension and prehypertension have been increasing among children and adolescents since the 1990s. During 2003-2006, among children and adolescents aged 8-17 years, the prevalence of prehypertension was approximately 14% in boys and approximately 6% in girls, and the prevalence of hypertension was estimated to be 3%-4% in various studies. During 1997-2006, hospitalization rates for children and adolescents with a diagnosis of hypertension doubled, from approximately 18 cases per 100,000 pediatric hospital discharges in 1997 to approximately 35 cases per 100,000 in 2006. Among children and adolescents with hypertension, as many as one in three has target organ damage, especially left ventricular hypertrophy. Accumulating evidence supports the theory that elevated blood pressure levels in adolescence are a precursor of elevated blood pressure in adulthood, making it important to identify elevated blood pressure in childhood. An analysis of the National Childhood Blood Pressure database found that 14% of adolescents with prehypertension developed elevated blood pressure within 2 years. |
Coronary heart disease and stroke deaths - United States, 2009
Gillespie CD , Wigington C , Hong Y . MMWR Suppl 2013 62 (3) 157-60 Heart disease and stroke are the first and fourth leading causes of death, respectively in the United States. In 2008, heart disease and stroke were responsible for nearly a third of all deaths in the United States (30.4%), killing more than three-quarters of a million people that year. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the cause of more than two-thirds of all heart disease-related deaths. One of the Healthy People 2020 objectives includes reducing the rate of CHD deaths by 20% from the baseline rate of 126 deaths per 100,000 population per year, to a goal of 100.8 deaths per 100,000 (objective HDS-2). The objectives also include reducing the rate of stroke deaths by 20% over the baseline of 42.2 deaths per 100,000, to a goal of 33.8 deaths per 100,000 population. Although the rates of death from both CHD and stroke have declined continuously in recent decades and the Healthy People 2010 goals for these two objectives were met among the overall U.S. population in 2004, the death rates remain high, particularly among men and blacks. |
Plain language summaries: a new EHS-net tool to share our published findings
Brown LG , Wigington PS . J Environ Health 2012 75 (2) 30-1 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Environmental Health | Specialists Network (EHS-Net) is a collaborative network focused on understanding | contributing factors to foodborne illness and | improving environmental public health practice | (www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/EHSNet/index.htm). | EHS-Net includes environmental public health | and food safety professionals from CDC, Food | and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of | Agriculture, and six state and local health departments (California, Minnesota, New York, | New York City, Rhode Island, and Tennessee). | EHS-Net’s composition means it is uniquely | positioned to conduct high-quality research on | food safety, particularly restaurant food safety |
WISEWOMAN: addressing the needs of women at high risk for cardiovascular disease
Vaid I , Wigington C , Borbely D , Ferry P , Manheim D . J Womens Health (Larchmt) 2011 20 (7) 977-82 In the United States, the cardiovascular health of women is affected by the disparate impact of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) on many minority ethnic and racial groups. Women with low income also endure a disproportionate impact of the burden of CVD. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation (WISEWOMAN) Program was authorized by Congress in 1993 to extend the preventive health services offered to participants of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP). These are low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women. The intent was to expand services of an existing federal program to address cardiovascular health concerns in this vulnerable, high-risk population. CDC funds 19 state health departments and 2 tribal organizations (both in Alaska) to implement WISEWOMAN. In the first 2 years of the current 5-year funding cycle, which began in June 2008, the WISEWOMAN grantees succeeded in providing almost 78,000 screenings, of which 46% were to women of minority racial and ethnic groups. The individual successes are important, and the WISEWOMAN Program also has achieved success in the broader arenas of healthcare and the communities in which WISEWOMAN is implemented. WISEWOMAN impacts clinical systems of care, provider education, physician extenders, and the broader community and will continue to play an important role in connecting low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women with clinical systems of care and other community resources that will result in the prevention, treatment, and management of their CVD risk. |
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- Page last updated:May 06, 2024
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