Community health assessment and improved public health decision-making: A propensity score matching approach

K.M. Rabarison, L. Timsina and G.P. Mays

American Journal of Public Health, 2015, vol. 105, issue 12, 2526-2533

Abstract: Objectives. We analyzed the likelihood of chronic disease prevention activities delivery, as a proxy measure of public health decision-making and actions, given that local health agencies (LHAs) implemented a community health assessment and improvement plan in their communities. Methods. Using a propensity score matching approach, we linked data from the 2010 National Association of County and City Health Officials profile of LHAs and the 2010 County Health Rankings to create a statistically matched sample of implementation and comparison LHAs. Implementation LHAs were those that implemented a community health assessment and improvement plan. We estimated the odds of chronic disease prevention activities delivery and the average treatment effect on the treated. Results. Implementation group LHAs were 2 times as likely (95% confidence interval = 1.60, 2.64) to deliver population-based chronic disease prevention programs than comparison group LHAs. Furthermore, chronic disease prevention activities were more likely to be delivered among implementation group LHAs (6.50-19.02 percentage points higher) than in comparison group LHAs. Conclusions. Our results signal that routine implementation of a community health assessment and improvement plan in LHAs leads to improved public health decision-making and actions.

Keywords: chronic disease; community care; health status; health survey; human; organization; organization and management; procedures; propensity score; public health service; questionnaire; United States, Chronic Disease; Community Health Services; Decision Making, Organizational; Health Status; Health Surveys; Humans; Propensity Score; Public Health Administration; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2015.302795_6

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302795

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