Resumen de Evidence-Based Public Health Provided Through Local Health Departments: Importance of Academic–Practice Partnerships
Paul Campbell Erwin, Renee G. Parks, Stephanie Mazzucca, Peg Allen, Elizabeth A Baker, Hengrui Hu, Johnnetta Davis-Joyce, Ross C. Brownson
Objectives. To determine the extent to which US local health departments (LHDs) are engaged in evidence-based public health and whether this is influenced by the presence of an academic health department (AHD) partnership.Methods. We surveyed a cross-sectional stratified random sample of 579 LHDs in 2017. We ascertained the extent of support for evidence-based decision-making and the use of evidence-based interventions in several chronic disease programs and whether the LHD participated in a formal, informal, or no AHD partnership.Results. We received 376 valid responses (response rate 64.9%). There were 192 (51.6%) LHDs with a formal, 80 (21.6%) with an informal, and 99 (26.7%) with no AHD partnership. Participants with formal AHD partnerships reported higher perceived organizational supports for evidence-based decision-making and interventions compared with either informal or no AHD partnerships. The odds of providing 1 or more chronic disease evidence-based intervention were significantly higher in LHDs with formal AHD partnerships compared with LHDs with no AHD partnerships (adjusted odds ratio?=?2.3; 95% confidence interval?=?1.3, 4.0).Conclusions. Formal academic?practice partnerships can be important means for advancing evidence-based decision-making and for implementing evidence-based programs and policies.
