Public Health Review

Suicide prevention policy: a framework for Minnesota

Nicholas Hable, MPH — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Suicide rates have been steadily increasing for the last two decades in the United States, which is a trend that has also been observed in Minnesota. Suicide is now one of the leading causes of death for Minnesotans, and specific populations such as Native Americans, older adults, and white men living in rural areas have been disproportionately impacted. Interventions aimed at preventing suicide have historically focused on downstream interventions, but these often overlook the root causes of suicidal ideations. A new approach focused on creating a suicide prevention policy for the Minnesota Medical Association, the largest physician advocacy organization in Minnesota, is assessed and proposed in this issue brief. The framework for the policy was created through examination of the upstream, midstream, and downstream factors that impact suicide rates in Minnesota. As a result of this research, Minnesota Medical Association members and the Board of Trustees approved the proposed framework, formally adopting their first ever suicide prevention policy.

Executive Editor's Letter

Taiwo Aremu — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Executive Editor's Letter

Training pediatric residents in trauma-informed care in Flint, MI: A pilot study

Gurbaksh Esch, William Nauam — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Childhood trauma has significant long-term effects on children, into adulthood, including impacts on growth, development, mental health, and chronic disease. Many children face trauma or traumatic events during their childhood. Significant racial and socioeconomic disparities exist in terms of adverse childhood events. The children and residents of Flint, MI have faced numerous toxic stressors over time. Currently, there is no standardized trauma-informed care (TIC) curriculum taught in pediatric residencies, including in that of Hurley Children’s (in Flint, MI) pediatric residency program. This pilot curriculum examined the impact of a short training, embedded in a required pediatric residency rotation, on resident comfort with trauma-informed care topics. Results, including improvement in resident understanding of basic concepts of ACEs and trauma and improvement in comfort in knowing when to refer and teaching resilience to parents, from this small pilot study were encouraging. However, more research must be done to assess including TIC training in pediatric residencies as a standard requirement.

Reflection from multilingual international students on limited English proficiency issues in public health

Nila Pradhananga, Kritee Niroula — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0600

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The role of social capital in healthcare

Hannah Matthews — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Social capital, including networks, relationships, and social bonds within communities, fosters trust, reciprocity, and cooperation among members. The Dominican Republic, though lacking physical capital, has collectivist values and a rich social capital that has been harnessed by community health workers and physicians of One World Surgery to address the unique health challenges faced by individuals living in rural areas. By tapping into the expansive social networks also found within rural communities in the United States, we can foster better healthcare access, increased social support, and more effective community-based interventions.

Examining the association between diabetes and subjective cognitive decline in Georgia

Sterling Campbell — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Diabetes is strongly associated with various complications, including cognitive decline. Diabetic complications are related to structural and functional changes in the brain. This study aims to examine the association between diabetes and cognitive decline. Data was collected from the 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for the state of Georgia. The study involved 4,616 participants who reported experiencing cognitive decline. The chi-square test was used to understand the relationship between diabetes, age group, race, and sex. A logistic regression was used to understand the relationship between age group, race, sex, and diabetes with cognitive decline. Overall, the findings showed that individuals with diabetes were more likely to experience cognitive decline within the past 12 months (OR: 1.463, CI: 1.212 – 1.765, p < .0001). Individuals who were 65 years or older were more likely to report experiencing cognitive decline within the past 12 months (OR: 1.281, CI: 1.074 – 1.527, p = .0059).

How transphobic legislation affects ethical service delivery for allied healthcare providers

Shade Kirjava, Darshana Rawal, Henry Botzum — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Roughly 7.1% Americans identify as LGBTQ+ with around 0.7% or 2.3 million Americans identifying as transgender (1). Though only 30% of people may report knowing someone who is transgender, many more transgender people are less visible because they have not disclosed their status as transgender (2). It is likely that many allied healthcare providers work with transgender and gender diverse people without even being aware of their patient’s gender identity.

Recent legislation in the United States affects healthcare service delivery for people who are transgender, including hearing healthcare and particularly for transgender minors. This legislation causes ethical conflicts for healthcare providers who provide services to transgender and gender diverse minors. State law in some states contradicts federal policy and allied health professional organizations’ codes of ethics. Further, these laws can defy the best available evidence on how to provide affirming, inclusive healthcare services for people who are transgender. This article summarizes the current state of the dynamically changing legal landscape around providing healthcare services to people who are transgender and discusses ethical conflicts that healthcare providers face in response to these policies.

The Farm Fresh Food for Families Act of 2023: increasing access to healthy foods for low-income families

Elizabeth Lees, DO — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Low-income families who are reliant on SNAP or WIC may struggle with higher rates of obesity due to scarcity of healthy food options. Improving access to healthy foods for these higher-risk populations is key to reducing the prevalence of obesity and its negative health effects. Forging a partnership between SNAP/WIC programs and local farmers’ markets is one way of creating more accessible venues for low-income families to shop for healthy food. A new policy proposal called the Farm Fresh Food for Families Act of 2023 aims to establish a framework in Georgia that can be developed and distribuetd nationwide.