TY - JOUR
T1 - Resources that may matter
T2 - The impact of local health department expenditures on health status
AU - Erwin, Paul Campbell
AU - Mays, Glen P.
AU - Riley, William J.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Objectives. This study examines the association between changes in local health department (LHD) expenditures, aggregated to the state level, and changes in state-level measures of health, from 1993 to 2005. The literature on the impact of LHD resources on health status has been limited by crosssectional designs. With repeated surveys of LHDs, it is now possible to use longitudinal designs to explore the association between LHD inputs and outcomes. Methods. This was a retrospective cohort study. We used a fixed-effects regression model to assess the association between LHD expenditures, aggregated to the state level, and seven separate health measures. We derived LHD expenditure data from the National Association of County and City Health Officials' surveys of LHDs in 1993, 1997, and 2005. We obtained secondary data on seven health measures-smoking and obesity prevalence, infectious disease morbidity, infant mortality, deaths due to cardiovascular disease and cancer, and overall premature death-through the America's Health Rankings® reports, 1990-2008. Usable data were available for 1,470 LHDs, representing 37 states. Results. An increase in LHD expenditures, aggregated to the state level, was associated with a statistically significant decline in state-level infectious disease morbidity (t5 23.28, p50.002) and in years of potential life lost (YPLL) (t5 22.73, p50.008). For every $10 increase in aggregated LHD expenditures per capita, infectious disease morbidity decreased by 7.4%, and YPLL decreased by 1.5%. Conclusion. LHD resources are associated with improvements in preventable causes of morbidity and mortality.
AB - Objectives. This study examines the association between changes in local health department (LHD) expenditures, aggregated to the state level, and changes in state-level measures of health, from 1993 to 2005. The literature on the impact of LHD resources on health status has been limited by crosssectional designs. With repeated surveys of LHDs, it is now possible to use longitudinal designs to explore the association between LHD inputs and outcomes. Methods. This was a retrospective cohort study. We used a fixed-effects regression model to assess the association between LHD expenditures, aggregated to the state level, and seven separate health measures. We derived LHD expenditure data from the National Association of County and City Health Officials' surveys of LHDs in 1993, 1997, and 2005. We obtained secondary data on seven health measures-smoking and obesity prevalence, infectious disease morbidity, infant mortality, deaths due to cardiovascular disease and cancer, and overall premature death-through the America's Health Rankings® reports, 1990-2008. Usable data were available for 1,470 LHDs, representing 37 states. Results. An increase in LHD expenditures, aggregated to the state level, was associated with a statistically significant decline in state-level infectious disease morbidity (t5 23.28, p50.002) and in years of potential life lost (YPLL) (t5 22.73, p50.008). For every $10 increase in aggregated LHD expenditures per capita, infectious disease morbidity decreased by 7.4%, and YPLL decreased by 1.5%. Conclusion. LHD resources are associated with improvements in preventable causes of morbidity and mortality.
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U2 - 10.1177/003335491212700110
DO - 10.1177/003335491212700110
M3 - Article
C2 - 22298926
AN - SCOPUS:84858269122
SN - 0033-3549
VL - 127
SP - 89
EP - 95
JO - Public Health Reports
JF - Public Health Reports
IS - 1
ER -