Healthy People and Interested Students: Medical and Pharmacy Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Public Health
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
3. Results
4. Knowledge of Healthy People and Perceptions of Curricula
4.1. Awareness of Healthy People Initiative
4.2. Perceived Inclusion of the CPPH in Professional Curricula
4.3. Desire for Additional Education on Public Health and Preferred Methods of Instruction
5. Interest and Ideas for Future Practice
5.1. Common Public Health Goals from Healthy People 2030
5.2. Anticipated Barriers in Addressing Healthy People Goals
5.3. Interest in Interprofessional Collaboration
6. Discussion
7. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Vision | A society in which all people can achieve their full potential for health and well-being across the lifespan. |
Mission | To promote, strengthen and evaluate the Nation’s efforts to improve the health and well-being of all people. |
Foundational Principles |
|
Overarching Goals |
|
Objectives | 355 objectives organized in the following categories: health conditions; health behaviors; populations; settings and systems; social determinants of health |
Characteristic | No. (%) |
---|---|
Age | (n = 324) |
Under 20 years | 16 (5) |
20–25 years | 216 (67) |
26–35 years | 87 (27) |
36–55 years | 5 (2) |
Anticipated year of graduation | (n = 415) |
2021 | 88 (21) |
2022 | 77 (19) |
2023 | 103 (25) |
2024 | 110 (27) |
2025 | 16 (4) |
2026 or later | 21 (5) |
Self-description of gender | (n = 335) |
Male (including transgender men) | 100 (30) |
Female (including transgender women) | 233 (70) |
Non-binary | 2 (<1) |
Currently or previously worked in a medical setting for ≥6 months, including clinical rotations | (n = 336) |
Yes | 247 (74) |
No | 89 (26) |
Question | Medical No. (%) | Pharmacy No. (%) |
---|---|---|
Students’ knowledge of the Healthy People initiative | ||
Are you familiar with the Healthy People public health initiative? * | (n = 182) | (n = 233) |
Yes | 31 (17) | 92 (39) |
No | 127 (70) | 102 (44) |
I’m not sure | 24 (13) | 39 (17) |
What is the mission of the Healthy People initiative? | (n = 182) | (n = 233) |
Correct | 173 (95) | 218 (94) |
Incorrect | 9 (5) | 15 (6) |
What is the current edition of the Healthy People? * | (n = 179) | (n = 233) |
Correct | 41 (23) | 77 (33) |
Incorrect | 138 (77) | 156 (67) |
Perceived learning in professional curricula | ||
Have you learned about the Healthy People initiative in your medical [pharmacy] school curriculum? * | (n = 181) | (n = 233) |
Yes | 13 (7) | 84 (36) |
No | 128 (71) | 105 (45) |
I’m not sure | 40 (22) | 44 (19) |
My curriculum teaches the foundations of public health (quantitative and analytic skills needed to assess and monitor the health of populations). | (n = 166) | (n = 208) |
Strongly agree | 33 (20) | 59 (28) |
Somewhat agree | 90 (54) | 111 (53) |
Neither agree nor disagree | 10 (6) | 20 (10) |
Somewhat disagree | 27 (16) | 16 (8) |
Strongly disagree | 6 (4) | 2 (1) |
My curriculum includes clinical preventive services and health promotion (such as USPSTF guidelines, evidence-based interventions). * | (n = 166) | (n = 208) |
Strongly agree | 95 (57) | 87 (42) |
Somewhat agree | 64 (39) | 85 (41) |
Neither agree nor disagree | 4 (2) | 20 (10) |
Somewhat disagree | 2 (1) | 12 (6) |
Strongly disagree | 1 (1) | 4 (2) |
My curriculum integrates clinical practice with population health (individual- and population-based health perspectives). * | (n = 166) | (n = 208) |
Strongly agree | 45 (27) | 86 (41) |
Somewhat agree | 88 (53) | 93 (45) |
Neither agree nor disagree | 16 (10) | 20 (10) |
Somewhat disagree | 14 (8) | 8 (4) |
Strongly disagree | 3 (2) | 1 (<1) |
My curriculum explains health systems and health policy (including collaborative efforts between the clinical care and public health communities). * | (n = 166) | (n = 203) |
Strongly agree | 34 (20) | 70 (35) |
Somewhat agree | 70 (42) | 98 (48) |
Neither agree nor disagree | 19 (11) | 25 (12) |
Somewhat disagree | 35 (21) | 8 (4) |
Strongly disagree | 8 (5) | 2 (1) |
Which of the following topics have been included in your curriculum? (Select all that apply) | (n = 156) | (n = 203) |
Counseling for disease prevention and health promotion | 151 (97) | 181 (89) |
Cultural diversity | 145 (93) | 179 (88) |
Social determinants of health | 147 (94) | 191 (94) |
Evaluation of health sciences literature | 107 (66) | 156 (77) |
Public health systems | 88 (56) | 154 (76) |
Environmental health | 59 (38) | 78 (38) |
Global health | 62 (40) | 98 (48) |
None of these | 1 (<1) | 2 (<1) |
Perceived learning in professional curricula, continued | ||
I feel knowledgeable about public health related topics. | (n = 162) | (n = 203) |
Strongly agree | 34 (21) | 37 (18) |
Somewhat agree | 80 (49) | 115 (57) |
Neither agree nor disagree | 27 (17) | 27 (13) |
Somewhat disagree | 18 (11) | 21 (10) |
Strongly disagree | 3 (2) | 3 (1) |
Desire for additional education | ||
Please rate your desire to gain more information about public health than your curriculum provides. | (n = 155) | (n = 181) |
Strongly interested in more information | 72 (46) | 69 (38) |
Somewhat interested in more information | 68 (44) | 88 (49) |
Not interested in more information | 5 (3) | 9 (5) |
Unsure | 10 (6) | 15 (8) |
Question | Medical No. (%) | Pharmacy No. (%) |
---|---|---|
Shared public health goals from Healthy People 2030 | ||
I believe public health initiatives are valuable to the American health care system. | (n = 162) | (n = 203) |
Strongly agree | 144 (89) | 166 (82) |
Somewhat agree | 16 (10) | 31 (15) |
Neither agree nor disagree | 2 (1) | 4 (2) |
Somewhat disagree | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
Strongly disagree | 0 (0) | 2 (1) |
Select the following HP 2030 focus area as the most significant to improving the nation’s health. * | (n = 156) | (n = 186) |
Health conditions (treating/preventing disease states) | 21 (13) | 58 (31) |
Health behaviors (encouraging behaviors that prevent disease) | 47 (30) | 62 (33) |
Populations (supporting health of specific populations) | 2 (1) | 3 (2) |
Settings and systems (focusing on specific locations/systems) | 10 (6) | 2 (1) |
Social determinants of health (addressing social factors) | 76 (49) | 61 (33) |
Which of the following social determinants of health from HP 2030 do you believe you can provide the most impact in your future clinical practice? (Select up to 5) | (n = 155) | (n = 181) |
Economic stability | 57 (37) | 73 (40) |
Education access and quality | 81 (52) | 117 (65) |
Health care access and quality | 135 (87) | 160 (88) |
Neighborhood and built environment | 81 (52) | 90 (50) |
Social and community context | 104 (67) | 114 (63) |
Anticipated barriers | ||
Do you believe there will be any barriers to providing health promotion and services outlined by public health initiatives, such as Healthy People, in your future practice? | (n = 155) | (n = 182) |
Yes | 108 (70) | 110 (60) |
No | 4 (3) | 10 (5) |
Maybe | 43 (28) | 62 (34) |
Interest in interprofessional collaboration | ||
How important do you believe it is to work with other health care professionals within your profession to achieve these public health goals? | (n = 155) | (n = 181) |
Extremely important | 125 (81) | 152 (84) |
Very important | 27 (17) | 27 (15) |
Moderately important | 3 (2) | 1 (<1) |
Slightly important | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
Not at all important | 0 (0) | 1 (<1) |
How important do you believe it is to work with health care professionals outside of your profession to achieve these public health goals? | (n = 155) | (n = 182) |
Extremely important | 126 (82) | 152 (84) |
Very important | 28 (18) | 27 (15) |
Moderately important | 1 (<1) | 2 (1) |
Slightly important | 0 (0) | 1 (<1) |
Not at all important | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
How do you rate the following statement: “I would be interested in forming collaborative partnerships (collaborate practice agreements) with a pharmacist [physician] to manage certain health conditions in patients”? | (n = 155) | (n = 181) |
Strongly agree | 127 (82) | 152 (84) |
Somewhat agree | 22 (14) | 24 (13) |
Neither agree nor disagree | 4 (3) | 2 (1) |
Somewhat disagree | 2 (1) | 1 (<1) |
Strongly disagree | 0 (0) | 2 (1) |
[How do you rate the following statement: “I would be interested in gaining provider status”?] | - | (n = 181) |
Strongly agree | - | 146 (81) |
Somewhat agree | - | 27 (15) |
Neither agree nor disagree | - | 6 (3) |
Somewhat disagree | - | 1 (<1) |
Strongly disagree | - | 1 (<1) |
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Boyd, R.P.; DeVolld, T.A.; DiPietro Mager, N.A.; Burke, W.J. Healthy People and Interested Students: Medical and Pharmacy Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Public Health. Pharmacy 2021, 9, 176. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy9040176
Boyd RP, DeVolld TA, DiPietro Mager NA, Burke WJ. Healthy People and Interested Students: Medical and Pharmacy Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Public Health. Pharmacy. 2021; 9(4):176. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy9040176
Chicago/Turabian StyleBoyd, Richard P., Trate A. DeVolld, Natalie A. DiPietro Mager, and William J. Burke. 2021. "Healthy People and Interested Students: Medical and Pharmacy Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Public Health" Pharmacy 9, no. 4: 176. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy9040176
APA StyleBoyd, R. P., DeVolld, T. A., DiPietro Mager, N. A., & Burke, W. J. (2021). Healthy People and Interested Students: Medical and Pharmacy Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Public Health. Pharmacy, 9(4), 176. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy9040176