MPH’s Buntin’s Study Evaluates Community-Based Health Efforts
A new study from researchers at Vanderbilt and Harvard universities, published this week in the journal Health Affairs, uses federal health survey data to evaluate community-based efforts to address smoking, obesity and other health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
Examining health trends at the community level from 2007 to 2012, the researchers found some improvements, but no statistically significant changes in smoking, obesity or general health.
“While prior studies have focused on individuals who’ve received services through these community-based efforts, our study takes a broader approach, looking for any associated changes in population health,” said one of the authors, Melinda Buntin, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt.