The US health system faces mounting pressure to improve population health. Research suggests a need for greater coordination and alignment across the sectors that deliver medical, public health, and social services. This study uses sixteen years of data from a large cohort of US communities to measure the extent and nature of multisector contributions to population health activities and how these contributions affect community mortality rates. The results show that deaths due to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and influenza decline significantly over time among communities that expand multisector networks supporting population health activities. The findings imply that incentives and infrastructure supporting multisector population health activities may help close geographic and socioeconomic disparities in population health.

Principal Investigators

• Glen P. Mays, PhD
• Cezar B. Mamaril, PhD
• Lava Timsina, PhD

Methods

Using a retrospective cohort design from sixteen years of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Public Health Systems survey, which measures the scope of population health improvement activities implemented in a national cohort of US communities and the range of sectors and organizations that contribute to these activities, combined with other data sources on community health resources and health outcomes, the extent and nature of multisector contributions to population health activities and the extent to which these contributions are associated with improvements in community mortality rates was analyzed.

Project Details

Year: 2014
Status: Inactive
Primary Investigator: Glen Mays