Journal of Public Health Management and Practice最新文献

{"title":"A Mixed-Methods Assessment of Minnesota Public Health Corps and Member Career Capital.","authors":"Chelsey Kirkland, Anthony Coetzer-Liversage, Noah Yee Westfall, Henry Stabler, Jonathon P Leider","doi":"10.1097/PHH.0000000000002372","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PHH.0000000000002372","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>Persistent workforce shortages have challenged the public health workforce. During COVID-19 response, the federal government launched Public Health AmeriCorps (PHA) to embed AmeriCorps members in public health systems. Minnesota Public Health Corps (MNPHC), a PHA initiative, focused on placing members in Minnesota public health agencies to strengthen capacity.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The objective of this study was to strengthen the evidence base for public health workforce development by evaluating the relationship between MNPHC participation on members' \"career capital,\" and subdomains of \"Knowing How,\" \"Knowing Why,\" and \"Knowing Whom,\" through a mixed-methods approach, addressing a key gap in program evaluation and guiding future strategies.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Single-group, pre-post observational, explanatory mixed-methods design.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Public health agencies with at least one MNPHC member.</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>MNPHC members.</p><p><strong>Main outcome measures: </strong>Career capital.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants demonstrated significant gains in overall career capital (scale of 1-7) after service, with mean scores increasing from 5.4 preservice to 6.1 postservice ( P < .001). In the \"Knowing How\" domain (scale of 1-7), scores rose from a preservice mean of 5.4-6.1 postservice ( P < .001), supported by 2237 qualitative references from 94 members. The \"Knowing Why\" domain (scale of 1-7) showed an increase from 5.6 to 6.1 ( P < .001), with 315 qualitative references from 74 members. In the \"Knowing Whom\" domain (scale of 1-7), scores improved from 5.2 to 5.9 ( P < .001), with 171 qualitative references from 65 members.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Quantitative results showed a difference in members' career capital from preservice to postservice; the qualitative data support and contextualize the quantitative findings. An integrated interpretation supports an inference that participants' career development was both statistically and experientially significant, with applied skill-building acting as a potential driver of broader gains.</p>","PeriodicalId":47855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Management and Practice","volume":" ","pages":"919-928"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148707708","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Demographic Differences in Access to Community-Based Naloxone Distribution in Rhode Island, 2024.","authors":"Catherine Ahern, Kristen St John, Jennifer Koziol, Anita Jacobson","doi":"10.1097/PHH.0000000000002397","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PHH.0000000000002397","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The objective of this analysis was to evaluate community-based naloxone access in Rhode Island by demographics and distribution methodology, with a health equity lens.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>The analysis used self-reported demographic and distribution information from individuals receiving naloxone from community-based agencies in 2024.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Rhode Island.</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>Individuals who received a naloxone kit from community-based agencies in Rhode Island. No personally identifiable individual level data were collected or used.</p><p><strong>Main outcome measures: </strong>Demographic information of individuals receiving intranasal naloxone from community-based agencies was examined by distribution methods, which include naloxone received in-person (fixed distribution site and mobile outreach) versus mail-delivered naloxone and by distance traveled to receive naloxone.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In 2024, most individuals received naloxone via in-person distribution (91.3%), with the most interactions through mobile outreach (51.8%), and received naloxone within 10 miles of their residence ZIP code (91.3%). Individuals living in rural areas, those identifying as woman or a gender minority, and those under 25 more commonly received naloxone via mail delivery or further from their residence.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This analysis demonstrates that varied naloxone distribution methods reach diverse populations. Methods for naloxone receipt can be used to expand naloxone distribution to specific populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":47855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Management and Practice","volume":" ","pages":"912-918"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148763999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing the Success Rate and Costs of Common Recruitment Strategies for a Community-Based Environmental Health Study.","authors":"Amber M Vaughn, Micaela Gale, Deanna Kulbeth, Noah Featherman, Hannah Craig, Shelby Kardel, Brent M Windebank, Chandler Webb, John L Adgate, Greta Wilkening, Anne P Starling","doi":"10.1097/PHH.0000000000002374","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PHH.0000000000002374","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>Recruitment is a vital component of public health research to produce generalizable findings and analytical power for subgroup differences in health outcomes. Recruitment strategies in population-based health studies vary widely with limited information on response rates and expected costs.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To evaluate recruitment strategies to better inform future recruitment planning and practices based on response rates, implementation costs, and demographics of enrolled participants.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>We cross-sectionally examined recruitment data from the Colorado Study on Community Outcomes from Per- and polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Exposure (CO SCOPE). Passive strategies included announcements and word-of-mouth referrals; active strategies included in-person outreach via door-to-door canvassing and/or tabling at community events, and phone or email contact to participants from a previous study. We calculated response rates per population reached by each strategy and estimated costs of materials and staff time.</p><p><strong>Setting and participants: </strong>In 2021-2023, we recruited and enrolled participants from 4 communities in El Paso County, Colorado. This site was part of a national multisite study of exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water and associated health effects. We enrolled 916 adult participants (92% of our goal).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall participant response rate across all strategies was 0.5%. Response rates were lowest after announcements (0.1%), and highest from direct contact with previous study participants (32.3%). In-person outreach accrued the greatest number of enrolled participants but also at the highest estimated cost ($242/enrolled participant). Word-of-mouth referrals recruited the greatest proportions of young adults (aged 18-34) and people with a high school education or less. Ultimately, the enrolled study population over-represented older adults, women, and non-Hispanic White people compared with the target communities.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Recruitment strategies differed substantially in response rates and cost effectiveness. Word-of-mouth referrals and in-person outreach were most successful in recruiting diverse populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":47855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Management and Practice","volume":" ","pages":"902-911"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13596189/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148057406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Health Care and Social Service Utilization Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Integrated Data Analysis.","authors":"Carlene A Mayfield, Liping Tong, Rachel George, Kailas Venkitasubramanian, Angelica Mejia, Kristie Foley","doi":"10.1097/PHH.0000000000002398","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PHH.0000000000002398","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health care access and exacerbated social needs, but fragmented data limit coordinated responses across health and social systems.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To assess changes in health care and social service utilization before, during, and after the onset of COVID-19 using an integrated data set, and examine whether social service utilization was associated with recovery period health care utilization and mortality.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Retrospective longitudinal study using difference-in-differences analysis.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>An integrated health system and local social service agencies in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>In total, 28,258 adult patients attending a safety-net community clinic from September 2018 to August 2021 with 3 distinct periods: Baseline/Prepandemic (September 1, 2018-August 31, 2019), Pandemic (September 1, 2019-August 31, 2020), and Recovery (September 1, 2020-August 31, 2021).</p><p><strong>Main outcome measures: </strong>Monthly health care utilization (clinic visits, emergency department [ED] visits with hospitalization, ED visits discharged home) and social service utilization (food assistance, housing/shelter, or emergency financial aid).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Clinic visits declined by approximately 30% from January to April 2020 relative to baseline/prepandemic levels, with a 19% reduction in new chronic condition diagnoses, then rebounded by late 2020. ED visits declined early in the Pandemic period but later shifted toward higher acuity: admissions increased from 11.4% during Baseline/Prepandemic to 13.2% during Recovery, while treat-and-release visits remained below baseline/prepandemic. Social service utilization rose steadily from 33.7% during Baseline/Prepandemic to 36.4% during the Pandemic period and 39.3% during Recovery, largely driven by food assistance (32%-37.6%). In adjusted analyses, social service utilization during the Pandemic period was associated with higher odds of clinic visits and lower odds of mortality during Recovery.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Health care utilization initially declined but normalized by 2021, while social service utilization rose and remained elevated, signaling persistent community needs. Integrated data showed these patterns, demonstrating that social services may mitigate adverse outcomes. Findings underscore the importance of sustaining safety nets and integrated data infrastructure to inform resilient public health responses.</p>","PeriodicalId":47855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Management and Practice","volume":" ","pages":"943-952"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148707918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strengthening Community-Based Communication Channels: A Sustainable Health Messaging Approach.","authors":"Brad Love, Lauren Kriss, Margaret Raber, E Rain Eatmon, Jasmine Dailey, Katherine Oestman, Martha Vieco-Garcia, Lauren McDonald, Haley Gardiner, Terrence Adams, Ellen Shin, Michael Mackert, Karen Basen-Engquist, Lorna H McNeill, Ruth Rechis","doi":"10.1097/PHH.0000000000002419","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PHH.0000000000002419","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Health communication efforts often focus on message content while neglecting channel and source factors crucial for community engagement and sustainable health promotion.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Evaluate a community-based communication strategy developed for place-based cancer prevention initiative in a historic neighborhood.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Acres Homes, a historically Black neighborhood in Houston, Texas.</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>Community leaders and residents of Acres Homes working in partnership with academic researchers and health communication specialists.</p><p><strong>Intervention: </strong>The Acres Homes Cancer Prevention Collaboration is a research initiative which seeks to test strategies for improving health behavior in the context of place-based interventions and foster stronger collaborations between communities and researchers. The initiative implements a comprehensive communication strategy.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Evaluate the communication strategy of the Acres Homes Cancer Prevention Collaboration using website analytics, community engagement metrics, material distribution records, focus groups, and Community Advisory Board feedback.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Analysis showed 50% increase in unique website visitors, 60% increase in page views, reduced bounce rate (67%-53%), and increased time on site (3:59-7:32 minutes). Community advisors distributed 21 212 materials and recorded more than 21 000 resident contacts across 228 community events. Thematic analysis of focus groups showed residents value source credibility, channel integration, cultural relevance, and transparency in health communication.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study demonstrates that strategic investment in community-based communication channels yields measurable improvements in message exposure and engagement.</p>","PeriodicalId":47855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Management and Practice","volume":" ","pages":"E257-E265"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148608382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Disaster Food Insecurity in Coastal North Carolina: Closing Information and Coordination Gaps.","authors":"Kerstin Schreiber, Julia Waity, Avinash Geda, Christopher R Prentice, Lauren Clay","doi":"10.1097/PHH.0000000000002420","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PHH.0000000000002420","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>Disasters can triple the risk of food insecurity for vulnerable households, with effects lasting years beyond the initial shock. In North Carolina, where hurricanes are frequent, local organizations face growing pressure to support communities with limited resources and fragmented information systems.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to identify data and information gaps faced by organizations addressing disaster food insecurity and the tools they use to record, access, and share data and information.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>A qualitative, exploratory study combining semi-structured interviews and workshops with organizational representatives engaged in disaster food security governance.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Coastal North Carolina, specifically New Hanover and Pender Counties, both highly affected by hurricanes and with active food policy and disaster response networks.</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>Representatives from 18 organizations, including nonprofits, governmental agencies, food banks, pantries, and other community actors involved in food security and disaster response.</p><p><strong>Main outcome measures: </strong>Organizational experiences and perceived needs related to data, information access, and communication tools for disaster food insecurity response.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Two central themes emerged: (1) data and information are often functionally inaccessible, that is, mismatched to organizations' needs, poorly formatted, or incomplete and (2) there is a need for reliable and suitable data and information tools to coordinate action within an organization and across diverse organizations during and after disasters. Respondents emphasized the need for integrated, user-friendly, low-barrier geospatial information systems that enable real-time data exchange and collaboration, particularly for smaller nonprofits with limited capacity.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Effective disaster food security governance requires practical tools that synthesize and share relevant data across organizational boundaries. Investing in integrated information platforms and low-barrier communication systems can strengthen coordination, reduce duplication of services, and improve food security outcomes after disasters. These findings underscore the importance of supporting nonprofits and cross-sector coalitions with accessible data resources to enhance preparedness and response in hurricane-prone regions.</p>","PeriodicalId":47855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Management and Practice","volume":" ","pages":"E266-E273"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148764151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cross-Sector Integration of Clinical and Social Service Data During COVID-19: Implementation of a Regional Integrated Data System Partnership.","authors":"Carlene A Mayfield, Rachel George, Liping Tong, Kailas Venkitasubramanian, Kristie Foley, Julie Wittmer, Angelica Mejia, Kinneil Coltman","doi":"10.1097/PHH.0000000000002425","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PHH.0000000000002425","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated long-standing health inequities, especially among racial and ethnic minority populations and individuals with chronic conditions. Efforts to mitigate these disparities are often hindered by fragmented data systems that separate health care and social service data. Integrated Data Systems (IDS) offer a promising cross-sector solution to link patient-level data for more targeted interventions.</p><p><strong>Program: </strong>We established a partnership between a nonprofit health system and a university-based IDS, the Charlotte Regional Data Trust, to link electronic health records with social service data on food, housing, and employment for a cohort of underserved patients in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. This case report describes the governance framework and technical infrastructure used to develop a replicable data-sharing model.</p><p><strong>Implementation: </strong>Over 24 months, we executed key agreements including an Enterprise Memorandum of Understanding (EMOU), Business Associate Agreement (BAA), and Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) and secured institutional approvals. A probabilistic matching algorithm linked clinical and social service data, and the final dataset was deidentified before analysis.</p><p><strong>Evaluation: </strong>The integrated dataset includes 28 258 patients with 36 months of clinical and social service data, including 12 months prepandemic and 24 months during the pandemic. Linkage was successful for 41% of patients with at least 1 social service record. Social service engagement, particularly food assistance, increased over time, whereas health care utilization patterns fluctuated. These linked data provide critical insights into how social needs and clinical outcomes intersect across crisis and recovery phases.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This project demonstrates the feasibility of IDS-based cross-sector integration in a real-world setting. Key lessons include the value of legal infrastructure, institutional trust, and governance structures. Findings support the use of IDS to guide care coordination, advance health access, and build preparedness for future public health and disaster recovery challenges.</p>","PeriodicalId":47855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Management and Practice","volume":" ","pages":"870-879"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148707925","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strengthening Outbreak Response and Preparedness in US Health Departments Through a Community of Practice.","authors":"Sutyajeet Soneja, Haley Wellham, Sarah Gillani, Fatima Ameaka, Elizabeth Campbell, Caitlin Rivers","doi":"10.1097/PHH.0000000000002414","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PHH.0000000000002414","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The reemergence of infectious diseases, such as measles, in the United States has placed significant strain on state, local, tribal, and territorial health departments to respond and contain the spread of disease. The actions by health departments have spanned a wide range of outbreak preparedness and response initiatives, with some health departments excelling in their approaches while others work to build capacity despite resource constraints. To strengthen outbreak preparedness and response, the Johns Hopkins Center for Outbreak Response Innovation convened a national Community of Practice series in 2025, bringing together 115 participants from 40 health departments. Presentations emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, system adaptability, and continuous learning to enhance outbreak response capacity. This series underscored that sustainable improvements in public health practice rely on bridging academic research and operational realities through shared learning networks, ensuring that technical innovations translate into effective and scalable disease response strategies nationwide.</p>","PeriodicalId":47855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Management and Practice","volume":" ","pages":"E219-E223"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148764027","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Eating Disorders as a Public Health Challenge: A Case Study of Inclusive, Systems-Oriented Treatment in the US Southeast.","authors":"Matthew Fifolt, D Keith Gurley","doi":"10.1097/PHH.0000000000002442","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000002442","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Eating disorders in the United States have increased substantially over the past 2 decades, with additional exacerbation during the COVID-19 pandemic. These conditions disproportionately affect adolescents, young adults, and sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations, reflecting the influence of stigma, discrimination, and broader social determinants of health. Given their complexity, high comorbidity, and elevated mortality risk, eating disorders represent a significant public health concern requiring a continuum of care that spans outpatient, partial hospitalization, residential, and inpatient treatment settings. Emerging evidence underscores the importance of trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and affirming approaches in improving engagement and outcomes for SGM individuals, who often encounter barriers to inclusive and competent care. This case study examines NewCircle at Hanover, a recently established eating disorder treatment center in Birmingham, Alabama, that operationalizes an intersectional, SGM-affirming model of care across multiple levels of service. The program integrates evidence-based clinical interventions with intentionally designed organizational structures, physical environments, and expressive therapies to support whole-person recovery. Attention is given to how governance, facility design, and clinical programming intersect to shape treatment engagement, continuity of care, and client experience.</p>","PeriodicalId":47855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Management and Practice","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149185306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Measuring Youth Mental Health Vulnerability Across Communities: Development and Validation of ThriveAtlas.","authors":"Christina A Mehranbod, Domonique M Reed, Emily Yetton, Aaron Dibner-Dunlap, Tomas Engelthaler, Peter Smittenaar, Hannah Kemp, Sema Sgaier, Rui Adele H Wang","doi":"10.1097/PHH.0000000000002495","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000002495","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>Youth mental health is shaped by interacting individual, relational, and structural factors that vary across communities, yet few tools integrate these drivers into youth-specific, geographically granular measures for decision-making.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study describes the development and preliminary validation of ThriveAtlas, a geographically granular index designed to identify factors that prevent youth from thriving.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>ThriveAtlas was developed through a multistep process including a targeted literature review; selection and construction of indicators from public and proprietary data sources; aggregation into thematic domains and a composite index; and preliminary validation using county-level mental health outcomes.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>County-level analysis using school-based survey data from California (California Healthy Kids Survey, 2021-2023).</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>Ninth-grade students across 53 California counties.</p><p><strong>Main outcome measure: </strong>County-level principal components derived from 5 self-reported mental health indicators; prioritization overlap with the Social Vulnerability Index (Jaccard statistic); and univariate explanatory power (R2) of ThriveAtlas domains versus Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) domains.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The review identified key gaps in existing tools: youth-focused indices often emphasize general well-being rather than mental health, while structurally focused indices lack youth specificity or substate granularity. ThriveAtlas revealed geographic variability in vulnerability, including regional clusters and isolated high-risk counties. Validation analyses showed expected patterns in California, where higher vulnerability aligned with greater distress and lower well-being. ThriveAtlas and SVI were correlated (Spearman ρ = 0.66) across California counties; however, ThriveAtlas themes better explained county-level mental health outcomes than SVI domains (R2 = 0.41 vs. 0.27), and the 2 tools agreed on only one-third of high-priority counties (Jaccard = 0.33).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>ThriveAtlas addresses a critical measurement gap by providing a youth-centered, multidimensional, and geographically granular index of vulnerability. Early validation supports its utility as a decision-relevant signal to identify communities with elevated youth mental health challenges and inform targeted intervention strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":47855,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Management and Practice","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149185273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}