{"title":"Cannabis legalization: a call for the integration of main health and crime indicator domains towards comprehensive policy impact assessments.","authors":"Benedikt Fischer, Tessa Robinson, Didier Jutras-Aswad","doi":"10.1057/s41271-025-00552-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-025-00552-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Several jurisdictions have implemented legalization policies for non-medical cannabis, mainly towards improving public health and reducing illegal cannabis markets and crime. As some legalization initiatives are approaching maturity, conducting policy impact assessments has become timely. Emerging data, however, suggest rather mixed pictures for key outcomes and indicators. While many key health-related indicators show increases in adverse outcomes, improvements are shown for main crime-related outcomes associated with legalization. However, legalization policies are evaluated predominantly by utilizing separate approaches for the health outcomes and crime-related indicators, while comprehensive policy assessments require meaningful integration of all related indicators. We provide suggestions for an integrated approach to assessing cannabis legalization policies concerning health and crime-related outcomes. This approach is also valuable for policymakers and other stakeholders to create an empirical basis for relative valuations and choices regarding cannabis legalization's main policy outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143015123","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Emmanuel Badu, Gemma Crawford, Jonathan Hallett, Justine E Leavy
{"title":"Gambling advertising regulation in Ghana: what do we know and where to next?","authors":"Emmanuel Badu, Gemma Crawford, Jonathan Hallett, Justine E Leavy","doi":"10.1057/s41271-025-00547-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-025-00547-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In Ghana and many other sub-Saharan African countries gambling advertising has become pervasive due to weak regulations that allow gambling operators to zealously promote their products as a risk-free way to make money. In this commentary, we provide a public health perspective based on document analysis of the Ghana Gaming Commission's guidelines on advertisements, and recommendations for strengthening Ghana's gambling regulatory environment. With the industry intensifying its focus on new markets to grow and sustain profits, and new global players entering Ghana's market, the competition for market share will most likely intensify with an associated and aggressive increase in gambling advertising. Accordingly, a strengthened gambling advertising regulation underpinned by public health principles is required to restrict advertising across all forms of media and regulate advertising content. The next step for public health action should focus on advocating for new gambling advertising regulations and a review of the Gaming (gambling) Act.</p>","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143015136","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Erica Cook Reott, Rachel Hulkower, Christiana Lancaster, Meghan T Frey, Rachel Clark Smith, Cameron Thomas, Valerie Godoshian
{"title":"State laws on intimate partner violence witnessed by children in the United States.","authors":"Erica Cook Reott, Rachel Hulkower, Christiana Lancaster, Meghan T Frey, Rachel Clark Smith, Cameron Thomas, Valerie Godoshian","doi":"10.1057/s41271-025-00550-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-025-00550-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intimate partner violence (IPV) is common, and almost half of all IPV takes place in relationships with children in the home. We inventoried laws in the 50 states and the District of Columbia in the United States of America (USA) focused on addressing IPV committed in the presence of children, as these laws could help prevent or remediate this critical health and social issue. Using WestLaw, a web-based legal research service, we identified over 1,200 statutes and 500 regulations. We documented the laws' key attributes and heterogeneities and coded 557 laws from 31 states. We determined that the most commonly prescribed penalty was stricter sentencing, followed by mandates to pay for counseling for any child witnesses, separate additional criminal charges, mandated receipt of counseling or intervention services, and a period of supervised parenting. Future research could assess the possible impacts of these laws on children's short- and long-term wellbeing.</p>","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143015199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shahnaz Nilima, Kanchan Kumar Sen, Fatima-Tuz-Zahura, Wasimul Bari
{"title":"Prevalence and determinants of readiness of health facilities for quality antenatal care services in Bangladesh.","authors":"Shahnaz Nilima, Kanchan Kumar Sen, Fatima-Tuz-Zahura, Wasimul Bari","doi":"10.1057/s41271-024-00514-0","DOIUrl":"10.1057/s41271-024-00514-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study investigates the prevalence and determinants of readiness for quality antenatal care (ANC) services in Bangladesh using data from the 2017 Bangladesh Health Facility Survey (BHFS). We assessed the association between selected factors and the readiness index using multinomial logistic regression. We identified a significant gap in the availability and quality of ANC services, only 4.26% of health facilities provide quality ANC services, with rural facilities showing lower readiness compared to urban facilities (RRR:0.13; 95% CI: 0.06-0.31; p < 0.001). Community clinics and private hospitals have a lower likelihood of medium or high readiness compared to public hospitals or clinics. Health facilities with specialized care are more likely to demonstrate readiness for quality ANC services. Policy recommendations include increased healthcare funding, implementation of ANC guidelines, strengthened monitoring and evaluation of health facilities, and heightened community awareness. These measures should improve ANC, overall health outcomes, and public health policies.</p>","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"654-672"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141989392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Donna M Wilson, Yiling Zhou, Sarah Bolaji-Osagie, Farrell M Bryenton, Qinqin Dou, Gail Low
{"title":"Hospital utilization by older and younger patients in Canada: pre-pandemic findings.","authors":"Donna M Wilson, Yiling Zhou, Sarah Bolaji-Osagie, Farrell M Bryenton, Qinqin Dou, Gail Low","doi":"10.1057/s41271-024-00520-2","DOIUrl":"10.1057/s41271-024-00520-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many countries are experiencing a post-pandemic surge in hospital utilization along with accelerating population aging. Maximal hospital efficiency is required, with utilization evidence essential for identifying appropriate hospital or broader health system reforms. We offer an investigation of the most recent pre-COVID year (2019-2020) of complete population-based hospital utilization data to describe and compare the use of hospitals by older (65+) and younger (0-64) people admitted for inpatient services in Canada. We found that 35.7% of all 1,888,133 admitted individuals and 39.8% of all 2,543,227 hospital episodes involved people aged 65+, representing 4,963,766 or 17.1% of the study population. This study, as do previous Canadian and other ones, found hospitals admit more younger people than older people. The admission and care patterns of both younger and older patients reveal a need for more community-based services to shorten older patient hospitalizations and prevent avoidable hospitalizations by both younger and older people.</p>","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"771-785"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142331386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lisa Hitch, Dima Masoud, Marvy Moujabber, L Ansley Hobbs, Kathleen Cravero
{"title":"COVID-19, migrants, and world large urban areas: a thematic policy brief.","authors":"Lisa Hitch, Dima Masoud, Marvy Moujabber, L Ansley Hobbs, Kathleen Cravero","doi":"10.1057/s41271-024-00519-9","DOIUrl":"10.1057/s41271-024-00519-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Migrants living in large urban areas are disproportionately impacted by health crises such as pandemics. This policy brief explores how urban areas mitigate and/or exacerbate the impact of COVID-19 on migrant groups and provides policy recommendations. We conducted a policy review to focus on the effects of COVID-19 on migrants living in cities with > 500,000 residents. We found that structural inequity, lack of migrants' inclusion in as relief programs, and residential segregation exacerbated COVID-19 impacts. Engagement of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and e-governance showed promising effects mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on these groups; yet the use of technology introduced additional barriers such as access to devices and internet connection. We recommend increasing policy attention to systemic social inequities faced by migrant groups in urban areas and supporting innovative and inclusive implementation of public health policies, urban design, and greater engagement of CSOs in the delivery of services to migrants.</p>","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"757-770"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11609089/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142689405","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Innovative approaches in discussions of diabetes among healthcare sector actors in Germany.","authors":"Sabahat Ölcer, Maike Scheipers, Manfred Erbsland, Constanze Sharma","doi":"10.1057/s41271-024-00509-x","DOIUrl":"10.1057/s41271-024-00509-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The dramatic growth in the rate of diabetes prompts serious debates about awareness, early diagnosis, and care interventions. This Viewpoint aims to explore, from the perspectives of healthcare sector representatives, what challenges and difficulties they face in dealing with diabetes and how these can be overcome. We applied the World Café method for group discussions, which enabled us to bring together 50 stakeholders. They identified challenges at institutional and structural levels under the concepts of awareness, digitalisation, and new forms of care and shared their suggestions for feasible solutions. We learned there is a need for a diabetes map of Germany to identify risk groups and that hybrid solutions should be implemented for treatment, care, prevention, and early diagnosis, considering digital infrastructure. Also, the demand for digital innovation in the healthcare system raised concerns about information transparency and data management.</p>","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"610-622"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11609090/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141604440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Methodology for evaluation of complex school-based health promotion interventions.","authors":"Yvonne O'Byrne, J Dinneen, T Coppinger","doi":"10.1057/s41271-024-00510-4","DOIUrl":"10.1057/s41271-024-00510-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There is a need for careful examination of large volumes of collected (structured and unstructured) information related to school-based evaluation. There is also no published, comprehensive framework/s for evaluating complex interventions in Irish primary schools. The aim of this paper is to outline a methodology for process evaluation of an Irish primary school-based physical activity (PA) and nutrition intervention. Evaluation followed the three themes outlined by the British Medical Research Council: implementation, context, and mechanism of impact that we further divided into six dimensions. Methodological tools included questionnaires, PA logs, reflective journals, write and draw, and semi-structured interviews. We triangulated findings across these multiple tools to assess each dimension. We designed a unique framework to enable comparisons and offer researchers a template for evaluating complex health promotion interventions in primary schools. We present a methodology for evaluating a complex school-based health promotion intervention. The framework we propose integrates process and outcome data. It aims to enhance future result interpretation and facilitate informed comparisons among intervention schools.</p>","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"623-638"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11609087/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141917918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hyewon Lee, Khabiso J Ramphoma, Alice M Horowitz, Deborah K Walker
{"title":"Correction: Oral health is an integral part of maternal and child health.","authors":"Hyewon Lee, Khabiso J Ramphoma, Alice M Horowitz, Deborah K Walker","doi":"10.1057/s41271-024-00527-9","DOIUrl":"10.1057/s41271-024-00527-9","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"814"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142559261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Redwan Bin Abdul Baten, Abdullah Noman, Mohammad Nakibur Rahman
{"title":"Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion, access to health care, and financial behavior of the United States adults.","authors":"Redwan Bin Abdul Baten, Abdullah Noman, Mohammad Nakibur Rahman","doi":"10.1057/s41271-024-00522-0","DOIUrl":"10.1057/s41271-024-00522-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The access to care benefits of Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansions are important for 45-64-year-old adults who are living below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level, a particularly vulnerable group in the United States (US). Gaining coverage from Medicaid expansions should improve access to healthcare and affect social determinants of health, including financial behavior. We analyzed data from 2009 to 2018 from the National Financial Capability Survey (NFCS) and utilize a difference-in-differences model to compare outcomes changes in states with and without expansion before and after the ACA Medicaid expansions. Overall, Medicaid expansion was associated with increased healthcare access for 45-64-year-olds, potentially resulting in better healthcare experience. Results indicate effects of the Medicaid expansion on the financial behavior of 45-64-year-olds, with evidence of credit card bills being paid in full, higher banking activities, and better financial preparedness. These findings have important implications for financial regulators and healthcare policymakers.</p>","PeriodicalId":50070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Public Health Policy","volume":" ","pages":"740-756"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11609092/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142308971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}