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Large Number Of Concerns Proposed As Public Health Issues In First Two Months Of 2019

Previous articles in The Epidemiology Monitor have noted the large number of concerns which have been labeled or proposed for consideration as public health issues. Some of these, such as “All season tires”, “Hoarding”, “Achieving a good death”, and “Chemsex” have received relatively little attention in mainstream media and were surprising to learn about. Others such as “Gaming addiction”, “pornography”, and “human trafficking” have received more recognition and at first glance may be more plausible to adopt within a public health framework.

Candidates For Public Health Issue

This same duality of surprising versus less surprising topics appears to characterize the concerns we have encountered just in the last two months that are being put forth as a public health “crisis”, “emergency”, “threat”, or “problem”.

Below is the list of topics we have read about, followed by the list of previously published criteria that have been proposed as helpful in determining if an issue qualifies to be adopted as a public health issue.

What is the difference between a social concern and a public health problem? Are all social concerns qualified to be public health problems? Readers are invited to share their opinions about the specific issues mentioned here or the criteria which should be paramount in determining what constitutes a public health problem. Also, we are interested in learning from readers what difference it makes if an issue is thought of or adopted as a “public health problem". Will epidemiologists be more likely to investigate or contribute in some way?

List of Issues

 

Candidate public health issues encountered so far in 2019, in no particular order:
 

·       Teen vaping

·       Tax on ammunition

·       Ebola in Congo

·       Drug resistant superbugs

·       Refusal to promote e-cigs by the FDA

·       Scooters/Shareable 2-wheeled vehicles

·       Traffic

·       Benzodiazepam prescriptions

·       Insomnia in teens

·       Illegal gun sales

·       Sub-zero weather

·       Lack of sleep

·       Background check for guns

·       Separating children from parents

·       Physician burnout

·       Climate change

·       Wildlife killing contests

·       Area traffic deaths in DC

·       Potholes (impact on ambulances)

·       Pornography

·       Opioid epidemic

·       Violent conflict

·       Chronic wasting disease in deer

The criteria which have been proposed as relevant in determining whether or not to adopt public problems as public health issues.

1. The concept of preventability

2. High prevalence of a risk factor, condition, or disease

3. A rapid increase in the incidence or prevalence

4. Cost of the condition

5. Burden of disease

6. Has the capability of affecting the population as a whole

7. Will require group action to solve.

 

Please send your comments to the editor at epimon@aol.com 

 


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