healthy people 2020 - Society for Public Health Education

thursday – saturday | november 4-6
✯ Poster Abstracts ✯
8. Reaching the Optimum Potential of Distance Learning in
Health Education through Properly Marketing Non-traditional
College-level Courses
Michael Stellefson, PhD, University of Florida; Beth Chaney, PhD, CHES,
University of Florida, Gainesville; Don Chaney, PhD, CHES, University of
Florida, Gainesville
To foster innovative degree granting programs in health education,
undergraduate and graduate professional preparation in health education
has gradually begun to shift towards adopting distance learning
strategies. This is due, in part, to changes in enrollment behaviors among
modern day college students. Enrollment in online courses across all academic
departments in higher education has been growing significantly
faster than rates of enrollment in traditional on-campus courses. While
the benefits of distance learning are obvious to some, not all prescribe to
the omnipresence of distance learning within health education, which is
certainly not inconceivable to understand. In order to present a cogent
case for distance learning courses to reluctant stakeholders, it is important
to formatively engage in the process of “marketing” DE courses
effectively in order to make apparent the inherent benefits of such
unique offerings. Creating an inimitable process for effectively marketing
prospective DE courses enhances a health educator’s ability to make use
of educational technology and strategy. The purpose of this presentation
will be to highlight some key considerations for marketing select
distance education courses in health education. Specifically, 5 questions
and answers will be proposed and discussed regarding: implementing
feasibility analyses for course development; using course augmentation
strategies in DE; and identifying important developmental aspects of
proposed course offerings. Determining the “right” answers to seminal
questions can provide instructors with key insights into best practices
for course development, and thus provide students with a higher-quality
instructional experience. Additionally, market research for distance education
opportunities can have clear implications for branding your DE
courses. Traditional residential universities are encountering increased
competition from for-profit online institutions that offer many similar
courses to those offered in traditional institutions of higher learning.
Many time- and location-bound students are attracted to what they perceive
as less rigorous courses. Because of this, it has become increasingly
important for faculty who work at traditional residential institutions to
develop readily distinguishable course identities. Creating an identity is
often built through the development of distance learning-specific “visuals”
that distinguish all course materials. In addition, marketing concepts
such as demand, course management, and course visibility should be
considered within the context of identity building as it relates to higher
education coursework in health education. This presentation will present
these preliminary marketing considerations as food for thought for any
health educator aspiring to initiate the market research and development
process necessary for effective DE course development.
9. Piloting a Public Health Detailing Intervention for
the Children’s Environmental Health Center of the Hudson
Valley (CEHCHV)
Michael Shakarjian, PhD, New York Medical College; Hong Duck Kim,
PhD, New York Medical College; Amy Ansehl, RN, BSN, FNPC, New York
Medical College; Heather Archer-Dyer, MPH, New York Medical College;
Allan Dozer, MD, Health Center of the Hudson Valley, New York Medical
College; Robert Amler, MD, New York Medical College, Diane Heck, PhD,
Chia-Ching Chen, EdD, CHES
background: Children are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects
of environmental contaminants because of their unique behaviors, greater
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relative exposure than adults, and incomplete development of immune,
neurological, and metabolic systems. Early exposures can affect their developing
organs and trigger pathological responses throughout their lives.
Recent findings have suggested that certain constituents of plastic, namely
bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalate plasticizers and certain flame retardants
may pose risks because of their endocrine disrupting and immunomodulating
activities. Public Health professionals require education on which
plastics to avoid. Additionally, lead and cadmium are known contaminants
in certain plastic items and with chronic exposure; children are at heightened
risk for behavior and learning disabilities.
objective: This study was designed to achieve Health People 2020 objectives
by increasing the proportion of persons appropriately counseled about
health behaviors, increasing the amount of community health promotion
programs, and reducing the amount of toxic pollutants released into the
environment. Method: The CEHCHV, a collaboration between physicians
at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital and New York Medical College School of
Health Sciences and Practice (NYMC SHSP), promotes health in children
by educating clinical and public health practitioners. For their culminating
experience, students at the NYMC SHSP conducted a pilot study for the CE-
HCHV to disseminate information regarding the hazards of certain plastics
to health practitioners. Green and Kreuter’s (2005) PRECEDE-PROCEED
model was adopted for planning an Environmental Public Health Detailing
(EPHD) intervention. The EPHD method focuses on improving patient
care by applying a well known and successful marketing strategy used by
the pharmaceutical industry to strengthen provider practices regarding
health promotion and disease prevention. The predisposing, reinforcing, and
enabling factors were identified to investigate the behavioral variables that
influence plastics use. Students developed targeted messages and detailing
action kits containing resources and education materials to promote practitioners’
evidence-based practices.
results: The PRECEDE-PROCEED model was useful in planning the
intervention. Behavioral variables that influenced using plastics were identified.
Project objectives were fully achieved as evidenced by the creation
of detailing materials and presentation of EPHD sessions to greater than
ninety physician practice and public health professionals during National
Public Health Week. Evaluation feedback demonstrated that EPHD met
expectations while revealing areas where detailer training is critical, such
as effective communication of key messages and accommodation of practitioners’
time constraints.
10. Process Evaluation Findings from a Pilot Intervention to Improve
Home Nutrition Environments in Rural Families
Authors: Michelle Kegler, DrPH, MPH, Director, Emory Prevention
Research Center, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University; Iris
Alcantara, MPH, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University; April
Hermstad, MPH, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University; JK
Veluswamy, BS, Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition; Denise Ballard,
MEd, Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition; Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH,
Schools of Medicine and Nursing, University of Pennsylvania
In collaboration with community partners in rural southwest Georgia, the
Emory Prevention Research Center designed and pilot tested a nutrition
intervention called Healthy Homes/Healthy Families. Local residents were
trained to serve as coaches to promote healthy actions to make the home
environment more supportive of healthy eating. The healthy actions focused
on maintaining a healthier household food inventory, cooking family
meals with healthier food preparation methods, cutting down on family
meals from restaurants, and creating rules to limit eating while watching
TV. The intervention consisted of a tailored home environment profile (a
personalized summary of the home nutrition environment from baseline