Considerations for Measuring the Impact of Policy-Relevant Research

Philanthropy, and the research and analysis it supports, has an important role to play in informing policy and making government more effective. Yet all too often, foundations and other research funders struggle to understand whether and how their investments have affected policy. This article highlights the findings of an 18-month pilot project conducted by AcademyHealth to help the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation better understand the impact of a subset of the foundation’s research grants, across investment types, on health insurance coverage and health reform, and to help inform how the foundation may more systematically track and measure the impact of the research it funds. This pilot was unique in that it sought to formulate practical recommendations for how foundation staff might collect, organize, and interpret key measures of policy impact on an ongoing basis, particularly when working with limited time and resources. This article focuses on insights that may be of interest to other foundations seeking to measure the policy impact of their research investments

Public Relations in Government-Based Public Health: Testing Contingency Theory During H1N1 Response, 2009-2010

The primary purpose of this study is to describe public relations programs in state and local government-based health departments nationwide. Using the H1N1 communications and public relations activities as a frame, or basis of comparison, this study will further seek to identify if Contingency Theory of public relations may be an apt descriptor of public relations activities during this particular response effort. This study uses Contingency Theory as a theoretical perspective to explain the strategic management of the organization-public relationships and add to the body of knowledge about Contingency Theory of public relations in the field of health communications. Contingency Theory has been tested in other areas of for-profit and nonprofit sectors, but not specifically in the field of health communication. While the practice of public relations in the field of health care has been studied extensively, most work has centered on pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and other health care facilities. The work performed in state and local public health departments has been rarely examined, other than to review which campaigns prove effective in what areas, primarily in the development of campaigns to measure or improve a particular health indicator. Previous studies in the area of public health have tended to focus on specific aspects of campaigns rather than the general practice of public relations in public health. This study examines the practice of public relations in public health to describe and explain the approach taken with various publics and to determine if Contingency Theory proves appropriate as a descriptor of practice. This study will add to the body of knowledge by linking public relations to public health and in building public relations theory by beginning to test Contingency Theory in the area of public health

The BG News July 7, 2010

The BGSU campus student newspaper July 7, 2010. Volume 100 - Issue 157https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/bg-news/9260/thumbnail.jp

The BG News May 25, 2005

The BGSU campus student newspaper May 25, 2005. Volume 95 - Issue 150https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/bg-news/8447/thumbnail.jp

Obesity Epidemic in the Military: Implications for Veterans

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of overweight and obesity on veterans\u27 careers. Obesity, once thought unproblematic for the military, is being recognized as a health concern that has expansive implications for the health and readiness of service men and women, as well as for veterans. There is an abundance of information on obesity within the general population, but research on the impact of obesity on military careers is limited. This quantitative, cross-sectional research study investigated how obesity is a challenge throughout a veteran\u27s career, from enlistment to retirement, using an online survey to gather data related to demographics including rank, age, race/ethnicity, education level, marital status, and years of service. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t tests, Levene\u27s test, and the Mann-Whitney test. Results of the analyses showed that military veterans\u27 overweight at separation contributes to their likelihood of adverse weight-related experiences while in the service, and that military veterans who are overweight or obese have more adverse weight-related experiences than those who were not obese when they separated from the military. Among respondents who were not overweight at separation, women had more adverse weight-related experiences than men. The findings of this study could change how military leaders and policy makers develop new programs, promoting a focus on the prevention of obesity rather than on causes of obesity. Understanding how overweight and obesity affect service members\u27 careers could lead to increased appreciation of the importance of ensuring military readiness through interventions that address multiple levels of influence

Special Issue: Food Sustainability, the Food System, and Alaskans

[Geography] -- The Alaska Food Policy Council: Everyone knows that food is important, but our dependence upon Outside for the stuff of life has finally begun to seem, well, just a little discomfiting to Alaska's policymakers. Once again, Alaskans are searching for a way to feed themselves. / Deirdre Helfferich -- Supermarkets in Fairbanks: Food must be affordable as well as accessible for a community to achieve food security. How well does Fairbanks, Alaska's second-largest city, stack up in this regard? / Alison Meadow -- [High-Latitude Agriculture] -- Homegrown Alaska: Farmer Profiles Open the Eyes of the Interior to the Scope of Local Agriculture: The scope of food grown by Interior farmers is staggering, and the breadth and variety of the farmers' characters is equally impressive. From Bethel to North Pole to Manley Hot Springs, there's more growing here than most people realize. / Nancy Tarnai -- Assessing Food security in Fairbanks, Alaska: There's a lot of farmers in the Interior, but finding out what they grow, what they need, and where they sell their agricultural products can by tricky. This senior thesis project answers several questions about agriculture in the Tanana Valley and points the way to determining how best to improve food security in the Fairbanks area. /Charles Caster -- Recovering from an aberration: The Future of Alaska's Livestock: Livestock is an integral part of agriculture, and this is true in Alaska as anywhere else: animals are raised for meat, milk, fiber, transportation, labor, and companionship. Or is there a difference in the Last Frontier? / Deirdre Helfferich -- Greenhouse: a place to grow: When the forty-year-old Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station greenhouse on the West Ridge of the UAF campus was dismantled, it was only a matter of months before a brand-new teaching and research greenhouse was constructed. / Nancy Tarnai and Deirdre Helfferich -- ARS shuts the door on Alaska research: Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack approved the closure of twelve Agricultural Research Service stations, including the ARS in Alaska, and despite a plea from US Senator Mark Begich. When the Sub-Arctic Research Unit and its gene bank close, the door will shut on a long history of research that won't be easily picked up by anyone else. / Nancy Tarnai -- [Events, People, & Places] Food -- Food Day begins with a bang: The first national Food Day celebration was inaugurated in 2011, and UAF was right there with an Iron Chef Surf vs. Turf Cookoff Challenge, Food Jeopardy, films, displays, and a delicious free all-local buffet. / Nancy Tarnai -- Buzz Klebesadel: An Alaskan author, scientist, and agricultural leader has passed on. -- [Natural Resources] -- Fisheries and food security in Alaska: Any discussion of food security in Alaska is incomplete without at least some attention to the current and potential role of fisheries. For thousands of years, coastal and living marine resources have provided a keystone for the cultural, economic, and environmental health and wellbeing of Alaska's people and communities. / Philip A. Loring and Hannah L. Harrison -- Seed libraries: Seed-Sharing on a Community Level: While many people are familiar with the concept of a seed bank, not so many are acquainted with the idea of a seed library. Now this new kind of lending institution has come to Alaska. / Deirdre Helfferich -- A guide to bumblebees of the Interior: A Taxonomic Key and Notes on BOMBUS Species: Bumblebees are important pollinators, and can even be more efficient than honeybees at crop pollination. Their tongues are longer, they can buzz pollinate, and there are lots of them in Alaska. With the recent die-offs of honeybees due to Colony Collapse Disorder, scientists are looking at native bees and other pollinators. / Rehanon Pampell, Alberto Pantoga, Derek S. Sikes, Patricia Holloway, and Charles Knight

AN INSTRUMENTAL STUDY OF FIRE SERVICE LEADERS’ INFLUENCE ON FOLLOWERS’ WORKPLACE AEROBIC EXERCISE ACTIVITY

Sudden cardiac events resulting from the physical demands associated with fire suppression among individuals lacking adequate aerobic fitness are known concerns within the firefighting domain. The purpose of this research study was to explore fire service leaders\u27 perceived leadership behaviors that aided in followers\u27 performing workplace aerobic exercise activities (Creswell & Poth, 2018). Following within-case and cross-case analyses of interviewees\u27 data, five leadership themes emerged comprising four behaviors and one influence related to followers\u27 workplace aerobic exercise activities: role model, supportive, cooperative, visionary, and planned exercise regimen. In the present study, thematic findings indicated that fire service leaders\u27 role-modeling exercise and fitness behaviors exemplified the importance of performing workplace aerobic exercise activities among followers. In addition, supportive behaviors focused on interactive exchanges, job-related training, and team-building helped followers perform workplace aerobic exercise activities. Moreover, interviewees portrayed cooperative behaviors towards working out with followers, scaling exercises, and procuring fitness equipment promoted workplace aerobic exercise activities. Furthermore, interviewees described the use of visionary behaviors focused on thinking outside of the box and eliciting solutions to barriers limiting followers’ from performing workplace aerobic exercise activities. Equally important, interviewees identified that establishing a prescribed planned workout regimen influenced followers\u27 performance of workplace aerobic exercise activities. Therefore, the present study\u27s findings have practical implications for helping fire service leaders lessen followers\u27 cardiovascular disease-related events within the firefighting domain