Citation

Hemenway DA, Aglipay GS, Helsing KL, Raskob GE. Public Health Rep. (1974) 2006; 121(3): 349-351.

Affiliation

Harvard Injury Control Research Center, Harvard University School of Public Health, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Association of Schools of Public Health)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16640161

PMCID

PMC1525291

Abstract

The 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Reducing the Burden of Injury, notes that in the USA injury prevention is the only major field of public health where sustained training programs do not exist.

In 2001, the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (CDC Injury Center) asked the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) to determine the extent to which schools of public health are currently providing and supporting injury research and training. ASPH conducted a baseline assessment on the extent of injury research, faculty expertise, curricula, and training in schools of public health.

Injury prevention was defined as activities to prevent, ameliorate, treat, and/or reduce injury-related disability and death. The definition of injury covered two general categories: general injuries -- unintentional (including poisoning, spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries, motor vehicle injuries, falls, fires, pedestrian-related injuries, water-related injuries, and natural disasters), and violence (child maltreatment, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, suicide, youth violence, and terrorism). The assessment excluded injuries that occur within occupational and/or industrial environments. ASPH queried all department chairs and each dean of academic affairs at the 33 accredited schools of public health in 2002-2003. Overall, 30 of the 33 member schools (93%) responded. Two different surveys were administered to provide information on the breadth and scope of injury activity.

Thirteen schools of public health operate a total of 17 formal injury structures, such as a center, institute, office, or division.

Of the 163 courses identified, only 35 (21%) have injury or violence prevention as the primary focus. Such courses are primarily offered through the departments of health behavior/health education (28%) and epidemiology (25%). Three schools require an injury course for injury-related doctoral programs. No school required an injury course for any master's degree.

Respondents noted the top three needs of schools of public health to better prepare students and current practitioners as: (1) recruitment of faculty with injury expertise; (2) student training funds; and (3) faculty development funds. Further, the top three barriers to better promoting the principles of injury prevention and control mirrored the top three needs: (1) insufficient faculty, (2) limited courses, and (3) lack of student training funds.

The main types of funders for injury research in schools of public health are federal agencies and foundations. Three federal agencies -- the CDC, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) -- provided the most ongoing support to two or more schools of public health between January 1999 and July 2002 (30%). Two foundations, the MacArthur Foundation and the David & Lucille Packard Foundation, provided support to two or more schools of public health between January 1999 and July 2002.

Language: en