While the Trump administration is starting to implement changes to national public health strategies, a new survey by the Rollins School of Public Health and Gallup from Emory University provides information on public health problems that Americans want leaders to prioritize and to whom they have the most confidence for critical health information.
THE Rollins-Gallup Public Health survey asked 2,121 adults in the United States, aged 18 and over, their opinion on trendy public health subjects, in particular:
- If the United States has progressed in the fight against the main health problems in the past 10 years
- What sources of health information to which they have the most confidence (and the least)
- That the federal or state government can most effectively respond to their concerns
“It is essential to understand the problems that matter for Americans to determine where to focus public health efforts. It is also important to understand the sources that people have the most confidence in their knowledge when they make healthcare decisions for themselves and their communities, ”explains Rollins Dean Mr. Daniele Fallin, PhD. “This survey provides leaders of the government and public health with precious overview of what the Americans believe that the highest priorities to move forward and to whom they have the most confidence to protect health and the security of our people. “
What the investigation revealed
Access to health care and affordability go up to the top
- Access to health care and affordability have been classified by Americans as the highest public health priority for government leaders. One in four selected this problem as their highest priority, and more than half (52%) evaluated it in their three main priorities. However, the percentage varies from a subgroup.
- Republicans and the self -employed of the Republicans ranked “ensuring water and safe food” (24%) as their highest priority, followed by the reduction of chronic diseases (16%) and access to health care and affordability (19%). Democrats and democratic self -employed have classified access to health care and affordability (32%) as the highest priority, monitoring of food security and water (13%) and strengthening the net programs Safety (12%).
Americans want the federal government to respond to their health problems
- The majority of Americans have said that the federal government can solve their three main priority problems more effectively than governments of states.
- The majorities of Republicans / Republicans and Democrats choose the federal government with the government of the State as the most effective force to resolve each of the questions that have emerged as an absolute priority for them.
Americans trust doctors, nurses, scientific research and CDC
- Americans have chosen health care providers, scientific researchers and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as their most reliable source of information on public health.
- Political leaders ran out behind social media and digital influencers.
Americans see progress, a lot of lost ground
- The majority of Americans believe that we have lost ground in several key areas of public health over the past decade, the opioid crisis (54%), mental health (50%) and healthy food (47%) receiving the most pessimism.
Why this counts
“The investigation strengthens that the Americans, through demography and the lines of the parties, mainly agree on public health problems which affect their daily lives. Public health is at the crossroads, but the investigation is clear – the Americans think that we have more work to do. Prioritize these problems in the new administration could be unifying, ”says Stephen Patrick, MD, President of the Department of Policy and Health Management.