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Dodson EA, Parks RG, Jacob RR, An R, Eyler AA, Lee N, Morshed AB, Politi MC, Tabak RG, Yan Y, Brownson RC. Effectively communicating with local policymakers: a randomized trial of policy brief dissemination to address obesity. Front Public Health 2024; 12:1246897. [PMID: 38525334 PMCID: PMC10957535 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1246897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Evidence-based policies are a powerful tool for impacting health and addressing obesity. Effectively communicating evidence to policymakers is critical to ensure evidence is incorporated into policies. While all public health is local, limited knowledge exists regarding effective approaches for improving local policymakers' uptake of evidence-based policies. Methods Local policymakers were randomized to view one of four versions of a policy brief (usual care, narrative, risk-framing, and narrative/risk-framing combination). They then answered a brief survey including questions about their impressions of the brief, their likelihood of using it, and how they determine legislative priorities. Results Responses from 331 participants indicated that a majority rated local data (92%), constituent needs/opinions (92%), and cost-effectiveness data (89%) as important or very important in determining what issues they work on. The majority of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that briefs were understandable (87%), believable (77%), and held their attention (74%) with no brief version rated significantly higher than the others. Across the four types of briefs, 42% indicated they were likely to use the brief. Logistic regression models showed that those indicating that local data were important in determining what they work on were over seven times more likely to use the policy brief than those indicating that local data were less important in determining what they work on (aOR = 7.39, 95% CI = 1.86,52.57). Discussion Among local policymakers in this study there was no dominant format or type of policy brief; all brief types were rated similarly highly. This highlights the importance of carefully crafting clear, succinct, credible, and understandable policy briefs, using different formats depending on communication objectives. Participants indicated a strong preference for receiving materials incorporating local data. To ensure maximum effect, every effort should be made to include data relevant to a policymaker's local area in policy communications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Dodson
- Prevention Research Center, Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Renee G. Parks
- Prevention Research Center, Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Rebekah R. Jacob
- Prevention Research Center, Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Ruopeng An
- Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Amy A. Eyler
- Prevention Research Center, Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | | | - Alexandra B. Morshed
- Prevention Research Center, Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Mary C. Politi
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Rachel G. Tabak
- Prevention Research Center, Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Yan Yan
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Surgery, Division of Biostatistics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Ross C. Brownson
- Prevention Research Center, Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, and Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
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Purtle J, Bowler S, Boughter-Dornfeld M, Nelson KL, Gollust SE. Newspaper Coverage of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Toxic Stress in the United States, 2014-2020: Consequences, Causes, and Solutions. TRAUMA, VIOLENCE & ABUSE 2023; 24:313-323. [PMID: 34269132 DOI: 10.1177/15248380211029407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
News media can shape public opinion about child adversity and influence the translation of research into public policy. Research about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress has increased dramatically in recent years, but little is known about how these concepts are covered in news media. We reviewed how newspapers in the United States have portrayed the consequences of, causes of, and solutions to address ACEs and toxic stress, examined trends in newspaper coverage, and assessed differences in coverage of ACEs versus toxic stress. Quantitative content analysis was conducted of 746 newspaper articles mentioning "adverse childhood experience(s)" and/or "toxic stress" published in 25 U.S. newspapers between January 1, 2014, and May 30, 2020. κ statistics of interrater reliability were calculated, and variables with κ ≥ .60 were retained for quantitative analysis. We found that newspaper coverage of ACEs and toxic stress increased dramatically between 2014 and 2018 and then sharply declined. Only 13.3% of articles mentioned both ACEs and toxic stress. There were many statistically significant (p < .05) differences in the causes, consequences, and solutions identified in articles focused on ACEs versus toxic stress. Coverage of both concepts predominantly focused on consequences for individuals, not society. However, 54.6% of articles identified a structural cause of ACEs and/or toxic stress. Increased volume in newspaper coverage about ACEs and toxic stress could increase public awareness about the relationship between childhood adversity and adult outcomes. There is a need to portray ACEs and toxic stress as complementary concepts more coherently in news media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Purtle
- Department of Health Management and Policy, Dornsife School of Public Health, 6527Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sarah Bowler
- Department of Health Services Administration, School of Health Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Maura Boughter-Dornfeld
- Department of Health Management and Policy, Dornsife School of Public Health, 6527Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Katherine L Nelson
- Department of Health Management and Policy, Dornsife School of Public Health, 6527Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sarah E Gollust
- Division of Health Policy and Management, 43353University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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Purtle J, Nelson KL, Lê-Scherban F, Gollust SE. Unintended consequences of disseminating behavioral health evidence to policymakers: Results from a survey-based experiment. IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2023; 4:26334895231172807. [PMID: 37790180 PMCID: PMC10170598 DOI: 10.1177/26334895231172807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Communication research demonstrates that messages often have unintended consequences, but this work has received limited attention in implementation science. This dissemination experiment sought to determine whether state-tailored policy briefs about the behavioral health consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), compared to national policy briefs on the topic, increased state legislators'/staffers' perceptions of the policy brief relevance and parental blame for the consequences of ACEs, and whether effects differed between Democrats and Republicans. Method A preregistered, web-based survey experiment with U.S. state legislators/staffers was conducted in 2021 (n = 133). Respondents were randomized to view a policy brief about the behavioral health consequences of ACEs that included state-tailored data (intervention condition) or national data (control condition) and then answered survey questions. Dependent variables were perceived policy brief relevance and parental blame for the consequences of ACEs. Results The mean policy brief relevance score was 4.1% higher in the intervention than in the control condition (p = .24), but the mean parental blame score was 16.5% higher (p = .02). When outcomes were dichotomized, 61.2% of respondents in the intervention condition rated parents as "very much to blame" for the consequences of ACEs compared to 37.1% in the control condition (p = .01). When the sample was stratified by political affiliation, the effect of the state-tailored policy brief on parental blame was larger in magnitude among Democrats and not significant among Republicans. The intervention policy brief increased the mean parental blame score by 22.8% among Democrats relative to the control policy brief (p = .007) and doubled the proportion rating parents as "very much to blame" (52.2% vs. 26.1%, p = .03). Conclusions Despite limited statistical power, state-tailored policy briefs significantly increased state legislators'/staffers' perceptions of parental blame for the behavioral health consequences of ACEs, relative to a policy brief with national data. Unintended messaging effects warrant greater attention in dissemination research and practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Purtle
- Department of Public Health Policy & Management, New York University School of Global Public Health, Global Center for Implementation Science, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Félice Lê-Scherban
- Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sarah E. Gollust
- Division of Health Policy & Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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Purtle J, Nelson KL, Gebrekristos L, Lê-Scherban F, Gollust SE. Partisan differences in the effects of economic evidence and local data on legislator engagement with dissemination materials about behavioral health: a dissemination trial. Implement Sci 2022; 17:38. [PMID: 35729630 PMCID: PMC9213102 DOI: 10.1186/s13012-022-01214-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND State legislators make policy decisions that influence children's exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as child maltreatment, and their effects on behavioral health. Effective dissemination of scientific research can increase the likelihood that legislators' decisions are aligned with evidence to prevent ACEs and their consequences, and effective dissemination requires legislators to engage with dissemination materials. Informed by the elaboration likelihood model of persuasive communication and Brownson's Model of Dissemination Research, we tested the hypothesis that inclusion of economic evidence and local data would increase legislator engagement with dissemination materials about evidence-supported policies related to ACEs and behavioral health. METHODS A three-arm randomized dissemination trial was conducted. A university researcher e-mailed dissemination materials which contained evidence about ACEs and behavioral health problems to state legislators (two e-mails sent 2 weeks apart, 12,662 e-mails delivered to 6509 legislators). The e-mail subject lines, text, and policy brief content were manipulated across the study arms. The intervention condition received state-tailored data about rates of ACEs and state-tailored economic evidence about the costs of ACEs for public systems, the enhanced control condition received state-tailored data and not economic evidence, and the control condition received national data and not economic evidence. Outcomes were rates of e-mail views, policy brief link clicks, requests for researcher consultation, and mentions of child maltreatment terms in legislators' social media posts. RESULTS For the first e-mail, the e-mail view rate was 42.6% higher in the intervention than in the enhanced control condition (22.8% vs. 14.8%) and 20.8% higher than in the control condition (22.8% vs. 18.5%) (both p < .0001). Similar results were observed for the second e-mail. These differences remained significant after adjustment for demographic differences across study conditions in individual-level models, but not multilevel models. There was a significant interaction between the experimental condition and political party (p < .0001) in which the intervention increased e-mail view rates among Democrats but not Republicans. The intervention had no effect on policy brief link clicks or requests for consultation and a mixed effect on social media posts. CONCLUSIONS Inclusion of state-tailored economic evidence in dissemination materials can increase engagement with research evidence among Democrat, but not Republican, legislators. Dissemination strategies tailored for legislators' political party affiliation may be needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Purtle
- New York University School of Global Public Health, New York City, USA.
| | | | | | | | - Sarah E Gollust
- University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, USA
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Sheldrick RC, Barnett ML. Math Matters: Why Positive Screening Rates Cannot Substitute for Prevalence. Acad Pediatr 2022; 22:173-175. [PMID: 34752958 DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Radley Christopher Sheldrick
- Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management, Boston University School of Public Health (RC Sheldrick), Boston, Mass.
| | - Miya L Barnett
- Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology, University of California (ML Barnett), Santa Barbara, Calif
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Crowley DM, Connell CM, Noll J, Green L, Scott T, Giray C. Legislating to Prevent Adverse Childhood Experiences: Growth and Opportunities for Evidence-Based Policymaking and Prevention. PREVENTION SCIENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR PREVENTION RESEARCH 2022; 23:181-191. [PMID: 34599473 PMCID: PMC8837668 DOI: 10.1007/s11121-021-01292-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Since the landmark study of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs; Felitti et al., American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4):245-258, 1998), there has been a significant growth in efforts to address ACEs and their impact on individual health and well-being. Despite this growing awareness, there has been little systematic review of state legislative action regarding variation in focus or scope or of the broader context impacting the introduction and enactment of ACE-related policy efforts. To inform the role of psychologists and related professionals to contribute to these legislative efforts, we conduct a comprehensive mixed-method analysis of all state bills introduced over the past two decades to investigate the use and impact of ACE research in introduced and enacted state legislative language (51 states, NTotal Bills = 1,212,048, NACE Bills = 425). In addition, these analyses examine congressional office communications (N = 14,916,546 public statements) and voting records (N = 1,163,463 votes) to understand the relationship between legislative members' public discussion of ACEs and their voting behavior on these bills. We find that legislators' public discourse is significantly related to ACE-related policymaking above and beyond political affiliation or demographic characteristics. Furthermore, key legislative language related to domestic violence, evidence-based practice, and prevention were significant predictors of whether an ACE-related bill becomes law-above and beyond the political party in power. These analyses highlight the ways in which ACE-related research has informed state policy. Based upon this work, we offer recommendations for researchers and policymakers.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Max Crowley
- Pennsylvania State University, 219 HHD Building, State College, PA, 16801, USA.
- Child Trends, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Christian M Connell
- Pennsylvania State University, 219 HHD Building, State College, PA, 16801, USA
- Child Trends, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jennie Noll
- Pennsylvania State University, 219 HHD Building, State College, PA, 16801, USA
- Child Trends, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lawrie Green
- Pennsylvania State University, 219 HHD Building, State College, PA, 16801, USA
- Child Trends, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Taylor Scott
- Pennsylvania State University, 219 HHD Building, State College, PA, 16801, USA
- Child Trends, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Cagla Giray
- Pennsylvania State University, 219 HHD Building, State College, PA, 16801, USA
- Child Trends, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Gollust SE, Nelson KL, Purtle J. Selecting evidence to frame the consequences of adverse childhood experiences: testing effects on public support for policy action, multi-sector responsibility, and stigma. Prev Med 2022; 154:106912. [PMID: 34921834 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
While clinical and public health researchers have produced a high volume of research evidence about the consequences of ACEs, there is limited research on public understanding of ACEs or how to most effectively communicate about this body of science. The objective of this study was to determine which messages describing evidence about the consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) affect public perceptions. We conducted an online experiment with a nationally-representative sample of U.S. adults in July-August 2020. Participants were randomized to control groups receiving messages describing ACE prevalence or resilience, or treatment groups receiving messages describing consequences of ACEs on mental health and substance use, economics, racial equity, or biology. We compared respondents' perceptions of prevention policies and likelihood of policy engagement, attributions of multi-sector responsibility, and blame and stigma across experimental groups. Messages about economic consequences increased respondents' support for policy and attributions of multi-sector responsibility relative to control groups, while also increasing parental blame. The message describing racial equity lowered respondents' perceptions of importance of state policy action and attributions of responsibility to health care. None of the messages affected stigmatizing attitudes. Describing the economic consequences of ACEs on public systems boosts public support for policy action. More research is needed on how the public responds to messaging connecting systemic racism with childhood adversity and health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Gollust
- Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
| | - Katherine L Nelson
- Department of Health Management and Policy, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jonathan Purtle
- Department of Health Management and Policy, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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