Bridging the gap between education and practice in public health, with particular reference to less-developed provinces in China

Does public health education improve migrant workers' health status in China?-evidence from China Migrants Dynamic Survey

This study investigates the effect of public health education (PHE) on migrant workers' health status in China, using the data collected from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey project. The analysis employs a probit model, whose results suggest that, in general, PHE has a statistically significant and positive impact on migrant workers' self-rated health status and exerts a negative impact on their incidence rate of daily diseases. We also utilize the conditional mixed process method to address the potential endogenous issue. Further analyses reveal that there are significant differences in the impacts of different modes of PHE on migrant workers' health status, among which the mode of health knowledge lectures plays the most prominent role. Nonetheless, an additional analysis indicates that in addition to PHE, other public health services, such as the establishment of health records, also have a significant effect on the promotion of migrant workers' health status. A disaggregated analysis reveals that this impact is heterogeneous among different generations, genders as well as those with different income levels. The findings shed light on the importance of promoting equal access to public health services.

Health status and public health education for internal older migrants in China: Evidence from a nationally representative survey

Background

Self-rated health has been widely used as a useful screening tool to subjectively evaluate individuals' health status. Under the context of the rapid growth of aging, there was a dramatic rapid expansion in internal older migrants in China. Serious concerns on the issues of health status continue to attract quite a lot of attention over the past decades. Public health education is one of the most important health care services and methods to improve individuals' health status. However, most previous studies focus on the utilization of public health services such as visiting to doctors, physical examination, and hospitalization. There was limited evidence on the self-rated health and public health education of older migrants.

Objectives

The study aimed to evaluate self-rated health and the associated determinants in older migrants, as well as to gain a deeper insight into the current status of public health education received by older migrants.

Methods

We derived the data from the National Migrants Population Health and Family Planning Dynamic Monitor Survey 2018, a cross-sectional study, for secondary analysis. Internal migrants aged 60 years old or over were included in the study. Self-rated health was the dependent variable, while sociodemographic characteristics were the independent variable. The univariate and multivariate analyses were performed by Stata 15.1.

Results

A total of 5,589 older migrants were included in the study. Eighty-two percentage of older migrants reported healthy self-rated health. There was a significant association between age, gender, minzu, education level, monthly income, public health education, and self-rated health (P < 0.5). However, the proportion of older migrants that received specific public health education was <50%. The most common approach to receiving public health education was through the leaflet, while <20% of older migrants received public health education through public consultation and one-to-one education.

Conclusions

It was necessary to promote the publicity of public health education in older migrants through easy access and diverse approaches in order to effectively spread health-related knowledge to older migrants to satisfy their health needs and maintain their health.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices in relation to antimicrobial resistance amongst Chinese public health undergraduates

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices amongst public health undergraduates in relation to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in China.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted amongst all final-year public health undergraduates from 18 universities across China. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on AMR-related knowledge, attitudes and practices, whilst multivariable linear and logistic regressions were employed to detect associations among these three aspects.

RESULTS

A total of 1115 participants were included in this study. The mean ± standard deviation AMR knowledge score was 7.68 ± 2.56. Moreover, 75.2% of students had performed incorrect antimicrobial practice. Studying in a key university [slope = 1.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.71-2.27], being male (slope = 0.36, 95% CI 0.02-0.70), having clinical experience (slope = 1.71, 95% CI 1.13-2.30) and having an affirmative attitude towards AMR were positively associated with knowledge score. Knowledge score was also positively associated with AMR practice (odds ratio = 1.07, 95% CI 1.00-1.13).

CONCLUSIONS

A knowledge gap in relation to AMR was determined among Chinese public health students. This gap is associated with attitudes towards AMR and in turn influences antimicrobial use. It is clear that additional measures are needed in the curriculum, including additional AMR-specific clinical practices.

Effect of Health Education on Healthcare-Seeking Behavior of Migrant Workers in China

Health education is considered to be an effective way to improve the healthcare-seeking behavior of migrant workers. This study examined the impact of health education on healthcare-seeking behavior of migrant workers in China and explored the differences in different health education methods. This paper used the 2017 China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS) to analyze the relationship between health education and healthcare-seeking behavior. Our results indicated that health education could significantly improve the healthcare-seeking behavior of migrant workers, but there was still ample space for improvement. From the perspective of different health education methods, lectures, public consultation, and online education were positively correlated to healthcare-seeking behavior, while publicity materials and bulletin boards were not. Although the effects of publicity materials and bulletins were limited, these two health education methods were still the most widely used. Our results emphasized the necessity of increasing investment in lectures, public consultation, online education, and other similar health education methods. This change in health education methods can play an effective role in the spread of health education to improve the healthcare-seeking behavior of migrant workers.

Public health education at China's higher education institutions: a time-series analysis from 1998 to 2012

Background

Although China’s modern education for public health was developing over the past 60 years, there is a lack of authoritative statistics and analyses on the nation’s development of education for public health at higher education institutions (HEIs). Few quantitative studies on this topic have been published in domestic and international peer-reviewed journals. To address this knowledge gap, we aimed to use national data to quantitatively analyse the scale, structure, and changes of public health education in China’s HEIs, and to compare the changes of public health education with those of other health science disciplines.

Methods

This study uses previously unreleased national data provided by the Ministry of Education of China that includes the number of health professional students by school and major. The data, which spans from 1998 to 2012, are descriptively analyzed.

Results

The number of HEIs for public health education per 100 million population increased from 7.2 in 1998 to 11.3 in 2012. The total enrolment, number of students, and number of graduates increased at rates of 7.3, 7.4, and 5.8% per year, respectively. The percentage of junior college students dropped drastically from 24.0 to 8.4% from 1998 to 2012. During that same period, the number of undergraduates, master and doctorate students increased. Undergraduates accounted for the majority of public health graduates (63.1%) in 2012, and master and doctorate students increased by 10.0 and 5.1 times, respectively, from 1998 to 2012. The relative percentage of public health enrollment, students, and graduates to all health education disciplines dropped from about 6.0% percent in 1998 to around 2% in 2012.

Conclusions

The overall scale of public health education has clearly expanded, though at a slower pace than many other health science disciplines in China. The increase of public health graduates helped to address the previous shortage of public health professionals. Gradually adopting a modern model of education, public health education in China has undergone notable changes that may be informative to other developing countries though it still faces a complex situation in terms of graduates’ adherence to public health, student recruitment, teaching and training, program planning and reform.

Experiences of registered nurses with regard to accessing health information at the point-of-care via mobile computing devices

Background

The volume of health information necessary to provide competent health care today has become overwhelming. Mobile computing devices are fast becoming an essential clinical tool for accessing health information at the point-of-care of patients.

Objectives

This study explored and described how registered nurses experienced accessing information at the point-of-care via mobile computing devices (MCDs).

Method

A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design was used. Ten in–depth interviews were conducted with purposively sampled registered nurses employed by a state hospital in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM). Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using Tesch's data analysis technique. Ethical principles were adhered to throughout the study. Guba's model of trustworthiness was used to confirm integrity of the study.

Results

Four themes emerged which revealed that the registered nurses benefited from the training they received by enabling them to develop, and improve, their computer literacy levels. Emphasis was placed on the benefits that the accessed information had for educational purposes for patients and the public, for colleagues and students. Furthermore the ability to access information at the point-of-care was considered by registered nurses as valuable to improve patient care because of the wide range of accurate and readily accessible information available via the mobile computing device.

Conclusion

The registered nurses in this study felt that being able to access information at the point-of-care increased their confidence and facilitated the provision of quality care because it assisted them in being accurate and sure of what they were doing.