Administrative Evidence-based Practices in State Chronic Disease Practitioners.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Chronic Disease Management

Background:

• Evidence-based practices (EBPs) enhance health initiative effectiveness.
• Administrative EBPs (A-EBPs) are vital for public health departments' program implementation.
• Understanding A-EBPs in relation to practitioner characteristics is essential for improving public health initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe administrative evidence-based practices (A-EBPs).
• To examine A-EBPs in relation to chronic disease practitioners' characteristics in state health departments.

Main Methods:

• A 2016 online survey was administered to randomly selected chronic disease practitioners in state health departments.
• The survey assessed five domains of A-EBPs: workforce development, leadership, culture and climate, relationships and partners, and financial practices.
• State-level variables were collected and incorporated into a regression model to analyze predictors of A-EBP scores.

Main Results:

• Analysis of 571 respondents indicated lowest agreement with financial practices (41.49%) and leadership (42.33%).
• Higher agreement was observed for culture and climate (54.52%) and relationships and partners (58.71%).
• State poverty level was the sole significant predictor of A-EBP scores after covariate adjustment.

Conclusions:

• The study identified areas of high A-EBP agreement and opportunities for enhancement within state health departments.
• Emphasizing A-EBPs to public health leadership and developing strategies for an aging workforce and intersectoral partnerships are recommended.
• Findings can guide targeted training to improve A-EBPs in state health departments.