Health Inspectors on Local Boards of Health: the Impact on Communities’ Environmental Health Governance
Background: This study examines whether having a required health inspector on a local board of health (LBOH) improves the board’s information on environmental health. Methods: Analysis uses the national random sample of 351 U.S. LBOHs in the 2011 Profiles collected by the National Association of Loc...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Georgia Southern University
2019-10-01
|
| Series: | Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/jgpha/vol7/iss2/14 |
| _version_ | 1818038568017199104 |
|---|---|
| author | Jeff Jones Asli Aslan Ginger Fenton |
| author_facet | Jeff Jones Asli Aslan Ginger Fenton |
| author_sort | Jeff Jones |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: This study examines whether having a required health inspector on a local board of health (LBOH) improves the board’s information on environmental health. Methods: Analysis uses the national random sample of 351 U.S. LBOHs in the 2011 Profiles collected by the National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH) and examines whether having a required health inspector on a LBOH increases the likelihood it receives information on 10 environmental health topics. Results: LBOHs overall received little information on environmental health, and 48% reported wanting no or little additional information. Having a required health inspector on a LBOH did not increase the likelihood of a LBOH receiving information on 8 environmental health topics. On two additional topics, food safety and groundwater protection, LBOHs with a required health inspector are less likely to report receiving information. A required health inspector board member also did not significantly influence the openness of a LBOH to receiving more information on environmental health. Conclusions: While LBOHs are the predominant public health department governing agencies in the United States, this study points to a low level of training and knowledge about environmental health issues. Having a required health inspector board member also does not improve LBOHs’ reported likelihood of receiving information. Keywords: Local boards of health, sanitarians, environmental health, governance, health inspectors |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T07:44:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7257c1fa57304fe792a687d6cd09a4df |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2471-9773 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T07:44:48Z |
| publishDate | 2019-10-01 |
| publisher | Georgia Southern University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association |
| spelling | doaj.art-7257c1fa57304fe792a687d6cd09a4df2022-12-22T01:57:13ZengGeorgia Southern UniversityJournal of the Georgia Public Health Association2471-97732019-10-017210.20429/jgpha.2019.070214Health Inspectors on Local Boards of Health: the Impact on Communities’ Environmental Health GovernanceJeff JonesAsli AslanGinger FentonBackground: This study examines whether having a required health inspector on a local board of health (LBOH) improves the board’s information on environmental health. Methods: Analysis uses the national random sample of 351 U.S. LBOHs in the 2011 Profiles collected by the National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH) and examines whether having a required health inspector on a LBOH increases the likelihood it receives information on 10 environmental health topics. Results: LBOHs overall received little information on environmental health, and 48% reported wanting no or little additional information. Having a required health inspector on a LBOH did not increase the likelihood of a LBOH receiving information on 8 environmental health topics. On two additional topics, food safety and groundwater protection, LBOHs with a required health inspector are less likely to report receiving information. A required health inspector board member also did not significantly influence the openness of a LBOH to receiving more information on environmental health. Conclusions: While LBOHs are the predominant public health department governing agencies in the United States, this study points to a low level of training and knowledge about environmental health issues. Having a required health inspector board member also does not improve LBOHs’ reported likelihood of receiving information. Keywords: Local boards of health, sanitarians, environmental health, governance, health inspectorshttps://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/jgpha/vol7/iss2/14local boards of healthsanitariansenvironmental healthgovernancehealth inspectors |
| spellingShingle | Jeff Jones Asli Aslan Ginger Fenton Health Inspectors on Local Boards of Health: the Impact on Communities’ Environmental Health Governance Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association local boards of health sanitarians environmental health governance health inspectors |
| title | Health Inspectors on Local Boards of Health: the Impact on Communities’ Environmental Health Governance |
| title_full | Health Inspectors on Local Boards of Health: the Impact on Communities’ Environmental Health Governance |
| title_fullStr | Health Inspectors on Local Boards of Health: the Impact on Communities’ Environmental Health Governance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Health Inspectors on Local Boards of Health: the Impact on Communities’ Environmental Health Governance |
| title_short | Health Inspectors on Local Boards of Health: the Impact on Communities’ Environmental Health Governance |
| title_sort | health inspectors on local boards of health the impact on communities environmental health governance |
| topic | local boards of health sanitarians environmental health governance health inspectors |
| url | https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/jgpha/vol7/iss2/14 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jeffjones healthinspectorsonlocalboardsofhealththeimpactoncommunitiesenvironmentalhealthgovernance AT asliaslan healthinspectorsonlocalboardsofhealththeimpactoncommunitiesenvironmentalhealthgovernance AT gingerfenton healthinspectorsonlocalboardsofhealththeimpactoncommunitiesenvironmentalhealthgovernance |