Keith Nicholls

Enhancing response rates in physician surveys: the limited utility of electronic options.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the utility of offering physicians electronic options as alternatives to completing mail questionnaires. DATA SOURCE A survey of colorectal cancer screening practices of Alabama primary care physicians, conducted May-June 2010. STUDY DESIGN In the follow-up to a mail questionnaire, physicians were offered options of completing surveys by telephone, fax, email, or online. DATA COLLECTION METHOD Detailed records were kept on the timing and mode of completion of surveys. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Eighty-eight percent of surveys were returned by mail, 10 percent were returned by fax, and only 2 percent were completed online; none were completed by telephone or email. CONCLUSIONS Offering fax options increases response rates, but providing other electronic options does not.

Police crime analysis: A Survey of us police departments with 100 or more sworn personnel

The quality of police service is a function of the organizations capacity to effectively collect, collate, analyze and disseminate relevant data. Our understanding about the general state of police crime analysis in the USA is limited. We have some data from the LEMAS survey and a good deal of anecdotal information about crime analysis operations. To date, researchers have not engaged in systematic, rigorous efforts to develop a comprehensive sense of various administrative, technological, and operational aspects of the police crime analysis function. In this study, a census of police departments with over 100 sworn personnel was administered (summer 2000). Findings of that survey are reported here.

Environmental Risk Perceptions and the White Male Effect: Pollution Concerns among Deep-South Coastal Residents

Recent research in the United States reveals that although men are more accepting of risk than women, and Whites more accepting of risks than non-whites, more notable patterns lie at the intersection of race and gender. Evidence of the white male effect has been found in both national and local samples. The present study examines the environmental risk perceptions of deep-South coastal residents in counties adjacent to Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. These areas are characterized by heavy industrial pollution and significant airborne mercury fallout, resulting in numerous health advisories regarding fish consumption. The analysis supports a growing body of literature that finds, compared to other race-gender groups, white males are more accepting of environmental risks, especially those risks posing a threat to human health and safety. The significance of the white male effect for policy and future applied risk research are discussed, and suggestions for future research are presented.

The Utility of Community Health Workers in Disaster Preparedness, Recovery, and Resiliency

Lay Health Workers can play a pivotal role in improving disaster response and recovery because of their potential effectiveness in enhancing the overall health of their communities, increasing disaster preparedness, supplementing the efforts of disaster responders, and building relationships of trust among all interested parties. Such activities build social capital and significantly enhance community resiliency in anticipation of future disasters. Although there are a number of different types of lay health workers, the version with the greatest potential in this area is the Community Health Worker (CHW). Recent research findings confirm that CHWs serving in the communities where they live have been beneficial in emergency management planning and disaster recovery, following both natural and technological disasters. When properly trained, they constitute a proven strategy for timely interventions aimed at reducing long-term collective trauma and building social capital. In this paper, we elaborate the characteristics and roles of CHWs as a specific type of lay health worker; review research on the utility of CHWs in health care generally, as well as in the area of emergency management; describe their potential for building social capital and enhancing community resilience; and provide an overview of essential training needed to prepare them to participate in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. We conclude with some suggestions for future research.

Attitudes toward colorectal cancer screening in the digital age: a survey of practices and attitudes among screening-eligible Alabamians.

Objectives To ascertain barriers to colorectal cancer screening in an environment of changing recommendations, payment structures, and information access, and to develop strategies for overcoming these barriers by undertaking a population survey of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening knowledge and attitudes in Alabama. Methods An 80-item questionnaire focused on cancer screening, specifically CRC screening, was developed and pretested. A random sample of Alabama residents was generated using random-digit dial methods and interviews of 615 participants aged 50 and older were conducted in March 2012 and April 2012. Screened and unscreened groups were compared using &khgr;2 statistics. Results Sixty-one percent of Alabamians who participated in this survey reported being screened for CRC, the majority (95%) of these by colonoscopy. Both screened and unscreened participants reported using the Internet for health information more often if they were younger than 65 years. Those screened often reported feeling well informed regarding the guidelines, often to have discussed CRC screening with their family physician, and often to have had other cancer screenings. All of the respondents, screened and unscreened, reported financial considerations to be the most significant barriers to screening. Conclusions Although educating the general population could be helpful, a physician championing screening is key. Home stool testing is underused in Alabama in part because physicians are not fully aware of its utility. As financial barriers diminish, it is important to offer multiple effective modalities when available, and insurance reform, which includes payment for preventive care, may improve screening rates.

Enhancing the Utility of Community Health Workers in Disaster Preparedness, Resiliency, and Recovery

ABSTRACT As part of the Deepwater Horizon Medical Settlement, the University of South Alabamas Coastal Resource & Resiliency Center is charged with preparing Community Health Workers (CHWs) to ser...

To Leave or Not to Leave: A Logit Model of Turnover in the Presidential Cabinet

This work takes a fresh conceptual and theoretical approach to the issue of job stability at the highest level of the federal bureaucracy—the presidential cabinet. Joseph A. Schlesingers ambition theory provides the theoretical base for a systematic analysis of the turnover of cabinet appointees from the administrations of George Washington through Ronald Reagan. Findings support the contention that turnover (changing incumbents) provides a relevant and practical conceptual focus, potentially preferable to tenure (actual length of service). While findings are mixed, it is clear that public and private sector ambitions and opportunities do help guide the career decisions of cabinet appointees. For example, static ambitions toward government service provide incentives for cabinet members to leave their posts before the end of the term; progressive ambition toward the presidency or vice presidency is strongly related to an appointees completion of the term. These, and other findings, have important implica...