National Longitudinal Survey of Local Public Health Systems, 1998-2006

Obtaining a better understanding of the organizational and operational attributes of public health delivery systems is a critical step in elucidating pathways for improving public health services. This survey of local governmental public health agencies was conducted to that end, as part of a larger study designed to classify the structural characteristics of local public health delivery systems and to examine variation and change in these characteristics over time. In 1998 and again in 2006, local governmental public health agencies serving populations of 100,000 residents or more were surveyed about 20 core public health activities devoted to public health assessment, policy development, and assurance. For each activity, the survey instrument asked agency directors to report whether the activity was performed at all in the agency's jurisdiction and if so, which types of organizations were involved in performing the activity. Response options for the second item consisted of a pre-defined list of organization types, including hospitals, physician practices, health insurers, community health centers, educational institutions, community-based and faith-based organizations, state and local government agencies, and private businesses/employers. The instrument also asked what proportion of the total community effort for each activity was contributed by the local public health agency and asked how effectively the activity was performed.

深入探究公共卫生服务体系组织与运营属性，对于阐明提升公共卫生服务水平之途径至关重要。为此，本次针对地方政府公共卫生机构的调查作为更大规模研究的一部分，旨在对地方公共卫生服务体系的结构特征进行分类，并考察这些特征随时间的变化与差异。1998年及2006年，服务10万居民或以上人口的地方政府公共卫生机构被调查，内容涉及约20项核心公共卫生活动，包括公共卫生评估、政策制定与保障。对于每一项活动，调查问卷要求机构负责人报告该活动是否在其管辖范围内实施，以及哪些类型的组织参与了活动的实施。第二项的回答选项包括一系列预先定义的组织类型，例如医院、医师诊所、健康保险商、社区卫生中心、教育机构、社区及宗教组织、州及地方政府机构，以及私营企业/雇主。问卷还询问了地方公共卫生机构对每一项活动所贡献的总社区努力的比重，以及活动实施的有效性。