Bridging the relationship between public health funding and outcomes

Public health spending can be one of the most cost effective uses of healthcare dollars. Yet little had been done to measure the relationship between public health spending and outcomes. This project investigates factors that influence the strength and direction of that relationship. Although there are numerous studies of costs and benefits at the specific program level, no study to-date has adopted a broader view that spans all public health programs. Yet even a basic outcome, such as life expectancy, can be the result of multiple public health programs including smoking cessation, healthy diets, water quality, immunizations, STD education and countless others.

This project employs health outcomes for all Georgia counties, along with census demographic and economic data, public health activity funding sources and amounts, and the organizational structure of local health departments. Regression will be employed to determine the strength of the relationship of funding to various public health outcomes.

This study, through its focus on the bridging the border between the disciplines of finance and healthcare, will also have findings that indicate whether borders based on ethnicity, income, or population density moderate that relationship.

By focusing on high level costs and benefits, this study will inform decisions on the allocation of public health resources. In addition to identification of variables that might serve as a 'report card' of public health outcomes, this study will define the process through which policy makers can assess the effectiveness of public health spending and fine tune allocations to better address needs.