Once a community has information from a community health status assessment, how do they decide which health interventions might really make the most difference? This presentation describes a process in which the first step is to calculate an estimated relative health burden for each risk factor. Quality-adjusted life years (QALY’s) lost were calculated for the top causes of premature death and disability for which there are preventable causes. The total burden of disease that could be attributed to each preventable cause was then estimated. Issues were considered whether they fell within the scope of clinical medicine or public health. The concept of “risk factor” was broadly applied to both risks of commission (e.g., unhealthy behaviors and lifestyles) and risks of omission (e.g., not getting recommended screenings, or not having health insurance).
Once the relative health burden for each risk factor has been calculated, the next step is to estimate how much impact local interventions could have on each. An “effectiveness” rating was applied to each risk factor as a “preventable fraction,” leading to a “preventable DALY” rating. Finally, an attempt was made to apply a cost per QALY (quality-adjusted life year) estimate for the range of interventions considered for each risk factor.
Although all burden calculations are estimates, with limitations and a wide variety of possible assumptions, policy makers considered the calculations to be highly useful as they compared health risks and interventions before making initial decisions on service priorities.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to: 1)Describe a process to estimate a community's burden of disease attributable to preventable risk factors, and 2) Discuss how these estimates can be used to prioritize among community prevention strategies
Keywords: Community Health Planning, Community Preventive Services
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Poudre Health Services District; Felix, Burdine, and Associates, Inc
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.