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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Leonard J. Finocchio, DrPH, Principal Policy Associate, Children Now, 1212 Broadway, 5th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612.1807, Mary Beth Love, PhD, Health Education, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave, SCI 394, San Francisco, CA 94132, (415) 338-2708, lfinocchio@childrennow.org, and Emma V. Sanchez, MPH, School of Public Health, Harvard University, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02144.
Research Objective: To estimate the supply and demand of MPH health educators in the San Francisco Bay Area and to extrapolate figures to estimate national figures.
Study Design: Time series panel survey of employers between 1995 and 1999 in the San Francicso Bay Area. Respondents were surveyed regarding MPH health educators on staff, hiring projections and importance of selected competencies.
Population Studied: Representative sample of employers of MPH health educators included hospitals, HMOs, national health assocations, educational institutions, county health departments and community-based organizations.
Principal Findings: Extrapolating from local results, we estimate that there were four MPH health educators per 100,000 persons, or 12,000 employed nationally in 1999. The majority worked in local health departments and community-based organizations. Hiring in the late 1990s was largely replacement, although employers anticipated hiring increases between 2000 and 2004. Employers reported that overall educational preparation was adequate, although preparation in specific competencies, such as bilingual competence, was lacking.
Conclusions: These analyses suggest a favorable labor market for MPH health educators in the immediate future.
Implications for Health Education Programs: Accredited graduate health education programs could modestly increase enrollment capacity, while making specific curricular and internship modifications.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Health Education, Workforce
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.