205863 Influence of health knowledge in shaping political priorities: Exploring HIV/AIDS knowledge, global health, and domestic concerns

Monday, November 9, 2009: 12:30 PM

Janet Okamoto, MPH, CHES , Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research, University of Southern California, Alhambra, CA
Brett M. Mendenhall , Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research, University of Southern California, Alhambra, CA
Heather M. Cloum , Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research, University of Southern California, Alhambra, CA
Michael Toboni, MPH , Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research, University of Southern California, Alhambra, CA
Nupur Tustin , Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research, University of Southern California, Alhambra, CA
Sandra de Castro Buffington, MPH , Hollywood, Health & Society, USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, Beverly Hills, CA
Michelle Cantu, MPH , Clinical and Community Health Programs, California Family Health Council, Inc., Los Angeles, CA
Thomas W. Valente, PhD , Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Alhambra, CA
     
Public opinion polls have historically indicated the U.S. public favors domestic over global priorities. It is not known what influence health knowledge has in shaping public opinion about domestic and global health policy. Over the past five years, the priority the public has placed on global health has decreased with the increasing concerns over domestic issues such as the economy and war. Public knowledge about health is critical, and one issue with implications for both global health and domestic policy is HIV/AIDS. In this study we explore how knowledge of HIV/AIDS is related to domestic and global health priorities.

Participants were recruited through a private research company and were solicited to participate in an electronic survey. The sample (N=592) was predominantly white (84.3%), married (62.9%), and female (72.2%). Multiple linear regression tests were conducted to analyze the relationships between HIV knowledge and priorities.

HIV/AIDS knowledge was significantly associated with both domestic (β=0.10, p<0.05) and global health (β=0.14, p<0.01) priorities after controlling for socio-demographic variables. Additionally, global health was found to act as a mediator between HIV/AIDS knowledge and domestic priorities.

Study findings suggest that those with greater HIV/AIDS knowledge place greater importance on global health priorities, which in turn affects ratings of more domestic concerns. This research has implications for ways to gain support for implementation of public health policy through increasing health knowledge.

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe an evaluation that addresses health issues that affect political priorities. 2. Assess the association between HIV knowledge and ratings of global health and domestic priorities. 3. Identify other public health issues that may influence global and domestic political priorities.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Public Health Policy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I conducted the analysis for the study and was responsible for organizing the writing the paper.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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