More than a Great Idea: Findings from the Profiles in Public Health Social Work Study.

Progress in refining the definition and basic concepts of public health social work (PHSW) is central to its revitalization. Advancing PHSW further depends on understanding the roles, domains, and daily activities of current PHSW practitioners in the contemporary workforce. The goal of the Profiles in PHSW Study is to explore how public health social workers conceptualize and locate their work. Using snowball sampling, 48 PHSW subjects with four or more years of professional experience were recruited; 34 (70.8%) participated. Qualitative survey responses were compiled and thematically analyzed; six themes emerged related to the nuances of integrating public health and social work, wide-ranging practice across systems and settings, leadership, visibility and viability, and recommendations for how to move PHSW forward. Findings suggest that intentional profession-wide integration of public health approaches into social work education, research, and practice is needed to strengthen the field's impact and role in advancing population health.

A History of Social Work in Public Health.

Social work is a core health profession with origins deeply connected to the development of contemporary public health in the United States. Today, many of the nation's 600 000 social workers practice broadly in public health and in other health settings, drawing on a century of experience in combining clinical, intermediate, and population approaches for greater health impact. Yet, the historic significance of this long-standing interdisciplinary collaboration-and its current implications-remains underexplored in the present era. This article builds on primary and contemporary sources to trace the historic arc of social work in public health, providing examples of successful collaborations. The scope and practices of public health social work practice are explored, and we articulate a rationale for an expanded place for social work in the public health enterprise.

Shaping the future of prevention in social work: an analysis of the professional literature from 2000 through 2010.

In light of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's goals of better patient care, cost control, and improved population outcomes, prevention has emerged as an important component of health reform. Social work, with its extensive involvement in the health system and deep roots in public health, can benefit from a better understanding of its role in prevention. This study builds on the Social Work Interest in Prevention Study (SWIPS), which evaluated extent, type, and levels of prevention content in nine social work journals from 2000 to 2005. The goal of the expanded study, the SWIPS-Expansion, was to assess whether interest in prevention increased over the years in which health reform was enacted. Of the 3,745 articles reviewed, 9.0 percent (n = 336) met the criteria for "prevention articles." Between 2000 and 2010, prevention articles rose from 4.1 percent to 14.3 percent of all articles. A secondary analysis focused on topics within social work prevention, with violence, aging, and disease as primary focal areas. The findings suggest that although prevention interest appears to be growing, it remains a minority focus in the profession's journals. A national conversation on prevention can help expand the profession's role in health reform at this critical time.

Mapping Dual-Degree Programs in Social Work and Public Health: Results From a National Survey.

Dramatic changes in the health system due to national health reform are raising important questions regarding the educational preparation of social workers for the new health arena. While dual-degree programs in public health and social work can be an important response to what is needed educationally, little is known about them. The National MSW/MPH Programs Study surveyed MSW/MPH program administrators to better understand the prevalence, models, structure, and challenges of these dual-degree programs. Forty-two programs were identified, and 97.6% of those contacted participated (n=41). Findings indicate that MSW/MPH programs are popular, increasing, geographically dispersed, and drawing talented students interested in trans-disciplinary public health social work practice. Challenges for these programs include the need for greater institutional support, particularly funding, and a general lack of best practices for MSW/MPH education. While findings from this study suggest graduates appear especially well-prepared for leadership and practice in the new health environment, additional research is needed to assess their particular contributions and career trajectories.

Social work interest in prevention: A content analysis of the professional literature.

Every day in the United States, over halfa million social workers provide services to people with health, mental health, and substance abuse problems in a fragmented system that emphasizes disease treatment over prevention. Powerful issues--including health inequities, population aging, globalization, natural disaster, war, and economic downturn--make the need for preventive approaches more critical than ever. Despite social work's historic commitment to enhancing human well-being and public health involvement, little is known about how social work currently views prevention or whether it is being addressed in the social work professional literature. To determine whether, and to what extent, prevention is addressed, discussed, and published in social work journals, the authors--all public health social work researchers-undertook a content analysis of nine peer-reviewed journals, analyzing all articles published from 2000 to 2005. A total of 1,951 articles were reviewed and coded for prevention according to specified criteria. A relatively small number--109 (5.6 percent)--were found to meet the criteria for being a prevention article, suggesting that prevention is still a minority interest area within social work.A renewed conversation about prevention in social work can enhance opportunities for strong social work participation in the transdisciplinary collaboration needed in this new era of health reform.

Healthy & Active Communities Initiative: a foundation's response to the obesity epidemic.

Missouri has the 12th highest rate of adult obesity and the 15th highest rate of overweight and obese youth in the United States. In response, Missouri Foundation for Health has implemented the Healthy and Active Communities Initiative (H&AC). Methods applied through H&AC include grantmaking, evaluation support, dissemination technical assistance, policy assessment, and development of local, regional, and statewide collaborations to increase access to physical activity and nutrition through environmental, policy and behavior change. Results to date demonstrate more than 49 counties in the state have been impacted through 79 grantee projects. Nearly half (45%) of these grantees have achieved more than their original goals and 60% of grantees can sustain at least half of their program activities post award. Fifty percent of grantees have helped to change the way the community works on public issues. Through the H&AC Initiative, Missouri Foundation for Health serves as a model for how a foundation can assist in efforts to mitigate and prevent rising rates of obesity.