Public Programs Research Articles

The Landscape of Undergraduate Introductory Exercise Science Courses

Introductory classes are often a student’s first exposure to foundational knowledge, careers, and faculty in an academic major. The characteristics of introductory exercise science courses, as well as faculty impressions of course benefits and areas for improvement, were explored in this study. Electronic survey data from 181 universities around the United States were analyzed. A wide range of course content was reported. Institution type was related to the status of the faculty teaching the course, method of course delivery, class size, and class availability. The number of majors was related to faculty status, class availability, and class size. Specifically, private 4-year institutions were more likely to teach smaller, face-to-face classes. Introduction courses at R1, R2, Doctoral/Professional institutions, and programs with 300 or more majors were less likely to be taught by only tenured/tenure track faculty. Classes were more likely to be offered in various modalities as opposed to only face-to-face at community colleges, and programs with 300 or more majors were more likely to have classes with 50 or more students. Enrollment in the introductory course was more likely restricted to majors and minors at public 4-year schools and programs with 300 or more majors. Faculty perceived knowledge acquisition and relationship building as benefits of introductory classes for students and programs. The overarching themes for course improvement were modifying course content and characteristics of course delivery. Considering the varied course characteristics, we encourage faculty and administrators to be intentional when designing and implementing introductory exercise science courses.

Ragi Revolution: Enhancing Dietary Practices through Nutritional Education and Local Food Systems Implementation

Ragi (Eleusine coracana), commonly known as finger millet, is a nutrient-rich cereal that remains underutilized in modern diets despite its high calcium, iron, and dietary fiber content. This examines how ready-to-eat ragi-based supplementary foods, combined with effective nutrition education, can drive behavioral changes to incorporate ragi into daily diets and local food systems. The increasing availability of ready-to-eat ragi products offers an accessible solution for improving nutrition, but challenges remain in terms of consumer acceptance due to unfamiliarity and taste preferences. This paper focuses on the role of nutrition education in reshaping dietary behaviour, emphasizing case studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of targeted interventions in promoting ragi consumption. Additionally, it explores strategies for integrating ragi into public nutrition programs and sustainable food systems, highlighting the importance of community-driven efforts and public-private partnerships. The review also discusses the role of policy support and multi-stakeholder collaboration in fostering ragi’s cultivation and incorporation into local food systems. By examining behavioural change strategies such as social marketing and culturally sensitive approaches, this paper presents a roadmap for promoting ragi as a key component of sustainable diets and public health interventions.

BerryPortraits: Phenotyping Of Ripening Traits cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) with YOLOv8

AbstractBerryPortraits (Phenotyping of Ripening Traits) is open source Python-based image-analysis software that rapidly detects and segments berries and extracts morphometric data on fruit quality traits such as berry color, size, shape, and uniformity. Utilizing the YOLOv8 framework and community-developed, actively-maintained Python libraries such as OpenCV, BerryPortraits software was trained on 512 postharvest images (taken under controlled lighting conditions) of phenotypically diverse cranberry populations (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) from the two largest public cranberry breeding programs in the U.S. The implementation of CIELAB, an intuitive and perceptually uniform color space, enables differentiation between berry color and berry brightness, which are confounded in classic RGB color channel measurements. Furthermore, computer vision enables precise and quantifiable color phenotyping, thus facilitating inclusion of researchers and data analysts with color vision deficiency. BerryPortraits is a phenotyping tool for researchers in plant breeding, plant genetics, horticulture, food science, plant physiology, plant pathology, and related fields. BerryPortraits has strong potential applications for other specialty crops such as blueberry, lingonberry, caneberry, grape, and more. As an open source phenotyping tool based on widely-used python libraries, BerryPortraits allows anyone to use, fork, modify, optimize, and embed this software into other tools or pipelines.

A Typology of US Public Health Work-Education Programs

Objective: A pipeline is required to build a qualified and diverse public health workforce. Work-education programs offer public health students experiential learning, training, and a pathway to public health professions. However, there is a gap in the literature to guide public health practice on the types of programs, their components, and their potential impact. By defining and differentiating work-education programs, we aim to provide public health practitioners a useful tool to advance public health careers. Design: We conducted a scoping review of US-based public health work-education programs and performed a content analysis to extract, analyze, and synthesize data to develop a typology of programs in the US. We searched CINAHL, ERIC, PsycInfo, PubMed and Web of Science databases for papers published between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2022. Eligibility Criteria: Inclusion criteria included programs with a description, intervention design, student characteristics, setting characteristics, and program outcomes if available. Exclusion criteria included programs with no description, that focused on the expansion of a specific clinical profession (ie, dentistry), that were implemented outside of the US, and that targeted exclusively high school students. Study Selection: The search resulted in 650 references, which yielded 35 articles from 33 interventions. Main Outcome Measure(s): The main outcome measures were qualitative and included program design, features, and implementation. Results: We identified 3 types of programs: those that (1) expose students to public health (n = 6), (2) guide students to specific public health professions (n = 12), and (3) connect students with organizations for public health practice (n = 15). Program types were influenced by student participants, setting, and program components. Conclusions: This typology illustrates the spectrum of work-education programs and their variability in design and implementation. The typology has utility for practitioners to identify programmatic aspects that may be feasible and desirable in the context of their practice.

Arlington, Virginia highlights its major public art program

Arlington, Virginia highlights its major public art program

Development of Body Weight Management Among the Hungarian Population

Background/Objectives: Nowadays, body weight management has gained significant consumer attention due to the health megatrend. It plays a key role in preventing diseases, maintaining health, and creating a balanced diet, as well as in mental and physical health. Overweight and obesity are serious problems that can result in various non-communicable diseases; thus, managing the body weight of those who are overweight or obese without pathological changes would help reduce the prevalence of these diseases. By reducing body weight, not only individual health expenses but also public health costs could be reduced. To do so, it is necessary to assess at what levels consumers perceive their own health status, as well as the extent to which they pay attention to body weight management. Our research aimed to contribute to the foundation of public intervention programs by exploring some characteristics of body weight management among Hungarian consumers. Methods: We used a large-sample questionnaire survey involving a total of 550 people. Various statistical methods were used to analyze the data, including descriptive statistics, association tests, and hypothesis tests. Results: According to our results, those who want to lose weight are more engaged in managing their body weight than those who are satisfied with their weight or who want to gain weight, often aiming to reach an ideal weight through diet and exercise, and are willing to invest more in healthier lifestyles, both in terms of their diet and physical activity. In this regard, we did not find significant differences between the genders. Conclusions: Based on our findings, we can conclude that dietitians and doctors should play a more active role in guiding lifestyle changes since the majority of our respondents do not consider them credible sources of information on healthy eating, and they do not consult them on this topic. On the other hand, however, a much larger proportion seek information from them regarding regular physical activity, and after personal trainers, they are considered the second most authentic source of information.

The impact of health insurance integration on patient choice of providers in China

ABSTRACT This paper utilizes a nationwide integration reform of two public health insurance programmes in China to examine the impact of health insurance integration on patient choice of medical providers. Using a dataset that combines longitudinal survey data and government regulations data, we find that the integration leads to an increasing probability of outpatients in nearby primary care facilities and decreased outpatient visits to public healthcare providers. Moreover, the effects of integration vary with patient demographics, the type of healthcare, and the model of insurance management. No significant evidence suggests that the integration affects health behaviours or health status in the short term. These findings provide empirical evidence on the effects of insurance integration and policy implications for building an efficient hierarchical healthcare system.

Impact of Covid-19 on Early Childhood Education in Botswana

This paper examined the impact of COVID-19 on the Botswana public Early Childhood Education Programme during the pandemic in the period of 2019 - 2022. COVID-19 impacted various sectors of Botswana, the education sector included. However, the education system was not adequately prepared to cater for young learners’ education and therefore this had serious consequences on the lower levels of learning. The study adopted the qualitative approach and used the chaotic theory to guide the line of argument in the paper. Data were collected using open-ended questionnaires, structured interviews, focus group discussions and observation of outside equipment. The findings indicated a backlog of pupils entering the Early Childhood Education programme and Standard One after the Covid-19 pandemic. Standard One accepted learners of different competencies and parents refused to send their students back to school after re-opening because of fear of reinfection. The paper concludes that the Ministry of Education, like other levels of education, could have put something in place for ECE learners to keep on learning at home during the pandemic after three years of suspending teaching and learning

Promises and challenges of genomic newborn screening (NBS) – lessons from public health NBS programs

Promises and challenges of genomic newborn screening (NBS) – lessons from public health NBS programs

Social factors influence on energy efficiency management and development of renewable energy sources

Current issues of increasing energy efficiency in the conditions of new industrialization are considered. The article analyzes social factors that affect the effectiveness of energy efficiency management and the development of renewable energy sources, including social awareness of the population, state support, the role of business and social responsibility of enterprises. The study shows that social aspects play a critical role in the implementation of energy-saving technologies and the achievement of sustainable development goals. A comprehensive approach was used, which includes theoretical analysis, questionnaires, expert interviews and statistical analysis to identify key social factors and their impact on energy efficiency management. The results of the study can be useful for developing recommendations for improving energy efficiency management systems taking into account social aspects, as well as for forming a strategy for the development of renewable energy sources in Ukraine and a hydrogen strategy.In the process of researching the impact of social factors on energy efficiency management and the development of renewable energy sources, several unresolved aspects were identified that require additional analysis. Firstly, the insufficiency of research that would reveal the relationship between the social awareness of the population regarding energy efficiency and the level of implementation of energysaving technologies and energy storage technologies using hydrogen was revealed.Sociocultural factors such as educational attainment, cultural stereotypes and values remain understudied. Secondly, the role of social responsibility of business in the implementation of energy-efficient solutions needs a deeper study, since questions about the impact of social initiatives on these processes still remain open. Thirdly, the study of the impact of public policy on the social aspects of energy efficiency is also an underdeveloped direction, particularly in the context of how public programs take into account social factors, such as the adoption of new technologies by the population and the impact on social groups with different income levels.And fourthly, how does Ukraine maintain the level of awareness and understanding of hydrogen technologies. These aspects require further scientific analysis to improve the efficiency of energy efficiency management and the development of renewable energy sources.

Pros and cons of digital access to healthcare services and healthcare utilization: a quasi-experiment

ObjectivesWe study the introduction of a web portal allowing women to manage their appointments in the public cervical cancer screening program of an Italian Local Health Unit (LHU). We investigate how this intervention affects program participation and the ability of the LHU to collect information on women's screening outside the program.MethodsWe use administrative data from the LHU and a difference-in-differences design to compare outcomes of women in the treated group (n=870), who could reschedule appointments either through phone calls or through the portal, and the control group (n=768), who could only reschedule by phone.ResultsThe portal reduces the number of appointments rescheduled by phone (b = −0.176, 95% CI = −0.228 to −0.114, p < 0.001). It also makes women more likely to report both screenings outside the program (b = 0.049, 95% CI = 0.006–0.912, p < 0.05) and the various reasons for canceling their appointments. However, the portal also decreases the probability of screening (b = −0.156, 95% CI = −0.216–0.096, p < 0.001). Two-thirds of this reduction is due to increased unjustified no-shows (b = 0.099, 95% CI = 0.043–0.155, p < 0.001).ConclusionsDigital innovations increase efficiency of screening programs. However, they may discourage screening, by triggering behavioral biases such as limited attention and procrastination. Pairing portals with frequent reminders may help to boost participation.

Assessment of genetic diversity and heterotic alignment of CIMMYT and IITA maize inbred lines adapted to sub‐Saharan Africa

AbstractDespite the breeding efforts by many institutions, maize (Zea mays L.) productivity in sub‐Saharan Africa is still low. A limited number of productive maize hybrids have been developed partly due to a lack of knowledge on the diversity and heterotic relationship of the germplasm, especially in public breeding programs. Understanding the extent of diversity, structure, and heterotic grouping of available maize germplasm originating from different breeding programs is important to enhance long‐term genetic gain in hybrid maize breeding programs by optimizing heterotic pools using modern breeding tools. Information about the genetic structure of the available germplasm could help breeders design effective breeding strategies to improve yield. This study was conducted to determine the genetic diversity, population structure, and heterotic alignment among 187 elite maize inbred lines from the IITA (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture) and CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center) maize breeding programs. The inbred lines were genotyped with 9857 Diversity Array Technology sequencing based single nucleotide polymorphism markers. Hierarchical clustering revealed three major groups, with some subgroups consistent with the selection history, and pedigree of the inbred lines. Three broad groups were detected: two consisting of CIMMYT lines and a mixed group consisting of both CIMMYT and IITA inbred lines. The STRUCTURE analysis revealed six subpopulations (fixation index value = 0.58), which depicts a moderate genetic diversity among the materials. Population 2 comprises the highest number of genotypes (102) from both programs. More than 89% of the elite lines had homozygosity exceeding 95%, with the remaining lines requiring further inbreeding through repeated self‐pollination. There was inconsistency in the predetermined heterotic groups' alignment between CIMMYT and IITA elite inbred lines. Analysis of molecular variance revealed that 96% of the total variation was accounted for by differences within groups, with the remaining 4% representing the variation between groups. This suggests that the two programs can benefit from germplasm exchange for the improvement of maize productivity.

Migrant labor and community work-sharing as an alternative to social grants and public works programs: notes from South Africa

Migrant labor and community work-sharing as an alternative to social grants and public works programs: notes from South Africa

Development method in a large-scale public sector IT programme

The Norwegian parental benefit programme started as a large-scale information technology operation to automate and provide self-service solutions for parental benefit applications. This benefit replaces lost salaries for about 100,000 parents every year while parents are home with new-born children. A previous programme to modernize IT solutions was stopped. The new programme replacing legacy solutions from the 1970s was seen as a large, complicated, and risky undertaking with a cost limit of USD 130 million. Initially, this programme had three main releases based on an internal development method combining project management and agile methods. During the second release, the programme experienced challenges with coordinating work across the business and development projects. The programme manager established a task force to propose changes in the development method for the last release. We then ask the question: If you were part of this task force, what should the programme manager do to remedy the coordination challenges for the last release? This teaching case is based on a longitudinal case study and is relevant for graduate or continuing education courses in information systems development or IT project management during which students learn how to organize efficient software development at scale.

Strategic program management: Performance accountability driving use in national governments

AbstractStrategic program management (SPM) is an approach for advancing the aspirations of programs and their impact. While programs are omnipresent in government, concerns exist that they are not always strategically managed. Studies that examine SPM are lacking. This study defines and conceptualizes SPM, examines it in two national governments (Brazil and Indonesia), and focuses on felt performance accountability as a driver of SPM use. SPM use is highly uneven, and despite concerns about the effectiveness of performance accountability in the public sector, a key finding is that program managers' felt performance accountability is associated with increased SPM use by program officials. Managers' performance accountability also increases political appointees' support for programs and decreases their interference with program priorities. These findings are important because they provide a means for program officials, typically civil servants, to strengthen the strategic direction of public programs. Recommendations are made for strengthening the performance accountability of managers.

The Financial Inclusion Question in Zimbabwe’s Post-COVID -19, New Normal: Implications for Adoption of Financial Technology (FinTech) on Service Providers

Financial inclusion will be accelerated by the technological opportunities for online financial transactions brought forth by the COVID-19 outbreak. As a result, because there were fewer digital financial transactions, the threats to COVID-19 that were present previously are now more substantial. The aim of this article is to assess the dangers, challenges, and opportunities for financial inclusion brought forth by the use of technology by COVID-19. According to the article, the inherent characteristics of financial technology (FinTech) in connection to financial inclusion allow it to reduce the negative economic and social effects of the ongoing COVID-19 situation. Under COVID-19, the introduction of digital financial transactions has sped up corporate operations and cut expense on doing business. As a result, women now have greater access to transactions involving financial technology (FinTech). The growth of digital financial transactions has made contactless and cashless purchases possible throughout the COVID-19 crisis. The expansion of digital financial inclusion makes it easier to swiftly and effectively implement public assistance programs, such as those for epidemic-affected women. Financial inclusion is being boosted by digital finance, which may eventually replace or improve traditional banking institutions. Working from home has undergone a "revolution" in a number of industries during COVID-19, including banking. Businesses should identify the optimal operating model mix for the future and make sure they have the infrastructure to support widespread, mass flexible working. This calls for reevaluating the function and application of corporate real estate. Since the labor force is likely to become more automated at the same time, resilience is essential. Conceptual Framework of this study is based on the financial inclusion and FinTech concepts which are the main variables guiding the study and it is underpinned by the theories of diffusion of innovation and the Financial Intermediation.

Multiple Sclerosis Disease-Modifying Therapy Use in the Department of Veteran Affairs and Medicare: A Comparative Analysis

BackgroundHigh-cost disease-modifying therapies (DMT) for multiple sclerosis (MS) have created affordability challenges for people with MS (PwMS) and payers. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the largest integrated healthcare system in the US and uses a variety of approaches to manage utilization and cost of MS DMT. The objective of this paper is to compare national utilization trends in the VA to the US Medicare program, another large federal public healthcare program. MethodsCounts of PwMS prescribed DMT from 2012 to 2021 in the VA and Medicare programs were used to estimate changes utilization over this period. For each DMT, we estimated the proportion of all DMT users treated in each year. Trends in utilization were compared to identify differences in how these systems manage DMT use. We compared demographics and DMT use between PwMS in the VA to previously published estimates from a Medicare cohort of PwMS. ResultsDMT use in PwMS was comparable in VA and Medicare programs (65.9% vs 69.7%). In younger (<50 years) PwMS, DMT use was more prevalent in the VA compared to Medicare (85.8% vs 76.9%). Between 2012 and 2021, the proportion of patients on DMT using a lower-efficacy agent (interferon beta and glatiramer) declined in both the VA (90% to 32%) and Medicare (81% to 38%). Oral DMT use (primarily fumarates and sphingosine 1-phosphate [S1P] modulators) increased to a similar degree such that by 2021, 39% of patients in both systems were receiving oral DMT. Use of high-efficacy B cell depleting DMT (ocrelizumab, ofatumumab, and rituximab) was consistently higher in the VA than in Medicare. Despite the approval of generic glatiramer and dimethyl fumarate in 2015 and 2020 respectively, 49% of glatiramer and 58% of fumarate utilization in the Medicare program continued to be for a branded product in 2021. ConclusionsGreater DMT use among younger PwMS along with more frequent use of high-efficacy B cell depleting DMT in VA has the potential to reduce disability and attendant healthcare system costs. Generic DMT adoption in the Medicare program was lower than might be expected. Future studies should evaluate the relationship between DMT utilization, costs, and health outcomes in these populations.

Managing Inclusion and Financial Education for Sustainable Development

Objective: The objective of this study is to analyze the importance of effective management of financial inclusion and education in the context of sustainable development, highlighting its impact on the achievement of the SDGs. It also aims to identify the main challenges faced by vulnerable populations in accessing financial services and propose comprehensive strategies to improve financial literacy and accessibility, contributing to a more inclusive and equitable society. Theoretical Framework: For this research we have several relevant approaches and theories such as: financial inclusion theory; its relationship with the SDGs; financial education theory, as well as inclusion and sustainable development. Method: The methodology adopted for this research comprises a qualitative approach, based on the review of documents, public policies and government programs on financial inclusion and education to assess their effectiveness with respect to the SDGs. Data from the World Bank's Data Dashboard (The Global Findex Database, 2024) was analyzed using content analysis, which allowed identifying key themes and gaining a deeper understanding of the perceptions and experiences related to the evaluated programs.. Results and Discussion:The results obtained revealed that, although there is progress in financial inclusion in Mexico, there are still areas of opportunity to improve access to and use of financial services, especially among the most vulnerable segments of the population. It is necessary to highlight the need to continue working on the promotion of financial inclusion in Mexico and in other regions, through public policies that promote financial education, technological innovation, and collaboration between the public and private sectors. Research Implications: The practical implications of this research include the improvement of public policies and programs focused on financial inclusion and education, promoting more equitable access to financial services in vulnerable populations. At a theoretical level, the study provides a deeper understanding of the relationship between financial management and sustainable development, offering a conceptual framework that links financial inclusion with the SDGs. This strengthens the academic analysis on how financial education can drive inclusive economic growth. Originality/Value: The originality and value of this research lies in its focus on the direct relationship between financial inclusion and financial education with the SDGs, an area underdeveloped in the literature. The research offers a new perspective by assessing how financial education can be a key tool for achieving equitable and sustainable development. Its contribution to the literature is in providing a detailed analysis of public policies and government programs, highlighting their effectiveness and identifying areas for improvement, which brings a comprehensive and updated approach to the study of financial inclusion.

EFFECT OF PAYE AND OTHER INTERNALLY GENERATED REVENUE TAXES ON EXPENDITURE OF GOVERNMENT IN SOUTHWEST STATE, NIGERIA

A tax is a compulsory charge on income, consumption and production imposed upon an individual, Partnership or companies by the government of a nation in order to fund various public expenditures. The intricate relationship between the collection of PAYE and other internally generated revenue taxes and the allocation of funds towards public services, infrastructure development, and social welfare programs poses a complex challenge. The study therefore examines the tax revenue and government expenditure in Southwest, Nigeria. The study adopts ex-post facto research design while data was sourced secondarily from the audited annual financial reports and budgets of southwestern states governments for the period of forty (40) years 1982-2022. The population of the study were the entire six (6) states of south west Nigeria. Analytical techniques used in the study involved both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics include minimum, maximum, mean and standard deviation values. Variance Decomposition Analysis (VDA) and Impulse Response Function (IRF) as components of time series regression analysis was used in assessing all the study variables at 5% significant level. Regression analysis was used to examine the effect of PAYE and other internally generated revenue taxes on expenditure. The result of the regression analysis implies that four explanatory variables INT and COT were significant in explaining variation on the effect of PAYE and other internally generated revenue taxes on expenditure of government in southwest state with p values of (0.0202 and 0.0116). The study concludes that Pay AsYou Earn (PAYE) and other internal generated revenue taxes has significant effect to government expenditure in southwest states, Nigeria. Therefore, the study recommends that Government in the southwestern states should develop and implement effective strategies to further boost revenue generation, especially from internal sources like Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and other internally generated taxes..

The Role of The Principal in Improving the Quality of Education Through School-Community Relations Management at MI Persis Gandok Tasikmalaya City

The aim of this research is to determine Public Relations management at MI Persis Gandok City. Tasikmalaya. Meanwhile, the specific aim is to describe the planning of school and community relations, the implementation of school and community relations and how the principal evaluates the implementation of school and community relations. The research method used in this research is qualitative descriptive research. MI Persis Gandok is planning several public relations work programs, among which the Public Relations Program is to form cooperation in the field of strengthening educational institutions through the formation of Madrasah Councils and Congregational Leadership. Through the formation of madrasah councils and congregational leaders, they can provide a bridge in the form of communication between the school and the community. To make the MI Persis Gandok school public relations program a success, there are several techniques that can be used. The technique chosen is a technique that is considered effective and efficient according to school conditions, the condition of the students' parents, the condition of the surrounding community, and the school's finances. Among these techniques are: group face-to-face meeting techniques, individual face-to-face meeting techniques and school publication techniques. One form of evaluation by the Principal of MI Persis Gandok towards Madrasah Public Relations is through observation, checklists, questionnaires and/or through meetings/briefings. The objectives of this evaluation are: 1) To ensure that the entire program is known; 2) Ensure that the Madrasah's image in society has good values; 3) make a follow-up to the evaluation results.