Emerging Trends
In addition to Noreen Clark’s five themes, emerging trends will drive changes to public health in 2016. I discuss trends that add to Clark’s themes of changing culture and technology. However, new findings …show more content…
Educators rely on evidenced-based intervention programs and research ensures that new ideas are tested prior to implementation (The Future of Public Health Education, 2003). For the future, research is now shifting towards population-level. Discovering the social, environmental, and economic conditions to prevent illnesses and injuries is primary. Multidisciplinary research collaborations can also increase the success and relevance to public health (The Future of Public Health Education, 2003).
We are discovering that community-based participatory research (CBPR) is highly successful in engaging and empowering communities. Public health leaders are using this skill to discover the underlying problems to improve quality of life for a community. Going beyond the community, some future research priorities also include global health disparities, climate change, epidemics of obesity and diabetes, an aging world demographic, and emerging infections (Ness, 2011). Research will play a critical role for the future of public …show more content…
Since then, methods of communication have dramatically changed and are continuing to become more advanced every year. Technology is now faster, smarter, and more revolutionary. This new wave of technological advances can give public health an advantage in communicating to diverse groups and to more people in a shorter amount of time. The internet, texting, and especially social media have become the primary way of communication in 2016. Future public health communications through social media and the internet will reach diverse audiences and increase engagement (Heldman Schindelar, and Weaver, 2013).
Cultures and demographic shifts are continually happening. Public health is encountering the needs of new groups and is constantly learning ways to be culturally sensitive. Understanding of racial and ethnic cultures is not a new concept in public health. However, immigration will ask public health leaders to quickly learn about these new cultures to better help them assimilate coming to America. The future of public health must also consider communities such as the LGBT community and the aging