Systems Thinking and Simulation Modeling to Inform Childhood Obesity Policy and Practice.

Objectives: In 2007, 31.7% of Georgia adolescents in grades 9-12 were overweight or obese. Understanding the impact of policies and interventions on obesity prevalence among young people can help determine statewide public health and policy strategies.

Using systems thinking in state health policymaking: an educational initiative.

In response to limited examples of opportunities for state policymakers to learn about and productively discuss the difficult, adaptive challenges of our health system, the Georgia Health Policy Center developed an educational initiative that applies systems thinking to health policymaking. We created the Legislative Health Policy Certificate Program - an in-depth, multi-session series for lawmakers and their staff - concentrating on building systems thinking competencies and health content knowledge by applying a range of systems thinking tools: behavior over time graphs, stock and flow maps, and a system dynamics-based learning lab (a simulatable model of childhood obesity). Legislators were taught to approach policy issues from the big picture, consider changing dynamics, and explore higher-leverage interventions to address Georgia's most intractable health challenges.

From theory to practice: what drives the core business of public health?

In 1994, the Public Health Functions Steering Committee proffered a description of the Essential Public Health Services (Essential Services). Questions remain, however, about the relationship between the roles defined therein and current public health practice at state and local levels. This case study describes the core business of public health in Georgia relative to the theoretical ideal and elucidates the primary drivers of the core business, thus providing data to inform future efforts to strengthen practice in the state.

Transforming the delivery of rural health care in Georgia: state partnership strategy for developing rural health networks.

Since 1996, 19 networks covering 74 of the 117 rural counties in Georgia have emerged. This grassroots transformation of rural health care occurred through a series of partnerships launched by state government officials. These partnerships brought together national and state organizations to pool resources for investment in an evolving long-term strategy to develop rural health care networks.