title: Community Health Assessment and Improved Public Health Decision-Making: A Propensity Score Matching Approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We analyzed the likelihood of chronic disease prevention activities delivery, as a proxy measure of public health decision-making and actions, given that local health agencies (LHAs) implemented a community health assessment and improvement plan in their communities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a propensity score matching approach, we linked data from the 2010 National Association of County and City Health Officials profile of LHAs and the 2010 County Health Rankings to create a statistically matched sample of implementation and comparison LHAs. Implementation LHAs were those that implemented a community health assessment and improvement plan. We estimated the odds of chronic disease prevention activities delivery and the average treatment effect on the treated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Implementation group LHAs were 2 times as likely (95% confidence interval = 1.60, 2.64) to deliver population-based chronic disease prevention programs than comparison group LHAs. Furthermore, chronic disease prevention activities were more likely to be delivered among implementation group LHAs (6.50-19.02 percentage points higher) than in comparison group LHAs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results signal that routine implementation of a community health assessment and improvement plan in LHAs leads to improved public health decision-making and actions.
authors.affiliation: Kristina M. Rabarison, Lava Timsina, and Glen P. Mays are with the College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington.
authors.forename: Kristina M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Rabarison
authors.affiliation: Kristina M. Rabarison, Lava Timsina, and Glen P. Mays are with the College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington.
authors.forename: Lava
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Timsina
authors.affiliation: Kristina M. Rabarison, Lava Timsina, and Glen P. Mays are with the College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington.
authors.forename: Glen P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Mays
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D057216:Propensity Score; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States