A science refresher to help move us past the health mistakes of the moment
This piece was co-authored by Dr. Greg Cohen
I have written quite a bit now about the challenges of the moment to the health of populations — from systematic efforts to limit the public health workforce, to funding cuts to health research, to threats to health insurance coverage. These are all challenges that one worries will have a substantial effect on the health of the American (and global) population. There is no question that some of these changes are driven by ideological difference, and some by an effort to simply do things differently, to break from past precedent. But it also occurs to me that some of what is happening may arise from a misunderstanding, on the part of political appointees overseeing national public health infrastructure, of the facts about what shapes the health of populations. So, here, partnering with Dr. Greg Cohen and informed by work I have done over the past decade-plus with Dr. Kerry Keyes, I thought I would summarize some core concepts of population health science and why they matter to the current moment, and, de facto, why paying attention to these concepts might suggest a course of action that diverges from the path currently being pursued by some who are responsible for the public’s health at the federal level.
By way of introducing core principles of population health science, let us ground the discussion in a lightning rod topic, if there ever was one: the COVID vaccine. Caught up in the cultural tumult of the past few years, COVID vaccines are currently restricted by CVS and Walgreens pharmacies across multiple states. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll administered in early August, only approximately 40% of Americans plan to get a COVID-vaccine booster this fall, and the majority of those who want to receive the booster are concerned they will not be able to access the vaccine or insurance coverage for it. This is a rather odd turn for vaccines that until recently were considered a miracle of modern science and are responsible for saving millions of lives and averting millions of years of life lost worldwide. Leaving aside more cynical political agendas that have used COVID vaccines as a lever to score partisan points, it is important to contend straightforwardly with concerns fueling uncertainty around COVID vaccines, concerns that have led many to doubt the vaccines’ efficacy and utility.
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