"Health in All Policies": taking stock of emerging practices to incorporate health in decision making in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: Policies affecting the determinants of health lie largely outside the control of the health care and public health sectors. Ensuring health considerations in the formation and implementation of policies, programs, projects, and plans from all sectors, though lofty, is the overall aim of Health in All Policies. The purpose of this article was to identify categories of strategies that illustrate how Health in All Policies had been implemented in the United States. DESIGN: We used a 3-phased process: (1) review of the published and gray literature; (2) analysis of case examples to identify a draft framework, which included tactics and strategies for implementing Health in All Policies; and (3) vetting the draft framework through individual and group consultation. RESULTS: We identify 7 interrelated strategies for incorporating health considerations into decisions and systems: (1) developing and structuring cross-sector relationships; (2) incorporating health into decision-making processes; (3) enhancing workforce capacity; (4) coordinating funding and investments; (5) integrating research, evaluation and data systems; (6) synchronizing communications and messaging; and (7) implementing accountability structures. For each strategy, we provide illustrative examples from the United States to help public health leaders identify effective tactics for Health in All Policies implementation. CONCLUSIONS: Through our review, we offer a starting point for categorizing and describing the emerging practices used to work across sectors and address the determinants of health. By delineating the different types of strategies and tactics to achieve Health in All Policies, we provide public health practitioners with a "menu" of options for incorporating Health in All Policies into their work.

Ciguatera and scombroid fish poisoning in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Ciguatera and scombroid fish poisonings are common causes of fish-related foodborne illness in the United States; however, existing surveillance systems underestimate the overall human health impact. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe existing data on ciguatera and scombroid fish poisonings from outbreak and poison control center reports and to estimate the overall number of ciguatera and scombroid fish-poisoning illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States. METHODS: We analyzed outbreak data from the Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance Systems (FDOSS) from 2000 to 2007 and poison control center call data from the National Poison Data System (NPDS) from 2005 to 2009 for reports of ciguatera and scombroid fish poisonings. Using a statistical model with many inputs, we adjusted the outbreak data for undercounting due to underreporting and underdiagnosis to generate estimates. Underreporting and underdiagnosis multipliers were derived from the poison control call data and the published literature. RESULTS: Annually, an average of 15 ciguatera and 28 scombroid fish-poisoning outbreaks, involving a total of 60 and 108 ill persons, respectively, were reported to FDOSS (2000-2007). NPDS reported an average of 173 exposure calls for ciguatoxin and 200 exposure calls for scombroid fish poisoning annually (2005-2009). After adjusting for undercounting, we estimated 15,910 (90% credible interval [CrI] 4140-37,408) ciguatera fish-poisoning illnesses annually, resulting in 343 (90% CrI 69-851) hospitalizations and three deaths (90% CrI 1-7). We estimated 35,142 (90% CrI: 10,496-78,128) scombroid fish-poisoning illnesses, resulting in 162 (90% CrI 0-558) hospitalizations and 0 deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Ciguatera and scombroid fish poisonings affect more Americans than reported in surveillance systems. Although additional data can improve these assessments, the estimated number of illnesses caused by seafood intoxication illuminates this public health problem. Efforts, including education, can reduce ciguatera and scombroid fish poisonings.