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Table 1 Participant characteristics from four national surveys of state and local public health department professionals

From: Training needs and supports for evidence-based decision making among the public health workforce in the United States

 

State

Local

 

2008 State health department staff (n =441)

2013 State health department staff (n =904)

2012 Local public health directors (n =517)

2013 Local public health program managers (n =332)

 

n (%)

n (%)

n (%)

n (%)

Gender

    

Female

351 (80.0)

727 (80.4)

315 (60.9)

216 (65.1)

Male

88 (20.0)

177 (19.6)

202 (39.1)

111 (33.4)

Missing

2 (0.0)

0 (0.0)

0 (0.0)

5 (1.5)

Age

    

20-29

19 (4.3)

64 (7.1)

8 (1.5)

17 (5.1)

30-39

76 (17.3)

214 (23.8)

44 (8.5)

60 (18.1)

40-49

118 (26.8)

248 (27.6)

110 (21.3)

77 (23.2)

50-59

177 (40.2)

246 (27.4)

228 (44.1)

121 (36.4)

60+

50 (11.4)

127 (14.1)

127 (24.6)

52 (15.7)

Missing

1 (0.0)

5 (0.0)

0 (0.0)

5 (1.5)

Years at agency Mean (SD)

10.5 (7.9)

9.9 (7.9)

---a

---a

Years in position Mean (SD)

4.6 (4.1)

4.9 (4.9)

8.5 (7.3)

7.7 (6.8)

Years in public health Mean (SD)

15.3 (8.6)

14.7 (9.2)

20.4 (14.6)

15.4 (9.2)

MPH/MPHS degree

114 (25.9)

275 (30.4)

136 (26.3)

60 (18.1)

Master’s degree or aboveb

332 (75.3)

632 (69.9)

186 (63.8)

142 (42.8)

Position

    

Generalistc

344 (78.0)

577 (63.8)

500 (96.7)

265 (79.8)

Specialistd

54 (12.2)

264 (29.2)

3 (0.1)

34 (10.2)

Othere

17 (3.9)

63 (7.0)

14 (2.7)

28 (8.4)

Missing

26 (5.9)

0 (0.0)

0 (0.0)

5 (1.5)

  1. Abbreviations: SD standard deviation, MPH Master of Public Health, MPHS Master of Public Health Sciences.
  2. aQuestion was not asked in the surveys with local public health practitioners.
  3. bAny master’s degree, including MPH, was included in this grouping.
  4. cGeneralists were grouped by program managers/administrators/coordinators, program planners, division or bureau heads, division deputy directors, department heads, or academic educators.
  5. dSpecialists were grouped by health educators, epidemiologists, statisticians, program evaluators, community health nurses, social workers, dietitians, or nutritionists.
  6. eOther primary position (e.g. policy analyst, health inspector).