Emerging Issues

Several emerging issues exist within the Educational and Community-Based Programs focus area. Research on preventing health disparities contains multiple gaps. Important areas needing further study are the dissemination of effective programs, new technologies, relationships between settings, and approaches to disadvantaged populations and populations with unique needs. Micro-grant programs should be used more since these programs engage communities and populations and can have a ripple effect in bringing beneficial changes. Promotion of commonality and synergy among the fields of educational and community-based programs, health communication, and health literacy should also be encouraged. Finally, the identification of better ways to characterize the reach, coverage, and influence of educational and community-based programs by geographic region is important, so that features of the most successful programs can be emulated and spread across a larger proportion of the Nation.

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