The prevalence of hospital health promotion and disease prevention services: Good news, bad news, and policy implications

In recent years, American health care has shifted toward an emphasis on pop ulation health in communities. National data from the American Hospital Ass ociation Annual Survey of Hospitals are used to describe the prevalence of 26 services provided by general hospitals that could contribute to health p romotion and disease prevention (HPDP). Cross-sectional descriptive analyse s, based on national data sources, linked HPDP services to hospital charact eristics, and factor analysis identified significant categories of HPDP act ivities. The results showed that many specific HPDP services are offered by thousands of hospitals, but prevalence, distribution, and availability of the services are uneven across the size and ownership of hospitals and thei r communities. Policy initiatives could increase the prevalence of hospital s' health promotion and disease prevention services, thereby improving the health status of their communities.