Environmental health practitioners in Alabama: An assessment of the practice of the ten essential services and abilities in the fourteen core competencies

This study was conducted to assess the extent to which the state of Alabama's Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) perceive themselves as practicing the essential services of public health and the core competencies. The study also examined the EHPs' perceived experience with community members, either agency representatives or lay persons.;EHPs from all 11 state of Alabama public health areas participated in the study. The EHPs were asked to complete self-administered questionnaires. A total of 255 EHPs completed and returned their questionnaires.;The majority of EHPs in Alabama had experiences with the essential services of public health, the core competencies, and experiences involving the community in which they work. However, differences in abilities and experiences did exist among the public health areas and among the different public health department position classifications. EHPs in Alabama are actively engaged in a number of essential services. These practitioners view themselves as proficient in the core environmental health competencies and in their work with community agencies and lay persons. However, there is need for further training in several areas of the essential services of public health and core competencies.