UNDERSTANDING EVIDENCE-BASED PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY

Abstract

Public health policy has a profound impact on health status. The literature lacks a clear articulation of policy definition and evidence-based approaches to advance the field. Policy-relevant evidence includes quantitative (e.g., epidemiological) and qualitative (e.g., narrative accounts) information. We describe three main domains of evidence-based policy: (1) process, to understand approaches to increase the likelihood of policy adoption; (2) content, to identify specific policy elements that are likely to be appropriate; and (3) results, to document the potential impact of the policy.