Evidence-Based Public Health

by Brownson, Ross C.; Baker, Elizabeth A.; Leet, Terry L.; Gillespie, Kathleen N.

• ISBN13: 9780195143768
• ISBN10: 0195143760
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-09-19
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Ideally, public health practitioners always incorporate scientific evidence in making management decisions, developing policies, and implementing programs. In reality, however, these decisions are often based on short-term demands rather than long-term study, and policies and programs aresometimes developed from anecdotal evidence. To enhance evidence-based practice, this book provides practical guidance on how to choose, carry out, and evaluate evidence-based programs and policies in public health settings. It deals not only with finding and using scientific evidence, but also with implementing and evaluating interventionsthat generate new evidence on effectiveness. Because all these topics are broad and require multi-disciplinary skills and perspectives, each chapter covers the basic issues and provides multiple examples to illustrate important concepts. The book presents a sequential framework for addressingpublic health issues that includes developing an initial statement of the issue, quantifying the issue, searching the scientific literature and organizing information, developing and prioritizing program options, developing an action plan and implementing interventions, and evaluating the program orpolicy.

Table of Contents

The Need for Evidence-Based Public Health	3	(21)
Assessing Scientific Evidence for Public Health Action	24	(20)
Understanding and Applying Analytic Tools	44	(40)
Developing an Initial Statement of the Issue	84	(15)
Quantifying the Issue	99	(26)
Searching the Scientific Literature and Organizing Information	125	(17)
Developing and Prioritizing Program Options	142	(27)
Developing an Action Plan and Implementing Interventions	169	(25)
Evaluating the Program or Policy	194	(23)
Glossary	217	(12)
Index	229