Evidence-Based Public Health

In an ideal world, public health practitioners always incorporate scientific evidence when making management decisions, developing policies, and implementing programs. In reality, these decisions are often based on short-term demands rather than long-term study, and policies and programs are sometimes developed around anecdotal evidence. To address these issues, many factors may lead to a more evidence-based approach to decision making, including enhanced individual skills, wider use of data and analytic tools, and a more favorable organizational climate. Evidence-Based Public Health provides practical guidance on how to choose, implement, and evaluate evidence-based programs and policies in public health settings. It deals not only with locating and utilizing scientific evidence but also with implementing and evaluating interventions that generate new evidence. This revised and updated edition reflects the growing body of data and information on evidence-based public health, focuses on health equity, features a new chapter on effective communication and disseminating public health information, and includes new case studies from around the world.