Kathleen N. Gillespie

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.

The acclaimed textbook for navigating the practice and challenges of public health, now updated and completely revised "It should be recommended or assigned to all students in public health." -American Journal of Epidemiology The practice of public health would be easier if all the decisions could just be based on science. The reality, of course, is that many choices have to account for short-term demands, meaning that some policies and programs are rooted in anecdotal evidence or limited resources. In these circumstances, an evidence-based approach -- emphasizing available data and analytics while leveraging individual skills and an optimized organizational climate -- is a public health practitioner's best tool for effective decision making. This fully revised and updated edition Evidence-Based Public Health offers an essential primer on how to choose, carry out, and evaluate evidence-based programs and policies in public health settings. It addresses not only how to locate and utilize scientific evidence, but also how to implement and evaluate interventions in a way that generates new evidence. Practical topics covered in this light include: · conducting community assessment · developing an initial statement of issue (and quantifying it) · using scientific literature and systematic reviews · creating an action plan and implementing interventions · evaluating programs and policies An indispensable volume for professionals, students, and researchers in the public health sciences and preventive medicine, this newly updated edition of the classic textbook empowers readers to identify and apply the most compelling evidence available.