Understanding Evidence-Based Public Health Policy

TLDR

Public health policy profoundly affects health status, yet the literature lacks a clear definition of evidence‑based policy and its approaches, and policy‑relevant evidence spans both quantitative epidemiological data and qualitative narrative accounts. The study outlines three key domains of evidence‑based policy—process, content, and outcomes—to guide policy development. The authors propose actions such as improved data preparation and communication, enhanced use of analytic tools, policy surveillance, and outcome tracking with diverse evidence types.

Abstract

Public health policy has a profound impact on health status. Missing from the literature is a clear articulation of the definition of evidence-based policy and approaches to move the field forward. Policy-relevant evidence includes both quantitative (e.g., epidemiological) and qualitative information (e.g., narrative accounts). We describe 3 key domains of evidence-based policy: (1) process, to understand approaches to enhance the likelihood of policy adoption; (2) content, to identify specific policy elements that are likely to be effective; and (3) outcomes, to document the potential impact of policy. Actions to further evidence-based policy include preparing and communicating data more effectively, using existing analytic tools more effectively, conducting policy surveillance, and tracking outcomes with different types of evidence.