The findings from two symposia sponsored by the
American College of Epidemiology have been published in the Annals
of Epidemiology, the latest in the June 2012 issue. These symposia
have focused on how to effectively translate epidemiology into
policy or practice and have used a set of eight case studies to
examine the question. The first set involving secondhand smoke,
blood alcohol limits, physical activity in school, and
compensation of veterans was published in the June 2010 issue of
the Annals. The latest set of four case studies on health
disparities, cancer screening, HIV prevention, and salt reduction
are appearing in the current issue.
The key findings from the eight case studies are
presented in an overview article in the current issue by Faith
Davis and colleagues Caryn Peterson, Frank Bandier,
Olivia Carter-Pokras, and Ross Brownson.
Most Important
Ingredient
When it comes to efficacy, the authors conclude
that “the most important ingredient for success…seems to be
placing a high priority on a specific issue, and recognizing that
this decision needs to be followed by a strong and long-term
multidisciplinary approach.” They note that “in all examples, a
key group chose to focus on one specific change for which there is
epidemiologic evidence supporting the health benefits of this
change.”
Framework
This multi-disciplinary team effort is based on an
underlying conceptual framework which envisages the policy
development process as involving multiple steps or stages starting
with problem definition and ending with implementation and/or
evaluation. It does require a strategy to successfully navigate
from the initial issue identification stage to the final policy
decision stage. Given this multi-step requirement, it is not
surprising that there are multiple tasks or roles for
epidemiologists and others to fulfill if a successful policy
development strategy is to be successful. The evidence is only one
element in the overall process or strategy for policy development.
(See lead article this issue).
Stalemate On Role
According to the authors, the importance of moving
epidemiologic evidence into policy and practice is no longer a
debate, however “controversy remains over the role of the
epidemiologist as an advocate for policy changes and what that
means.”
This stalemate about the role of the epidemiologist
in policy has been around for many years and, according to one of
the sources cited by Davis and colleagues, contributes to the
failure of epidemiologists to be more effective in translating
evidence into policy. This supports the perspective taken by
Matthew Myers in his address to the YES program in which he
called for the active involvement of scientists in assuring that
the power of data for social change is realized in practice.
The authors conclude by noting the lack of
epidemiologic training in the domains which support policy
development, and they call for incorporation of lessons learned
into training programs.
Articles
The articles included in the current issue of the
Annals of Epidemiology on this topic are
How Do We Effectively Move Epidemiology Into Policy
Action?
Population-Wide Sodium Reduction: The Bumpy Road
from Evidence to Policy
The Emerging HIV Epidemic On the Mexico Border: An
International Case Study Characterizing the Role of Epidemiology
in Surveillance and Response
Epidemiology, Policy, and Racial/Ethnic Minority
Health Disparities
Cancer Screening: The Journey from Epidemiology to
Policy
Readers may access the articles at http://www.annalsofepidemiology.org/issues
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