Public health practitioners’ decision-making about policy interventions

In the United States (US), obesity is a serious public health problem with wide-ranging health, social, and economic consequences for individuals and the public. Policy action by the government is an impactful tool for improving health and addressing obesity and chronic disease. This project examines how local policymakers use evidence and policy briefs to adopt effective policies for obesity.  Center leaders are supporting the stakeholder engagement and decision science components of this work.

Led by Dr. Ross Brownson. Prevention Research Center Washington University in St. Louis

The Prevention Research Center is supported by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U48DP006395.

Publications:

Dodson EA, Parks RG, Jacob RR, et al. Effectively communicating with local policymakers: a randomized trial of policy brief dissemination to address obesity. Front Public Health. 2024;12:1246897. Published 2024 Mar 8. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2024.1246897

Parks RG, Thomas F, Morshed AB, et al. Municipal officials’ perspectives on policymaking for addressing obesity and health equity. Evid Policy. 2023;19(3):444-464. doi:10.1332/174426421×16793276974116