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