Citation

Hemenway DA, Miller MC. New Engl. J. Med. 2013; 368(21): 2033-2035.

Affiliation

Harvard School of Public Health, Boston.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Massachusetts Medical Society)

DOI

10.1056/NEJMsb1302631

PMID

23581254

Abstract

Scientists, policymakers, and advocates are increasingly advised to use "the public health approach" to address myriad social issues, from alcoholism and arthritis to vision care and war. However, it is rarely clear what exactly is meant by "the public health approach." Policymakers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describe the public health approach as a four-step model: Define the problem, identify risk and protective factors, develop and test prevention strategies, and ensure widespread adoption of effective programs.(1) Yet the public health approach is more than this model, for these steps are little more than a scientific approach . . .

Language: en