Evidence Base
The Evidence Base is an information resource developed by the former Health Development Agency. It consists of evidence briefing papers and evidence reviews across a range of topics that:
- provide an account of the state of the evidence
- identify gaps in the research base
- make recommendations for future research.
While these papers help support evidence-based decision making by public health practitioners, they do not represent NICE guidance.
Evidence briefings
The HDA published evidence briefings on:
- Accidental injury
- Alcohol misuse
- Ante- and post-natal home visiting
- Drug use prevention among young people
- Health impact assessment
- HIV prevention Original | Update
- Obesity and overweight
- Physical activity
- Prevention of low birth weight
- Prevention of sexually transmitted infections Original | Update
- Smoking and public health
- Teenage pregnancy and parenthood
- Youth suicide prevention
Key papers
These papers supported and informed the development of the Evidence Base:
- Childhood Disadvantage and Adult Health: A Lifecourse Framework
- Health Inequalities: Concepts, Frameworks and Policy - Briefing Paper
- Integrative Approaches to Qualitative and Quantitative Evidence
Evidence into practice
- Getting Evidence into Practice to Reduce Health Inequalities: Context and Progress on HDA Implementation
- Evidence into Practice: Method 1 for the Production of Effective Action Briefings and Related Materials
- Getting Evidence into Practice in Public Health
Methodologies and criteria
- Starter Paper: Methodological Problems in Constructing the Evidence Base in Public Health
- HDA evidence base process and quality standards manual for evidence briefings - Third edition
Tackling Health Inequalities: Turning Policy into Practice
HDA seminar series papers
- Theory-based evaluation of complex community-based health initiatives
- What contributions might ideas of social capital make to policy implementation for reducing health inequalities?
- Regeneration and neighbourhood change
- What is known about effective approaches to managing strategic systems change and what are the implications for mainstreaming inequalities?
- Implementing neighbourhood renewal: experience and lessons so far
- Reducing health inequalities: primary care organisations and public health
- Decision-making processes for effective policy implementation
- Systems governance: towards effective partnership working
Choosing Health? consultation
- Evidence of effectiveness and health inequalities (Presentation)
- Evidence of effectiveness and health inequalities
Public Health Evidence Steering Group papers
- An emerging framework for integrating different types of evidence in systematic reviews for public policy
- Perspectives on Evidence Based Practice
- Systematic or Unsystematic, is that the Question? Some reflections on the science, art, and politics of reviewing research evidence