Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #117066

Peter A. Briss, MD, MPH, Division of Scientific Communications, National Center for Health Marketing, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS E-90, Atlanta, GA 30333, 770-488-6292, pbriss@cdc.gov

The Guide to Community Preventive Services (the Community Guide)—at nine years of age, a relative newcomer to the field of public health—has quickly emerged as a leader in evidence-based public health. Under the direction of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services (the Task Force), and supported by staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Community Guide evaluates all of the best available scientific studies to identify interventions shown to improve population health and prevent disease.

The Community Guide process uses scientific methods to recommend interventions, in a variety of topic areas (e.g., tobacco use prevention, physical activity, vaccine-preventable diseases), that are effective in improving the health of people in settings such as worksites, health care systems, and communities. The recommendation is only the first step. The next steps are taken by people who want to implement the interventions—people in health departments, health care systems, schools, and many other settings.

This session addresses the contributions of the Community Guide in building a science base for public health decision making. Additionally, the session will help to bridge the gap between evidence and action by exploring issues to consider when implementing a recommended intervention at the state or local level.

Learning Objectives:

• • Be familiar with the work of the Guide to Community Preventive Service's Task Force
• • Understand the utility and application of recommended interventions and “insufficient evidence” findings
• • Understand how evidence-based findings can be implemented practically in community settings

Keywords: Community Preventive Services, Evidence Based Practice

Related Web page: www.thecommunityguide.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.