Overview of Public Health

Public health focuses on population-level disease prevention and health promotion. The populations served by public health range from small groups or communities to entire or multiple continents. Public health acts on all aspects of health as defined by the World Health Organization; “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease of infirmity” (World Health Organization, 2017).

In Canada, public health work occurs at many levels and sectors, united by a common set of values including a commitment to equity, social justice and sustainable development, respect for diversity and the recognition of the importance of the health of the community as well as the individual (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2008). Public health roles in Canada include nurses, health promoters, dietitians and health inspectors, policy advocacy and development, research, and much more.

Evidence-Informed Public Health

Using evidence allows public health professionals to make informed decisions for public health practice, programs and policy. Evidence-informed decisions allow us to feel confident that our decisions are an effective use of finite resources and designed to improve the health outcomes for individuals and communities. The Canadian Public Health Association includes evidence-informed policy and practice in the underlying principles of public health (Canadian Public Health Association, 2017).

Evidence comes from many different sources including research, local and community data and community and political context. To learn more about evidence-informed public health, please refer to our page on Evidence-Informed Public Health.

For more information on why Evidence-Informed Decision Making (EIDM) is important for public health from the perspectives of public health professionals across Canada, please refer to our Perspective on Evidence-Informed Public Health video series.

The Role of the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools (NCCMT)

The NCCMT supports public health professionals in using evidence in their decision making and practice. The NCCMT hosts many free online resources available to support public health professionals in the uptake of using evidence. The Registry of Methods and Tools indexes methods and tools for knowledge translation in public health. The Learning Centre features online learning modules that build capacity for EIDM. Additionally, Health Evidence™ hosts a repository of quality-appraised review articles on public health interventions. These and other resources support public health in Canada and worldwide in using evidence to inform public health practice, programs and policy.