Role of knowledge in public health and health promotion policy change

Abstract

A framework of policy development is presented that identifies the role various forms of knowledge can play in the policy formation process. The framework is based upon the premise that public health and health promotion issues should be addressed within an analysis of policy change that considers concepts of interactive and critical knowledge in addition to scientific knowledge. Progress in developing meaningful health policy will require accepting the validity of these various forms of knowledge and developing frameworks that see experts and citizens working together to develop and achieve public health and health promotion goals.

A Sociologically Informed Ethics of American Science Literacy: Toward a Transdisciplinary Understanding

“…For example, reliance on scientific knowledge to guide improving public health can lead to an emphasis on lifestyle at the expense of considering political and socioeconomic factors such as poverty, the environment and the societal systems that produce them [21]. In order to avoid scientific knowledge replicating the harm currently produced by existing social structural arrangements, a sociological knowledge of the role of the power-knowledge nexus is necessary.…”

“…In her work on the ways public health policy is changed Bryant argues that there has been a neglect of the political process that affects how different forms of knowledge are accepted or rejected in the health policy formation process [21]. She argues that the kind of policy a government makes is affected by its own ideological influences, but is also affected by the identity of its policy advocates.…”

“…Critical knowledge considers the ethics of powerful socioeconomic forces that affect society, and how they reinforce inequalities in health and illness: "Critical knowledge considers questions of right and wrong, analyses existing social conditions, and outlines what can be done to alter social conditions to improve quality of life [21]". Critical knowledge can be produced by forums and meetings devoted to consider the ethics of science and may draw from both the expert and the citizen community bringing them together in a collaborative discussion of the issues that increases the scientific literacy of the citizens and educates policy experts about the social and political contexts of their knowledge: "Collaboration occurs when professional policy analysts and citizens carry out cooperative analyses on community-identified issues [21]".…”

“…Bryant says depending upon the ideological identity of a government these various presentations will be filtered to select from some groups rather than others. Perhaps surprisingly, Bryant's research found that anecdotal and "qualitative studies were more persuasive in influencing policy makers than instrumental knowledge," and that both professional policy analysts and citizens groups used anecdotal evidence [21]. However the socio-political identity of the actors who lobby policy makers was also important in determining who got access to policy makers and what kinds of knowledge was acceptable.…”

“…. in the end, the government was willing only to heed knowledge and evidence that supported its ideological perspective" [21].…”