The role of public policy is becoming more important to developing strategies to stop the trend of physical inactivity. Policy makers have endorsed a need to position policy more towards active living; however, this is a complicated and complex process that covers multiple areas in the literature. The phenomenon under investigation is the implementation process of a state plan to increase physical activity at the local level. The first section of this literature review describes the term public policy, taking into account a number of policy definitions and processes from both public administration and public health literature, as well as several different understanding of factors influencing policy implementation. The second section addresses physical activity policy research in particular, providing a definition of and suggested discusses the recent developments of the national and state policy agenda related to physical activity. The following section addresses the criteria that characterize physical activity policy, summarizing what is known about the outcomes and effectiveness of such policies. The final section gives an insight into the analytic frameworks for policy implementation evaluation, establishing the features of process evaluation and program theory.
What is Public Policy?
The National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy (NCCHPP) defines public policy as “a strategic action led by a public authority in order to limit or increase the presence of certain phenomena within the population” (2012, p. 1). They propose an evidence-informed analytical framework that reflects both public health perspectives and concerns of policy makers. This is important because public health actors (i.e., policy evaluators and ...
... middle of paper ...
...direct provision, and regulation) or discouraging (by regulation, disinvestments, or taxation) the options for choices by producers and consumers, by individuals as well as public and private organizations. Thus policies, intended or not, affect every level of human activity, from the physiologic to the ecologic, and every facet of our environment, from the maternal world of the fetus to the international arena (p. 60).
Policy instruments are techniques employed to implement policy or plan objectives. After the issue/problem is defined, tools are found to achieve the desired outcome. Examples of policy instruments used are expenditures, regulations, partnerships, taxation, licensing, and direct provision of services. The purpose of policy instruments is not only to achieve behaviour change within individuals, but also realize social, political or economic conditions.
...such policies are conceptualized in an effort to protect the criminal justice process from overzealous use of authority. It would seem that policies and laws regulate more than criminal behaviors.
Schmid, T. L., Pratt, M., & Howze, E. (1995). Policy as intervention: environmental and policy approaches to the prevention of cardiovascular disease. American Journal of Public Health, 85(9), 1207-1211.
The level of the population’s level of physical activity is becoming a major public health concern in the United States (Wahlgren, 2011). As a result of urban sprawl, Americans rely heavily on personal vehicles to travel to work or other destinations. This is leading to a sedentary life style for the public as they take to their cars to travel to their destination. The public’s perception of the environments in which they live in are likely influencing their behaviors resulting in their dependance on personal vehicles. (Wahlgren, 2011). The physical environment and peoples’ levels of physical activity are directly connected. Low density zoning and auto-dependent development is resulting in the promotion of sedentary life styles. Most activities, like commuting to work or shopping, requires the use of a personal vehicle because of the area’s isolation in residential zones and commercial zones (Ewing, 2010). Alternative modes like walking or bicycling are rather impractical, as the areas often have little to no sidewalks or other pedestrian friendly amenities (Marshall, 2009). The Low density design is developed because residential homes have fewer units per acre and commercial buildings tend to only be a couple of stories and spaced further apart. The sizes of lots tend to be bigger to accommodate large parking lots that are often oversized and unsafe for pedestrians.
McLaughlin, C. & McLaughlin, C. (2008). Health Policy Analysis: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
The government plays an important part in our safety, but many people think they take it too far. Recently, people have thought more and more about how much involvement the government should have when it comes to food regulations. Some people think the government's involvement in regulating food would greatly help obesity rates, and others think the country's obesity rates would show little to no improvement. Although no one cause of obesity exists, and no government regulations will likely alter someone’s lifestyle choices, the government should implement some regulations by implementing programs to educate and encourage citizens to lead a healthier life and by requiring companies to list a full disclosure of ingredients on their products.
Public health is a concept that will always be subject to conflicting opinion. Over the year’s different ‘models’ of health have been formulated in order to categorise public health into dominant areas of cause and effect. The two models in which this essay will be focusing on are the Biomedical Model and the Lifestyle Theory Model. Although both models have equally arguable advantages and disadvantages, it is difficult to state either model as being ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in defining the correct pathway to resolving the central health issues of today.
Mary Louise Fleming, E. P. (2009). Introduction to Public Health. Chatswood, NSW, Australia: Elsevier Australia.
Health policy is described as the action of the Government to achieve goals within the health sector (10). Through an analysis of policy it is understood that it is influenced
The question of what is the government’s role in regulating healthy and unhealthy behavior is one that would probably spark a debate every time. Originally, the role was to assist in regulating and ensure those that were unable to afford or obtain healthcare insurance for various reasons would be eligible for medical care. However, now it seems that politicians are not really concerned about what’s best for the citizens but woul...
To reach a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, an individual or group must be able to identify and to realize aspirations, to satisfy needs, and to change or cope with the environment. Health is, therefore, seen as a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities. Therefore, health promotion is not just the responsibility of the health sector, but goes beyond healthy life-styles to wellbeing. Health promotion goes beyond health care. It puts health on the agenda of policy makers in all sectors and at all levels. It directs policy makers to be aware of the health consequences of their decisions and accept their responsibilities for
Beitsch et al. (2006) also conveys the main functions of state public health institutions, which include the assessment of diseases, policy development, and the commitment to health protection and promotion activities. While Brumback and Malecki (1996) reveal that the role of public health agencies is to assess and analyse public health problems, form policies, layout development, and implement
Because state and local public health programs are often funded at least in part with Federal dollars, accountability is often a key issue (“Ten Essential Public Health Services.” 2015). Public health programs therefore document progress towards positive change in health behavior or health status indicators (“Ten Essential Public Health Services.” 2015). Data such as these can be presented to policymakers to document the value or effectiveness of a program (“Ten Essential Public Health Services.” 2015). Those data can also be used for continued program planning and modification (“Ten Essential Public Health Services.” 2015). Policies have positive or negative influences on health. Examples of health policies include safety standards, which influence the incidence of injuries; tobacco regulations affect personal health; and safe city parks can affect the ability for people are active (California Department of Public Health “Strategic Plan”, 2013). It is a systematic process to utilize appropriate data, develop and track measurable health objectives, establish strategies and actions to guide the targeted improvements (California Department of Public Health “Strategic Plan”, 2013). The targeted strategies may be laws, codes, regulations and/or
Bernard Choi, et al. “EVIDENCE BASED PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY AND PRACTICE: Can scientists and policy makers work together?” Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. Vol. 59 Issue 8 (2005). 632.
Over time, how have members of the field of public administration examined the subject of policy and administration (has the dichotomy changed)?
Limitations of public policies are a set of factors that distort public policy to resolve socio-economic and political problemes faced by the society.