A

Advocacy

Arguing and/or acting in support of a particular cause, policy, group of people, etc. This is a major activity of many public health associations and local health departments, some of which designate individuals who have demonstrated proficiency in this role.

Source: Last, John. A Dictionary of Public Health. Oxford University Press. New York, New York. 2007

Asthma

Asthma is a chronic disease characterized by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing, which vary in severity and frequency from person to person. During an asthma attack, the lining of the bronchial tubes swells, causing the airways to narrow and reducing the flow of air into and out of the lungs. The causes of asthma are not completely understood. However, risk factors for developing asthma include inhaling asthma “triggers”, such as allergens, tobacco smoke and chemical irritants. Asthma cannot be cured, but appropriate management can control the disorder and enable people to enjoy a good quality of life

Source: http://www.who.int/topics/asthma/en/

B

Best practice(s)

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION BASED ON THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT: Best Practices are interventions, programs/services, strategies, or policies which have demonstrated desired changes through the use of appropriate well documented research or evaluation methodologies. They have the ability to be replicated, and the potential to be adapted and transferred. A best practice is one that is most suitable given the available evidence and particular situation or context.

In the context of population health / health promotion, such practices are used to demonstrate what works for enhancing the health status and health-related outcomes of individuals and communities, and to accumulate and apply knowledge about how and why they work in different situations and contexts.

Source: Best Practices Portal for Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention, CBPI Working Group, Public Health Agency of Canada (2008).

C

Cancer

Cancer is the uncontrolled growth and spread of cells. It can affect almost any part of the body. The growths often invade surrounding tissue and can metastasize to distant sites. Many cancers can be prevented by avoiding exposure to common risk factors, such as tobacco smoke. In addition, a significant proportion of cancers can be cured, by surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, especially if they are detected early.

Source: http://www.who.int/topics/cancer/en/

Capacity and capacity building

Increasing an individual, organizational or systemic ability to effectively plan, implement, evaluate and sustain public health promotion and protection efforts. Improved capacity is understood to lead to better decisions informed by multiple sources of data and information and to enhanced practice.

Source: Goodman RM, Speers MA, McLeroy K, Fawcett S, Kegler M, Parker E, Smith SR, Sterling TD, Wallerstein N. Identifying and defining the dimensions of community capacity to provide a basis for measurement. Health Education and Behaviour. 1998; 25(3): 258-278

Capacity building

In the context of knowledge exchange, capacity is the set of skills, resources, structures, partnerships and processes, as well as the organizational culture and commitment that allows, encourages, and rewards knowledge exchange. Capacity building fosters individual, organizational or system ability to effectively plan, implement, evaluate and sustain public health promotion and protection efforts. Improved capacity is understood to lead to better decisions informed by multiple sources of data and information (e.g., research evidence, experiential knowledge, or cultural understanding) and to enhanced practice.

Source: Adapted from Canadian Health Services Research Foundation http://www.chsrf.ca/keys/glossary_e.php and Goodman RM, Speers MA, McLeroy K, Fawcett S, Kegler M, Parker E, Smith SR, Sterling TD, Wallerstein N. Identifying and defining the dimensions of community capacity to provide a basis for measurement. Health Education and Behaviour. 1998; 25(3): 258-278.

Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is caused by disorders of the heart and blood vessels, and includes coronary heart disease (heart attacks), cerebrovascular disease (stroke), raised blood pressure (hypertension), peripheral artery disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease and heart failure. The major causes of cardiovascular disease are tobacco use, physical inactivity, and an unhealthy diet.

Source: http://www.who.int/topics/cardiovascular_diseases/en/

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

A debilitating disease of the respiratory system, characterized by cough, sputum, shortness of breath, and often other features such as weight loss; it may be caused by environmental or occupational exposures, recurrent infection, but most often long-term cigarette smoking.

Source: Last, John. A Dictionary of Public Health. Oxford University Press. New York, New York. 2007.

Community

A specific group of people, often living in a defined geographical area, who share a common culture, values and norms, are arranged in a social structure according to relationships which the community has developed over a period of time. Members of a community gain their personal and social identity by sharing common beliefs, values and norms which have been developed by the community in the past and may be modified in the future. They exhibit some awareness of their identity as a group, and share common needs and a commitment to meeting them.

Source: World Health Organization. Health Promotion Glossary. Division of Health Promotion, Education and Communications (HPR) and Health Education and Health Promotion Unit (HEP), Geneva: Switzerland, 1998. Available from: http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/hp_glossary_en.pdf

Community of practice

Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.

Source: Wenger E. Communities of practice: learning, meaning, and identity. New York: Cambridge University Press; 1998.

CONSORT Statement

The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement provides guidelines for transparent reporting of randomized clinical trials.

Source: Des Jarlais Don C, Lyles C, Crepaz N. Improving the Reported Quality of Nonrandomized Evaluations of Behavioral and Public Health Interventions: The TREND Statement, Am J Public Health. 2004; 94:361–366.

Context

The settings, circumstances, conditions and factors influencing the way in which knowledge is developed, shared, adapted and implemented. This may include consideration of processes, structures, resources and environments, as well as interactions between researchers, policymakers, practitioners, the public and media.

Source: adapted from McCormack, B., Kitson, A., Harvey, G., Rycroft-Malone, J., Titchen, A., Seers, K. 2002. Getting evidence into practice: the meaning of ‘context’. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 38(1): 94-104.

Control

Applied to many communicable and some noncommunicable conditions, control means ongoing operations or programs aimed at reducing incidence and or prevalence, or elimination such conditions.

Source: Last, J. M. A Dictionary of Epidemiology. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2001, p. 40.

D

Decision analysis

Systematic approach to decision making under conditions of uncertainty; involves identifying all available alternatives and estimating the probabilities of potential outcomes associated with each alternative, valuing each outcome, and, on the basis of the probabilities and values, arriving at a quantitative estimate of the relative merit of the alternatives.

Source: Brownson R, Baker E, Leet T, Gillespie K. Evidence-Based Public Health. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2003.

Decision maker

Decision makers in the health services field can range from frontline health providers to administrators to ministers of health. However, the Observatory of Best Practices works with decision makers for research, policy and practice. These individuals often work in health services organizations such as hospitals and regional health authorities, non-government organizations, community-based organizations, as well as ministries of health and relevant regulatory agencies.

Source: Canadian Health Services Research Foundation. Ottawa: The Foundation; c1996-2006. Glossary of knowledge exchange terms as used by the foundation. [adapted definition]. Available from: http://www.chsrf.ca/keys/glossary_e.php

Determinant of health

The range of personal, social, economic and environmental factors, which determine the health status of individuals or populations.

Source: World Health Organization. Health Promotion Glossary. Division of Health Promotion, Education and Communications (HPR) and Health Education and Health Promotion Unit (HEP), Geneva: Switzerland, 1998. Available from: http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/hp_glossary_en.pdf

Diabetes

A chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Hyperglycaemia, or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.

Source: http://www.who.int/topics/diabetes_mellitus/en/

Diffusion

The process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among members of a social system. Diffusion typically refers to natural or unplanned processes by which innovations are communicated or taken up, as this is distinct from planned or active dissemination efforts.

Source: Rogers, E.M. 1995. Diffusion of Innovations. New York: Free Press, pp. 5.

Discrimination

The process of making distinctions among a mixed group of people, usually with the implication that some prejudice is applied in making these distinctions. It has often been accompanied by some form of segregation and victimization

Source: Last, John. A Dictionary of Public Health. Oxford University Press. New York, New York. 2007.

Disease prevention

Disease prevention covers measures not only to prevent the occurrence of disease, such as risk factor reduction, but also to arrest its progress and reduce its consequences once established. …Disease prevention is sometimes used as a complementary term alongside health promotion. Although there is frequent overlap between the content and strategies, disease prevention is defined separately. Disease prevention in this context is considered to be action which usually emanates from the health sector, dealing with individuals and populations identified as exhibiting identifiable risk factors, often associated with different risk behaviours.

Source: World Health Organization. Health Promotion Glossary. Division of Health Promotion, Education and Communications (HPR) and Health Education and Health Promotion Unit (HEP), Geneva: Switzerland, 1998. Available from: http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/hp_glossary_en.pdf

Dissemination

An active and strategically planned process whereby new or existing knowledge, interventions or practices are communicated to targeted groups in a way that encourages them to factor the implications into their work. Dissemination goes well beyond simply making research available through the traditional vehicles of journal publication and academic conference presentations.

Source: Kiefer, L., Frank J., Di Ruggiero, E., Dobbins, M., Manuel, D., Gully, P., Mowat, D. 2005. Fostering Evidence-based Decision-making in Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health. May-June: I1-I19; and Canadian Health Services Research Foundation http://www.chsrf.ca/keys/glossary_e.php

E

Early detection

The detection of disease among people who do not yet have symptoms, usually through a screening test.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guidance for Comprehensive Cancer Control Planning Volume 1: Guidelines. Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Atlanta: USA, 2002. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/ncccp/guidelines/glossary.htm#e

Economic Evaluation

Comparative analysis of alternative courses of action in terms of both their costs and consequences.

Source: Brownson R, Baker E, Leet T, Gillespie K. Evidence-Based Public Health. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2003.

Ethnic Population

A community or group of people with distinctive social, cultural, and behavioural characteristics that distinguish them from others in the same or different country or society members of an ethic group share the same language, have similar ways of life and a common history, preserve traditions and customs from one generation to the next, identify themselves as members of that ethnic group, and often have a common genetic heritage. In countries where the population includes high proportions of immigrants from earlier generations, members of an ethnic group are sometimes identified by a hyphenated name (Armenian-Americans, Ukrainian-Canadians, Italian-Australians, etc). Ethnic groups sometimes display epidemiological patterns of disease that differ from prevailing patterns of others in the same country, which may relate to their genetic heritage, lifestyle, dietary factors, or a combination of these.

Source: Last, John. A Dictionary of Public Health. Oxford University Press. New York, New York. 2007.

Ethnicity/Culture

A term for the ethnic group to which people belong. Usually it refers to group identity based on culture, religion, traditions, and customs. In some contexts, it is a “politically correct” term equivalent to the word “race”, which may have pejorative associations.

Culture: a set of beliefs, traditions, customs, values, and religious, artistic, and intellectual qualities that are common to a loosely defined group of people, such as citizens of a country or members of an ethnic community.

Source: Last, John. A Dictionary of Public Health. Oxford University Press. New York, New York. 2007.

Evaluation

In the context of the Cycle, it entails both the evaluation of interventions and knowledge exchange activities, including the assessment of processes, outcomes, related facilitators and barriers, as well as context. Evaluation provides both evidence of effectiveness and practice-based learning that contribute to knowledge creation.

Examples of topics of interest for evaluation include: perceptions of stakeholders and participants, reach and participation rates, competency, communication and interaction change, rate of knowledge uptake, nature of decision-making changes (research, policy and practice), behavioural change, health system outcomes and cost-benefit issues.

Source: adapted from the Keenan Research Centre - Joint Program in Knowledge Translation (formerly the University of Toronto’s Knowledge Translation Program) http://www.stmichaelshospital.com/research/ktglossary.php

Evidence

The best research and evaluation information available, based on a systematic analysis of the effectiveness of an intervention, strategy or service and its use. Evidence is gathered in order to produce the best outcome, result or effect, and may be generated from a range of rigorously implemented and appropriate quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation methodologies.

Source: adapted from National Health Services. Public Health Electronic Library, National Institute of Clinical Excellence, London: UK. http://www.phel.gov.uk/glossary/glossaryAZ.asp?getletter=E

Evidence based decision making

The aim of evidence-based decision making (EBDM) is to ensure that decisions about health and health care are based on the best available knowledge. To use EBDM one must first assess what constitutes evidence, both in relation to health-enhancing interventions and to organizational or policy level decision-making. One also needs to explore the availability and accessibility of reliable information and knowledge that identifies how interventions, practices and programs affect health outcomes…A second use of EBDM is to explore what is preventing change from taking place in the health system (in practice and policy) when there is clear evidence that change is necessary and desirable. An EBDM framework also examines the length of time the health system takes to adopt existing information about the interventions that work, and their degree of success.

Source: National Forum on Health. Evidence-based decision making: a dialogue on health information. Summary report. Ottawa: Public Works and Government Services Canada; 1995.

Evidence informed decision making

The term evidence-based policy is used in the literature, yet largely relates to only one type of evidence—research. Using the term “evidence-influenced” or “evidence-informed” reflects the need to be context sensitive and consider use of the best available evidence when dealing with everyday circumstances. A variety of distinct pieces of evidence and sources of knowledge inform policy, such as histories and experience, beliefs, values, competency/skills, legislation, politics and politicians, protocols, and research results.

Source: Bowen S, Zwi AB. Pathways to “evidence-informed” policy and practice: A framework for action. PLoS Med 2005:2(7): p166.

Evidence informed decision making vs. Evidence based decision making

The term evidence-based policy is used in the literature, yet largely relates to only one type of evidence—research. Using the term “evidence-influenced” or “evidence-informed” reflects the need to be context sensitive and consider use of the best available evidence when dealing with everyday circumstances. A variety of distinct pieces of evidence and sources of knowledge inform policy, such as histories and experience, beliefs, values, competency/skills, legislation, politics and politicians, protocols, and research results.

Source: Bowen S, Zwi AB (2005) Pathways to "evidence-informed" policy and practice: A framework for action. PLoS Med 2(7): p. 166.

Evidence-based medicine

The process of systematically finding, appraising, and using contemporaneous research findings as the basis for clinical decisions. Goal: best possible management of health and disease in individual patient(s).

Source: Jenicek, Milos and Sylvie Stachenko. 2003. Evidence-based public health, community medicine, preventive care. Medical Science Monitor: 9(2): p SR2

Evidence-informed practice

Practice that is attentive to evidence, including research, experiential knowledge of the organization, cultural context, and educational, symbolic/political and process uses, and that uses knowledge syntheses of summarized findings to inform practice, decision-making and implementation.

Source: Avis, J. 2002. Really useful knowledge? Evidence-informed practice, research for the real world. Post 16 Educator (8): pp. 22-24

Expert Panels

Examination of research studies and their relevance to health conditions, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, planning and health policy, and community interventions.

Source: Brownson R, Baker E, Leet T, Gillespie K. Evidence-Based Public Health. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2003.

G

Gender

Gender refers to the array of society-determined roles, personality traits, attitudes, behaviours, values, relative power and influence that society ascribes to the two sexes on a differential basis.

"Gendered" norms influence the health system's practices and priorities. Many health issues are a function of gender-based social status or roles.

Source: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ph-sp/determinants/determinants-eng.php#gender

General Chronic Disease Prevention

General Chronic Disease Prevention - Chronic Disease: any disease that is long lasting or permanent. In practice, chronicity is often defined as an illness episode of 6 weeks’ duration or more, but this is misleading if a prolongued illness of finite duration, such as attack of herpes zoster, is placed in the same category as a long-term disease or disorder that does not eventually resolve or respond to treatment but gets worse, such as chronic bronchitis or multiple sclerosis.

Source: Last, John. A Dictionary of Public Health. Oxford University Press. New York, New York. 2007.

Governance

The act or manner of governing, defined here as ruling or controlling (a state, a subject, etc.) with authority.

Source: Canadian Oxford Dictionary. Edited by Barber, Katherine. Oxford University Press Canada. Canada. 2004

H

Harm Reduction

A decrease in physical, emotional, and/or social or political injury to an individual or group that is suffered or brought about by an agent such as a person, institution, or organization. In medicine and public health, the term “harm” can apply also to injury caused by inadvertent acts.

Source: Last, John. A Dictionary of Public Health. Oxford University Press. New York, New York. 2007.

Health

A state of complete physical, social and mental well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Within the context of health promotion, health has been considered less as an abstract state and more as a means to an end which can be expressed in functional terms as a resource which permits people to lead an individually, socially and economically productive life. Health is a resource for everyday life, not the object of living. It is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources as well as physical capabilities.

Source: World Health Organization. Health Promotion Glossary. Division of Health Promotion, Education and Communications (HPR) and Health Education and Health Promotion Unit (HEP), Geneva: Switzerland, 1998. Available from: http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/hp_glossary_en.pdf

Health communication

The design and delivery of messages and strategies based on consumer research to promote the health of communities and individuals. This is an important way in which expert opinion on every aspect of health is conveyed to those who need it, for instance, advisory messages to the general public bout many aspects of health problems. The term also applies to the two-way flow of surveillance information in communicable disease notification, cancer registries, and the like.

Source: Last, John. A Dictionary of Public Health. Oxford University Press. New York, New York. 2007

Health indicator

A health indicator is a characteristic of an individual, population, or environment which is subject to measurement (directly or indirectly) and can be used to describe one or more aspects of the health of an individual or population (quality, quantity and time).

Source: World Health Organization. Health Promotion Glossary. Division of Health Promotion, Education and Communications (HPR) and Health Education and Health Promotion Unit (HEP), Geneva: Switzerland, 1998. Available from: http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/hp_glossary_en.pdf

Health policy

A formal statement or procedure within institutions (notably government) which defines priorities and the parameters for action in response to health needs, available resources and other political pressures.

Source: World Health Organization. Health Promotion Glossary. Division of Health Promotion, Education and Communications (HPR) and Health Education and Health Promotion Unit (HEP), Geneva: Switzerland, 1998. Available from: http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/hp_glossary_en.pdf

Health promotion

Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health.

Source: World Health Organization. Health Promotion Glossary. Division of Health Promotion, Education and Communications (HPR) and Health Education and Health Promotion Unit (HEP), Geneva: Switzerland, 1998. Available from: http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/hp_glossary_en.pdf

Health services

Health services, particularly those designed to maintain and promote health, to prevent disease, and to restore health and function contribute to population health. The health services continuum of care includes treatment and secondary prevention

Source: Last, John. A Dictionary of Public Health. Oxford University Press. New York, New York. 2007.

Healthy public policy

Healthy public policy is characterized by an explicit concern for health and equity in all areas of policy, and by an accountability for health impact. The main aim of healthy public policy is to create a supportive environment to enable people to lead healthy lives. Such a policy makes healthy choices possible or easier for citizens. It makes social and physical environments health enhancing.

Source: World Health Organization. Health Promotion Glossary. Division of Health Promotion, Education and Communications (HPR) and Health Education and Health Promotion Unit (HEP), Geneva: Switzerland, 1998. Available from: http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/hp_glossary_en.pdf

Hierarchy Of Research Designs

Category I: Evidence from at least one properly randomized controlled trial.

Category II-1: Evidence from well-designed controlled trials without randomization.

Category II-2: Evidence from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies, preferably from more than one center or research group.

Category II-3: Evidence from multiple times series with or without intervention or dramatic results in uncontrolled experiments such as the results of the introduction of penicillin treatment in the 1940s.

Category III: Opinions of respected authorities, based on clinical experience, descriptive studies and case reports, or reports of expert committees.

Source: Harris RP, Helfand M, Woolf SH, Lohr KN, Mulrow CD, Teutsch SM, Atkins D, for the Methods Word Group, third U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Current methods of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: a review of the process. Am J Prev Med 2001;20(3S):21-35

Hypertension

Syn: high blood pressure. This very common condition is often associated with stress of occupational or emotional origin, but in the common form called essential hypertension, its causal mechanism is incompletely understood. However, low birth weight, obesity, emotional stress, physical inactivity, and age-related hardening for the arteries have been clarified by much research throughout the past century. Normal adult blood pressure is 90 to 135 mm Hg diastolic. Blood pressure greater than 140/90 mm Hg is considered hypertensive. Untreated hypertension tends to get worse and carries a high risk of complications, including stroke, heart attack, and retinal and renal damage. If detected early, hypertension generally responds well, often to nonpharmacological regimens, such as yoga and exercise, as well as to antihypertensive medication.

Source: Last, John. A Dictionary of Public Health. Oxford University Press. New York, New York. 2007.

I

Implementation

The execution of the adoption decision, that is, the innovation or the research is put into practice.

Source: http://www.nursing.ualberta.ca/kusp/rustudy2/glossary.htm

Income and social status

The extent to which individuals or groups have command over access to necessary and desired goods and services, usually estimated from the amount of financial or material resources accruing to an individual, a group, or a nation over a specified period.

Social status (SES): the social and economic positions of individuals or groups within society. Those with very low socioeconomic status have the most difficulty accessing health care and usually experience the poorest health outcomes, while those of higher socioeconomic status experience ready access to health care and increased opportunities for engaging in health-promoting behaviours and therefore have better health outcomes.

Source: Modeste, N.N., Tamayose, T.S., Dictionary of Public Health Promotion and Education – Terms and Concepts. 2nd Edition. Jossey-Bass. A Wiley Imprint. San Francisco, CA, U.S.A, 2004.

Institutionalization

Ongoing use or continued implementation of the innovation in practice by incorporating the innovation into the routines of an organization (part of sustainability).

Source: Oldenburg, B. and Parcel, G. 2002. Diffusion of Innovations. In Glanz et al., 2002 Health Behaviour and Health Education.

Intervention, initiative

An activity or set of activities aimed at modifying a process, course of action or sequence of events, in order to change one or several of its characteristics such as performance or expected outcome.

Source: WHO Global Forum on Chronic Disease Prevention and Control. Geneva: World Health Organization Press; 2004.

K

Knowledge

A fluid mix of framed experience, values, contextual information, evidence interpretation and expert insight that provides a framework for decision making, evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information. It may be explicit or tacit, and individual or collective. In organizations, it often becomes embedded not only in documents or repositories, but also in organizational routines, processes, practices, and norms.

Source: Davenport, T.H. & Prusak, L. Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What They Know, Harvard Business School Press, 1998 and European Committee for Standardization, 2004.

Knowledge broker

An individual, or individuals, who facilitate the knowledge/ research transfer process.

Source: Alberta Heritage Federation for Medical Research – Health Research Transfer Network of Alberta (RTNA) Water Cooler Series: Knowledge Transfer Across Health Sectors - http://www.ahfmr.ab.ca/download.php/b85367d07b6c7ed327c62dc70f146eab

Knowledge brokering

Knowledge brokering links researchers and decision makers, facilitating their interaction so that they are able to better understand each other's goals and professional culture, influence each other's work, forge new partnerships, and use different types of evidence. Brokering is ultimately about supporting evidence-informed decision-making in the organization, management, and delivery of health services.

Source: Canadian Health Services Research Foundation http://www.chsrf.ca/keys/glossary_e.php

Knowledge acquisition

Knowledge acquisition includes the elicitation, collection, analysis, modelling and validation of knowledge for knowledge engineering and knowledge management projects.

Source: Epistemics (UK) - http://www.epistemics.co.uk/ (under knowledge acquisition)

Knowledge adoption and uptake

The acceptance by a profession or organization of knowledge disseminated. This includes organizational policies and practices, as well as the decision to adopt an innovation. Uptake refers to the utilization and implementation of knowledge in practice which includes several types of use: direct/instrumental, conceptual/enlightening, symbolic/political and process.

Source: http://www.nursing.ualberta.ca/kusp/rustudy2/glossary.htm; Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development: Knowledge Management in the Learning Society, 2000, p. 40; and Pelz, D.C. 1978. Some Expanded Perspectives on Use of Social Science in Public Policy. In Major Social Issues: A Multidisciplinary View, eds. J.M. Yinger and S.J. Cutler, 346-57. New York: Free Press.

Knowledge creation

A process that results in the generation or collection of new knowledge. Knowledge creation is not limited to research activities, but also results from evaluation of practice or policy and the collection and sharing of tacit knowledge in order for it to become explicit knowledge.

Examples include performing basic or applied research, attaining expert consensus, and gathering and documenting evidence.

Source: adapted from Stuhlman Management Consultants, Chicago, IL. (http://home.earthlink.net/~ddstuhlman/defin_1.htm; and Government of Alberta http://www.pao.gov.ab.ca/learning/knowledge/transferguide/index.html).

Knowledge dissemination

An active and strategically planned process whereby new or existing knowledge, interventions or practices are communicated to targeted groups in a way that encourages them to factor the implications into their work. Dissemination goes well beyond simply making research available through the traditional vehicles of journal publication and academic conference presentations.
Examples of knowledge dissemination include research literature, best practices documents, presentations, policy development, Web materials, training, and pilot studies or trial use of an intervention.

Source: Kiefer, L., Frank J., Di Ruggiero, E., Dobbins, M., Manuel, D., Gully, P., Mowat, D. 2005. Fostering Evidence-based Decision-making in Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health. May-June: 11-119; and Canadian Health Services Resarch Foundation (http://www.chsrf.ca/keys/glossary_e.php).

Knowledge exchange

Knowledge exchange is collaborative problem-solving between researchers and decision makers that happens through linkage and exchange. Effective knowledge exchange involves interaction between decision makers and researchers and results in the development of meaningful knowledge and mutual learning through the process of planning, producing, disseminating, and applying existing or new knowledge in decision-making.

Source: Canadian Health Services Research Foundation http://www.chsrf.ca/keys/glossary_e.php

Knowledge management

The creation and subsequent management of an environment which encourages knowledge to be created, shared, learned, enhanced and organized.

Source: Kiefer, L., Frank J., Di Ruggiero, E., Dobbins, M., Manuel, D., Gully, P., Mowat, D. 2005. Fostering Evidence-based Decision-making in Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health. May-June: I1-I19.

Knowledge synthesis

An evaluation or analysis of multiple sources of research evidence and expert opinion on a specific topic to aid in decision-making or help decision makers in the development of policies. It can help place the results of a single study in context by providing the overall body of research evidence.

Source: Canadian Health Services Research Foundation http://www.chsrf.ca/keys/glossary_e.php

Knowledge translation

The integration, reformatting and ethically-sound application of knowledge through interactions of policy makers, practitioners and researchers to accelerate the capture of the benefits of research and evaluation of practice. Examples include preparing a policy brief/report, synthesizing research findings into accessible and practical formats, documenting a treatment program, and repackaging information prepared for one audience for another.

Source: The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) (http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/29418.html)

L

Literacy

The quality of being literate, able to read and write. There are wide variations. Some people can only read labels on price tags, train or bus timetables, instructions on packaged food or bottles of medicine, and newspapers consisting mainly of pictures and large headlines (functional literacy). A higher level of literacy is required to read serious prose, poetry, or scientific journals, although this does not necessarily mean that advanced literacy always confers ability to follow simple written directions, such as labels or bottles of medicine or dietary instructions.

Source: Last, John. A Dictionary of Public Health. Oxford University Press. New York, New York. 2007.

Logic model

A systematic and visual way to present the perceived relationships among the resources you have to operate the program, the activities you plan to do, and the changes or results you hope to achieve.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Introduction to Program Evaluation for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Office on Smoking and Health, Atlanta: USA, 2001. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/evaluation_manual/glossary.html

M

Mental Illness

Comprises a broad range of problems, with different symptoms. However, they are generally characterized by some combination of abnormal thoughts, emotions, behaviour and relationships with others. Examples are schizophrenia, depression, mental retardation and disorders due to drug abuse. Most of these disorders can be successfully treated.

Source: http://www.who.int/topics/mental_disorders/en/

Metabolic Syndrome

A syndrome marked by the presence of usually three or more of a group of factors (as high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, high triglyceride levels, low HDL levels, and high fasting levels of blood sugar) that are linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes – called also insulin resistance syndrome, syndrome X.

Source: Merriam Webster’s Medical Desk Dictionary, Revised Edition, Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, Publishers, Springfield Massachusetts, U.S.A. 2005.

Method

Method consists of standardized processes, regular and systematic approaches, or sets of organized steps that facilitate access to and use of information for knowledge translation and decision-making.

Source: adapted from National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools, http://www.nccmt.ca/registry/glossary-eng.html.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

A miscellaneous group of inflammatory and degenerative and degenerative disorders of joints and bones that include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, osteoporosis, and several other conditions that collectively have been found in most community health survey to be responsible for the largest single contribution to chronic disability.

Source: Last, John. A Dictionary of Public Health. Oxford University Press. New York, New York. 2007.

N

Natural history of disease and levels of intervention

To improve communication in identifying best practice interventions, T Kue Young’s model, “Natural history of disease and levels of intervention” is used to illustrate the relationship between each stage in the progression of disease and how these various stages relate to levels of intervention including primary intervention, early detection, clinical treatment, rehabilitation and palliation. Impacts on measures of health status are presented for each level of intervention in relation to incidence, prevalence, mortality, case-fatality and quality of life.

Source: Young TK. Population Health: Concepts and Methods. New York: Oxford University Press; 1998, p. 212.

Needs assessment

The process of identifying the learning and practice needs of policy makers, practitioners, and researchers engaged in health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada. This is most often accomplished through subjective survey methods and informal feedback methods, such as meetings and conversations, though the process may also include objective measures.

Source: adapted from the Keenan Research Centre - Joint Program in Knowledge Translation (formerly the University of Toronto’s Knowledge Translation Program) http://www.stmichaelshospital.com/research/ktglossary.php

Neonatal

Relating to, or affecting the newborn during the first month after birth.

Source: Canadian Oxford Dictionary. Edited by Barber, Katherine. Oxford University Press Canada. Canada. 2004.

O

Obesity

Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. A crude population measure of obesity is the body mass index (BMI), a person’s weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of his or her height (in metres). A person with a BMI of 30 or more is generally considered obese. A person with a BMI equal to or more than 25 is considered overweight. Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Once considered a problem only in high income countries, overweight and obesity are now dramatically on the rise in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings.

Source: http://www.who.int/topics/obesity/en/

P

Policy

A set of objectives or a course of action considered advantageous or expedient in guiding the activities of an organization and providing authority for allocation of resources. Depending on the organization or level of employment, health educators may not be actively involved in policymaking but may significantly influence policymakers. Health educators should whenever possible participate in policy development regarding health issues

Source: Modeste, N.N., Tamayose, T.S., Dictionary of Public Health Promotion and Education – Terms and Concepts. 2nd Edition. Jossey-Bass. A Wiley Imprint. San Francisco, CA, U.S.A, 2004.

Population health

Population health is an approach to health that aims to improve the health of the entire population and to reduce health inequities among population groups. In order to reach these objectives, it looks at and acts upon the broad range of factors and conditions that have a strong influence on our health.

Source: Public Health Agency of Canada. Population health approach. [cited Sept. 20, 2006] Available from: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ph-sp/phdd/approach/index.html

Portal

a site serving as a guide or point of entry to the World Wide Web and usually including a search engine or a collection of links to other sites arranged especially by topic.

Source: Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Available from: http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/portal

Practice Guidelines

Systematically developed statements to assist practitioner and patient decisions about appropriate health care for specific clinical circumstances; may be developed by government agencies, institutions, or by the convening of expert panels.

Source: Brownson R, Baker E, Leet T, Gillespie K. Evidence-Based Public Health. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2003.

Practice-based learning

A systematic and collaborative cycle of inquiry and feedback related to the context, design, implementation and outcomes of population health policies and programs that produce evidence that is relevant to the application setting, and is primarily improvement- and learning-oriented.

Source: adapted from Potter MA, Quill BE, Aglipay GS, et al. 2006. Demonstrating excellence in practice-based research for public health. Public Health Reports, 121(1), A1-A16 and Green LW, Glasgow R. 2006. Evaluating the relevance, generalization, and applicability of research: Issues in external validation and translation methodology. Evaluation & the Health Professions, 29(1): 126-153.

Prevention

Approaches and activities aimed at reducing the likelihood that a disease or disorder will affect an individual, interrupting or slowing the progress of the disorder or reducing disability. Primary prevention reduces the likelihood of the development of a disease or disorder. Secondary prevention interrupts, prevents or minimizes the progress of a disease or disorder at an early stage. Tertiary prevention focuses on halting the progression of damage already done.

Source: WHO Global Forum on Chronic Disease Prevention and Control. Geneva: World Health Organization Press; 2004.

Primary prevention

Primary prevention is directed towards preventing the initial occurrence of a disorder.

Source: World Health Organization. Health Promotion Glossary. Division of Health Promotion, Education and Communications (HPR) and Health Education and Health Promotion Unit (HEP), Geneva: Switzerland, 1998. Available from: http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/hp_glossary_en.pdf

Primordial prevention

Consists of actions and measures that inhibit the emergence and establishment of environmental, economic, social and behavioral conditions, cultural patterns of living, etc. known to increase the risk of disease. This is the task of public health policy and of HEALTH PROMOTION.

Source: Beaglehole R, Bonita R, Kjellstrom T. Basic Epidemiology. Geneva: WHO, 1993.

Public health

Public health is a social and political concept aimed at the improving health, prolonging life and improving the quality of life among whole populations through health promotion, disease prevention and other forms of health intervention. A distinction has been made in the health promotion literature between public health and a new public health for the purposes of emphasizing significantly different approaches to the description and analysis of the determinants of health, and the methods of solving public health problems. This new public health is distinguished by its basis in a comprehensive understanding of the ways in which lifestyles and living conditions determine health status, and a recognition of the need to mobilize resources and make sound investments in policies, programmes and services which create, maintain and protect health by supporting healthy lifestyles and creating supportive environments for health. Such a distinction between the "old" and the “new” may not be necessary in the future as the mainstream concept of public health develops and expands.

Source: World Health Organization. Health Promotion Glossary. Division of Health Promotion, Education and Communications (HPR) and Health Education and Health Promotion Unit (HEP), Geneva: Switzerland, 1998. Available from: http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/hp_glossary_en.pdf

Q

QUOROM Statement

The Quality of Reporting of Meta-Analyses [QUOROM] statement is an evidence-based standard for the reporting of meta-analysis and systematic reviews. It includes an 18-item checklist and a flow chart that describes the flow of studies in the meta-analysis. The checklist includes eight evidence-based items that address the quality of the Abstract, Introduction, Methods, and Results sections of a report of a systematic review of randomized trials. The assessment of the Methods and Results sections requires information relating to searching, study selection, quality assessment, data extraction, qualitative and quantitative data synthesis, and the flow of trials.

Source: Shea B., Moher D., Graham I., Pham B., Tugwell P. A comparison of the Quality of Cochrane Reviews and Systematic Reviews Published in Paper-Based Journals. Evaluation and the Health Professions, California: Thousand Oaks, 2002; Vol. 25(1).

R

Research

The organized and purposeful collection, analysis and interpretation of data with the goal of exploring an issue or investigating a particular question. Research designs include descriptive, observational, comparative and experimental models. It may involve the primary collection of new data, or the analysis or synthesis of existing data and research findings. The focus may be on individuals or communities. Types of research particularly relevant in the context of population and public health include descriptive studies of health status, etiologic and epidemiologic studies, and evaluation of the delivery and effectiveness of public health programs.

Source: Kiefer, L., Frank J., Di Ruggiero, E., Dobbins, M., Manuel, D., Gully, P., Mowat, D. 2005. Fostering Evidence-based Decision-making in Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health. May-June: I1-I19.

Reviews of clinical interventions vs. reviews of public health interventions

Some of the key challenges presented by the health promotion and public health field [versus medicine], are a focus or emphasis on;

• Populations and communities rather than individuals; Combinations of strategies rather than single interventions; Processes as well as outcomes;


• Involvement of community members in program design and evaluation;


• Health promotion theories and beliefs;


• The use of qualitative as well as quantitative approaches to research and evaluation;


• The complexity and long-term nature of health promotion intervention outcomes

Source: The Cochrane Collaboration: Cochrane Public Health and Health Promotion Field Handbook: Systematic reviews of health promotion and public health interventions. [cited Sept. 20, 2006] Available from: http://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/cochrane

Risk Assessment

Systematic approach to characterizing the risks posed to individuals and populations by environmental pollutants and other potentially adverse exposures.

Source: Brownson R, Baker E, Leet T, Gillespie K. Evidence-Based Public Health. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2003.

S

Screening

The presumptive identification of unrecognized disease or defect by the application of tests, examinations or other procedures, which can be applied rapidly. Screening tests sort out apparently well persons who probably have a disease from those who probably do not. A screening test is not intended to be diagnostic. Persons with positive or suspicious findings must be referred to their physicians for diagnosis and necessary treatment.

Source: Commission on Chronic Illness. Chronic Illness in the United States. Vol. 1. Cambridge: Harvard University Press; 1957.

Secondary prevention

Secondary and tertiary prevention seeks to arrest or retard existing disease and its effects through early detection and appropriate treatment; or to reduce the occurrence of relapses and the establishment of chronic conditions through, for example, effective rehabilitation.

Source: World Health Organization. Health Promotion Glossary. Division of Health Promotion, Education and Communications (HPR) and Health Education and Health Promotion Unit (HEP), Geneva: Switzerland, 1998. Available from: http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/hp_glossary_en.pdf

Stroke

A haemorrhage or thrombosis in a blood vessel in the brain, one of the most common causes of death in old people, formerly more common than now among the middle-aged, in whom it presented as a complication of undetected and untreated high blood pressure.

Source: Last, John. A Dictionary of Public Health. Oxford University Press. New York, New York. 2007.

Sun Safety

We all like to work, play and relax outside on a sunny day. The warm rays of the sun feel good on our skin. Too much sun can be harmful, so be careful! The sun's burning rays are also called UV rays. UV stands for ultraviolet. UV rays can cause: sunburn, skin cancer, eye damage, & premature skin aging.

Source:

Systematic Review vs. Meta-Analyses

A systematic review is an overview of primary studies that used explicit and reproducible methods. A meta-analysis is a mathematical synthesis of the results of two or more primary studies that addressed the same hypothesis in the same way. Although meta-analysis can increase the precision of a result, it is important to ensure that the methods used for the review were valid and reliable.

Source: Greenhalgh T. How to read a paper: Papers that summarise other papers (systematic reviews and meta-analyses). BMJ. 1997, Sept.13 (315), 672-675.

T

Tertiary prevention

Secondary and tertiary prevention seeks to arrest or retard existing disease and its effects through early detection and appropriate treatment; or to reduce the occurrence of relapses and the establishment of chronic conditions through, for example, effective rehabilitation.

Source: World Health Organization. Health Promotion Glossary. Division of Health Promotion, Education and Communications (HPR) and Health Education and Health Promotion Unit (HEP), Geneva: Switzerland, 1998. Available from: http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/hp_glossary_en.pdf

TREND Statement

Transparent Reporting of Evaluations with Nonrandomized Designs (TREND) statement. These guidelines emphasize the reporting of theories used and descriptions of intervention and comparison conditions, research design, and methods of adjusting for possible biases in evaluation studies that use nonrandomized designs.

Source: Des Jarlais Don C, Lyles C, Crepaz N. Improving the Reported Quality of Nonrandomized Evaluations of Behavioral and Public Health Interventions: The TREND Statement, Am J Public Health. 2004;94:361–366.