A better application of evidence in public health settings is needed to address causes of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide, according to a new report from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

[Photo: Dr. Ross C. Brownson]

In particular, the role of capacity building “is fundamental to progress in controlling NCDs,” wrote co-author Dr. Ross C. Brownson, Bernard Becker Professor at the Brown School. Lead author was Dr. Gunter Diem of the Vorarlberg Public Health Society, Vorarlberg, Austria.

The report noted that efforts by the World Health Organization have helped highlight the need for a more comprehensive public health approach, addressing social, environmental, and cultural conditions.

”These efforts need research to generate evidence in new areas, training to build public health capacity and a continuous process of improvement and knowledge generation and translation,” the authors concluded.

The paper was published March 10 in Global Health Promotion.

To read more, click: http://ped.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/03/10/1757975914567513.full