ABSTRACT
It is widely accepted that public health interventions that are informed by research evidence will be more effective than those that are not, setting the expectation that public health decisions are underpinned by the best available evidence. The practice is challenging, given the complexities embedded within contemporary public health. This chapter sets out the origins, and importance, of the ‘evidence-informed’ movement in public health; describes some of the barriers and enablers affecting the use of evidence within this context; and introduces a growing literature identifying possible strategies to enhance the use of evidence in public health decision making.
