Clear policy briefs and local data are key to communicating with policymakers, according to a recent paper co-authored by Elizabeth Dodson, research assistant professor at the Prevention Research Center (PRC) at the Brown School.
Dodson and colleagues on the research team distributed surveys with different versions of policy briefs about obesity to local policymakers on a national panel, asking about their impressions, their likelihood of using the brief and how they determine legislative priorities. Nearly all of the 331 respondents said local data, constituent needs/opinions, and cost-effectiveness data were important or very important to determining what issues they work on. An infographic about the study is available on the PRC website.
“We know that evidence-based policies can be an effective way to improve public health and that local policymakers are in excellent positions to pass such policies,” Dodson said. “But policymakers are often overwhelmed with information, so helping practitioners and researchers communicate evidence to them in ways they prefer and that resonate with them is critical.”
Dodson said that while those surveyed didn’t strongly favor a particular format for briefs, their preferences provide a clear roadmap for how best to approach them on public-health issues. “When communicating with policymakers, researchers and practitioners should craft clear, succinct, credible and understandable briefs,” she said. “Whenever possible, policy communications should incorporate data specific to a policymaker’s local area.”
The paper was published in Frontiers in Public Health.