The NCCHPP has developed and implemented a pilot project to develop and test an innovative knowledge synthesis methodology that can help public health agents better understand the political implications of various policy measures, and therefore, better understand the policy process. Our general objective with this project was to develop a public policy synthesis methodology that combines evidence, public policy knowledge, and contextual information. We then chose the case of obesity policies to test the functionality of the methodology.
In order to gather contextual information, the NCCHPP has convened three deliberative dialogues on obesity, one in Vancouver and two in Toronto.
These dialogues brought together various actors interested in the fight against obesity. Through our dialogues, we discussed contextual considerations that influence the choice, the design, and the implementation of measures related to child-oriented advertising and marketing, nutritional information labels, and vending machine and food sales in schools. These three selected measures were identified in our literature review.
Our deliberative sessions allowed us to bring the knowledge stemming from the scientific literature together with the experience of people in the field to create a more nuanced and deeper understanding of the issue.
The results will be published in 2010.