Key messages
- Evidence summaries are available on community engagement, sports injury prevention, children and healthy eating.
- There are evidence-based resources on oral health and mental health promotion.
- There are cost-effectiveness project reports on obesity and prevention.
Research evidence is an important component of decision making. Relevant research has been summarised to make it more accessible to decision-makers and to help them consider the possible application of the research to policy and practice.
Evidence summaries
An evidence summary is a short summary of the best available evidence on a defined question. It aims to help policymakers and practitioners use the best available evidence in their decision making about interventions.
- Guidelines for evidence summaries for health promotion and disease prevention interventions
- Community engagement: an evidence summary
- Sports injury prevention: an evidence summary
For more resources designed to assist in understanding, reducing and managing sports injuries see:
- Sports Injury Tracker
- Smartplay
Evidence summaries - with implications for policy and practice
These evidence summaries include implications for policy and practice.
- Guidelines for evidence summaries for health promotion and disease prevention interventions - with implications for policy and practice
- Getting children aged 5 to 12 years to eat more fruit and vegetables - an evidence summary
- Increasing healthy eating for children aged 4-6 months to 4 years - an evidence summary
Evidence-based resources
These publications use current evidence in each field and contain a critical appraisal of the findings. Recommendations for implementation are made to assist health promotion funders, planners and practitioners requiring an evidence base for their work.
- Evidence-based oral health promotion resource (2011)
- Evidence-based mental health promotion resource
Other evidence syntheses
These syntheses use a variety of methods to summarise the evidence on a particular topic. They are written within or for government.
- Local Government and Food Security: An Evidence Review
Cost effectiveness
The Assessing Cost-Effectiveness (ACE) projects measured the cost utility (net cost per disability-adjusted life year saved) of various interventions, using consistent methodology. The results of two projects can be accessed here.
ACE Obesity
This is the final report from the ACE-Obesity project, a two-year project funded by the Victorian Department of Human Services that assessed the cost utility (net cost per disability-adjusted life year saved) of 13 interventions to prevent childhood obesity in Australia.
ACE Prevention
The overall aim of this project was to provide a comprehensive analysis of the comparative cost-effectiveness of preventive intervention options addressing the non-communicable disease burden in Australia, with a specific focus on Indigenous Australians. The Department of Health, Victoria, was a member of the Project Steering Committee.
The research team assessed 123 illness prevention measures to identify those that will prevent the most illness and premature deaths and those that are best value for money. For comparison purposes 27 treatment interventions were included.
ACE Prevention - School of Population Health - The University of Queensland, Australia
Reviewed 16 January 2024