Why and How Political Science Can Contribute to Public Health? Proposals for Collaborative Research Avenues

How Political Science Can Contribute to Public Health: A Response to Gagnon and Colleagues

Health policy – why research it and how: health political science

The establishment of policy is key to the implementation of actions for health. We review the nature of policy and the definition and directions of health policy. In doing so, we explicitly cast a health political science gaze on setting parameters for researching policy change for health. A brief overview of core theories of the policy process for health promotion is presented, and illustrated...

How can research on plants contribute to promoting human health?

One of the most pressing challenges for the next 50 years is to reduce the impact of chronic disease. Unhealthy eating is an increasing problem and underlies much of the increase in mortality from chronic diseases that is occurring worldwide. Diets rich in plant-based foods are strongly associated with reduced risks of major chronic diseases, but the constituents in plants that promote health h...

How can research contribute to better global health?

Research has promoted a number of innovations in global health. Vaccines have been developed against many infectious diseases, and this represents one of the most cost-effective interventions for better health. Vaccination eliminated smallpox and has almost eliminated poliomyelitis. The number of deaths from measles was reduced by 78 % in the period from 2000 to 2008 as a result of improved rou...

How can statistical mechanics contribute to social science?

A model of interdependent decision making has been developed to understand group differences in socioeconomic behavior such as nonmarital fertility, school attendance, and drug use. The statistical mechanical structure of the model illustrates how the physical sciences contain useful tools for the study of socioeconomic phenomena.