Surveys used to assess the population health and to inform healthy public policy: challenges for research in poor countries

Authors

  • Tatiana I Andreeva School of Public Health, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukraine

Keywords:

surveys, surveillance, low and middle income countries, LMIC, descriptive results, analytic studies, self-reported data, informing policy decisions, healthy public policy, study design

Abstract

Extract

In this editorial note, I would like to attract the readers’ attention to the particular challenges researchers in poor countries face as reflected in the results of population surveys in these countries and illustrated by the papers in this issue. I also hope to invite the readers to the debate about the possible solutions for these typical problems and to share my understanding of the input that TCPHEE journal intends to make in order to overcome the ‘social disparity gap’ between public health researchers in rich and poor countries. In addressing these issues I face the dilemma of choosing between too much explanation for the advanced researchers and too little for the novice ones, but I hope that headings will help the reader to decide where to read and what to skip.

References

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Kvasha, E. (2012). Smoking prevalence and its characteristics among the population aged 25-64 years according to the postal surveys of Kiev residents. [Original study]. Tobacco Control and Public Health in Eastern Europe, 2(1), 17-22. Retrieved from http://journals.uran.ua/tcphee/article/view/4889

Lee, L. M., Thacker, S. B., & Louis, M. E. S. (2010). Principles and Practice of Public Health Surveillance: Oxford University Press.

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Published

2012-06-15