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AJPH Theme Issue on Systems Thinking and Modeling
In March 2006, the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH), in
collaboration with the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, published a collection of
papers demonstrating how the principles and techniques of
systems thinking and modeling can be used effectively and
ethically by public health professionals. Go to the
table of
contents .
Background
Interest in this theme stemmed from the observation that
conventional forms of problem framing, action planning, and evaluation
often exclude or ignore precisely those conditions and relationships
that make public health challenges so formidable, and public health
responses so innovative. By inviting contributions grounded in
an explicit systems orientation, we recognized the value of
understanding health as a system, and of the diverse methodologies
that exist for studying how health-related systems are structured, how
they can behave, and how they can be better governed in dynamic and
democratic contexts. Beyond exploring the relevance of analytic
methods that have evolved primarily in fields outside of public health, this
themed issue also directs attention to the historical traditions, structural
opportunities, non-partisan political processes, and moral/ethical
considerations that arise when attempting to transform systems that
affect the public's health. Finally, several authors reflect
critically on the meanings
of "evidence" and "evidence-based policy/practice" within a systems
orientation.
Research and Practice
The editors were especially interested in highlighting how formal system science
methodologies may be used for public health research and practice,
including but not limited to the following:
- system dynamics simulation modeling,
- complex adaptive systems,
- agent based modeling,
- network analysis,
- dynamic simultaneous equations methods,
- health informatics, or
- knowledge management.
Table of Contents
The final
table of contents included a unique collection of 22 research
reports, essays, and commentaries.
Guest Editors
For additional information about this series, contact the guest
editors.
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Page last reviewed: January 30, 2008
Page last modified: January 30, 2008
Content source: Division of Adult
and Community Health,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
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