Critical opportunities for public health law: A call for action

Miguel Mello (), J. Wood, S. Burris, A.C. Wagenaar, J.K. Ibrahim and J.W. Swanson

American Journal of Public Health, 2013, vol. 103, issue 11, 1979-1988

Abstract: Although legal interventions are responsible for many sentinel public health achievements, law is underutilized as a tool for advancing population health. Our purpose was to identify critical opportunities for public health lawmaking. We articulated key criteria and illustrated their use with 5 examples. These opportunities involve significant health problems that are potentially amenable to change through law and for which an effective legal intervention is available: optimizing graduated driver licensing laws, increasing tax rates on alcoholic beverages, regulating sodium in foods, enacting laws to facilitate reversal of opioid overdoses, and improving mental health interventions in the college setting. We call for a national conversation about critical opportunities for public health law to advance evidence-based policymaking. Copyright © 2013 by the American Public Health Association®.

Keywords: narcotic antagonist; salt intake, alcoholic beverage; article; car driving; drug legislation; economics; health care policy; health promotion; human; law; legal aspect; mental health; methodology; public health; salt intake; tax; university; health promotion; legislation and jurisprudence; procedures; public health, Alcoholic Beverages; Automobile Driving; Health Policy; Health Promotion; Humans; Legislation, Drug; Legislation, Food; Mental Health; Narcotic Antagonists; Public Health; Sodium Chloride, Dietary; Taxes; Universities, Alcoholic Beverages; Automobile Driving; Health Policy; Health Promotion; Humans; Legislation, Drug; Legislation, Food; Mental Health; Narcotic Antagonists; Public Health; Sodium Chloride, Dietary; Taxes; Universities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2013.301281_4

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301281

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