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. 2008 Aug;35(2 Suppl):S196-203.
doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2008.05.014.

Systems thinking to improve the public's health

Scott J Leischow  1 , Allan Best, William M Trochim, Pamela I Clark, Richard S Gallagher, Stephen E Marcus, Eva Matthews
Affiliations

Systems thinking to improve the public's health

Scott J Leischow et al. Am J Prev Med. 2008 Aug.

Abstract

Improving population health requires understanding and changing societal structures and functions, but countervailing forces sometimes undermine those changes, thus reflecting the adaptive complexity inherent in public health systems. The purpose of this paper is to propose systems thinking as a conceptual rubric for the practice of team science in public health, and transdisciplinary, translational research as a catalyst for promoting the functional efficiency of science. The paper lays a foundation for the conceptual understanding of systems thinking and transdisciplinary research, and will provide illustrative examples within and beyond public health. A set of recommendations for a systems-centric approach to translational science will be presented.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
ISIS strategic-planning activities and key priorities
Figure 2
Figure 2
Social-network analysis of tobacco control in the USDHHS
Figure 3
Figure 3
Aging chain of smokers
Figure 4
Figure 4
Concept-mapping example
Figure 5
Figure 5
Integrative systems-thinking framework for complex systems in public health
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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