Why do research and evaluation matter?

Research and evaluation play a vital role in informing the evidence base that supports public health policy and practice. They help us to better understand the root causes of poor health and aid in the development of public health interventions, treatments and services such as new vaccines and public health policies.

Research helps us answer questions and gaps in our knowledge, for example:

‘What are the key causes of poor health?’,
‘Are different factors more important for some groups or at certain points over our life course?’

Research can help us develop and test new tools to improve health.

Evaluation helps us:

to assess the impact of ours and others' actions on the health and well-being of people in Wales
to better understand what works to improve health
and how that differs across groups and the reasons for any difference
so we can determine "what works, for whom, and why."

As the lead organisation for delivering public health services in Wales, we are responsible for conducting rigorous evaluations that provide a structured assessment of interventions, programs, or policies to understand their impact on health in Wales.

Given the complex factors which affect our health and the need to work with many different organisations to improve health, research and evaluation activities are critical to finding innovative ways to achieve effective change.

This plan shows that Public Health Wales is committed to research and evaluation to find ways to improve health, reduce inequalities, and promote well-being in Wales.

In this strategy we explain our plans for research and evaluation within Public Health Wales, the areas that we will concentrate on and how we will work with our partners across Wales and globally to produce and encourage rigorous research and evaluation.