This is the only resource to provide a step-by-step framework and expert guidance for preparing a health policy analysis final paper or a capstone project for courses in health policy, public health, and health policy analysis. Building on a blend of theory and practical considerations for creating a successful policy analysis, the text guides students through the process of building an analysis that encompasses value orientations, policy background, issue statement, normative and stakeholder analysis, criteria for success, systematic review of policy options, recommendation, and strategy for adoption.

To exemplify the process of creating a health policy analysis paper, the text traces the development of a policy on childhood obesity, the framework of which is directly applicable to a broad spectrum of policy analysis projects. The book is written by authors who are connected nationally to relevant groups (e.g., AUPHA, APHA, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and environmental health policy groups), and have extensive networks in practice and academia where they first noted, and then fulfilled, a pressing need for a guide to preparing policy analysis final papers.

Key Features:

• Presents challenges of policy analysis that blends theory and practical considerations
• Provides a step by step framework for constructing a health policy analysis
• Establishes requisite content areas that need to be covered in health policy
• Allows students/instructors to follow a template or customize their own course assignment
• Provides real-world examples based on current research and practice
• Offers viable solutions to questions and issues students struggle with while preparing their analysis