Policy analysis is the process through which policy solutions to social problems and public health issues are developed, analyzed, and presented to policymakers for how governments make decisions. It is important because of its role in helping to define and outline the goals of a proposed policy, and also identify similarities and differences between an expected outcome and the estimated costs with a competing alternative policy (Simon & Rogers, 2016).
Policy analysis is beneficial because it helps public officials to understand how social, economic, and political conditions change. In addition to this, policy analysis is beneficial for evaluating existing policies in order to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement and most importantly, it can health officials make rational decisions. When conducting policy analysis, the first step in any policy analysis is defining the problem that needs to be addressed and that is when a problem statement comes to play. The purpose of a problem statement in policy analysis is for it to be used as a way to define a problem and summarize the issue to be considered (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) & U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2019).
As stated before, the purpose of a problem statement in policy analysis is to define a problem and summarize the issue to be considered (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) & U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2019). An example of this can be seen below through the problem statement on obesity.
Obesity is one of the most prominent and serious health issues affecting both children and adolescents, especially in New Jersey. Recent research has found that, in addition to changes in physical activity and caloric intake, other factors such as emotional, social, and psychological factors must be addressed and considered when providing effective treatment for obesity affecting both children and adolescents in New Jersey (Gonzalez-Campoy, 2019). In order to promote this obesity treatment plan, it is necessary to examine existing evidence from research and from a medical model approach and compile it into a format that can be used by medical health care professions to reduce or prevent obesity.
In the problem statement written above, the target audiences are children and adults in New Jersey who are being affected by obesity. This chosen issue is an important issue because it is a serious health issue in the United States. According to “Obesity in America: A Growing Concern”, nearly 35% of Americans have obesity and according to the American Medical Association, it is now considered a chronic disease. In addition to this, in New Jersey, approximately one in four adults (25.6%) in New Jersey are obese and 10% of New Jersey children aged 10-17 are obese. This means that if the prevalence of obesity continues to increase at the current pace it’s at right now, then nearly half (48.6%) of New Jersey adults will be obese in 2030 (New Jersey State Health Assessment (NJSHAD), 2016). For this reason, I believe that this health issue needs to be addressed right now to reduce the prevalence of this disease and prevent it altogether. It is a proven fact that being overweight or obese has both negative physical and mental health implications for children and adolescents, and addressing this issue will prevent these negative effects of the disease. Policy Action is warranted because it provides a framework that can be used for organizing the complexity of things that can drive the prevention of obesity and the policies which are implemented through this action will lead to ways to improve the types of food available to a community and also help with building better environments within a population.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), & U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2019). Policy Process – Problem Identification. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/policy/polaris/policyprocess/problem_identification.html
Gonzalez-Campoy, J. M. (2019). Obesity in America: A Growing Concern. EndocrineWeb. https://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/obesity/obesity-america-growing-concern
New Jersey State Health Assessment(NJSHAD). (2016). Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Obesity
New Jersey Fact Sheet. New Jersey State Health Assessment Department. https://www.nj.gov/health/nutrition/services-support/breastfeeding/Obesity%20Data%20Fact%20Sheet_Dec2016_FINAL.PDF
Simon, C. A., & Rogers, K. (2016). Policy analysis. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/policy-analysis
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