Start: 1 Oct 2009 - 11:00

End: 2 Oct 2009 - 14:00

When is a simple answer sufficient?
Understanding complex interventions – implications for policy and practice in public health

Many of the major determinants of ill health and inequalities have roots in complex relationships between the individual and social forces shaping our choices and experiences over the life-course. Our efforts will too often be “confounded” and frustrated, if we imagine that we can easily unpack “the black box”.

There is now a far better appreciation of the importance of the constantly changing relationships between the population and personal level factors that influence risk. The Medical Research Council has issued revised guidance on evaluating complex interventions that take account of context and eschew a rigid “hierarchy” of evidence. Improved methods of evaluation of complex interventions are gradually gaining traction/support.

Building on the highly successful summer schools in Cork, the 6th Population Health Autumn School, will be held in Queen’s University Belfast on 1st and 2nd October 2009 and will focus on complex interventions and their evaluation. Co-hosted by the UKCRC Centre of Excellence for Public Health (NI), the HRB Centre for Diet and Health (University College Cork) and the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH), the school will encourage participants to learn from and debate with a panel of distinguished international speakers with varied perspectives and vast experience.

A further flyer with registration details will be issued shortly.  Places will be limited and in the event of over-subscription, we will seek a balance of senior and trainee level researchers, practitioners and policy-makers.  

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