Delivering the Science and the Art of Health Promotion

Robert F. Allen
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The American Journal of Health Promotion:
Merging Science and Practice

The American Journal of Health Promotion was created to serve two editorials goals: 

1. To reduce the gap between the science and practice of health promotion, and 
2. To provide a forum for discussion among the many disciplines involved in health promotion.

We believe that striving to achieve these goals will help our field advance at the fastest possible pace.

Reducing the gap between the science and practice. Too often, practitioners design programs without full knowledge of what research has already show to be effective and ineffective. As a result, many programs are less effective and more expensive than they should be. Equally common, scientists often conduct research without a clear sense of the real needs and constraints of practice. As a result, much of our research is wasted on irrelevant questions and many important questions are never addressed. We believe we can help to narrow the gap between science and practice can by integrating science and practice in all the work we publish. We strive to integrate science and practice by requiring authors to write in a style that makes sense to both scientists and practitioners. We also require authors to explain the practical and research implications of their work at the end of each article in a section called "SO WHAT!" Additionally, each issue includes a 12 page section called "The Art of Health Promotion" which is dedicated to providing practical information to make programs more effective. Finally, we draw on both scientists and practitioners for our readership, authors and editorial board.

Providing a forum for discussion among diverse disciplines. Advancing our field is further hampered by fragmentation caused by the many disciplines involved in health promotion. For example, in designing a weight control program a nutritionist might focus on the best food to eat, a physiologist on the amount and type of exercise a psychologist on the connections between eating and emotions, a physician on metabolic imbalances, a social worker on work and family factors, an anthropologist on the influence of societal norms, a teacher on curriculum exposure, a communication specialist on advertising and media influences, a political scientist on agricultural subsidy programs, a city planner on access to sidewalks and parks, and a transportation engineer on access to public transit an economist on the relative cost of healthy versus unhealthy foods. The best solution would be to include input from all of these and other disciplines. Ultimately, to help the full population achieve optimal health, we need to create communities that provide all residents with the knowledge, encouragement, opportunity and resources necessary for ongoing healthy lifestyle practices. To achieve these goals, we need to draw on the skills of traditional public health, medical and clinical fields as well as those who plan and design our communities and the laws and policies that govern them. To meet this goal of integrating multiple disciplines The American Journal of Health Promotion strives to engage diverse disciplines through our broad and diverse editorial content and editorial board. Our 18 editorial sections include four broad categories: Interventions, Strategies, Applications and Research Methods. Original research, literature reviews and editorials Our reviewers include over 250 of the top scientists and practitioners drawn from diverse fields

Editorial Content Areas 

Interventions Fitness 
Medical Self Care 
Mind-Body Health 
Nutrition 
Smoking Control 
Social Health 
Spiritual Health
Stress Management 
Weight Control

Strategies 
Behavior Change 
Culture Change 
Health Policy

Applications 
Health Promoting Community Design 
The Art of Health Promotion 
Underserved Populations

Research Methods 
DataBase
Financial Analysis
Measurement Issues 
Methods, Issues, and Results in Evaluation and Research
Qualitative Research

Editors Notes

Read the Editors notes from back issues of the American Journal of Health Promotion

In Briefs

Read In Briefs from back issues of the American Journal of Health Promotion.

American Journal of Health Promotion |  248-682-0707