Making the case for laws that improve health: a framework for public health law research.
BACKGROUND
Public health law has received considerable attention in recent years and has become an essential field in public health. Public health law research, however, has received less attention.


METHODS
Expert commentary.


RESULTS
This article explores public health law research, defined as the scientific study of the relation of law and legal practices to population health. The article offers a logic model of public health law research and a typology of approaches to studying the effects of law on public health. Research on the content and prevalence of public health laws, processes of adopting and implementing laws, and the extent to which and mechanisms through which law affects health outcomes can use methods drawn from epidemiology, economics, sociology, and other disciplines. The maturation of public health law research as a field depends on methodological rigor, adequate research funding, access to appropriate data sources, and policymakers' use of research findings.


CONCLUSIONS
Public health law research is a young field but holds great promise for supporting evidence-based policy making that will improve population health.
Burris
Scott
S
Temple University, USA.
Wagenaar
Alexander C
AC
Swanson
Jeffrey
J
Ibrahim
Jennifer K
JK
Wood
Jennifer
J
Mello
Michelle M
MM
D006284:Health Plan Implementation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006285:Health Planning / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006291:Health Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011050:Policy Making; D011634:Public Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012109:Research Support as Topic; D014481:United States