Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38859638›Full record

ReviewPerspectives in public health2026

Evidence-based decision-making in a climate of political expediency: insights from local government.

J Woodall, C Homer, C Freeman, J South, J Cooke, J Holliday, A Hartley, S Mullen, B Stafford

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Perspectives in public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. What Supports and Constrains the Implementation of Robust and Rapid Evaluation Within Local Government Public Health Systems?Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

J WoodallLeeds Beckett University, City Campus, Portland Way, Leeds LS1 3HE, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-1989-3999
C HomerSheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2571-6008
C FreemanLeeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK.
J SouthLeeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-1462-7632
J CookeThe University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
J HollidayMid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Wakefield, UK.
A HartleyWakefield Metropolitan District Council, Wakefield, UK.
S MullenEast Riding of Yorkshire Council, Beverley, UK.
B StaffordThe University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsLocal authorities in England are responsible for public health and health promotion. This article sought to explore how research and decision-making co-exist in a local authority in England.

methodsAn Embedded Researcher was based within the local authority and used qualitative methodology to address the research aim. Interviews and focus groups were employed to ascertain a range of stakeholder views in the local authority. All transcripts were coded on NVivo 12 by the Embedded Researcher and two members of the research team cross-checked a sample for coding accuracy. Data were analysed using framework analysis.

resultsThe data suggest several barriers to using research to inform decision-making in health promotion and public health. The study shows that research is valued in local authorities, but not always privileged - this is due to cultural factors and practical political reasons which often means that decisions need to be made expediently. Participants outlined a juxtaposition between academic credibility; timeliness to complete the research and the financial cost associated with it; against the independence and credibility that independent academics could bring.

conclusionPolicy formulation and delivery is an integral aspect of health promotion and critical to achieving improved population health and reductions in health inequalities. However, there exists tensions between gathering research evidence and making research-informed decisions. The article concludes by advocating the use of Embedded Researchers to fully understand how research is gathered and used to support public health and health promotion policymaking.

Indexed as

Decision MakingEvidence-Based PracticeHealth PromotionLocal GovernmentPoliticsEnglandFocus GroupsHealth PolicyHumansInterviews as TopicPolicy MakingPublic HealthQualitative Researchevidencelocal governmentpolicy

Identifiers

PMID38859638
PMCPMC13213032

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.