Evaluating public health interventions for obesity from the perspective of local health authorities

The aim of the Policy Research Unit in Economic Evaluation in Health and Care Interventions is to assist policy makers in the Department of Health (DH) to improve the allocation of resources through high - quality research. As part of the agreed programme, the unit will be undertaking applied research on obesity with special reference to evaluating public health interventions for obesity from th e local health perspectives (Annex 1) . The focus on interventions at the local level emanates from the government’s policy of local authorities in increasing the wellbeing of their po pulation as articulated below: “Local government is best placed to influence many of the wider factors that affect health and wellbeing.”[1] This paper has been produced on request from the DH a nd is designed as a discussion document intended for dissemination to policy makers to help identify areas around which joint dis cussions would be useful in terms of identifying potential ideas, issues and questions relating to the project remit.