Matthew W. Kreuter ^1* Jay M. Bernhardt ²

¹ Washington University in St. Louis
² Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mkreuter{at}gwbmail.wustl.edu.

	Abstract

A fundamental obstacle to successful dissemination and implementation of evidence-based public health programs is the near-total absence of systems and infrastructure for marketing and distribution.

We describe the functions of a marketing and distribution system, and we explain how it would help move effective public health programs from research to practice. Then we critically evaluate the 4 dominant strategies now used to promote dissemination and implementation, and we explain how each would be enhanced by marketing and distribution systems.

Finally, we make 6 recommendations for building the needed system infrastructure and discuss the responsibility within the public health community for implementation of these recommendations. Without serious investment in such infrastructure, application of proven solutions in public health practice will continue to occur slowly and rarely.

Key Words: Community Health, Health Promotion, Public Health Practice

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. L. Daniel, J. M. Bernhardt, and D. Eroglu Social Marketing and Health Communication: From People to Places Am J Public Health, December 1, 2009; 99(12): 2120 - 2122. [Full Text] [PDF]