POLARIS
Find Information by Health Topic
POLARIS puts CDC’s policy-relevant research, data, and resources about specific health topics at your fingertips. Select a health topic below.
Policy Achievements in Public Health
Policy is an important tool that can make an impact at the population level. Policy has been a major factor in many of the great public health achievements from the 20th and 21st centuries. Some examples are childhood vaccination, safer and healthier foods, improved workplace safety, and increased motor vehicle safety.
CDC has a wide variety of research, data, and information that can inform evidence-based policy. POLARIS was developed by CDC to make it easier to find information on different health topics and to provide resources and training on CDC’s policy process.
Featured Resources
Writing Briefs
These resources outline four types of briefing documents that can be used to clearly communicate public health evidence. Start here to learn more about how to develop briefs that inform decision makers and stakeholders of the best available evidence on a public health problem, policy, method, or approach.
CDC’s Policy Analytic Framework
This document provides a guide for identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing policies that can improve health. The policy analytical framework expands on CDC’s Policy Process to improve the analytic basis for identifying and prioritizing policies and improve the strategic approach to identify and inform the adoption of policy solutions.
A Quick-Start Guide to Using Evidence-Based Policy at the Local-Level
This guide describes several “quick-start elements” for engaging in a policy process which can help to accelerate the adoption of evidence-based policies in an accessible way. Designed to support public health practitioners and their partners as they seek to leverage policy to address the public health needs of their communities, the guide illustrates a practical, applied policy process that health agency staff can use based on their practices.