HSRAANZ Webinar Series
Two statistical techniques for evaluating natural policy experiments in public health: examples using the introduction of minimum pricing of alcohol in Scotland and the sugar sweetened beverage tax
Presented by Heather Brown, Senior Lecturer in Health Economics at Newcastle University, UK
Tuesday 9 April 2019 11.00am
There is no cost to attend the Webinar, but registration is essential. Please register at:
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ly1kFvrtQn6JhmlT9j2wgg
The Webinar will be about 45 minutes, followed by 15 minutes for Q and A.
Abstract
In this webinar statistical techniques of difference in difference approach and interrupted time series will be introduced. These are before/after study designs which can be used to evaluate natural policy experiments/public health interventions where a randomised control trial is not possible. In the seminar, what type of data you need to use these techniques, the basic underlying assumptions of the models, and how you would estimate them in practice will be discussed. To illustrate how to estimate these models and interpret the results, examples of the introduction of minimum pricing of alcohol in Scotland (difference-in-difference) and impact of sugar sweetened beverage tax on number of dental caries in children aged 7-10 (interrupted time series) will be used.
Biography
Heather Brown is a Senior Lecturer in Health Economics at Newcastle University, UK. Her research interests are in the evaluation of public health interventions and understanding intervention generated inequalities and how these relate to the social determinants of health. In 2018, she published a book on policy evaluation methods for public health researchers (Brown H. The Economics of Public Health: Evaluating Public Health Interventions. Palgrave Pivot, 18). Heather works regularly with policy and practice partners in local government and Public Health England.