Cross-Sectional studies are examples of applied research. Applied research is probably THE research approach taken by Public Health Practitioners in the course of their work. Because Public Health seeks to ensure the health of the Public, it does this by first trying to prevent problems before they occur. This is what Prevention is all about. And, if a problem has already occurred, Public Health Practitioners work hard to control the situation. If it affects a lot of people, and public health interventions, strategies, programs can address the problem, then surveillance systems will be developed and maintained. These systems help to keep the problem under control, by monitoring the problem as well as providing data to evaluate the effectiveness of the solutions (interventions, strategies, programs). These strategies seek to prevent the problem from occurring again.

In fact, Public Health has been so successful in ensuring the Public’s health that it is sometimes taken for granted, until some disaster occurs. As a result, public health programs don’t always get the funding they can really use to remain vigilant. These issues are ones of Public Health Infrastructure, which Healthy People 2010 (US Public Health Service planning document) does address. So, in order to conduct applied research in Public Health, I think it is essential that there is an infrastructure that supports this type of research so Public Health can fulfill its mission to ensure the health of the Public.