NIEBP: promoting an evidence-based approach to prevention

Prevention is a public health concern. To achieve positive outcomes, health systems have to consider evidence of feasibility, appropriateness and effectiveness of preventive programs. Evidence-based approach is cost-effective and can reduce the non-communicable disease burden. In Italy, interventions for health-compromising behaviors are implemented without any scientific evidence, resulting in ineffective or harmful interventions. The Italian Network fo Evidence-Based Prevention (NIEBP) is a network of expert centers engaged in promoting scientific evidence to support prevention by delivering appropriate informations to policy makers.

NIEBP: -considers international evidence of preventive programs; -disseminates informations on effective prevention strategies; -designs and evaluates programs to enable the effective implementation of evidence - NIEBP performs a constantly updated literature review to identify, appraise and synthesize evidence. High quality systematic reviews are considered the 'gold standard'. -The PreventionLab, which focuses on smoking and sedentariness, supports policy makers in the choice of the appropriate intervention based on effectiveness, organizational impact and economic sustainability -NIEBP experts teach evidence-based prevention and support health professionals in undertaking a comprehensive assessment of preventive programs in different Italian regions.

The Network ensures adeguate scientific support on planning preventive interventions, providing data, scientific evidence, and training courses, to optimize the use of resources available in National Prevention Plan.

NIEBP elaborated 106 cards divided into 93 systematic reviews synthesis and 13 intervention crads of which manly focused on cessation of tobacco use in adult population: 'counseling for tobacco use cessation performed by the General Practitioner', 'counseling for cessation of tobacco use carried out by nurses', 'quit-line for tobacco use cessation', 'text messaging to support tobacco cessation' and 'taxation of tobacco products to fight tobacco use'.

NIEBP is a useful tool in synthesizing evidence and in developing interventions to be proposed to policy makers.