1. What is policy and why is it important for public health? Policy is a set of principles, rules, or actions that guide the decisions and actions of individuals, groups, or organizations. Policy is important for public health because it can influence the determinants of health, such as social, economic, environmental, and behavioral factors, and affect the health outcomes and equity of populations. 2. What are the steps of the policy cycle and what are the roles of nurses in each step? The policy cycle is a model that describes the stages of policy development, implementation, evaluation, and revision. The steps are: agenda setting, policy formulation, policy adoption, policy implementation, policy evaluation, and policy termination or modification. Nurses can play different roles in each step, such as: - Agenda setting: identifying and prioritizing health problems, raising awareness, and advocating for policy change. - Policy formulation: researching and analyzing evidence, proposing and comparing policy alternatives, and developing policy recommendations. - Policy adoption: influencing and persuading decision-makers, building coalitions and partnerships, and mobilizing public support. - Policy implementation: planning and executing policy actions, providing technical assistance and training, and monitoring and reporting progress. - Policy evaluation: assessing the effectiveness, efficiency, equity, and sustainability of policy outcomes, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and providing feedback and recommendations. - Policy termination or modification: reviewing and revising policy goals, objectives, and strategies, terminating or modifying policies that are ineffective or outdated, and disseminating lessons learned and best practices. 3. What are some examples of public health policies at the local, national, and global levels?