title: Embracing the population health framework in nursing research.
abstract: Individuals' health outcomes are influenced not only by their knowledge and behavior, but also by complex social, political and economic forces. Attention to these multi-level factors is necessary to accurately and comprehensively understand and intervene to improve human health. The population health framework is a valuable conceptual framework to guide nurse researchers in identifying and targeting the broad range of determinants of health. However, attention to the intermediate processes linking multi-level factors and use of appropriate multi-level theory and research methodology is critical to utilizing the framework effectively. Nurse researchers are well equipped to undertake such investigations but need to consider a number of political, societal, professional and organizational barriers to do so. By fully embracing the population health framework, nurse researchers have the opportunity to explore the multi-level influences on health and to develop, implement and evaluate interventions that target immediate needs, more distal factors and the intermediate processes that connect them.
authors.affiliation: University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. smacdon@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: Shannon E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: MacDonald
authors.forename: Christine V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Newburn-Cook
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Reutter
mesh_terms: D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015399:Nursing Research; D011634:Public Health; D012107:Research Design