Determinant research examines how various risk and protective factors affect health.
Knowledge about the determinants of healthy people and healthy communities is essential for developing maximally effective interventions. A better understanding of such determinants as assets, resiliency, and social capital is needed to broaden the approach to public health from a disease-reduction focus. Research on determinants that influence multiple health outcomes is especially important. Progressing from Determinant to Dissemination Research Intervention research identifies or develops promising programs and examines their effectiveness in reducing disease and promoting health. Intervention research includes program evaluation, cost-effectiveness research, and research synthesis to summarize prior scientific findings.