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Introduction
“Research for health” reflects the reality that a multisectoral approach and the involvement of a range of sectors and disciplines in research are imperative in improving health outcomes (EM/RC58/6 [pdf 161.42kb]).
Research for health covers the full spectrum of research, which spans the following five generic areas of activity (WHO 2012 [pdf 1.02MB]):
- measuring the magnitude and distribution of the health problem;
- understanding the diverse causes or the determinants of the problem, whether they are due to biological, behavioral, social or environmental factors;
- developing solutions or interventions that will help to prevent or mitigate the problem;
- implementing or delivering solutions through policies and programmes;
- evaluating the impact of these solutions on the level and distribution of the problem.
Research for health is a vital component in developing health systems, in understanding the causes of ill health, and in predicting and mitigating the effects of other factors on health.
