Moore, Graham  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6136-3978
2026.
Evaluating population-level health interventions.
Complex Interventions in Health: An Overview of Research Methods,
London, UK:
Routledge,
pp. 229-237.
(10.4324/9781003495642-29)
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Abstract
Population approaches aim to prevent illness and improve health, often through universal interventions, which may have small benefits per individual, across whole populations. As examples of issues that population approaches may target, environments in many countries have become increasingly ‘obesogenic’ in recent decades, while mental health difficulties have risen across many populations as social and economic conditions have changed. Population approaches may therefore focus on shared factors which drive prevalence of obesity and mental health difficulties across populations. Such approaches are often contrasted with targeted approaches. These may aim for larger effects per individual, but for smaller subgroups, through identifying variations in risk factors which drive variation in susceptibility within a given population. For example, providing intervention only to individuals identified as being at risk of developing mental health difficulties. Both targeted and population approaches are essential in wider strategies to improve population health and reduce inequality, and there is not always a clear boundary between them. However, population-level interventions often pose specific challenges for evaluators. This chapter explores both of these issues.
| Item Type: | Book Section |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Published Online |
| Status: | Published |
| Schools: | Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education) Research Institutes & Centres > Centre For Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer) |
| Publisher: | Routledge |
| ISBN: | 9781003495642 |
| Funders: | N/A |
| Projects: | N/A |
| Last Modified: | 16 Mar 2026 14:45 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/185741 |
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