Population health refers to the health and well-being of groups of individuals with one or more shared characteristics and the distribution of outcomes within and across groups. As a subset of population health, community health refers to health and well-being among those connected by place, such as neighborhoods, towns, cities, counties, or tribal jurisdictions. Population and community health research focuses on factors that shape the distribution of health within and across populations/communities, examines pathways/mechanisms through which these factors shape the health of individuals, and studies interventions to improve the health of populations/communities.
Research developed using this lens includes etiologic studies to identify risk and protective factors shaping population/community health. It also comprises applied and translational approaches including intervention research that prospectively develops innovative strategies to address underlying determinants of population/community health or seeks to understand the health impact of existing or upcoming policy, system, and environmental changes. Additionally, research that aims to promote and develop healthy communities is of importance. Although defining a specific target population or community is a required element of research framed using this lens, it is not sufficient; the research must directly address the unique needs of the identified group.
Of particular interest is research that examines the population or community health effects of policy changes; systems thinking approaches to population and community health that examine a phenomenon as a network of interconnected elements that form an integrated whole; interventions that target change in the physical, built, or social environment; and studies deeply informed by and developed in partnership with communities.