“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.