Identifying research priorities to support the evaluation of “upstream” health promotion initiatives in British Columbia

Public health interventions that aim to reduce adverse health outcomes and promote population health are more likely to be effective when they address the social conditions in which people are born, live, and age. Increasingly more public health initiatives in BC are intervening at this “upstream” level, targeting public policies, systems, and structures that perpetuate health inequities. Evaluating the impacts of these initiatives introduces unique challenges, such as uncertain timing and multiple actors, that cannot be addressed with traditional evaluation tools. Yet, policy makers and health practitioners need evidence to determine whether they are doing the right things – and whether they are doing them right. Through a series of online consultations and an in-person Thought Exchange event, we will bring together researchers who evaluate upstream health promotion initiatives, and public health research users who use evaluation evidence to guide decision-making. Together we will investigate how upstream evaluation is currently being conducted in BC, where efforts can be coordinated to improve innovation and capacity, and what are the research priorities ‘moving upstream’ in the area of health promotion evaluation.