A Systems Approach to the Coproduction of Evidence for Health Promotion

Traditionally, health promotion research has focused on capturing programme fidelity, effectiveness and impact using linear approaches, capturing change one component at a time. This approach has served us well for determining the efficacy of health promotion programmes, but frequently renders invisible the complexity of the problem, the setting and the solution. The need to more explicitly engage with complexity requires researchers and associated institutions, structures and processes to facilitate the creation of robust relationships required for coproduction of evidence, enable more flexible research designs and support for diverse methodologies. In this chapter, we share four real-world case studies that illustrate a range of health promotion research practices. Adopting diverse approaches, these case studies highlight the critical need for researchers to engage with uncertainty and complexity, the challenges associated with doing so and the additional insights gained when coproduction and flexibility are embedded within the research process. These case studies highlight that building an evidence base that elucidates the contribution health promotion practice makes in addressing the complex health and social challenges facing the world today will be contingent on evidence coproduction and embracing emergent and non-linear dynamics of the research context and methodological and knowledge pluralism.