A logic framework for evaluating social determinants of health interventions in primary care

Abstract

Background: Increasing efforts have been made in primary care settings to screen for a broad array of social determinants of health including inadequate food and nutrition, lack of education, unemployment, and inadequate housing, and to refer patients to community resources. Core tenets of primary care include integration with community resources. Methods: In the course of designing a randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of a social determinants of health intervention aimed at adult, at-risk, African American primary care clinic patients, our research team developed a logic model to assist with the evaluation of the intervention. Results: In this article, we describe the logic model including elements of the intervention, mediator variables, and outcome variables. Conclusions: The proposed logic framework is likely to be helpful for planning, conducting, and evaluating social determinants of health interventions in primary care settings.