healthy people graphic

Population health, as defined in the American Journal of Public Health, is the “health outcomes of a group of individuals, including the distribution of such outcomes within the group.” From people who live in underserved communities to aging adults battling multiple chronic diseases, it is important to understand what determines a community’s, or a population’s, health.

Current research at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis examines how social and economic forces in combination with biological and environmental factors shape the health of entire groups of people. From primary-care access issues in the Central Valley to workplace barriers affecting care for older adults in long-term care settings, faculty examine health inequality and inequity along with the ethics and realities supporting the issues.

A few current studies underway include:

  • Health Coaching in Team-Based Primary Care: Partnership with a network of Central Valley primary care centers to train nurses and medical assistants to serve as health coaches, placing these health-care professionals in leadership positions.