From strategy to evaluation: A social determinants of healthy campus framework for evaluating U.S. campus health...

Higher education institutions are crucial in shaping their communities' health behaviors and outcomes. Evaluation practices must capture the complex interplay of social, economic, and environmental factors influencing campus health. This article proposes a novel framework that synthesizes insights from other global health initiatives, adapting them to the specific context of campus health. Studies focused on evaluating healthy campus initiatives reveal diverse evaluation approaches, with varying degrees of attention to the social determinants of a healthy campus. Key challenges include resource constraints, data quality issues, and institutional resistance to comprehensive evaluation practices. This framework is developed specifically within the context of the United States higher education system, reflecting its governance, accreditation, and accountability structures. The proposed framework addresses these challenges by integrating multi-level determinants of health, emphasizing equity, and promoting mixed methods approaches. The framework offers a more holistic approach to evaluating campus health initiatives, enabling institutions to understand and address the root causes of health disparities. In addition to systematic evaluation, implementing this framework can lead to more effective, equitable, and sustainable campus health promotion efforts.