ArticleInternational journal of epidemiology2024
Mapping complex public health problems with causal loop diagrams.
Article in International journal of epidemiology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The ABCs of hearing and vision care in long-term care communities: a systematic review and behavioral systems map of Actors, Behaviors, and COM-B factors.The Gerontologist · 2026Pooled it
- Understanding the mechanisms of climate change impact on tuberculosis: a complex systems approach.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- Embracing complexity in transfusion research.Vox sanguinis · 2026Review
- Diagrams-to-Dynamics (D2D): Exploring causal loop diagram leverage points under uncertainty.BMC medicine · 2026Article
- Reviewing ecosystems of evidence: synthesising the evidence on the commercial determinants of health from a complex systems perspective.Systematic reviews · 2026Article
- Tracing the threads: a system dynamics and network diffusion model of kangaroo care implementation in neonatal care.Implementation science communications · 2026Article
- The Young Adult Sleep model: an evolving causal loop diagram of mental health dynamics.BMC medicine · 2026Article
- Healthcare workers' perspectives on burnout complaints: exploring underlying dynamics using a complex systems approach.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- A systems approach to understanding mechanisms underlying immunisation barriers: a participatory design study in Tanzania.BMJ global health · 2026Article
- Creating a meta-REM map: pragmatic improvements to ripple effects mapping methodology used to support evaluations of complex public health systems.BMC medical research methodology · 2026Article
- The Role of Feedback Loops in Dynamical Symptom Networks.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- What makes patient navigation work? Identifying functions and forms and conducting causal loop diagramming to specify components of a successful colorectal cancer patient navigation program.Implementation science communications · 2026Article
- Visualizing contextual determinants in and across heterogeneous settings: a qualitative study on structured school health promotion implementation.Implementation science communications · 2026Article
- Shared community perspectives on how gender shapes coronary heart disease healthcare in Australia: a participatory systems thinking approach.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2026Article
- Towards a complex systems model of evidence for public health.BMJ global health · 2025Review
- Integrated methods for public health action tracking (IMPAcT): to understand and evaluate systems change in a public health context.Health research policy and systems · 2025Article
- A chain of survival for drug overdose.Resuscitation plus · 2025Article
- Assessing the Impact of Telemedicine on Patient Satisfaction Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Study design of 'PASIBO' - co-creation and development of a physical activity intervention to patients with inflammatory bowel disease.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- A practical guide to interdisciplinary work in public health.Nature human behaviour · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
This paper presents causal loop diagrams (CLDs) as tools for studying complex public health problems like health inequality. These problems often involve feedback loops-a characteristic of complex systems not fully integrated into mainstream epidemiology. CLDs are conceptual models that visualize connections between system variables. They are commonly developed through literature reviews or participatory methods with stakeholder groups. These diagrams often uncover feedback loops among variables across scales (e.g. biological, psychological and social), facilitating cross-disciplinary insights. We illustrate their use through a case example involving the feedback loop between sleep problems and depressive symptoms. We outline a typical step-by-step process for developing CLDs in epidemiology. These steps are defining a specific problem, identifying the key system variables involved, mapping these variables and analysing the CLD to find new insights and possible intervention targets. Throughout this process, we suggest triangulating between diverse sources of evidence, including domain knowledge, scientific literature and empirical data. CLDs can also be evaluated to guide policy changes and future research by revealing knowledge gaps. Finally, CLDs may be iteratively refined as new evidence emerges. We advocate for more widespread use of complex systems tools, like CLDs, in epidemiology to better understand and address complex public health problems.
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What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.