Evaluation studies on health promotion in primary care: A scoping review

Una Revisión de Alcance

Abstract

This study investigated health promotion evaluations of Primary Health Care (PHC) in public systems. The search was conducted across eight databases and gray literature, following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines and the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis. The selection process was double-blind, with an independent analysis of titles and abstracts, followed by a full-text review. A total of 2,726 studies were identified, of which 517 were excluded due to duplication, 2,179 during the initial screening, and 22 after full-text review, resulting in the inclusion of eight articles published between 2013 and 2022, in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, from four countries. Five studies used qualitative methods, two applied mixed approaches, and one used quantitative method. The evaluations focused on specific programs, such as breastfeeding, diabetes prevention, physical activity, nutritional assistance, and oral health. The studies analyzed different dimensions: three assessed only the process, two focused on outcomes, while the others combined structure, process, and/or outcomes. The study revealed that although evaluations address structural, process, and outcome dimensions highlighting the need to strengthen individual and community capacity, the benefits of health promotion interventions vary. However, the scarcity of evaluative studies on health promotion in PHC highlights a significant knowledge gap.