Table 2.

Key Questions to Guide Intervention Research Using an Integrated Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and Science of Behavior Change (SOBC) Framework

Research Stage	SDOH Framework	SOBC Framework	Integrated SDOH and SOBC Framework
Hypothesis generation	How do SDOH affect the design, delivery, or effectiveness of the intervention?	What are the specific BCTs techniques that are linked to health behaviors and target mechanisms of action?	How do SDOH affect BCTs’ effectiveness, impact on mechanisms of action, and intervention effectiveness? Are contextual barriers to intervention uptake addressed (e.g., transportation, health literacy, cultural beliefs)?
Sampling	Is the sample diverse and reflective of SDOH categories (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, income, education, language, literacy level etc.)?	Is the sample representative of the target population?	Is the sample diverse, and reflective of the SDOH purported to affect intervention effectiveness, BCT effectiveness, and mechanisms of action?
Operationalization	Are SDOH measured? Are the measures valid across subpopulations?	Are BCTs measured? Are mechanisms of action measured?	Are the SDOH that are hypothesized to affect BCT effectiveness, and their impact on mechanisms of action, measured? Are the measures of target mechanisms valid across subpopulations Are the target mechanisms informed by SDOH? Is the study sufficiently powered for SDOH moderator analyses?
Analysis and Interpretation	SDOH moderator analyses Are there differences in intervention effectiveness by SDOH categories?	BCT moderator analyses and mediational analyses Does intervention effectiveness differ by specific BCTs? Which BCTs are engaging target mechanisms of action?	Multi-level modeling of moderators and mediators For whom and under what social conditions are: (a) interventions effective, and (b) BCTs effective at altering health behavior and engaging target mechanisms?
Implications for Health Equity	Does the intervention narrow or widen health disparities? What are the implications for upstream interventions and community engagement?	Unclear	Does the intervention narrow or widen health disparities? What are the implications for upstream interventions and community engagement?

Note: Mechanisms of action refer to those identified by the SOBC Network (https://commonfund.nih.gov/behaviorchange): self-regulation, stress reactivity, stress resilience, and interpersonal and social processes.