Commentary: Expanding the horizons of RE-AIM framework in public health research

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Objective: This commentary critically examines Yuliawati et al.’s 2024 review, “Analysis of research public health trends with the RE-AIM model and VOSviewer: A literature review,” which investigates the application of the “Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance (RE-AIM)” framework in public health research. The review highlights trends in 279 studies conducted between 2017 and 2022 and draws attention to the insufficient focus on environmental health and sanitation interventions within the RE-AIM framework. The objective is to address these gaps and propose future directions for broadening the framework's application. Methods: The commentary evaluates the methodology used by Yuliawati et al., with particular attention to their utilization of the VOSviewer tool to map trends in RE-AIM-based research. It also explores the identified research gaps and incorporates insights from existing literature to examine the barriers that limit RE-AIM’s application in environmental health and sanitation. Results: Yuliawati et al.’s review demonstrates growing interest in the RE-AIM framework, but points out a notable deficiency in its application to environmental health and sanitation interventions. This commentary identifies potential reasons for this gap, such as limited interdisciplinary collaboration and resource constraints, and suggests that addressing these challenges could improve RE-AIM’s effectiveness in these fields. Conclusion: This commentary advocates for future research to overcome the barriers to RE-AIM’s application in environmental health and sanitation. It emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary approaches and the need for a more adaptable framework to evaluate complex, multi-faceted public health challenges.