Table 1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria:

• Describes or evaluates a public health intervention defined as any intervention which is intended to protect health or prevent or treat ill health in communities or populations [1]

• Self-identifies as using a ToC approach and specifically mentions “theory of change”

• Describes how a ToC was developed or how ToC was used in the design, evaluation and/or implementation of a public health intervention

• Any evaluation design

• Any date

• Any language

• Any country

Exclusion criteria:

• Conceptual/methodological or advocacy papers unless they include an example of how a ToC was developed or how ToC was used in the design, evaluation and/or implementation of a public health intervention

• Review articles

• Specific psychological, sociological or organisational theory (unless used to inform the ToC)

• ToC in which the outcome is a change within an individual rather than change at population level.

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