The State-Exposure-Effect-Action (Seea) Model: A Framework for Guiding Environmental Health Research Toward Public Health Needs; [مدل وضعیت، مواجهه، اثر و اقدام (Seea): چارچوبی برای هدایت پژوهش‌های بهداشت محیط به سمت نیازهای سلامت عمومی]



Naddafi K
Source: Iranian Journal of Health and Environment Published:2026

Abstract

Public health is increasingly shaped by complex interactions among the environment, human populations, and social systems. Despite the substantial capacity of environmental health research, a major challenge remains the gap between generating scientific data and translating these findings into actionable evidence for health-oriented policies and interventions. The State–Exposure–Effect–Action (SEEA) model, inspired by the World Health Organization’s DPSEEA framework, provides a conceptual approach for guiding environmental health research beyond isolated and predominantly descriptive studies toward problem-oriented, evidence-based, and policy-relevant research. The model systematically links four key components: environmental conditions and hazards (State), population exposure (Exposure), health and related consequences (Effect), and corrective interventions and decision-making (Action). This approach facilitates the integration of environmental data, human exposure assessment, health outcomes, and intervention planning, while supporting the prioritization of environmental health problems and the evaluation and refinement of interventions. The SEEA model also emphasizes effective collaboration among universities, governmental agencies, and health policy institutions to translate scientific evidence into action. Its adoption can help medical universities better align their research capacity with public health needs and strengthen the generation of practical, evidence-informed solutions for disease prevention, health promotion, and effective responses to complex environmental challenges. Copyright © 2026 Iranian Association of Environmental Health, and Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Noncommercial uses of the work are permitted, provided the original work is properly cited.