Complex social factors have a powerful influence on well-being, making it clear that to create systems, policies, and practices that improve population health and equity, diverse sectors must be engaged.

The term “Culture of Health” was developed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and is both an aspirational concept and guiding framework. As described by the RWJF, when we achieve the concept of a culture of health, we will have a nation where…

• Good health and well-being flourish across geographic, demographic, and social sectors
• Health and equity guide public and private decision making
• Everyone has the opportunity to make choices that lead to healthy lifestyles

The Culture of Health Framework moves the concept to action by providing a guide to make health a priority for partners across diverse sectors.

Nurses play an essential role in communities, regardless of their practice setting, by ensuring conditions that help all people have optimal health wherever they live, learn, work, and play. Although this is a known aspect of nursing, the approach taken to achieve this role is challenging without understanding the factors that affect the health and well-being of populations. Many nursing and public health models exist that can successfully impact health, including the RWJF Culture of Health Framework. But what makes this particular framework unique, is that is offers detailed priorities for what drives the health of communities and recommends specific multi-sector strategies to address them. These priorities and action areas make the framework appropriate for nursing since it is applicable in all settings where nurses work, such as hospitals, health departments, schools, and clinics and facilitates deep collaboration with community members, partners, and stakeholders.