Nice discussion Danielle. What do you mean by the argument that: "intervention at the level of a singular factor will not result in substantial improvements unless all factors are considered and appropriately augmented as well." ?
What types of things do you put under the rubric of "singular factor" interventions?
One common critique of observational research is that efforts to isolate single cause are fruitless because of the complex dynamics that usually contribute to adverse outcomes. Yet the goal of observational research is (typically) to directly inform interventions, i.e., identify very specific actions to take to improve health. Sometimes those interventions can be at a policy or systems level (e.g., universal pre-school education, maternity leave policies) that may be more impactful than individual level changes. But to make change we have to have specificity in what actions to take - regardless of the level of intervention.