Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Addressing Social Determinants of Health: Examples of Successful Evidence-Based Strategies and Current Federal Efforts

Publication Date
Authors
Amelia Whitman, Nancy De Lew, Andre Chappel, Victoria Aysola, Rachael Zuckerman, Benjamin D. Sommers

Long-standing health inequities and poor health outcomes remain a pressing policy challenge in the U.S. While opportunities to advance health equity through clinical care continue to be important, addressing the ways in which social determinants of health (SDOH) increase or decrease the risk of poor health outcomes is critical to improving the nation’s health and wellbeing. This report provides a high-level overview of several strategies to address SDOH and health-related social needs and reviews evidence on their effectiveness in reducing impediments to health and well-being, improving health outcomes, or lowering healthcare costs. The report concludes with a brief review of select current HHS efforts to address SDOH and improve the conditions that impact health among the American people.

This report is being released in tandem with other documents that describe the Department’s strategic approach to addressing SDOH. These documents can be found at Addressing Social Determinants of Health in Federal Programs.

Related Products:

*This content is in the process of Section 508 review. If you need immediate assistance accessing this content, please submit a request to Amelia Whitman, (202) 578-1478, amelia.whitman@hhs.gov. Content will be updated pending the outcome of the Section 508 review.