Opportunities for Whole Health Promotion: Research and Examples

The movement for health equity demands that health care move beyond exclusively clinical markers of well-being. Studies suggest that social determinants of health—including socioeconomic conditions, the environment and health behaviors—can account for 80 percent or more of variations in people’s health, while clinical care impacts only 20 percent of health outcomes.

This publication explores three PCORI-funded studies that propose new frameworks for advancing whole health. It also identifies current programs across the United States that offer examples of interventions suggested by those studies. We provide an overview of research-backed solutions to whole health challenges and highlight how those solutions can work in action.