This resource summarizes research on how social health interventions may affect PHMI priority outcomes related to hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) control for adults with diabetes and blood pressure control for adults with hypertension. It reviews social needs navigation, community health worker interventions, psychosocial and behavioral health support, chronic disease care management, financial incentives, patient education, and Food is Medicine approaches such as produce prescriptions, food vouchers, medically tailored groceries, medically tailored meals, and food subsidies.
The brief highlights that interventions combining social health supports with clinical care and chronic disease management may be more likely to improve diabetes and hypertension outcomes than social supports alone, although findings vary across studies. It also examines social health screening and electronic health record workflows, transportation and housing-related evidence gaps, medication affordability, cultural and language concordance, telephonic care, nutrition education, home monitoring, and implementation practices that strengthen both medical and social care.