hexa-volume

Analysis

Health Equity through Analytics (HExA): Social connectedness

Understanding the importance of human connection in health outcomes

Social connectedness is one of the fundamental drivers of health, established over time through physical interactions within families and communities. Our two-part volume delves into the health benefits of socializing and offers insights to better understand the relationship between social and community networks as determinants of health, the impact of loneliness on health, and how enhanced connectedness can lead to improved health outcomes.

How can social connectedness impact health outcomes?

The Deloitte Health Equity Institute’s Health Equity through Analytics (HExA) series explores relationships between drivers of health—the social, environmental, and economic factors that influence health—and health outcomes, identifying actionable trends through a quantitative lens. The main goals of the HExA series are to deepen our knowledge on drivers of health, detangle and segment analyses, and share knowledge broadly in order to inspire conversation and catalyze collaborations that ultimately address root causes.

We recognize that health care issues can be highly nuanced, complex, and multifactorial. Therefore, we require additional real-world research to keep building the evidence base—and this series is just the first step.

Social connectedness as a driver of health

The data underscores the significance of social connections in shaping health outcomes. This volume, the second in our series, explores population-level physical social connectedness—both within the family unit and broadly within a community—and its potential implications for health. Download the report to explore our main findings and learn more about how social connectedness and community health are interwoven.

Dive deeper into the HExA data
From analyzing the link between family structures and chronic conditions to exploring the role of community engagement in overall wellness, our complete report examines the intricacies of social connectedness and its influence on health outcomes.


Download the report

Empower health through social ties: Strategies for stakeholders

Explore how health care ecosystem stakeholders can support social connectedness. Whether you’re a provider, payer, or community leader, learn how you can help foster environments that can enhance health outcomes through strengthened social ties.

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How health care providers can contribute

For families: Providers may be able to benefit from a patient’s social network and connectedness to help address their health needs. Understanding and incorporating household members into treatment plans and prescribing social engagement, particularly for chronic conditions, may enhance the patient's overall wellness and outcomes.

For communities: Providers may be able to tailor treatment plans based on a patient’s community engagement, incorporating time spent in libraries, parks, and other public spaces, as well as amongst friends and family. Patients can also be educated on the importance of social connectedness for their health, and clinics could potentially maintain a directory of community spaces relevant to their patient population to support any social prescribing practices.

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How health care payers can provide support

For families: Insurers may be able to support a member’s health journey by encouraging the use of social and community resources, either through resource education and awareness campaigns, or through direct coverage of services that address social isolation like therapy or subsidized membership to local community spaces like recreation facilities. Employers may also encourage and subsidize social and community resources, either through employer-sponsored health plans or separately through wellness benefits.

For communities: Insurers may be able to support a member’s health journey by encouraging community engagement, either through resource education and awareness campaigns or through subsidized membership to local community spaces like recreation facilities. Also, employers at large, whether through employee sponsored health plans or through independent programs, can work to foster social connections and community spaces within their networks and in the communities that they operate. This can take on many forms including organized activities for employees and their families, or dedicated groups and forums at work for employees that share interests.

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How community leaders can take action

For families: Based on our findings, it’s apparent that household structure may have an impact on health outcomes. Specifically, the lack of partnership, in households with and without children, appears to be associated with poorer health outcomes, particularly in lower income counties. Local leaders and stakeholders can foster an environment that promotes quality, supportive partnership. This can take on many forms, including but not limited to education on the importance of social connectedness, resources on relationship development and health maintenance, and creation of tangible spaces for the community to physically come together and nurture these partnerships.

For communities: Community leaders might consider tailoring and allocating the resources for community spaces to fit each a community’s unique needs. There should be a concerted effort to not only develop and maintain common spaces for community members, but to also encourage their use through awareness campaigns. Leaders may also be able to connect local healthcare systems and community organizations for better continuity from the social prescribing practices and the engagement of the community.

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Get in touch

If you’d like to talk more about social connectedness as a driver of health, or the emerging opportunities our strategies can present for your organization, let’s have a conversation. Reach out to learn how Deloitte can help your company so it can achieve its goals.

Elya Papoyan, MPH
Data and Analytics Manager
The Deloitte Health Equity Institute
Deloitte Services LP

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Learn how the Deloitte Health Equity Institute is translating purpose into action to advance health equity.