Putting action into population health science: Primary care interventions to address social determinants of health

Concern about health equity and social determinants of illness (e.g., income inequalities, lack of education, food insecurity) figure prominently in many conceptions of population health. In order to illustrate how population health can actively translate science into action, we consider primary care interventions that promote healthy populations by addressing the social determinants of health. In the examples provided in this article, primary care and population health are linked in a way that reinforces each other, and these innovative interventions may lead to improved health outcomes. Population health science provides a variety of methods and approaches for designing and evaluating interventions that aim to link patients with community resources that can address social determinants of health and improve the quality of their lives. Population health can serve as an important bridge between primary care and the public health sector.