The contribution of behavioural science to addressing the social and wider determinants of health: evidence review

Overview

Health inequalities within and between countries remain a major public health problem despite extensive evidence and proposed interventions from two approaches to health equity: individually oriented behaviour change and the social or wider determinants of health. While substantial evidence exists within each, there is little integration and intersections are seldom developed. Consilience at practice, policy and research levels could contribute to effectively alleviating the burden of ill health among poor and disadvantaged people.

This report was commissioned by the Behavioural Insights Unit. It discusses the contribution of behavioural sciences, broadly defined, to addressing social and wider determinants of health, and describes findings about differences and similarities between the two approaches. The report makes the case for bringing together the evidence and knowledge of differing approaches and outlines practical implications. Case-studies on tobacco control, HIV prevention and control, the response to COVID-19 in the United Kingdom, and obesity are used to illustrate examples of consilience and non-consilience, use of evidence from outside the peer-reviewed literature, and how this might work in practice.