Preventable Death Rates Fell Where Communities Expanded Population Health Activities Through Multi-Sector Networks

This Health Affairs article highlights a study using 16 years of data from a large cohort of U.S. communities to measure the extent and nature of multi-sector contributions to population health activities and how these contributions affect community mortality rates.

The results show that deaths due to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and influenza decline significantly over time among communities that expand multi-sector networks supporting population health activities. The findings suggest that mechanisms for coordinating the delivery and financing of public health, medical, and social services across the diverse sectors that implement these services may improve population health.