Our comprehensive review and meta- analysis of these experiments find suggestive evidence of health benefits associated with investments in early life , income support , and health insurance interventions .
Housing and neighborhood trials had no effect on the outcomes included in the meta-analyses .
A positive effect of the trial on its primary socioeconomic outcome was associated with higher odds of reporting health improvements .
Early life , income , and health insurance interventions have the potential to improve health .
Policy Points Social policies might not only improve economic well-being , but also health .
Health policy experts have therefore advocated for investments in social policies both to improve population health and potentially reduce health system costs .
Since the 1960s , a large number of social policies have been experimentally evaluated in the United States .
Some of these experiments include health outcomes , providing a unique opportunity to inform evidence -based policymaking .
CONTEXT Insurers and health care providers are investing heavily in nonmedical social interventions in an effort to improve health and potentially reduce health care costs .
The effect of small class sizes on mortality through age 29 years: evidence from a multicenter randomized controlled trial.
Limiting the number of students per classroom in the early years has been shown to improve educational outcomes . Improved education is , in turn , hypothesized to improve health . The authors examined whether smaller class sizes affect  mortality through age 29 years and whether cognitive factors play a role . They used data from the Project Student Teacher Achievement Ratio , a 4-year multicenter r and omized controlled trial of reduced class sizes in Tennessee involving 11,601 students between 1985 and 1989 . Children r and omized to small classes ( 13 - 17 students ) experienced improved measures of cognition and academic performance relative to those assigned to regular classes ( 22 - 25 students ) . As expected , these cognitive measures were significantly inversely associated with mortality rates ( P < 0.05 ) . However , through age 29 years , students r and omized to small class size nevertheless experienced higher mortality rates than those r and omized to regular size classes ( hazard ratio ( HR ) = 1.58 , 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) : 1.07 , 2.32 ) . The groups at risk included males ( HR = 1.73 , 95 % CI : 1.05 , 2.85 ) , whites/Asians ( HR = 1.68 , 95 % CI : 1.04 , 2.72 ) , and higher income students ( HR = 2.20 , 95 % CI : 1.06 , 4.57 ) . The authors speculate that small classes might produce behavior changes that increase mortality through young adulthood that are stronger than the protective effects of enhanced cognition
Our comprehensive review and meta- analysis of these experiments find suggestive evidence of health benefits associated with investments in early life , income support , and health insurance interventions .
Housing and neighborhood trials had no effect on the outcomes included in the meta-analyses .
A positive effect of the trial on its primary socioeconomic outcome was associated with higher odds of reporting health improvements .
Early life , income , and health insurance interventions have the potential to improve health .
Policy Points Social policies might not only improve economic well-being , but also health .
Health policy experts have therefore advocated for investments in social policies both to improve population health and potentially reduce health system costs .
Since the 1960s , a large number of social policies have been experimentally evaluated in the United States .
Some of these experiments include health outcomes , providing a unique opportunity to inform evidence -based policymaking .
CONTEXT Insurers and health care providers are investing heavily in nonmedical social interventions in an effort to improve health and potentially reduce health care costs .