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 .
Publication bias in clinical research
In a retrospective survey , 487 research projects approved by the Central Oxford Research Ethics Committee between 1984 and 1987 , were studied for evidence of publication bias . As of May , 1990 , 285 of the studies had been analysed by the investigators , and 52 % of these had been published . Studies with statistically significant results were more likely to be published than those finding no difference between the study groups ( adjusted odds ratio [ OR ] 2.32 ; 95 % confidence interval [ Cl ] 1.25 - 4.28 ) . Studies with significant results were also more likely to lead to a greater number of publications and presentations and to be published in journals with a high citation impact factor . An increased likelihood of publication was also associated with a high rating by the investigator of the importance of the study results , and with increasing sample size . The tendency towards publication bias was greater with observational and laboratory-based experimental studies ( OR = 3.79 ; 95 % Cl = 1.47 - 9.76 ) than with r and omised clinical trials ( OR = 0.84 ; 95 % Cl = 0.34 - 2.09 ) . We have confirmed the presence of publication bias in a cohort of clinical research studies . These findings suggest that conclusions based only on a review of published data should be interpreted cautiously , especially for observational studies . Improved strategies are needed to identify the results of unpublished as well as published studies
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 .