A call for greater focus on social factors that shape health
· Medical Xpressby American College of Sports Medicine
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The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has published a new call to action statement urging the sports medicine community to intentionally incorporate social determinants of health (SDoH) into research, clinical care, and administrative and organizational decision-making to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities.
Co-published in Current Sports Medicine Reports and the Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, the statement emphasizes that health outcomes are influenced by far more than biology alone. Factors such as education, neighborhood conditions, transportation, economic stability, access to health care, and social support can all affect injury risk, recovery, participation in physical activity, and long-term health.
While awareness of social determinants of health has grown across health care, these factors are still too often considered only after research is completed or when barriers to care become apparent. Instead, the statement calls for SDoH to be intentionally incorporated into every stage of sports medicine—from study design and patient assessment to organizational strategy and policy development.
"Health, research and advocacy do not start in the clinic, lab or workplace; they begin where people live, learn, work and play," said Tamerah Hunt, Ph.D., AT, FACSM. "This ACSM call to action challenges the field to move beyond awareness and into intentional action, embedding SDoH into research, education and decision-making to drive meaningful, equitable improvements in sports medicine."
The statement identifies several priorities for advancing the integration of SDoH into sports medicine, including:
- Incorporating social determinants of health into research design using standardized, measurable data.
- Considering patients' social and environmental circumstances when developing treatment and rehabilitation plans.
- Educating current and future health care professionals on the impact of SDoH on health outcomes.
- Building stronger community partnerships to better understand local needs and improve access to care.
- Embedding health equity and SDoH into organizational strategic planning, advocacy and policy development.
The authors also introduce a practical three-pillar framework to guide implementation:
- Include SDoH in decision-making
- Learn about the community and population
- Investigate with intentionality and empathy
By adopting these principles, researchers, clinicians and health care organizations can generate more applicable research, improve patient care, and develop programs that better reflect the needs of the communities they serve.
The statement concludes that intentionally addressing social determinants of health is essential to advancing sports medicine, improving health equity and ensuring scientific discoveries translate into meaningful improvements in patient care.
More information
Tamerah N. Hunt et al, Intentional Examination of the Social Determinants of Health in Clinical Practice and Research: An ACSM Call to Action Statement, Current Sports Medicine Reports (2026). DOI: 10.1249/jsr.0000000000001359
Tamerah N. Hunt et al, Intentional Examination of the Social Determinants of Health in Clinical Practice and Research: An ACSM Call to Action Statement, Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (2026). DOI: 10.1249/tjx.0000000000000369
Key medical concepts
Social Determinants of HealthSports MedicineHealth OutcomesHealth Equity
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Sports medicineFitness & Physical activityHealthy living Provided by American College of Sports Medicine Who's behind this story?
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