Financial resilience as a key determinant in public health frameworks

Financial resilience, defined as the capacity to withstand and recover from economic adversity, is an essential yet underexplored determinant of health. Despite the intuitive connection between individuals’ economic stability and their physical and mental wellbeing, only a small number of studies have directly examined this link. Emerging evidence suggests that financial distress contributes to psychological challenges and unhealthy behaviors, while financial resilience is associated with better health outcomes, lower incidence of mental illness, and greater life satisfaction. This perspective argues for the inclusion of financial resilience as an actionable component within public health frameworks. Integrating this construct into research, interventions, and policy design may open new avenues for disease prevention, reduce health inequities, and promote long-term wellbeing. We describe key conceptual pathways through which financial resilience influences health, and outline future directions for research and public health policy.