Overview
For most people, the term “social determinants of health” (SDH) may evoke topics like access to healthy food options, availability of recreational spaces, or neighborhood walkability. However, this definition is not entirely incorrect but not the whole picture.
Public health bodies have increasingly noted physical and mental health impacts stemming from social inadequacies and inequalities rooted in multiple factors in the past two decades.
Understanding how components of everyday life such as income, educational level, employment, literacy, housing, food, and physical activity opportunities can affect one’s health has become as crucial as delivering direct health care.
Whereas thankfully, most of us have access to the types of care we may need, there are many people who, for non-medical reasons, are either experiencing hardships in accessing health care or are prevented entirely.
But regardless of where you are in terms of your access, one thing is sure – SDH is increasingly considered a leading health indicator and is used to create healthy change.
What is SDH?
The World Health Organization’s Commission on the Social Determinants of Health has defined SDH as, “the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age” and “the fundamental drivers of these conditions.”[1]
SDH are non-medical factors and conditions that can influence physical and mental well-being. Outside forces and systems, such as social norms and economic and political systems, can wield considerable influence over the health outcomes of many.
These factors can influence inequities between different jurisdictions, health systems, and individuals.
Lists of the specific SDH are often quite different due to the variance in living conditions from place to place. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides the following Top Five list:[2]
- Education Access and Quality: Studies have shown that people with higher levels of education are more likely to be healthier and live longer.
- Health Care and Quality: About 10 percent of the US population doesn’t have health insurance. You’re less likely to have a primary care provider without insurance, and this may also make health care services and medications unaffordable for a significant amount of people.
- Neighborhood and Built Environment: Unfortunately, far too many people reside in neighborhoods with high rates of violence and other health and safety risks, such as unsafe water. Racial and ethnic minorities, as well as low-income families and individuals, are more likely to live in these environments.
- Social and Community Context: Relationships with family, friends, and co-workers have been shown to have a significant impact on a person’s overall health and well-being; however, not everyone has this component – especially in the case of mental health disorders or aging as both can come with isolation.
- Economic Stability: People with steady employment have been shown statistically to be healthier than their counterparts who have trouble finding and keeping a job.
The Takeaway
SDH is deservedly taking on increased importance when it comes to creating health equity – which means that everyone can enjoy the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.
Poverty, discrimination, and other socioeconomic factors that drive unequal access to health care remain obstacles to this noble goal.
Still, due to more insights and data into the components of SDH, more public health programs can be created and rolled out to open the doors for broader accessibility to health and well-being for all.
References:
- World Health Organization. (n.d.). Social Determinants of Health. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health#tab=tab_1
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, March 6). CDC – Social Determinants of health – STLT gateway. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/sdoh/index.htm
