How Social Determinants of Health Shape Our Lives
The World Health Organization defines social determinants of health as the conditions in which individuals are born, grow, work, live, and age, which are influenced by broader forces and systems that shape daily life 1. These conditions affect access to healthcare such as, maternity and prenatal support, substance abuse treatment, among other factors.
Economic Stability
Physical Environments
Education
Food
Agencies such as the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are highly concerned with these factors, as addressing them is driving health care reform policies. Health inequality, defined as the systemic and avoidable differences in health outcomes among various communities and populations, continues to disproportionately affect the most vulnerable groups despite considerable efforts through research and policy. Healthcare inequity represents a significant failure of our society, as no individual or community should be restricted in their access to care due to factors beyond their control (Gomez et al., 2021).
Enacting Evidence-Backed Solutions
Initiatives to address social determinants of health come in all forms. Our mission hopes to increase knowledge of address of health disparity challenges by:
