SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH

Social Drivers of Health (SDOH) are the nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. These forces and systems include economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies, racism, climate change, and political systems. In other words, health starts where we live, learn, work and play.

There is more to good health than healthcare. A number of factors affect a person’s health that people don’t often think of as healthcare concerns, like where they live and work, the quality of their neighborhoods, how rich or poor they are, their level of education, or their race, ethnicity, or gender. These social factors have a greater impact and influence on a person’s health than the medical care they receive.

Health starts in our families, in our schools and workplaces, in our playgrounds and parks, and in the air we breathe and the water we drink.

SDOH AT-A-GLANCE

Economic Stability

  • Employment
  • Income
  • Expenses
  • Debt
  • Medical Bills
  • Support

Neighborhood and Physical Environment

  • Housing
  • Transportation
  • Parks
  • Playgrounds
  • Walkability
  • Zip Code/Geography

Education

  • Literacy
  • Language
  • Early Childhood Education
  • Vocational Training
  • Higher Education

Food

  • Food Security
  • Access to Healthy Options

Community and Social Context

  • Social Integration
  • Support Systems
  • Community Engagement
  • Stress
  • Exposure to Violence/Trauma
  • Policing/Justice Policy

Healthcare Access

  • Health Coverage
  • Provider and Pharmacy Availability
  • Access to Linguistically and Culturally Appropriate and Respectful Care
  • Quality of Care

This project financed under a Contract with the State of New Hampshire, Department of Health and Human Services, with funds supported by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award by CDC/HHS “NH Initiative to address COVID-19 Health Disparities grant #NH750T000031”. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

Community Health Workers