DEFINITIONS: Social Determinants of Health

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the social determinants of health and provides nine key concepts. Each example also includes further reading on each concept.

REPORT: Beyond Health Care: The Role of Social Determinants in Promoting Health and Health Equity

This Kaiser Family Foundation report includes graphics outlining the social determinants of health and the different factors associated with them. The report also provides examples of programs working to address health inequities through social determinants of health efforts.

SERIES: Unnatural Causes

This document outlines 10 major factors that impact health outcomes and gives background on the mechanisms that lead to inequitable outcomes. It accompanies a seven-part PBS series, Unnatural Causes, on the racial and socioeconomic inequities in health.

FRAMEWORK: Healthy People 2020 — SDOH

Healthy People 2020 is a national campaign with a set of objectives to improve the health of the U.S over a 10 year period. Increasing “public awareness and understanding of the determinants of health, disease, and disability and the opportunities for progress” is a central part of the mission of Healthy People 2020. This section describes how the initiative understands the social determinants of health.

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More on Healthy People 2020 — Spotlight on Health Webinar: Social Determinants of Health

ARTICLE: Why America’s Black Mothers and Babies Are in a Life-or-Death Crisis

This article from the The New York Times investigates the deadly gap in care for Black mothers in America. It looks at stories of the personal toll of unequal care on women and families, as well as research and national data on the issue.

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Further reading

• The Social Determinants of Health: It’s Time to Consider the Causes of the Causes
• Addressing Social Determinants to Improve Patient Care and Promote Health Equity: An American College of Physicians Position Paper