Social Determinants of Health

What are the “social determinants of health”?

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions in the environment where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.  

SDOH can be grouped into 5 domains:  

• Economic Stability  
• Education Access and Quality  
• Health Care Access and Quality  
• Neighborhood and Built Environment  
• Social and Community Context  

Social determinants of health have a major impact on people’s health, well-being, and quality of life. Examples of SDOH include: 

• Safe housing, transportation, and neighborhoods 
• Racism, discrimination, and violence 
• Education, job opportunities, and income 
• Access to nutritious foods and physical activity opportunities 
• Polluted air and water 
• Language and literacy skills 

SDOH also contribute to wide health disparities and inequities. For example, people who don't have access to grocery stores with healthy foods are less likely to have good nutrition. That raises their risk of health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity — and even lowers life expectancy relative to people who do have access to healthy foods.

Through the ACTion grant, the Implementation Team is carrying out strategies and programming to address access to nutritious foods and physical activity opportunities.