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You stay healthy because of many things, not just doctors. Where you live, go to school, and work can affect your health. Recent studies show:
Social determinants of health affect 40% to 90% of health results.
Clinical care is only about 20% of health results.
Having safe homes, good schools, steady jobs, and healthy food matters a lot. For example, not having enough healthy food can make heart disease or diabetes more likely. Think about how these things are part of your day or your community’s health.
Key Takeaways
Social determinants of health, like where you live and work, affect your health more than going to the doctor. Knowing about these things can help you make better choices for your health.
Education is very important for health. Finishing high school or college can help you have better habits. It can also help you live longer.
Economic stability is very important for health. Having a steady job and enough money lets you buy healthy food. It also helps you get medical care when you need it.
Community support helps people stay healthy. Good relationships with family and friends can help you get better when you are sick. They can also help you feel less stressed.
Making social determinants better in your community can help everyone be healthier. You can join local groups or help with healthy projects to make a good difference.
What Are Social Determinants of Health
Definition
You might think about what affects your health besides seeing a doctor. Social determinants of health are things that are not medical but still shape your health. These are the situations where you are born, grow up, live, work, and get older. Groups like the World Health Organization and CDC say these things can change your health from when you are a baby until you are an adult.
Social determinants of health are things like your house, your school, your job, and your neighborhood. They also include if you can get healthy food, clean water, and safe places to play or exercise.
Key Examples
You can find social determinants of health in many parts of your life. Here are some main examples:
How you grow up and the care you get as a child
The kind of education you have and how much you learn
If you can get a job, keep it, and what kind of job it is
If you have enough food and if it is good for you
If you can see a doctor and if the care is good
Where you live, if your home is safe, and if you have clean air or water
How much money you or your family makes
How people treat each other, like if there is discrimination or racism
The beliefs and culture in your community
If you can use technology, like the internet or cell phones
You can also look at the main types of social determinants of health in this table:
Category of Social Determinants of Health |
|---|
Economic Stability |
Education |
Social and Community Context |
Health and Healthcare |
Neighborhood and Built Environment |
Many studies show these things really affect health. For example, researchers found that medical care only explains a small part of deaths that could be stopped. Things like not having much education, living in poor neighborhoods, and not having support from others can make people sicker and live shorter lives. These differences in health are called health disparities, and they often happen because not everyone can get these important things.
Impact on Health Outcomes
Economic Stability
Economic stability affects your health in many ways. If you have a steady job and enough money, you can buy healthy food and live in a safe home. You can also pay for medical care. If you do not have a job or enough money, it is hard to meet your basic needs. This can make you feel stressed, worried, or even sad. People with less money often get sick more and may not live as long as people with more money.
Here is a table that shows how economic factors affect health:
Evidence Type | Description |
|---|---|
Economic Factors | Income and job status have a big effect on health. Not having a job or enough money can cause stress and sadness. |
Healthcare Access | If you lose your job, you might lose health insurance and skip doctor visits. |
Poverty Effects | Being poor makes it hard to get good food, safe homes, and clean places, which can hurt your health. |
Financial Stress | Worrying about money can cause long-term health problems and make it harder to get better. |
People with the lowest income have a much higher chance of dying early. Life expectancy can be over 10 years shorter for people who earn less than $15,000 a year compared to those who make $50,000 or more. This shows that income, a social determinant of health, has a strong effect on your health.
Education
Education helps you make good choices for your health. It also helps you understand what doctors say. If you finish high school or go to college, you are more likely to live longer and avoid diseases like heart problems or diabetes. People with more education usually have better jobs, more money, and healthier habits.
Studies show that people who finish college are 24% less likely to die than people who do not finish high school. They also get fewer long-term illnesses. Education teaches you about eating healthy, exercising, and taking care of yourself. It also helps you talk to doctors and follow their advice.
Here is a table that explains how education leads to better health:
Mechanism | Description |
|---|---|
Economic Factors | More education means better jobs and more money, which helps your health. |
Health Behaviors | People with more education are less likely to smoke and more likely to eat healthy and exercise. |
Social-Psychological | Education helps you make friends and deal with stress. |
Access to Healthcare | Education makes it easier to find and use healthcare services. |
Education is one of the most important social determinants of health. It helps you make smart choices and gives you the courage to ask for what you need.
Neighborhood and Environment
Where you live can change your health every day. If your neighborhood has clean parks, safe streets, and fresh air, you are more likely to be active and feel good. Living near parks or gardens can help your mind and help you get better when you are sick.
If your neighborhood has a lot of pollution, crime, or unsafe homes, you may have more health problems. Kids in unsafe neighborhoods are more likely to be overweight or have trouble staying active. People who live where there is a lot of pollution can have trouble breathing or get sick more often.
Evidence Summary | Findings |
|---|---|
Green and Blue Space | Living near parks or water can lower mental health problems, especially for people with long-term illnesses. |
Urban Green Space Benefits | Parks and gardens can help lower sadness and make your mind healthier. |
Urbanization Challenges | Crowded cities with little green space and more pollution can make mental health worse. |
Neighborhood Safety and Obesity | Kids in safer neighborhoods are less likely to be overweight and are more active. |
Your environment is a big part of the social determinants of health. It can help keep you healthy or make you sick.
Social Support
Having support from family, friends, and your community can really help your health. When you feel close to others and have people to talk to, you can get better faster and feel less stressed. Good social support helps you follow your treatment and handle health problems better.
People with strong family support follow their treatment plans better and have fewer symptoms.
People with more friends get better faster from mental health problems.
Being active in your community or having close friends can help you feel less lonely, worried, or sad.
Not having enough support makes it harder to get better and can raise your risk of mental illness.
Not having social support can even make you more likely to die early. Studies show that people who feel lonely or do not see family and friends much have a higher chance of dying from any cause. Being alone can also make you feel sad, sleep badly, and have trouble thinking.
Healthcare Access
Being able to see a doctor when you need to is very important for your health. If you can get care, you can find problems early and manage diseases better. People who cannot get care because of cost, no insurance, or no way to get there often get sicker and may not get the help they need.
Key Findings | Description |
|---|---|
Reduced Utilization | People who can get healthcare use emergency rooms less and get more checkups. |
Cost Savings | Good access to care saves money over time and keeps people healthier. |
Barriers | Not having a ride or enough money can stop people from seeing a doctor or getting medicine. |
Some groups, like people with low income or certain racial backgrounds, may not get fair treatment in healthcare. They may have fewer choices for doctors or face unfair treatment. These differences can lead to worse health and more sickness.
Tip: If you see problems getting care in your community, you can speak up or join local groups to help make things better for everyone.
Social determinants of health like economic stability, education, environment, social support, and healthcare access all work together to shape your health. If you do not have these things, your risk of getting sick or dying early goes up. By learning about these connections, you can make choices to help yourself and others stay healthy.
Real-Life Scenarios
Food Access
Some neighborhoods have lots of fast-food places. There are not many stores with fresh fruits or vegetables. If you live there, eating healthy is hard. People who cannot get fresh food eat more snacks and sugary drinks. This can cause more obesity and diabetes.
Here is a table that shows how food access affects health:
Study Focus | Findings |
|---|---|
Food Environment and Obesity | People in places with less fresh produce and more fast-food have more obesity and diabetes. |
School Proximity to Fast Food | Students near fast-food eat fewer fruits and vegetables and are more likely to be overweight. |
Food insecurity makes it hard for families to buy healthy food.
When money is tight, people pick cheaper, high-calorie foods.
If you cannot find healthy food, it is harder to manage diabetes.
Some neighborhoods, especially Black communities, have fewer supermarkets. Fruits and vegetables cost more there. Unfair rules over many years made these food deserts. This makes healthy choices tough.
Education Level
Your education can change your health in many ways. If you finish high school or college, you learn to read health information. You can follow what doctors say. People with less education have trouble understanding medical instructions. This makes it harder to handle long-term diseases.
Case Study | Findings |
|---|---|
Health literacy and chronic disease management | Low health literacy makes it hard for patients to handle long-term diseases. Providers need to talk more clearly. |
Impact of low health literacy on health outcomes | Less education means lower health literacy. This makes it harder to use health information and care. |
They are less likely to start smoking and more likely to quit as they age.
If more people in your area finish college, fewer people die. For every 10% more college graduates, there are 97 fewer deaths for every 100,000 people.
Community Support
Support from your community helps you get better faster. If you have friends, family, or neighbors who care, it is easier to follow treatment and stay healthy. Community mental health services help people stick to their plans and feel better.
Key Findings | Description |
|---|---|
Community Preference | People with serious mental illness like services close to home. This helps them keep friends and jobs. |
Health Outcomes | Community mental health services help people get better and do well with others. |
Social Inclusion | Being part of the community lowers stigma and helps people feel safe. |
In some places, community support keeps thousands out of jail and helps them get care.
Teams of experts and health workers give long-term help for mental health.
When your community works together, everyone does better.
These real-life examples show how social determinants of health affect your daily life and well-being.
Why Address Social Determinants of Health
Individual Benefits
If you make social determinants of health better in your life, you can be healthier and happier. Meeting basic needs like safe homes and healthy food helps you control diseases and feel less stress. You can see these good changes in many ways:
Evidence | Description |
|---|---|
Improved Health Outcomes | Meeting your social needs can help you get better health care and pay less for it. |
Community-Level Action | Helping your community can send help to people who need it most. |
You can also get these long-term benefits:
You become stronger and can handle problems better.
Your life gets better, and you feel happier.
You help close health gaps between groups.
Good jobs, safe homes, and strong schools help you stay healthy.
When you work to make your area better, you give yourself a better chance to live a long and healthy life.
Community Benefits
When everyone in your community works to make social determinants of health better, everyone benefits. These changes can save lives and money. For example:
In 20 years, community programs can stop almost 1,000 early deaths.
These programs can save $105 million in doctor bills and $408 million in lost work time.
It costs less to keep people healthy than to treat sickness later.
Communities that care about health become stronger and closer. People help each other more, and support grows. This support can lower stress and protect people from health problems, especially for those who are treated unfairly.
Tip: You can join local groups, help with healthy food programs, or work to make parks safer. Small steps can make big changes for you and your neighbors.
When you and your community work on social determinants of health, you help make a place where everyone can do well.
You do not just rely on doctors to stay healthy. Where you live, go to school, and work can change your health a lot.
Medical care is only a small part of what keeps you healthy.
Your neighborhood and the people around you matter even more.
You can join groups in your area to help others. You can support programs that bring healthy food to your town. You can also ask for safer parks. When people work together, they see less sickness and feel happier.
When you help out, you make the future healthier for everyone.
FAQ
What are social determinants of health?
Social determinants of health are the conditions where you live, learn, work, and play. These include your home, school, job, and neighborhood. They shape your health more than medical care does.
How do social determinants affect your health?
You face more health risks if you lack safe housing, good food, or support. These factors can make it harder for you to stay healthy or recover from illness.
Can you improve your own social determinants?
You can take small steps. Join local groups, ask for safer parks, or help with food programs. These actions can make your community healthier.
Why do some communities have more health problems?
Some communities have fewer resources, like healthy food or safe places to exercise. This can lead to more sickness and shorter lives for people living there.
