Understanding, Screening and Responding to Social
Determinants of Health
Understanding Social Determinants of Health
Social determinants (or social influences) of health (SDOH) are conditions in the
environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that
affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.
Material conditions (e.g., social, economic, and physical) in these various environments
and settings affect health outcomes, as well as patterns of social engagement, sense
of security, and perception of well-being. These conditions impact an estimated 80%
of health outcomes, compared to 20% impacted by clinical/medical care, as shown in
Figure 1 below.
Resources that enhance social factors can have a significant influence on population
health outcomes. Examples of these resources include safe and affordable housing,
access to education, public safety, availability of healthy foods, local parks and green
spaces, and clean air and water. Additional information on Social Determinants of Health
and how they impact health can be found here.
This toolkit section will help you with:
- Facilitation of a planning process for screening and responding to SDOH needs.
- Assessment for fit for organizations to determine which screening tool(s) provide the best fit based on individual needs (e.g., identifying domains to screen for).
- Assessment of organizational capacity to address SDOH (organizational services, resources and closing the loop on referrals).
