Defining the Social Determinants of Health
Many factors outside medical care influence an individual's health and well-being, including the places where a person grows up, lives, and works. These factors, also called the social determinants of health (SDOH), can impact the health and well-being of entire communities.
Organizations and agencies use different definitions of SDOH, highlighting the complex nature of the multiple environments, systems, and policies that affect health.
Healthy People 2030 defines SDOH as:
“Conditions in the environments where 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.”
While SDOH refer to community-level factors that impact health, health-related social needs are the individual-level factors that affect health, which include:
- Family and social support
- Interpersonal violence
- Transportation
- Education and training
- Employment and finances
- Food access
- Housing stability and affordability
- Affordable utilities
Resources to Learn More
The Accountable
Health Communities Health-Related Social Needs Screening Tool
Document
Describes and answers questions about the health-related social needs (HRSN) screening tool that can be used to
identify patient needs related to 5 areas: housing instability, food insecurity, transportation problems,
utility help needs, and interpersonal safety. HRSN screening tool developed by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI).
Organization(s): Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services