Frameworks to Address Social Determinants of Health

Several social determinants of health (SDOH) frameworks illustrate the various factors that affect health. This toolkit explores different aspects of SDOH, with a primary focus on the Healthy People 2030 framework, and identifies promising approaches and evidence-based models to help organizations address SDOH to improve health in rural populations.

Healthy People

Healthy People is an initiative that sets national objectives each decade to help monitor and improve health in the U.S. The initiative identifies key areas essential to improving health and develops objectives that communities can use to measure progress towards achieving health goals. Healthy People 2030 organizes SDOH into five areas:

• Economic stability
• Education access and quality
• Social and community context
• Healthcare access and quality
• Neighborhood and built environment

Ecological Models

Ecological perspectives of SDOH acknowledge the interactions of factors at multiple levels that affect health and well-being. For example, the Social-Ecological Model identifies five levels of influence — the individual, interpersonal, institutional, policy, and structural levels. Many communities and programs have also adopted the Social-Ecological Model as a framework to address SDOH. Using this model as a framework allows communities and programs to address different social and structural factors influencing health and well-being.

Resources to Learn More

Social Determinants of Health
Website
Defines SDOH and describes the impacts SDOH has on health and wellness. Shares data, research, and policy resources, including frameworks, for addressing SDOH.
Organization(s): National Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce Centers for Disease Control and Prevention