What are the social determinants of health?
‘Social determinants of health’ has rapidly become a central concept in population and public health, leading to the emergence of new theoretical models and frameworks.
Although there is no single definition of the social determinants of health, there are common usages across government and non-government organisations.
The WHO lists the following as social determinants which can influence health equity in positive and negative ways:
- income and social protection
- education
- unemployment and job insecurity
- working life conditions
- food insecurity
- housing, basic amenities and the environment
- early childhood development
- social inclusion and non-discrimination
- structural conflict
- access to affordable health services of decent quality (WHO 2022).