What are Social Determinants of Health?

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) refer to the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, and these factors can have a significant impact on an individual’s health outcomes. They are the non-medical factors that influence health, and they often contribute to health disparities across different populations.

For example, the 2010 Haitian earthquake created conditions that put survivors at risk for health and quality of life issues. Hence, Hatiti experienced a significant Cholera outbreak that began in October 2010. The outbreak resulted in 820,000 suspected cases with 9,000 deaths from contaminated water related to basic human activity.

Accordingly, we regularly monitor several SDOH factors which have the potential for significant impact on health outcomes. The list is not all-inclusive but includes areas where change has the potential for a positive impact.