Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) consider social, political, and economic factors that contribute to health disparities in patients and populations. The most common health-related SDOH exposures are food and housing insecurity, financial instability, transportation needs, low levels of education, and psychosocial stress.
The Future of the Public’s Health in the 21st Century.
The health of populations depends on many different factors. Epidemiology is a discipline that has a crucial role in describing health status, identifying risk factors, and analyzing relationships between health and different hazardous agents. The classical epidemiological triangle of host-agent-environment describes how individuals become ill.
Epidemiology, Population Health, and Health Impact Assessment
Based on our readings this week answer the following questions:
1. Identify a population of interest. What determinants of health are associated with this population? Consider the impact of associated risk factors and the determinants of health as related to this population and the health condition(s).
2. Determine strategies required to address health inequities focusing on determinants of health for population health improvement among disparate populations.
3. Explain the following statement:
1. Utilizing an epidemiologic approach to disease occurrence targeting risk factors and addressing determinants of health can improve population health.
