Behavioural factors (also referred to as behavioural determinants), such as reducing tobacco smoking and eating a healthy diet, are an important part of improving health and wellbeing, but these factors are often themselves influenced by other, broader determinants such as gender, culture, race or ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographical location and the physical environment. 

Groups include the public sector, such as government departments responsible for employment, education and finance, as well as the private sector, including service providers and manufacturers, all of whom sit outside the health system. Therefore, by encouraging all interested and concerned groups both inside and outside the health sector to work together in intersectoral collaboration the sociocultural and physical environment factors can be more effectively addressed. 

To reduce social inequities, the sociocultural factors that contribute to inequities in health status must be addressed. Many individuals and population groups are heavily influenced by sociocultural and environmental factors such as gender, culture, race, socioeconomic status, access to healthcare, social exclusion and the physical environment. Efforts to improve health and wellbeing and health status must ensure that the factors above are taken into consideration.