Social determinants of health are the conditions and the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, worship, and age that have an impact on health, socialization, functioning, and quality of life. Social determinants of health are normally grouped into five domains: economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context (1, 2). Some examples of social determinants of health may include: 

• racism, discrimination, microaggressions, and violence 

• sex, gender, sexual orientation 

• safe housing and transportation 

• literacy, language barriers, and education 

• polluted waters, sanitation in public areas, polluted air

• living in poverty, employment status 

• disenfranchisement, underrepresentation, intimidation

• Adverse childhood experiences, relational violence, or trauma

• psychiatric disorders, intellectual disability disorders, mental health disorders, eating disorders

As future providers, it is important for us to understand how lived experiences may affect our patients' path towards health or disease. Further, it is equally important that as we educate ourselves on social determinants of health, we also learn about the systems of social, political, and economic injustice that perpetuate them. 

To learn more, please utilize the events, lectures, and resources available throughout SDoHM, including our additional information page, or visit https://www.cdc.gov/socialdeterminants/about.html