Social Determinants of Health

Primer

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) are the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.[1] SDOH are particularly big influences on psychiatric disorders and mental health.

Domains

SDOH can be grouped into 5 domains:

  1. Economic Stability
  2. Education Access and Quality
  3. Health Care Access and Quality
  4. Neighbourhood and Built Environment
  5. Social and Community Context

Examples

Examples of SDOH include:

  • Safe housing, transportation, and neighbourhoods
  • Racism, discrimination, and violence
  • Education, job opportunities, and income
  • Access to nutritious foods and physical activity opportunities[2]
  • Polluted air and water
  • Language and literacy skills

Across the Lifespan

Arango, C. et al. (2018). Preventive strategies for mental health. The lancet. Psychiatry, 5(7), 591–604. Fig. 1

Resources

For Patients

For Providers

Articles
Research

References

1) Health.gov: Social Determinants of Health
2) McIntyre, L. (2023). Tackling household food insecurity to protect the mental health of children and youth in Canada. CMAJ, 195(28), E960-E961.