What are social determinants of community health and development?
___Social determinants of community health and development issues are the social factors that determine and influence the issues.
___The three overarching factors are:
- Economic inequality
- Social connectedness
- Sense of efficacy
___The ways they most often play out are in:
- Differences in exposure
- Differences in vulnerability
- Differences in consequences for different populations
___More specific social determinants can include:
- Racial and ethnic bias
- Cultural differences
- Media influences
- Politics
- Living conditions
- Geography
Why address social determinants of community health and development?
___If you want to solve or prevent a problem for the long term, you have to deal with its root causes.
___If you address the root causes, you’re more likely to successfully address the issue for the short term as well.
___The social factors involved may have more resonance for those affected than the issue itself.
___It may be easier to approach an issue through its underlying social factors than to deal with it directly.
___Addressing the social determinants of community issues is crucial to understanding them fully, so that your strategy and tactics for dealing with them correspond to reality.
___Addressing social determinants presents a tremendous opportunity for learning and community leadership development.
Who should address social determinants of community health and development?
___Those affected by the issues (the targets of change).
___Those who can have an effect on the issues (the agents of change).
___Staff members from organizations that work directly with the target population and/or the issue.
___Respected community leaders and citizens.
___Those who will be asked to change, sacrifice, or take action in order to address the issue.
___Anyone else who has a stake in the issue.
When should you address social determinants of community health and development?
___When it’s clear that simply focusing on the issue isn’t enough.
___When you’re advocating for changes in laws, policies, or funding.
___When you’re seeking fundamental change.
___When you’re seeking a long-term solution to a long-term problem.
___When your focus is on community wellness and prevention.
How do you identify social determinants of community health and development?
___You assess the community.
___You ask people who know.
___You apply critical thinking principles to the issue.
___You ask the right questions.
How do you address social determinants of health and community development?
___You work to address larger social factors through environmental and policy conditions, including:
- Knowledge and skills
- Support within and between groups
- Modification of access to, barriers to, and opportunities for resources and services
- Consequences of actions
- Exposure to or protection from hazards
- Policy change
___You’re guided by these basic principles:
- People most affected should choose the issues and plan strategies for the work.
- True change in social determinants demands comprehensive interventions that address multiple and interrelated factors at multiple levels.
- Collaborative efforts should aim at bringing about change in multiple sectors and systems.
- Support organizations should build capacity in the community to control its own fate.
- Health and development efforts should involve collaborative partners as catalysts for change.
- Strategies should be self-sufficient and sustainable over the long term.
- Efforts should be aimed at goals that can be accomplished by the people in question with the resources at hand.
- Successes should be consolidated and maintained, so that new and greater challenges can be taken on.
- Efforts should continue indefinitely.