Social Determinants of Health

Social Determinants of Health

Many individuals struggle to reach their full health potential. In the United States, many local,
regional, state, and national policy initiatives are designed to help mitigate those disparities and
eliminate unequal health outcomes. It is important to stay aware of these initiatives so you can
put them to use to create better health outcomes for the populations that you engage. The “social determinants of health” approach complements a focus on individual biology of disease with
attention to social and economic factors, social support networks, physical and social
environments, access to health services, and social and health policies. Engaged nurses have
the power to identify social determinants and address them by implementing effective policies to
help patients reach their highest attainable standard of health. Keeping this in mind, prepare a 1-
to 2-page paper that addresses health disparities in a vulnerable population. Use the following as
a guide for your paper:
Identify a health gap for a vulnerable population (young, old, homeless, LGBTQ, a specific
ethnic/cultural group, etc.) in your local community by consulting local, regional, state, or national
data.
The following website can be helpful in locating and selecting data if you choose a community in
the U.S.: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (n.d). Sources for data on social
determinant of health. https://www.cdc.gov/socialdeterminants/data/index.htm
List the characteristics of your selected population using multiple sources of data as support. For
example, a community’s health is determined by several influences other than the quality of
healthcare. Health disparities are differences in health or health-related outcomes associated
with socioeconomic or environmental disadvantage. These disadvantages may be due to
economics, education, healthcare access, or health outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities,
age (both old and young), mental disabilities, or substance use disorders.
Identify two social determinants that impact your identified community and explain how those  determinants contribute to the health gap.
Identify and describe a policy strategy that has focused on the health gap for your selected
vulnerable population in your community.