Social Determinants of Health Course

 Description:

Health Equity requires that “everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be healthier” by “removing obstacles to health such as poverty….. lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, quality of education and housing, safe environments, and health care.” Achieving health equity requires effective solutions by both investing in systems that are designed to improve social and economic conditions including housing, transportation, education, income and employment assistance, child and family supports, and legal and criminal justice services and integrating these investments into often disconnected medical and public health programs tasked with improving health. The course Social Determinants of Health is based upon the World Health Organization’s Framework. The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age.

These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels. The social determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequities – the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries. The topics utilized by WHO are 20 employment conditions, social exclusion, public health priorities, women and gender equity, early child development, globalization, health systems, and measurement and evidence. Through exploration of each of above mentioned topics students will understand what are social determinants of health and how they interact in daily life, leading to better or worse health outcomes.