Top common social determinants of health
- “Access to safe, quality, affordable housing - and the supports necessary to maintain that housing - constitute one of the most basic and powerful social determinants of health,” wrote the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) in a 2014 white paper.
- “Supportive Housing, an evidence-based practice that combines permanent affordable housing with comprehensive and flexible support services, is increasingly recognized as a cost-effective health intervention for homeless and other extremely vulnerable populations,” CSH wrote.
- Expanding housing development can also help ensure that living conditions are safe, free of asbestos, lead paint, or other environmental factors that can impair health.
- Housing support can also account for other poverty-driven determinants of health, CSH said.
- “Furthermore, supportive housing developments often attract or directly bring critical services to resource-barren neighborhoods,” wrote CSH. “Many supportive housing developments are increasingly featuring on-site or direct linkages to gym facilities, after-school programs, recreational spaces, food pantries, recovery support groups and full-service health clinics that benefit the larger community.”
- Earlier this year, the AHA and the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) called on the FCC to consider broadband and digital health access a social determinant of health.
- “Race, ethnic, and age disparities in patient portal use and readiness and preferences for using digital communication for health-related purposes have shown to be significant, and this, in turn, reduces their ability to participate in many new and exciting mHealth solutions,”wrote AMIA President and CEO Douglas B. Fridsma, MD, PhD, FACP, FACMI. “These groups would benefit from an environment that would foster a low-cost broadband option with access that would be open and as ubiquitous as possible.”
- Driving access to better housing and creating more connected communities is an important strategy for driving access to better schooling.
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