00:00 Hi, my name is Deboki Chakravarti, I’m a science educator, and today we’re going to talk about the social determinants of health.

00:06 Imagine a situation where two identical twins are raised in different settings.

00:11 Let’s say Twin A grows up in a suburban area surrounded by parks, and Twin B grows up in an urban neighborhood next to a major highway.

00:19 Every day, while Twin A gets fresh air, Twin B is breathing in a small amount of car fumes.

00:25 Which might not seem like a big deal, but in the long run it could mean a higher risk of developing asthma, allergies and pneumonia

00:32 – because air pollution can irritate our airways and make our lungs vulnerable to infection.

00:37 Sure, Twin B might have access to other resources that help offset those risk factors.

00:43 Maybe they live near some clean, green spaces that they can run around in after school.

00:47 Or maybe Twin A breathes secondhand smoke every night because their caregivers love cigars.

00:53 So even though they share the same DNA, and we’d expect them to have the same health outcomes, there are factors outside of them that affect their health.

01:02 The conditions that people live, work and play in are what we call the social determinants of health, and they can have an even more profound impact on our well-being than genetics alone.

01:11 Now, there are a lot of social determinants out there, but the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lists five main factors.

01:19 First, there’s our access to quality health care, which can be impacted by where we live.

01:24 Like, on average, people in rural areas in the U.S. spend 63% more time getting to the nearest hospital than people in urban areas.

01:32 Which makes it harder to get to important doctor’s visits.

01:35 For instance, pregnant people in rural counties are often less likely to get regular checkups, which can put them at risk for complications – like giving birth too early.

01:45 And children born even a few weeks too early have higher odds of developing a learning disability.

01:51 Which can make it harder to excel in school, since our society often doesn’t adequately accommodate people with disabilities.

01:57 So a single social determinant of health, like access to health care, can end up influencing other social determinants of health, like our access to quality education.

02:07 And this can have a profound impact on health outcomes.

02:10 For instance, kids that grow up in communities with under-funded schools are less likely to graduate high school than kids from wealthier communities.

02:18 And not having a high school diploma is associated with a lack of health insurance and lower paying jobs.

02:24 That brings us to our next determinant of health -- economic stability.

02:28 Many people with lower-paying jobs end up working multiple gigs, or pulling double shifts.

02:33 And a lack of free time is a common reason why people don’t get regular screenings for diseases like cancer.

02:39 Next, there’s our built environment, or the man-made spaces where we live and work.

02:44 People living in low-income neighborhoods without easy access to grocery stores are often forced to rely on fast food or convenience stores for meals.

02:52 And having a diet with little nutritional value is one of the top risk factors for chronic diseases like diabetes.

02:59 Finally, there’s our social environment, which includes things like the laws which govern our lives, and how we interact with the people around us.

03:07 Data shows that if people experience discrimination in a doctor’s office because of their race or sexuality, they’ll often delay their follow-up appointments.

03:16 And since diagnosing diseases early allows doctors to treat them as soon as possible, delaying treatment can lead to worse outcomes.

03:23 Thankfully, public health professionals are dedicated to addressing all five of these social determinants head-on.

03:29 This could mean expanding the scope of government-funded health insurance programs like Medicaid, giving more people access to health care.

03:36 Or it could mean allocating more money to public schools.

03:39 One study that looked at thousands of schools across the U.S. found that increasing school funding by 10% raised the odds that low-income students would finish high school.

03:48 Which could translate to higher wages and better access to healthy resources.

03:52 But we don’t have to be public health experts to get involved and look out for our communities.

03:58 Something as simple as grabbing groceries for sick neighbors or driving a friend to the doctor can strengthen our social environment, and help reduce the negative impacts of other determinants.

04:07 So the social determinants of health all have a serious impact on our long-term well-being.

04:13 But by identifying and addressing them at everything from the personal to the policy level, we can help ensure that people live their healthiest lives.

04:20 Thanks for watching!

04:21 This video is part of a series created by Complexly and the American Public Health Association to shed a little light on the important work that public health does.

04:30 To learn more, visit apha.org.